Let Me Go, Mr. Harvey

“You guys are so opinionated, why don’t you be the manager?” Gabriela lifted her eyes and swept over the crowd with a smile.

Then the crowd was silent, keeping their heads down and not daring to speak again.

Gabriela’s gaze fell on Timothy’s blood-stained face, and then tilted her head to look at Angela, “You hurt her like this, I’ll deduct your salary for three months to pay for her medical expenses? Do you have any problem with it?”

“No.” Angela hung her eyes, and her hands were sweating. She was afraid that there was not only just the punishment of deducting three months’ salary but more.

“The punishment is just deducting her three-month salary?”

Timothy stopped crying and shouted, “Gabriela, I’m not satisfied with this punishment! It’s unfair to simply dock her salary for beating me up like this, I want….”

“What do you want?” Gabriela interrupted her with a smile.

As if being strangled by someone, Timothy blushed and remained silent for a long time. Blood was running down her head, horrific and somewhat ridiculous.

“Come two people to take Timothy to the hospital, everyone else can leave now.” Gabriela said with a smile.

The onlookers pushed each other, two women reluctantly stepped forward to accompany Timothy to the hospital, while the rest went back to their dormitories.

Gabriela went past Angela and walked into the dorm, laughing at the blood on the floor, “What a good fight!”

Angela’s heart thudded and her hands clutched at her shirt and quickly released, “… Hmmm.”

“Tell me, why did you hit her?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Gabriela raised a willowy eyebrow and continued without waiting for her answer, “Forget it, never mind, I’m not interested in hearing it.”

She pulled two tubes of ointment out of her bag and tossed them to Angela.

Angela caught them and read the instructions. They were for bruises and other cuts. She took the ointments and hesitated a few times before asking, “Are these for me?”

“Yes, of course.” Gabriela stretched her arms, with one hand holding her chin, and asked her with a smirk, “Who else do you think gives this to you? Mr. Harvey?”

“No… no.”

Angela’s face was hot, abashed and wretched, “Thank you Gabriela, how much is the medicine, I’ll pay you.”

Gabriela was James employee, and she thought these ointments were his idea… She was so confused, he wanted her to compensate the harm that Jessica received with her life, so how could he care about her injuries?

“Not necessary, they do not cost much.” Gabriela stood up, avoiding the blood on the floor, and went out of the room.

Angela, dragging her sore legs behind her, suddenly whispering, “Can I ask you a question, Miss Gabriela?”

Gabriela stopped and turned, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Did Mr. Harvey say when I could leave here?”

Angela licked her dry lips, and for the first time a small glow appeared in her eyes, which were always tired and aged.

“No.” Gabriela flicked her hair behind her ears in a seductive manner, “Mr. Harvey probably hasn’t thought about that yet.”

He hadn’t thought about that. Did that mean she had to stay here for the rest of her life?

The glow in Angela’s eyes went out. She stood under the bright light, but she couldn’t see what was waiting for her in the future.

Her life was grey everywhere, and no matter where she went, she ended up standing on the edge of a cliff, only able to look into the abyss.

“Whew-”

Angela shuddered and took a deep breath, wiping away the tears that had somehow escaped from the corners of her eyes, and went back to her dormitory dejectedly.

A week flashed by.

Timothy was in the hospital, and others didn’t dare to talk about Angela anymore because they had seen her tough side.

But there was still so much work, and she was exhausted from cleaning two floors by herself every day. Even one day off was a luxury.

In the corridor.

“Could you please be careful when you are mopping the floor?” A man looked disgusted, “You made my shoes dirty!”

“I’m sorry. I will get a fresh towel and wipe them for you, okay?” Angela’s mop didn’t even touch his shoes, but she still apologized.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Explanation would only bring her trouble, she was tired every day and really didn’t have the strength to deal with trouble.

“Forget it!” The man sounded grumpy, “Be careful next time, you can’t afford my shoes, okay?”

“Okay, be cautious of the wet floor.”

Angela stood aside with the mop and waited for the man to pass before turning to Julia, who arrived just now, “Looking for me?”

“Gabriela wants to see you.” Julia frowned as she walked away.

“That man’s entire outfit only worthed 8K dollars, and he’s not a rich man, so you don’t need to make an apology.”

Angela smiled and didn’t make a sound.

She didn’t even mind, and Julia didn’t say another word, taking her to the manager office and left.

Angela knocked on the door and waited for an answer before getting in.

Seeing the people inside, she blanched and bowed, saying, “Mr. Harvey, Gabriela.”

James sat on the couch against the light, unable to see his appearance.

His straight legs were folded over each other, the cigarette between his fingers bright and fading, the same posture as he had been broken her leg with a club two years ago.

This was the man she’d woken up in a sweat for countless midnight by nightmares, and she didn’t have the courage to even look at him.

“You come here pretty fast.” Gabriela steeped the tea and placed it on the table with a smile, “How’s Timothy? Can she get out of the hospital?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t go to visit her.”

Angela’s nose was covered by a fine sweat and her fingertips couldn’t stop trembling.

Did James punish her in the past week?

Would he put her in jail, as he did two years ago?

She couldn’t stop blinking her eyelashes, her throat went dry, and fear overwhelmed her completely.

She should have put up with it, she shouldn’t have beaten Timothy…

“I’m just asking, why are you so nervous?”

Gabriela’s soulful eyes moved slightly and handed her a cup of tea with a smile, “Have a cup of tea and relax, I’m not going to eat you.”

The faint smell of cigarette smoke wafted through the office and James didn’t say a word, but his vibe was permeating, making Angela extremely nervous.

She took the cup with both hands and James suddenly glanced at her before she could say than you.

Crap!

The teacup fell to the floor and shattered.

“I’m sorry…” Angela’s face was bloodless and she crouched down to pick up the pieces on the floor. The shards cut her hand and blood seeped out when she was distracted for a moment.

She continued to pick up the pieces on the floor as if she had no feelings.

“You can’t even hold a cup of tea, do you think you’re still the princess in the Chante Family? Hmm?”

James got up and walked over to her, his gaze falling on her bleeding hand, a chill flowing in his eyes.

It was the hand that hurt, but Angela felt her heart was bleeding.

She hung her head and whispered, “Sorry.”

She looked so downcast and obedient that James was somehow more irritated. He frowned, gave order to Gabriela, “Help her take care of the wound. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m abusing my staff.”