Chapter2:

Clara's POV

She was off sprinting to the closet with the dress before I could object.

There were several reasons why this was a horrible idea.

We had to get the job done because Maddison was probably going to come soon, so I moaned as I finished the remaining tasks.

It was a few minutes before Ivy came out of the closet.

"How do I look?" she said as she leaned against the door.

"Wow," was all I could say.

The majority of her back was seen due to the floor-length gown's sharp neckline and exposed leg. It accentuated every aspect of Ivy, fitting her flawlessly.

Ivy said, "Wouldn't it be great to be rich?" "I just looked at the price tag, it costs enough for me to buy myself a decent car." She said.

"It's a shame she is probably only ever going to wear it once," I said. "You should take the dress off before you get us into any trouble."

"You're correct," she said.

Looking behind her back for the zip, she extended her hand.

Ivy yelled, "The zipper won't open."

Panicked, I gazed at her.

By happenstance, we heard the doorknob turn.

Maddison showed up!

I murmured to Ivy, "Hide," and flung the dress's covering at her.

Ivy was hoping she could remove the garment before Maddison realized it was missing.

As soon as Maddison entered the room, the door sprang open. She was unmistakable; I knew her from all the tabloid stories.

She was accompanied by two other women.

Before they noticed her, Ivy hurried inside the restroom.

"When I entered the suite, Maddison said, "The weather in Mulan was awful."

"Did you see Layla's Instagram post? That girl couldn't recognize good taste if it punched her in the face," she said.

"Susan sweetheart, that is just what happens when poor people marry into rich families, that's why we just don't mix," Maddison said.

When Maddison finally realized I was here, she gave me a look.

She said, "What are you still doing here?"

"Ma'am, I was still tidying up," I said.

She flung her coat and suitcase on the ground and then threw herself onto the couch.

She pointed at me and said, "Why don't you do your job and put my coat away."

I took her coat and bag and put them in the closet.

She gestured, "Madelyn, get me that tabloid."

The second girl was probably her helper.

She gave the tabloid to Maddison.

Maddison said, "I'm going to marry Derek Montenegro."

Susan, her companion, said, "You shouldn't be so confident," as she sat next to her.

"If you looked like me, I'd also be confident. You should stop hanging around that stupid driver of yours, you are becoming dumber." Maddison took a breath. "Besides, I know for a fact that his parents a having a surprise birthday party for him. I'm going to ask my dad to get me an invitation. Once he sees me, he won't be able to resist."

Ivy was correct—Maddison was genuinely interested in his money. All she wanted was an opportunity to go after him. Who would have guessed that wealthy females might be greedy for wealth?

"Why are you so obsessed with him, haven't you already tried calling him about a hundred times?" Susan said.

"You clearly haven't looked at his pictures long enough. He is an RPH, Rich, Powerful, and Handsome. Plus, my dad and I already agree that it would be good for business. He is probably just busy." Maddison said.

You might assume at first that she is intelligent enough to detect when a guy is neglecting her.

Ivy was back on my mind; I had to support her. I would have to wait for the right moment to sneak out of there.

With a sigh, Susan leaned back on the couch. "Wouldn't it be great to marry the love of your life? Someone who you can grow old with and who will love you no matter what." Susan said.

"Don't be stupid, love is an illusion created for poor people to feel like they are doing something with their lives," Maddison said. "Besides, falling in love with him won't be that hard," she said, her gaze returning to the newspaper featuring his photo.

She let the tabloid fall to the ground.

"If I'm going to be the future Mrs. Derek Montenego I need to look gorgeous. He has to notice me." Maddison said.

"It's not Montenegro," her pal said.

Maddison's eyes rolled.

I had the opportunity to exit the room and assist Ivy. I could finish it now that she was preoccupied.

"You, with the blue eyes," yelled Maddison.

I came to a halt instantly. I looked over my shoulder to see who she could be speaking with.

Pointing to me, she said, "Is there anyone else here, I need you to come here?"

She said, "Where are my dresses?"

With the outfits, we were in serious trouble now. How could we possibly escape this one?

I stammered, "In your bedroom, ma'am."

Once more, she rolled her eyes. That was definitely a habit of hers. I never rolled my eyes because my mom used to tell me that they would stay that way.

With a fury, she walked to the bedroom. Madelyn and Susan trailed following her.

I had to follow her so that when she realized the dress was missing, I could tell a story to hide it.

Perhaps she wouldn't even realize it was missing.

I pretended to dust some furniture and waited outside the door.

While deciding which dress to wear, Maddison spread out all of the gowns on the bed.

Maddison said, "Didn't I ask to have five of these delivered?"

Her helper gave her a bewildered look.

And what would I do? I could say it was never delivered, but that may lead to the termination of another person. I had to figure out how I was going to survive this one.

"I think you are better off wearing the blue one ma'am," I said.

Madison said, "Excuse me," as she turned to face me.

Her companion and her helper both raised an eyebrow at me. I was probably fired for speaking out of turn at this point.

"I mean, a woman like you, the blue one perfectly highlights your curves. It shows your elegance, that you are different and not like the other girls. It says 'irresistible', you need to make him imagine what he could have. You will be the envy of them all." I was speaking while glancing at the gown. "Besides, black is last year's season," I said.

She gave me a sidelong glance before focusing on her reflection in the mirror. As she tucked her hair behind her ear, she said, "I suppose you are correct."

I merely stroked her ego.

Madison said, "Maybe she should take your job," looking at her assistant.

That was a close one, I sighed. Before any of us get into problems, I hope Ivy can remove the outfit.

As fortune would have it, Ivy left the restroom.

As they gazed at the garment in her hand, all heads turned to watch her. I'm hoping she thought of a clever tale to hide this problem.

Maddison questioned, "Where were you the whole time?"

She said nervously, "I was just cleaning up your bathroom ma'am."

Madison yelled, "What were you doing with that?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I was just looking for some closet space to put it," Ivy said.

She was unable to exit the closet without drawing attention from anyone in the bedroom as she was on her way to the restroom.

Taking the clothing from her hand, Maddison brushed her off.

"Do you need anything else, ma'am?" I responded.

She shooed us away, saying, "No, you can go."

I gave a nod, then quickly left the apartment behind.

Ivy ran on her small legs and trailed after me.

I muttered to her, "Don't ever do that to me again; you know my heart can't take it."

She said, "Trust me, I learned my lesson."

My shift finished at about five in the morning. My feet were arching by the time my shift finished, and I could hardly stand without feeling as though I was walking on molten lava. I could hardly keep my eyes open right now, yet I slept through my little break.

However, I was going to the day shift starting next week, so maybe things would be better.

I walked into the home with my eyes half closed, kicking off my shoes.

Katy and Mom must be getting ready to leave the house right now.

Our front door always makes a loud sound, so I carefully closed it.

My mother's voice came from the living room, "Hello honey."

I listened to her voice.

On the couch, she lay. She was usually up and about, attempting to get Katy ready for school.

I kissed her cheek and said, "Morning, Mom." "Aren't you preparing to get to work today?" I responded.

Mom was employed at a nearby shoe factory. She has been employed by them for the past 10 years; I have always advised her to look for a new position, but given her age, this may be particularly difficult.

She let out a sigh.

"Yesterday on my way to work, someone pushed me on the subway, and I sprained my ankle badly." She stopped. The tears welling up in her eyes were visible to me. "The manager fired me; they said I couldn't work anymore. And because of my age, it didn't make things better either." She broke down.

I embraced her in a hug and said, "It's okay Mom, it's going to be okay."

"How? You are already working so hard. You are supposed to be studying and following your dreams like all your other agemates, instead, I'm just a burden to you." She broke down.

I gave her a closer hug. "I could never consider you to be a burden," I said.

The three of us hugged for a long time before Katy joined in.

"I'm so sorry I can't give you two the life that you deserve," she said in a whisper.

I said, "You couldn't have done better."

The first to pull out of the hug was Mom. "Katy, you need to get to school. I know you are only joining in so you can avoid going to school." Mom said.

I laughed.

"Come on, you know I Studied the whole year's work during my summer break. I already know everything they are teaching; school is a waste of my time." She said.

Our little prodigy, Katy, was constantly reading novels far older than she was.

Mom scowled at her, showing Katy how serious she was without having to say anything more.

"I'm going to go and lay down for a bit," I said.

"I had some food prepared for you in the oven," Mom said.

"When I wake up, I'll just eat," I said, wiping my eyes.

I made my way to my bedroom upstairs.

I heard Mom cry downstairs, "Katy, you need to get ready for school. The bus will be here any moment!"

That was my household.

I leaned my back against the wall and sighed. We were already one month behind on our rent, so I'm not sure how we were going to make ends meet this month. Fortunately, the landlord was understanding enough to make accommodations.

I counted out three hundred fifty dollars, the last of my funds from my tips at the restaurant, and put it into a jar. Maybe by the time I'm forty, I won't be in debt if things continue the way they are. We would need to work another part-time job for me to make ends meet.

I had to make this work, and I would.