Anne’s face was flushed, her eyes swollen from crying in frustration. Abby, sitting next to her, felt a surge of anger at seeing her younger sister so upset.
“Stop crying. I’ll talk to Dad. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Hannah gets what she deserves,” Abby said, her tone seething.
Anne immediately grabbed her sister’s hand. “No, don’t. Dad will investigate and it will turn out that I was wrong.”
“But Hannah’s behavior was so rude! She’s just a new employee; she should know her place.”
Anne nodded, “I’m afraid she’s going to sway Don. You saw how he defended her immediately.”
“We need to get rid of her, Anne.”
Abby got up and began pacing her office.
Frankly, it would be easy for Abby to get rid of anyone in the company. Several employees had been fired for insignificant reasons, mostly because they had crossed Abby. Don always agreed to Abby’s demands, especially with pressure from her father.
But with Hannah, Abby felt insecure.
Don had even dared to snap at both Abby and Anne just to defend Hannah.
If Abby was going to ask her father to remove Hannah, she would need a good reason. What worried Abby the most was that Don might actually fight to keep Hannah.
Abby stopped pacing and turned to Anne.
“I have an idea. After this, Hannah will definitely decide to resign on her own,” Abby said with a grin.
“What’s the idea?”
*
A knock on the door pulled Hannah’s attention away from her computer screen. She was startled to see Anne standing in the doorway.
“Hi, can I come in?” Anne asked.
“Sure,” Hannah nodded.
Anne entered awkwardly and Hannah got up from her chair. They stood facing each other.
Anne cleared her throat. “About this morning…”
Hannah quickly interrupted, “I’m already past that.”
“That’s good,” Anne said, looking a little uncomfortable. “Yes, I just didn’t want you to overdo it.”
“It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Okay.”
Anne stood there as if lost in thought. Hannah found it strange that Abby’s sister was even here. The workday was almost over, and Hannah was getting ready to head back to her company housing.
“Hey, do you want to go downtown? Get some coffee or something? It’s up to you,” Anne offered.
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think so. Downtown is pretty far from here, isn’t it?”
“It’s okay, we’ll go together. I can drive you back afterwards.”
“You’ll be too tired.”
“Please. I just want to make it up to you.”
Hannah finally understood what Anne meant. How could Hannah say no? It was painful to say no to someone who was trying to make peace. She had been in this position before, at the beginning of her marriage to Alden.
“Okay. Let me just clean up my desk first,” Hannah said.
“Great, I’ll meet you outside.” Anne smiled. “Take your time.”
“Thanks.”
After tidying up her workspace, Hannah hurried outside to meet Anne in the parking lot. Anne was already waiting in her car, waving to Hannah. Soon they were driving out of the factory.
The ride was mostly quiet, with an air of awkwardness between them.
Occasionally, Anne asked about Hannah’s life before coming to Sunnydale. Hannah explained that she had worked for a company in Summerhill, and her husband had worked there as well.
Since they hadn’t had children yet, her husband had allowed her to work in another town.
Anne took Hannah to an upscale restaurant downtown that, surprisingly, was still owned by her family. As they entered, Hannah complimented the interior, admiring the design. Anne led her upstairs to a VIP room.
“You’re going to love the food here. I guarantee everything is delicious,” Anne boasted with a chuckle.
“Well, I believe it. Your family’s restaurant is amazing.”
“Thank you, Hannah.”
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the waiter arrived and Anne ordered the entrees for both of them. The two women engaged in light conversation, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.
…
After dinner, Anne drove Hannah back to her company housing and they said goodbye.
Once in her room, Hannah began to feel unwell. A terrible stomach ache gripped her, and she began to sweat profusely.
Hannah entered her bedroom with a pale face. Demi, who was lying in bed reading, looked up at her in confusion.
“Hannah? Are you okay?” she asked.
Hannah shook her head quickly, then suddenly groaned in pain. She collapsed to the floor, clutching her stomach and writhing in agony.
Demi jumped out of bed and rushed to help Hannah to her feet, guiding her to the edge of the bed.
“Hannah, oh my God! What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know. My stomach hurts so bad, Demi.”
“I’ll get you some warm water,” Demi said, half running out of the room.
As Hannah curled up, the nausea hit her harder, and now she also felt incredibly dizzy. She tried to think about what she had eaten earlier in the day, but nothing seemed wrong.
Even the food at the restaurant hadn’t spoiled. So why was she in so much pain?
Demi came back with a glass of warm water.
“Hannah, drink this,” Demi said.
Hannah’s trembling hand reached for the glass, but before she could take a sip, another wave of pain shot through her. The glass slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
“Arrgghhh!!” Hannah screamed in agony.
Suddenly she felt something warm between her legs. It wasn’t urine, but something she couldn’t control. Demi’s eyes widened in shock as she saw blood staining the back of Hannah’s pants.
“Oh my God!!” Demi screamed.
Hannah looked down in horror at what was happening to her.
“Just stay calm, okay? I’ll call an ambulance!” Demi cried, her voice panicked.
Other employees rushed in, drawn by Demi’s scream. They were also shocked to see the blood on Hannah’s pants and bed sheets.
“Call an ambulance now! We have to get Hannah to the hospital!” Demi ordered.