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1002 Words
My cheek burned so badly that it felt like it had been set on fire. I slowly lifted a trembling hand to my face, my fingertips brushing the spot where Vanessa had slapped me. It stung so much that fresh tears instantly welled in my eyes. I fought with everything inside me to not let the tears fall. I couldn’t give Vanessa the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
The tray lay upside down on the marble floor, surrounded by broken crystal and spilled champagne.
“Why…?,” I whispered automatically.
The words slipped out before I even realized I was saying them.
Vanessa laughed.
A short, satisfied laugh.
“You should watch your mouth.”
She folded her arms and looked down at me as though I were something she had scraped off the bottom of her shoe.
“I have never met anyone as incompetent and yet daring as you.”
None of her friends laughed this time.
A few looked uncomfortable.
One woman quietly set her champagne glass on the table and cleared her throat.
“Vanessa… maybe that’s enough.”
Vanessa turned to her with a smile.
“Enough?”
She pointed at the broken glass on the floor.
“She insulted me in my own home.”
Her friend hesitated.
“She only reacted because—”
“Because what?” Vanessa sneered.
No one answered.
Vanessa looked back at me.
“Pick it up.”
I stared at her.
“The glass,” she repeated. “Pick it up. Every single piece.”
My cheek still throbbed.
My eyes blurred with tears.
Without another word, I slowly knelt on the floor.
The marble was cold beneath my knees.
I reached for the first piece of broken crystal.
Then another.
Then another.
Each tiny shard reflected my face back at me.
Small. Broken and humiliated.
I tried to blink away my tears before they could fall onto the floor.
I couldn’t give Vanessa the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
Not again.
As I reached for a larger piece, one sharp edge sliced across my palm.
“Ah…”
I gasped quietly.
Blood immediately beaded along the cut before dripping onto the white marble.
One drop.
Then another.
I quickly tried to hide my hand.
Vanessa noticed anyway.
“Oh, don’t stop because of a little cut.”
She smiled.
“You broke them.”
“You clean them.”
I bit my lip and continued picking up the shards.
The cut grew worse with every piece I touched.
Soon, blood stained my fingertips.
One of the women stood abruptly.
“I think that’s enough.”
She looked genuinely disturbed.
“She’s bleeding.”
Vanessa didn’t even glance at my hand.
“Then she should have been more careful.”
The woman frowned.
“You’re taking this too far.”
Vanessa’s smile vanished.
“If you feel sorry for her, you’re welcome to hire her.”
The room fell silent again.
No one spoke after that.
I lowered my head and kept cleaning.
It was easier than meeting their eyes.
My vision became blurrier by the second.
Not because of the pain.
Because of the humiliation.
I had never imagined my life would become this.
A few months ago, I was serving coffee to strangers.
Now I was kneeling on the floor, bleeding while wealthy people watched me like I was part of the entertainment.
When the last piece of glass had finally been picked up, I carefully stood.
“I’ll… throw these away.”
Vanessa stopped me.
“No.”
I looked up.
“Look at me.”
Slowly, I did.
She smiled sweetly.
“You know what your biggest problem is?”
I remained silent.
“You forget your place.”
She stepped closer until we were almost face-to-face.
“I was willing to tolerate you because Aidan insisted on hiring you. And I thought it’ll be fun to watch you pay for being a klutz.”
My heart skipped.
“But don’t misunderstand.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“If you think for even one second that you matter at all…”
She leaned closer.
“…you’re more delusional than I thought.”
I swallowed hard.
“I’ve never—”
“I don’t care what you’ve never done.”
She straightened her dress.
“The next time you speak to me like that…”
She looked directly into my eyes.
“…I’ll make sure you never work in another house again.”
A chill ran through my body.
She wasn’t making an empty threat.
She meant every word.
Just then, the front door opened.
The butler hurried inside.
“Miss Sinclair.”
Vanessa turned.
“What is it?” She asked.
“Mr. Hartwell has returned, ma’am.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Already?
He was supposed to be on a trip for a business merger after his engagement party. I didn’t expect that he would be back so soon.
A faint smile spread across Vanessa’s lips.
“Perfect timing.”
She glanced at me, then deliberately reached for one of the broken crystal shards I hadn’t noticed lying near the table.
Without hesitation, she pressed the sharp edge against her own palm.
I watched in horror as blood immediately appeared.
The shard clattered onto the floor.
Before I could understand what she was doing, Vanessa let out a piercing scream.
“Aidan!”
She stumbled backward dramatically, clutching her bleeding hand.
“You wouldn’t believe it. Maya attacked me!”
The blood drained from my face.
“What?”
The front door slammed shut.
Heavy footsteps thundered across the hallway.
And a second later, Aidan appeared to be standing in the room.
His sharp eyes swept across the room.
The broken crystal.
The blood on the floor.
Vanessa clutching her injured hand.
Me standing opposite her with blood covering my own fingers.
His gaze hardened.
“What the hell happened here?” He asked, his voice making the room drop several degrees.
- Writer
