"W-what did you just say to me? How dare you insult me!"
"Yes, what do you mean by that, Ayla?"
It was just as she expected. The mother and son instantly got offended and fired off at once, their blood-streaked eyes leering at her with hostility.
She had intended to be offensive, so hearing the upset in their voices, she was elated.
However, when she raised her eyes and saw Talia fuming, she gasped pretentiously, both hands flying to cover her mouth as she coyly apologized.
"Mother, I didn't mean it the way you think I did! I'm merely saying you've lived such a long and stress-free life, you shouldn't bother about working-class people like us and how we work."
"Heavens, I would never insinuate that you don't understand my struggle because you've never worked a day in your life!"
It was an insult, carefully worded and wrapped in a foil of apology.
When the mother and son heard it, they couldn't distinguish the insult and only heard the apology.
Laughing inwardly, she sneered.
Oh, they were still as dumb as she remembered. Only this time, she didn't find it cute.
"That's enough. I've ordered food, so go upstairs and change so you'll be here to set the table."
Even before he finished, she was already hurrying upstairs. At the top of the stairs, she paused and stared down at the mother and son as they returned to sit on the white chair, her eyes darkening.
Loss of job. STDs. Loss of my dignity and my life.
I'll return everything to you tenfold!
Silas suddenly sneezed and frowned, reaching up to rub his nose.
Weird.
He had a good relationship with everyone, who could possibly be badmouthing him in secret?
Upstairs, inside their room, Ayla bathed and changed out of her clothes. But instead of wearing the nightgowns in her wardrobe, she moved to the other side of the room where a box sat.
It was the box with most of her clothes which she had packed and sealed away a year ago.
All this while, she'd been too busy with work and house chores to send them to the orphanage.
Unzipping it, she reached for the first nightgown she laid eyes on.
It was a baby pink, transparent gown with a short slip underneath. She decided against wearing it when she recalled it was one of the few things Silas every bought for her.
She rummaged through the bag for a while until she came upon one of her old nightgowns. It was a loose, long silk gown with flimsy hands.
After putting it on, she moved to the drug cabinet in the bathroom.
She went through it for a while before taking out a transparent, yellow bottle.
Tearing off the label that read 'Laxatives,' she opened the bottle and popped about 7 pills into her palm.
Crushing them into powder, she rolled out a piece of paper and wrapped the powder inside.
Slipping it into her pocket, she waltzed down the stairs just in time to see Silas walking in with several bags of food.
He didn't spare her a glance as he handed her the bags.
Obediently taking them, she went to the kitchen, transferring the food into plates.
Once she was done, she paused to glance around before reaching into her pocket for the paper.
Silas had mainly ordered his and his mother's favorites, and a few dishes they didn't like, assuming she would eat them without asking, so she knew exactly which ones to fill with the laxative.
Afterward, she took the plates to the dining room and called for them before taking her seat.
As expected, they both singled out the six plates she had laced with laxatives, leaving her with the remaining dishes.
Dinner was silent, except for the irritating slurping sounds coming from Silas as he drank the soup and devoured the rice and fried chicken.
Slowly chewing the beef on her plate, she shifted her gaze to Talia who was slurping down her own food, then lowered her eyes to hide her smile.
They had just finished eating when she got up, her right hand pressing down on her abdomen, her face squeezed up in pain.
"Honey, mother, I have to use the restroom, please excuse me."
"I told you not to waste money ordering for her. Now look how fast she goes running to the restroom. Hmph!" Talia chided Silas between mouthfuls.
Silas didn't spare Ayla a glance as he hummed in agreement with his mother.
"Okay, I've heard you. I keep forgetting she has a weak stomach. Next time I'll just order soup for her."
Watching them make decisions as if she wasn't there, the corners of her lips twitched irritably, but she still left without a word.
Since the laxative would kick in in about six hours, she spent three hours in the restroom, flushing every ten minutes.
When she was sure they'd bought the act, she hunched over and came down the stairs, her face still scrunched up in a painful wince.
"Honey, I think it's the food."
Talia scoffed. "We all ate the same food. How is it you're the only one who finds it bad? For an orphan, you sure do have expensive taste!"
Picking the meat out of his teeth with a toothpick, Silas hissed, "Didn't I tell you to start eating the food the rest of us eat?"
"Or are you looking down on the food I buy because you started making money and eating good food before me?"
Ayla resisted the urge to scream 'yes' and bit down on her lower lip, refuting in a shaky voice, "O-of course not. Oh, I think I know why. It must be what I ate this morning. I'll just go to bed now. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I'll feel better."
Neither of them said anything else, so she turned and went upstairs, laughing inwardly.
Two hours later, she felt the bed dip beside her and steadied her breathing to avoid drawing attention.
Before an hour passed, his stomach began making the gurgling sound she'd been looking forward to.
And so, the frequent trips to the bathroom began.
At some point, she fell asleep.
Out of habit, her eyes flew open when her alarm went off at 4 a.m. the next morning.
Sitting up, she found the space beside her empty and at the same time, heard the toilet flushing.
Shrugging, she hopped out of bed.
Well, at least she wasn't the only one up by this time.
Silas would never admit he had diarrhea, so she didn't bother knocking and went to make breakfast.
Only when she was in the kitchen did she hear flushing sounds from Talia's bedroom.
Upstairs, Silas was frustrated.
Ayla had been right about the food, but he didn't want to inflate her ego by telling her.
Knowing she wouldn't ask what was wrong, he remained in the bathroom, waiting for her to finish making breakfast and leave before calling a doctor.
But for some reason, he kept hearing the sound of her moving things and cleaning until 7 a.m.
Unable to hold it any longer, he rushed out of the bathroom, soiling his pants as he hurried to grab his phone and rush back in.
"S-sir, I'm sorry for calling so early, but can I take the day off? I'll work during the holidays, I just need to take this day off to go to the hospital."
On the other end, Ezra Hale leaned back in his seat, finally realizing why he hadn't seen this woman despite being in front of Gentile Studio since 5 a.m.
"You're sick?"
"Yes, sir. It's embarrassing to say, but I just need the day off to…"
"No. Call the doctor to the house and get to work by or before 10 a.m." Ezra interrupted and hung up.
Tossing the phone to the passenger seat, he tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.
That man-baby falling sick would mean Ayla wouldn't come to work today.
He couldn't have that.