“Don’t be late. Be consistent with this job; I hate when my workers slack off. Never give excuses, and drag yourself over here even if you’re sick. You hear me?” the old man said to Nica in a cold voice.
People were right about this man-he was cold and strict. She had heard previous workers left because of his attitude.
But she had no choice. She needed this job or she was going to starve on the streets.
“Understood, sir,” she forced a smile.
“Good… and be nice to the customers too, or I’ll fire you the next day. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she swallowed and watched the man leave.
“Oh God, this is going to be way harder than I thought,” she muttered.
Her phone buzzed twice-messages from Jamie and Dimitri.
~Where are you, sis? I need to know if you’re okay. Please don’t ignore me.~
Nica sighed, reading Jamie’s message. How was she going to face him? She had hurt Mr. Hanson in self-defense. She knew how much Jamie loved his father and couldn’t hurt him with the truth about the monster his father truly was.
Mr. Hanson had always been careful around Jamie, so he knew nothing-unlike Mrs. Hanson, who pretended not to know what was going on.
~You coming to the hangout party?~
Dimitri’s message read. She texted back that she wasn’t.
The door dinged, and a figure stepped in-a customer.
She sighed. She had applied for the job this morning, and the cold old man had been quick to accept her, making her start immediately.
Her smile dropped when she saw who had just stepped in. It was Vincent.
Her heart skipped a beat, her lips parting in awe. Not just because of his presence, but because he had somehow become even more handsome than the last time she saw him.
His jet-black hair covered half of his forehead, the rest neatly combed back. His jaw was sharp, his lips pink and inviting.
“Nica?” he called, a smile lighting up his handsome features.
“Hey… Vin… cent,” she cleared her throat, trying to shake off the awkwardness. She was really acting weird, but who could blame her? She had been into this guy for a while.
“First customer and you’re already drooling?” The old man’s voice snapped her back to reality. When did he appear again?
“I’m sorry,” she bowed.
“Easy, uncle. She’s my friend. She was just stunned to see me,” Vincent said. They seemed close.
“Alright,” the old man said and left.
“Thanks,” Nica smiled.
“He’s a pain in the ass, isn’t he?” Vincent chuckled. His laughter sounded like music to her ears.
“Hm, I hope I get used to it though,” Nica mumbled. “You seem close to him.”
“Yeah, we are. I’m a regular customer here… mostly to talk to him.”
Nica nodded. “Do you need… uhm, something?”
“Nah,” he shook his head. “But since you’re here, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”
“Why did Klaus have a fight with Simon?”
Nica paused, her movements hesitant. It didn’t escape Vincent’s notice.
“I don’t know,” she shook her head. He looked at her suspiciously but didn’t say anything.
___
Valerie was on her way back to the dorm when Sienna’s car stopped beside her. She rolled her eyes and kept walking.
“Valerie! Wait!” Sienna quickly got out of the car. “Val, please wait!”
Valerie pretended not to hear her, even turning up the music in her earbuds.
Sienna caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder. Valerie jerked her arm away.
“Let go!” Valerie snapped. “What the fuck do you want?!”
“I really need you to stop acting this way. I’m so sorry for what I did, okay? Please, just let it go. I made a mistake… I swear, if I could go back in time, I would-”
“You’d still throw yourself at him!” Valerie spat, her eyes cold, her voice filled with pain.
“I… was drunk.”
“Screw that shit, Sienna. Do I look like a fucking idiot? I don’t want to see you. You ruined my life, and now you’re trying to trap me with you. Don’t you get it? You disgust me!” Valerie snapped and turned to leave.
“Val! You can’t hate me forever. Let’s sort this out, please!” Sienna’s eyes teared up.
Valerie scoffed but kept walking without stopping. Sienna sighed and ran her hand through her hair, frustration evident on her face. She then drove away.
Rhea, who was nearby, had overheard the whole conversation, though she didn’t fully understand it. But she recognized Sienna as Vincent’s girlfriend.
She continued walking and noticed that Valerie was heading to the same building as the address Morticia had given her.
She watched Valerie enter the building-and even the same room.
*That rogue-looking girl was Morticia’s roommate?*
Rhea knocked on the door and heard Morticia’s voice telling her to come in. She stepped inside and saw Valerie, who seemed to be having a conversation with Morticia.
“Ah, Val, this is Rhea, the one I was telling you about,” Morticia jumped off her bed, all dressed to go out.
“Hi.”
“Namaste,” Rhea greeted with a smile, but Valerie didn’t return the gesture.
“You should come with us,” Morticia offered.
“Nah, I’m good,” Valerie declined.