Chapter 3: The Job I Couldn't Keep

Working as a server wasn’t easy, but for the first time in years, my life felt stable.

People were respectful. They were kind.

No one called me a thief.

They just called me Adriana.

Ironically, Rhys used to make a sport of quizzing me on wine lists and menu items just so he could mock my ignorance.

I’d taught myself everything I could just to shut him up.

Now, all that useless knowledge was finally coming in handy.

I was doing well at the restaurant, and the owner started looking at me with a new level of respect.

But that peace only lasted a month.

One day, I was working the front of the house when I looked up and saw Rhys walking in.

Blair was with him, along with a crowd of their friends from school.

The smile fell from my face.

Blair spotted me first and raised her voice deliberately.

“Well, look who it is. The thief. You actually work here? Don’t tell me you knew we were coming and decided to stalk us.”

She said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

Customers at the nearby tables turned to stare.

Seeing my expression, her smile widened.

“Looks like your boss doesn’t know what kind of person he hired.”

“This is Adriana Rhodes. She stole my friend’s watch, worth thousands of dollars, the first day she moved into his house. Her mother’s a homewrecker, and she’s stolen plenty of other things at school, too…”

She kept piling on the accusations, one after another.

The way my coworkers were looking at me shifted instantly.

The owner rushed over and had someone escort me to the staff lounge.

He stayed behind, apologizing profusely to Rhys and his friends.

Before the door closed behind me, I heard Rhys say to the owner, “If you let just anyone work here, I’m not sure I can keep giving you my business.”

The owner’s reply was immediate. “I understand. Of course.”

A coworker led me into the break room.

I knew those looks.

They were the same looks I got from everyone at school.

Quietly, I packed up my things. I turned to the people who had been so kind to me. “Thank you for everything these past few weeks.”

I didn’t have much.

When I was done, I sat and waited for the owner.

After a while, he came in and pressed a thick envelope into my hand.

“Adriana, this is your pay. Once school starts, you take care of yourself.”

I looked at the bulging envelope, and my eyes began to sting.

I knew it was pointless, but I had to say it.

“Sir, my mom isn’t what they say she is, and I didn’t steal anything…”

The owner patted my shoulder.

“I know. You’re a good kid. Look, I’m old enough to know there are two sides to every story.”

He told me he couldn’t afford to make an enemy of the Wells family.

But he could introduce me to another job.

He handed me a business card, explaining that his sister was looking for a tutor. It would be perfect for me.

I went home with my belongings, and the moment I walked through the door, my mom slapped me.

Her voice was tight with fury.

“Do you lack for food or clothing in this house? You went and got a job as a waitress? What are people going to think of me?”

I was about to tell her I just wanted to earn my own tuition money.

Just then, Rhys and Mr. Wells came home.

My mom had already made up her mind.

“Forget it. Go to your room and think about what you’ve done. If Rhys hadn’t told me, I never would have known you’d dare to pull a stunt like this.”

“You’re not going back. School is starting soon anyway, so just be patient.”

I watched her expression instantly soften as she turned to greet Rhys and Mr. Wells.

Suddenly, explaining anything felt utterly pointless.

Back in my room, I opened the envelope from the owner.

He’d given me almost double what I was owed.

I sat on the edge of my bed and finally let myself cry.

I truly didn’t understand.

Why would my mother trust Rhys over me?

Still, school would start soon.

Once Rhys’s birthday was over, I could finally leave.