ICE ICE COLD

Chapter Three: Fairness and Mercy?

A soft knock broke the silence.

"Come in."

Mrs. Dalton stepped into the study, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Mr. Ashford."

Adrian looked up from the report in front of him.

"Yes?"

She glanced briefly toward Sheila, who was kneeling carefully to gather the broken pieces of porcelain into a small dustpan.

"The cleaners have already prepared another shirt for you."

"Thank you."

"And..."

She hesitated.

"The damaged suit has been sent to the tailor."

Adrian nodded once.

"Good."

Mrs. Dalton lowered her clipboard.

"There is one more matter."

Adrian waited.

"The replacement cost will be deducted from Miss Richards' salary this month."

The room fell strangely still.

Sheila's hand stopped halfway toward another shard.

She looked up slowly.

Mrs. Dalton wasn't being cruel.

She was simply stating what had always been employment policy.

Adrian leaned back slightly.

"How much?"

"Half a million," Mrs. Dalton replied quietly.

It wasn't an impossible sum.

But it was enough.

Enough to consume nearly everything Sheila had been waiting to collect that afternoon.

For a brief moment, no one spoke.

Then Sheila rose to her feet.

"Mr. Ashford..."

Her voice was quiet and respectful.

"I'm truly sorry about what happened."

Adrian met her eyes.

"I know."

"It was completely my fault."

A small nod.

"Yes."

She swallowed. "I understand why the company has this policy."

His expression remained unchanged.

"But..."

That single word carried more weight than everything she'd said before.

"My salary..."

She struggled to steady her voice.

"I need it today."

Mrs. Dalton looked at her.

Something in Sheila's face made her grip tighten around the clipboard.

"My mother is in the hospital."

Sheila continued carefully.

"She's been receiving treatment for several months."

The words came slowly now, with nothing but sincerity and honest. To Sheila, it was lifeline she's desperately clinging to.

"I've been waiting for payday so I can settle part of her bill."

Silence.

"If I don't make the payment today..."

Her voice cracked for the first time.

"...they may stop her treatment."

She lowered her eyes immediately, embarrassed by the tears that had slipped through.

"I'm not asking you to forget what happened."

She took a careful breath, flicking away the two tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm only asking..."

She looked back at Adrian.

"...if the deduction could be made from next month's salary instead."

The room became unbearably quiet.

Mrs. Dalton looked toward Adrian and for the first time since she'd worked for him...

She found herself hoping he would make an exception.

Adrian folded his hands on the desk.

His answer didn't come immediately.

When it did...

His voice was calm. Almost gentle.

"If I change the rule for one employee..." He held Sheila's gaze. "...I have to justify changing it for everyone."

Sheila stared at him.

"I understand."

"I don't doubt that your situation is difficult."

His words were sincere.

"I truly don't."

Hope flickered inside her.

Then...

"But policies only work when they're applied consistently."

The hope disappeared.

"The deduction will stand."

Sheila didn't speak. Her mouth wouldn't move from the shock. She simply looked at him.

As if she were waiting for one more sentence.

One sentence that would change everything.

But it never came.

Adrian reached for the next file on his desk.

"I suggest speaking with the hospital," he said. "They may be willing to extend your payment deadline."

Sheila gave a slow nod.

"I'll... try."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

She bent to pick up the last broken piece of porcelain.

The tiny shard trembled between her fingers.

Mrs. Dalton watched her quietly.

She had managed staff for over thirty years.

She knew what disappointment looked like.

This...

This wasn't disappointment.

It was desperation wearing good manners.

When Sheila finally straightened, she forced a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm sorry again, Mr. Ashford."

Adrian inclined his head.

"Thank you."

She turned and walked toward the door.

Her steps remained steady.

Only after the door closed softly behind her did Mrs. Dalton speak.

"Sir..."

Adrian looked up.

"I know policy is important."

"It is."

She nodded slowly.

Then, after a brief hesitation, she asked quietly,

"Have you ever considered that sometimes fairness and mercy aren't the same thing?"

Adrian didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he looked down at the coffee stain that still marked the cuff of his white shirt.

"...Rules exist for a reason, Mrs. Dalton."

"They do."

She gave a small nod.

"I only hope they never cost more than they're meant to protect."

With that, she turned and left the study.

Adrian remained alone where he was.

His palm gripped the fountain pen in his hand so tightly that it split in halves.

His report lay open before him, but for the first time that morning...

He got distracted.

The very one thing he detested the most! Distraction!!

All because of a damn clumsy housekeeper!

***** **** *****

The afternoon sun already hung high as Sheila stepped out of the Ashford's Estate.

The iron gates closed quietly behind her.

Her legs still felt very heavy.She stopped walking.

The conversation in Adrian's study replayed in her mind with painful clarity.

"The deduction will stand."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

No!

I couldn't afford to think about that now.

There had to be another way.

Hospitals worked with families all the time.

Maybe Adrian was right.

Maybe if I explained everything...

Maybe they would give me another day.

Another week.

Anything.

She reached into her bag for her phone and checked the time.

Just after one.

Her shift had ended earlier than expected because Mrs. Dalton had quietly reassigned the remaining work after the incident, out of kindness.

Sheila appreciated that more than words could say.

She started walking toward the nearest bus stop, mentally listing everyone she could call.

Her bank?

No.

There wasn't enough in her account.

Friends?

Most of them were just beginning their own lives.

Borrowing that kind of money wasn't realistic.

A loan?

Not today.

Not quickly enough.

Her thoughts chased one another until they blurred together.

At a pedestrian crossing, the light turned red.

She waited alongside strangers who knew nothing about the storm quietly unfolding inside her.

A little boy stood beside his mother, clutching a bright red balloon.

He looked up at Sheila and smiled.

Without thinking...she smiled back.

The light changed.

People crossed.

Life moved forward as though nothing had happened.

Cars continued to pass.

Shop doors opened and closed.

Someone laughed from a nearby café.

The world had no idea that one young woman was desperately trying to figure out how to save the person she loved most.

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

She looked down.

Unknown Number.

For a second, she considered ignoring it. It was probably another promotional call she wasn't in a mood for.

The phone buzzed again.

She answered.

"Hello?"

There was a brief pause.

Then a calm, professional voice spoke.

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon."

"Am I speaking with Miss Sheila Richards?"

"Yes..."

"This is Peace Memorial Hospital."

Every muscle in her body tightened.

Her steps slowed to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

The sounds of the city seemed to drift farther and farther away.

"I'm calling regarding your mother."

Sheila's fingers tightened around the phone.

Her heart began to pound.

"...Is everything alright?"

The second of silence that followed felt an eternity to Sheila.

It was long enough for fear to begin whispering the much dreaded response.

The voice returned, quieter this time. "Miss Richards..."

The world seemed to have stood still.

"We need you to come to the hospital as soon as possible."

The color drained from Sheila's face.

"What happened?"

Another pause.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't wait to hear anything else.

"Please..."

Her voice trembled.

"Please don't let anything happen to her."

But the line went dead.

The phone slipped slightly in Sheila shaking hand as she turned and ran bumping into everyone and everything in the way.

She ran with only one thought echoing through her mind.

'Please hold on, Mom.

Please...

I'm coming.'