Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Just then, Farah Steele walks over, glances briefly at Grace with unmasked contempt, and says, “Honestly, Claire, why are you talking to her?” Before Claire can reply, she goes on, “This woman has been to jail! She’s taken a woman’s life!”

"Farah, we're all colleagues. And there are privacy issues to consider—”

“It isn’t ‘private' if it’s all over the internet.”

She has a point.

“Why are you defending her, Claire? Grace went to jail for drunken, reckless driving. She killed someone!”

“That’s not fair, Farrah. People make mistakes, accidents happen—”

Claire had barely started speaking when Farah interrupts her again. "But the person she killed was Jennifer Atkinson. Do you know who Jennifer Atkinson is? She's Lily Atkinson's sister! It was no coincidence that Lily was here. I was wondering why Lily wanted so many of our colleagues to look for a non-existent ring. But it’s all clear now! It was because she was targeting Grace and we all got dragged into it."

"But didn't she also apologize and compensate us?" Claire points out. “Farrah, that compensation is half of what many of us make in a year.”

Farah sputters. Her mouth turns down and her eyes narrow. She’s clearly not pleased with Claire standing up for me.

“I knew you would take her side,” she hisses. “When I told the others…”

So it’s obvious who had been the one to leak the news of my imprisonment. No surprise there. Farrah had never made any false show of being friendly with me.

“…I knew it…when I saw her on the roadside talking to Sean and then Lily. I was like, wait a second, this isn’t right!? I knew things were not as they seemed.” She stares at me. “I don’t know how you live with yourself. You should’ve stayed in prison. It’s what you deserve.”

“Now, hold up,” Claire argues. “That’s enough of that talk. This is none of your business, Farrah. You can’t go harassing another employee—”

“Harassing!?! She is a killer. Honestly, Claire, what, did you receive a bribe from Grace or something?

Why are you standing up for her?"

Farah mocked her, but Claire also takes a step back. She had, indeed, accepted the jacket and payment I received from Lily.

I open her mouth, ready to defend myself, but someone beats me to it.

"All right, what else is there to say?” A man's voice interrupts. “The car crash was an accident. Grace didn't intend to do it."

Gus is defending me!

However, that only angers Farah more. Farrah’s interested in Gus, but he won’t give her the time of day. The fact that he’s defending Grace instead of taking Farah’s side, is only instigating the situation.

Farrah’s expression turns uglier. ”Gus, what's the point of standing up for Grace? Do you think she'll like you? Do you know that her ex-boyfriend is Sean Stevens? He’s the heir to the Stevens Corporation!"

Gus's face abruptly flushes red.

Farah continues her vicious assault. "But when Sean saw Grace as a sanitation worker that day, it probably spoiled his appetite." She clicks her tongue and continues, “You know, I’m thinking he’ll probably vomit in disgust when he thinks about dating Grace in the past."

I look at Farah coldly. "Are you done talking?"

"What? Are you trying to deny the fact that you were in jail or are you saying that you aren't Sean's ex-

girlfriend?" Farah retorts proudly. "Why are you pretending to be so innocent when you've been to jail?"

“I'm not pretending about anything. So what if I've been to jail? I’ve paid my taxes and I’ve served my time. And I don't think it's any of your business who I dated before. Furthermore, I may be a sanitation worker now but does that mean I can't have dated anyone before? Or is the role of a sanitation worker only to make someone throw up their dinner? Just what are you saying about sanitation workers?”

Farah recoils and eyes the room warily. She’s offended many of the people here by bringing the sanitation aspect into things.

"Farah Steele, just because you're an established employee in a management position, that does not mean you can look down on my profession."

Farah's words stick in her throat as some of the other workers nod in solidarity.

There are so many sanitation workers in the center and now they all look angry.

“I get it,” Grace says. “You have a slightly exalted position and you want to abuse that power and look down on everybody beneath you. Whatever. It’s fine for you to insult me, but take a good look at the people in this room, Farah. They’re honest and hardworking and they do what they do to support their families. Why don’t you think about that before insulting them or their professions?”

A smattering of agreement sounds behind me and I smirk. “You bullies, you’re all the same…”

Farah glares at me hatefully. “Grace, you... wait and see!"

I just nod. “Yeah. Uh-huh. I’ll be here. You know where to find me.”

I exhale a deep breath and turn to leave, but Gus shouts after me, "Wait... Grace, I... I don't think you're the person Farah says you are."

I stop walking for a moment but I do not respond to him and resume walking away.

I am very grateful that Gus was willing to stand up for me just now, but that doesn’t mean anything. He knows who I am and what shadows are in my past. Even if he’d liked me before, those feelings would change now.

They always did.