Chapter 85 Stubbornness and Toughness to the Bones
Chapter 85 Stubbornness and Toughness to the Bones
Chapter 85 Stubbornness and Toughness to the Bones
Ding!
The elevator was back to its starting point, the door opened, and Caroline ignored Nathan, raised her foot, and walked out, then her arm was grabbed by Nathan. He said, "No, Callie, you can't go down now. You, you have to find a place to hide first."
"Mr. Jameson, please let go. I've got things to do," said Caroline.
"No, Callie, you will be seen by them if you go out now. Easton is having a party here with a bunch of people." Nathan pulled Caroline into the elevator, "Callie, you don't want to be seen like this by friends who we used to hang out with."
Caroline paused, and her eyes overflowed with fear at the words of Nathan, which were still in her ears. This was also a setback that she couldn't overcome - she did not dare to meet her former friends with this low and humble appearance.
She was faster than Nathan and hurriedly reached out to press the door-closing button of the elevator.
"Well, Mr. Jameson, looks like you have found a beautiful lady, and have a good time in the elevator." A teasing sound sounded, and the elevator door that was about to close was also gently blocked by a hand from outside. Now the door was reopened to both sides.
Nathan immediately pressed Caroline's head into his arms and said, "Stop it, Easton." Nathan used one hand to protect Caroline from Easton's hand, and said, "She is shy, Easton. The upstairs private room is ready. You guys go first."
He put Caroline's face into his arms and walked her out.
"Mr. Jameson, what are you doing? Let's go together."
"I have some personal matters. You go up first, and I'll catch up later. The treat is on me today, go have fun."
Whistles came one after another behind his back, "Well, Mr. Jameson said it's private. With who? That little girl in his arms, Mr. Jameson learns how to have fun now."
Caroline could hear the sound of people laughing loudly before the elevator door was closed.
Nathan took her to the corner and said, "Callie, don't go to work today."
Caroline's heart ached for a moment, and she dared not face the group of former friends. However, facing the person in front of her she had called "brother" for more than 20 years when he said those words, Caroline's hand was unconsciously pinched into her thigh so that she could resist the urge to yell at him.
"Caroline, you were a prisoner of reform through labor. You have no family. Three years ago, everyone in the Jameson family gave up on you. Don't be sad, Caroline. The tears that should be shed, and the heart that should be hurt had completed in the past three years." Caroline persuaded herself with those thoughts and repeated them more than ten or twenty times. Finally--
Slowly raising her head, Caroline moved Nathan's palm, which was holding her arm, "If I don't go to work today, what about tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, as long as the Royal Club is open, they will continue to consume. We don't know when will bump into them someday."
She looked at Nathan. She'd like to hear herself, at this time, the man who she had called brother for more than 20 years, how would he answer and choose.
"Callie, don't stay here any longer. Get a new job."
"Get a new job? What does Mr. Jameson want to introduce to me?" Caroline asked with a strange smile, waiting for Nathan to put out the last flame in her heart, completely snuffed out.
She also waited. Nathan would make a decision that was unexpected to her. If that was the case, Caroline said to herself: If Nathan made a decision that was unexpected to her this time, no matter how disappointed she was in jail or even resented the Jamesons, she would let go of this resentment from now on.
Nathan was silent for a long time and said, "Callie, I'm sorry. Bentley is badass. We can't afford to lose the bet."
Caroline's eyes darkened. After all, she did not get the decision from Nathan that she expected.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jameson. I can't change my job."
Caroline refused faintly. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
Nathan was annoyed, "Callie, you are being ridiculous. Why can't you change your job? Do you have to do this kind of work here?"
"Mr. Jameson, let me remind you that I am just a prisoner of reform through labor and have been in jail. Where does Mr. Jameson think I can find any decent work?"
"Caroline, you are not the only one who has been in jail in this world. Why can those people work hard to support themselves, and you have to stay in such a place to please others? Callie, you have fallen."
Caroline's shoulders were trembling. She pinched the flesh of her outer thigh so hard that she could resist the urge to slap Nathan's face!
She suddenly looked up at Nathan. This man was the brother she had been calling for 20 years. Those good memories from the past, love, protection, and comity from her brother. It turned out that in those three years, not only she had changed, but also Nathan.
Nathan did not understand why his sister would become this woman in front of her. His sister Callie, who was so outstanding and confident and had such high self-esteem, become a woman who only wanted to please men and earn tips!
"Callie, you have changed."
Nathan looked at Caroline in front of him with disappointment and said, "Callie, you were not like this before. If mom and dad saw you like this, they would be very disappointed. I've said what I need to say. From now on, how would you like to live, whether to rot like a maggot or work hard in the daylight, it is all up to you."
Nathan shook his head in disappointment, turned and walked out towards the door of the Royal Club, picked up the phone, and called, "Easton, I've got some errands to do. I won't be with you today, so you guys have fun, and put the bill under my name. That's it."
In the remote corner of the lobby, Caroline stood there alone, perfectly still, just like a statue.
However, when came closer, her shoulders were trembling. Her hands hung down at her side, tightly clenched into fists. She looked down at her toes as if there was a precious waiting for her to pick up. She tried to resist the urge to hiss, just a few odd whimpers overflowed from her throat.
Yes, yes! Nathan, you were right. There were thousands of people who had been in jail. Some people continued to rot to their bones. Some people had been working hard for the rest of their lives. Did you think I don't want a better life? Did you think I want this? Did you think I can stop doing what I don't want to do?
Nathan, there were thousands of people who had been in jail and came out, but they have families, identities, and pasts!
What about me?
What about me!
What did I get?
A person who didn't have a past just came out of jail. When I came out, I only had dozens of dollars, a rag, and an ID card. Other than that, I had nothing.
Family, home, past, friends, at least, there should be a place to shelter from the wind and rain, but she had nothing! She was a piece of white paper with the words "prisoners of reform through labor" written on it, and nothing else.
The remote corner seemed to be overcast. Under the overcast cloud, that woman, her hands shaking, took out her phone, looked at it, sniffed, raised her head again, slowly turned around, raised her foot, and walked towards the elevator.
She would never give in. Even if there were only 40 minutes left, she would fight till the end. Caroline limped into the elevator.
She was not heartless, she felt sad, but she had more important things to do. People who lived in hell were not pain-free, they just lost the qualification to cry in pain.
Nathan broke Caroline's heart again. At the moment when the elevator door reopened, she raised her head, looked at the mirror in the elevator, raised her finger, pulled out a smile on her face, sucked her nose, put away all the pain, raised her head to cheer up, and said to herself, "I still have a huge debt of five hundred thousand dollars."