Chapter 2
"You better think twice. Once you walk out of this house, you're nobody," Finley warned.
"All it takes is one word from me, and you'll never get a job anywhere," Finley continued.
I kept my mouth shut.
I just took the two sets of clothes I'd brought from the village.
After that, I started my long, uphill battle to find a job.
With Finley pulling strings behind the scenes, I kept hitting dead ends everywhere I went.
No matter what job I took, I never lasted more than two months before getting fired, each time for a different reason.
It only took me a year, though.
Eventually, I managed to carve out a path for myself.
I ended up working at a funeral home, hauling bodies for 150 dollars a pop.
There were all kinds of superstitions and strict rules, but turns out I was pretty damn good at the job.
After four years, I'd managed to stash away 50 thousand dollars, even after covering all my expenses.
Honestly, I couldn't help but feel proud of myself.
Finley stood in front of me, wearing the same angry look he had when I walked out five years ago.
Just seeing his face made me feel sick inside.
"If anyone's heartless here, it sure isn't me. Next time we run into each other, let's just act like strangers," I said.
Saying that, I bent down, picked up the cake, and turned to leave.
His icy voice drifted over to me.
Finley said, "I don't care what you think. You can't keep working that job.
"Kelsey's already joined the Roseville Animal Guardians. Look at her.
"And then there's you. What a shame."
I didn't even bother to respond.
I tossed the wrecked cake into the trash.
Then I went and bought two cups of coffee.
I got held up on the way.
When Naomi saw me, she gave me a big smile.
She said, "Maddison, here's the contract. Take a look."
I handed her the coffee, feeling a bit sheepish.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," I said. "I actually bought you a cake, but a dog ruined it on the way here."
She kept smiling, handling it with such grace.
"Looks like good things always come with a few bumps in the road," she said.
Her words warmed me up inside. I picked up the contract and started reading it line by line.
Honestly, I couldn't really make sense of most of it.
But since it was such a big deal, I figured I should take my time with it.
The Lewis family never gave me any sense of security.
Instead, I always felt like I was just living under someone else's roof.
Ever since I broke off from them, all I've wanted is a place to call my own.
It had almost become an obsession.
Naomi waited patiently for me to finish reading, then finally handed me the pen.
"If you're good with it, just sign," she said.
I nodded, reaching for the pen, when her phone suddenly rang.
She glanced at the screen, said it was the office calling, and picked up with a smile.
The next moment, Naomi froze in place.
"Fired? What did I do wrong?" Naomi's voice trembled.
A chill ran down my spine.
My heart jumped right into my throat.
It was just as I feared.
After Naomi hung up, her eyes started to well up as she looked at me.
"Miss Lewis, with a brother as powerful as yours, he can get me fired with just a few words. So why do you keep bothering with house-hunting?" Naomi said.
My heart skipped a beat as I rushed to explain.
"I broke off from the Lewis family ages ago!" I blurted out. "It's probably Finley. I've got nothing to do with him..."
"You're just messing with me!" Naomi shouted.
She sprang to her feet.
Furious, she snatched the contract right out of my hand.
She grabbed the coffee, ready to throw it at me.
But in the end, she just slammed it down beside me, her eyes brimming with tears.
The coffee cup burst open at my feet.
I wanted to try and explain myself again.
But before I could get a word out, she stormed out the door.
I just stood there, stunned, for a long time.
After standing there for ages, I finally pulled out my phone and called Finley.
The call connected almost instantly, and I just lost it.
"What the hell is your problem? If you want to mess with me, fine, but the agent didn't do anything to you!" I shouted.
"Maddison..." Kelsey's voice came through the phone.
"Finley's busy dealing with Tollie's stuff right now. If you need something, just talk to me," she said.
I had nothing to say to Kelsey.
I was about to hang up right then and there.
But then Kelsey suddenly said, "Maddison, honestly, I've forgiven you a long time ago."
"Finley and Mom really miss you. Why don't you just come home?" she asked.
Just then, Finley's voice came through the phone.
"Who's on the phone?" he asked.
"It's Maddison. I'm trying to get her to come home," Kelsey replied.
"Focus on the job," Finley said.
I snapped back coldly and hung up on them without a second thought.
No matter what, I figured I should at least try.
So I ended up going to the real estate office anyway.
Naomi was already gone.
I found their boss and explained in detail my relationship with Finley.
I pleaded with him not to fire Naomi, explaining that everything happened because of me.
The boss looked pretty uncomfortable.
He said, "Your brother put up a huge payout,
"Honestly, Naomi leaving doesn't mean she can't find another job.
"Getting such a big compensation is actually a good thing."
But what he really meant was, Naomi was definitely getting the boot.
I felt like I'd just been dropped into an ice bath, my blood running cold.
It hit me all over again that trying to fight Finley was pointless.
No matter what I did, I was always going to lose, and lose hard.