Her face fell. Her voice turned cold. “Lisa, are
you doing this on purpose?”
I widened my eyes. “Sarah! Why would I do
this to myself?”
She seemed to catch herself, plastering a
smile back on. “Lisa, I have some pain relief
spray. It works wonders!”
“My cramps are so bad. You’re always so
nice to me. Please, just this once?”
She batted her eyelashes, clinging to my arm.
Goosebumps erupted on my skin. “Sarah,
you’re asking too much.”
“I have painkillers too. You could take some
and still do the test drive. It’s your client. I
don’t have to cover for you.”
Sarah bit her lip, taking a step back. “Fine.
く
Lisa, don’t regret this.”
She stormed out. Watching her go, a knot
formed in my stomach. Something felt terribly
wrong.
4
My phone rang. It was Mark. His voice was
sharp.
“Lisa, what the hell? Sarah asked for a small
favor. Why are you being so difficult?”
Already on edge, his accusation set me off.
“Mark, who’s your wife? I have a twisted
ankle! And why did you call out sick? Where
are you?!”
“Sarah has pain relief spray! You’d be fine!
Besides, you know the manager has a thing
for Sarah. If she complains, it won’t be good
for either of us.‘
“”
I snorted. “Mark, you’re an asshole. If you’re
so concerned, come back and do it yourself.”
I hung up. He sent a barrage of voicemails,
which I ignored.
Through the office window, I saw Jessica
arrive. Sarah was all smiles, chatting her up.
As if sensing my gaze, Sarah glanced over,
her eyes cold and venomous, sending another
shiver down my spine.
My phone rang again. Startled, I hesitated,
then answered.
A distorted male voice spoke. “Lisa, take
Jessica Miller on that test drive. Or else…”
A small, sweet voice cried out, “Mommy!”
Lily!
I covered my mouth, trembling. I almost
screamed but bit my tongue.
The sharp pain brought me back. I whispered,
“What have you done to my daughter?! Who
is this?!”
The voice chuckled. “Don’t call the cops.‘
وو
The line went dead. I redialed. The automated
voice informed me the number was
<
Tears streamed down my face. Sarah
appeared at the doorway, feigning surprise.
“Oh my, Lisa, what’s wrong?”
I collapsed into my chair. “What… what do
you want?”
She handed me a tissue, then crouched down,
her small hand grasping my ankle.
Before I could react, she looked up, smiling.
“Don’t move. It’ll hurt.”
Her smile was glacial.
I let her spray my ankle. Finished, she stood,
her eyes devoid of warmth.
“You said you had painkillers, right? Just to
be safe, take one.”
I swallowed the pill obediently. She nodded.
“Give it a few minutes to kick in. I’ll go get
the car ready for the test drive.”
