Chapter 250
The following morning, Carmen was shoved out of her home with a grocery list in hand, courtesy of her stepmother’s shrill commands.
“We can’t even leave the house because of you!” the woman yelled from the doorway. “Everywhere we go, people point and whisper, all thanks to your shameless ways!” Carmen froze on the front steps, already bracing for the worst.
Her stepmother wasn’t done. “If you had an ounce of self-respect, you’d disappear! Better yet, just die and spare this family the disgrace!”
“I didn’t do it!” Carmen shouted back, her voice raw. “Those pictures and videos are fake! None of them is real!”
But the words fell flat, drowned out by years of the same accusations. Carmen could recite the next part by heart. No one believed her. Lies told often enough became the truth.
She trudged out onto the street, her stepmother’s yells still echoing in her ears. But when she looked up, Carmen froze.
The walls in the hallway, which had been covered with those damning photos just the night before, were bare. Every last one of those photos had been torn down. Only faint adhesive stains remained.
For a moment, Carmen wondered if it had all been some fever dream. She stood there, stunned, until she heard the sound of a door opening across the hall.
Out stepped Felicia, carrying a small duffel bag. She caught sight of Carmen and gave her an easy, natural smile.
“Good Morning, Carmen,” Felicia greeted her as though they were casual neighbors, and nothing about the situation was out of the ordinary.
There was no judgment or ridicule. It was just a simple hello.
Carmen turned her head away without replying.
Felicia chuckled under her breath and waited for the elevator alongside Carmen.
The building was busy this morning, and by the time the elevator reached the ground floor, it was packed with tenants heading out for errands or work. Carmen remained stoic, staring at the floor. Then, as they neared the lobby, a balding middle-aged man smirked at Carmen and drawled, “So, how much for a night?”
The air inside the elevator shifted immediately. A ripple of laughter rose from a few bystanders while some older women clucked their tongues in disgust, their glares heavy with scorn. Carmen’s face turned pale, then bright red with fury. Without a word, she swung her fist. It landed heavily on the man’s face.
The elevator reached the ground floor just as the man stumbled back, clutching his bleeding mouth. The other passengers practically sprinted out of the elevator, eager to avoid further confrontation. The man groaned on the floor, spitting out a tooth and groaning in pain.
Felicia, casually stepping over his form, “accidentally” stomped on his hand with the heel of her shoe. She twisted it slightly before walking off, her tone as calm as ever. “Oops.”
The man let out a high-pitched yelp and cursed after her, but Felicia paid no mind. She was already heading out the door.
Carmen wasn’t the only one with plans that morning.
Felicia’s first stop was the bank, where she deposited her latest winnings to fulfill her promise to fund her new business venture. The transaction was complete, and she smiled. Two million dollars were now headed to Jupiter Group, pushing them closer to operational stability.
Her second stop was the local herbal market. Felicia was determined to expand her arsenal of medicinal concoctions, from salves to antidotes. Most importantly, she planned to work on a new project-poison.
After all, if her physical strength
couldn’t match her enemies, she could at least outwit them. Poison could even the odds. If she ever found herself in danger, it would be a trump card-one she could count on to escape.
Meanwhile, Carmen’s trip to the grocery store was just as miserable as she had anticipated.
The staff avoided eye contact, their expressions twisting in disdain when they saw her. One butcher barely concealed his grimace as he handed her change, as though her money wasn’t good enough.
By the time she left the grocery store, her bag was only half-full, and Carmen felt the weight of their stares drilling into her back.
She thought she had escaped it all
once she turned into a quieter street,
but she was wrong. Standing in her path was the man from the elevator, now accompanied by a loud, heavyset woman who could only be his wife.
“There she is!” the woman screeched, her voice grating enough to draw a small crowd. “The filthy little tramp who tried to seduce my husband!”
Carmen froze, her grip tightening around the bag of groceries.
The man chimed in, his voice dripping with venom, “What, her? Do you think I’d go near that? I wouldn’t touch her if she paid me!”
The onlookers murmured amongst themselves, some smirking while others watched with curiosity.
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