After bidding farewell to Emma Pearson's parents outside school, Jack Cross and Mia Mills walked side by side along the sidewalk.
After a few minutes, Mia saw a teahouse on the other side of the street and asked, "What about instead of coffee, we go there to have some tea and biscuits? My treat!"
After taking a glance around, Jack said in a low voice, "As long as you avoid paying with your card and we don't take long. We are in hiding, remember? Or did your father figure out everything, and you can return home?"
"He is still looking into it. As for now, the day is so beautiful, so I thought we could relax in that tea house and then walk for a bit before we go to the subway. Do we need to go to the grocery store for you to buy something for our lunch? What are you going to make today?"
While crossing the road, not before looking around at all the people nearby and the passing cars, searching for any familiar faces, Jack answered, "It is still early, so I guess we can walk for a bit. I suppose Sophia is watching television or playing with her pets, so we can go buy some groceries before going home. What do you want to eat today? Any requests?"
"Beef Wellington was always my favourite, but I guess you don't have money for that, nor do you know how to make that."
With a grin, Jack said, "Meatballs and spaghetti. I am glad you are a woman of easy tastes. That beef-whatever sounds like something very weird to cook and to eat. No, you need something more filling and enjoyable."
After opening the door of the teahouse and waiting for Jack to enter, she said, "Why did you ask me if I had any requests if you already knew what to cook?"
"I was being polite; I didn't say I was going to do whatever you asked."
Mia disguised a smile and pretended to be annoyed. "The nerve! That is very rude of you, Mister Jack Cross! I will remember this! Now I want to eat beef Wellington, but I can't go to any of my usual restaurants! Meatballs and spaghetti! I never ate that, nor did I ever see anyone eating it besides poor people! You are not poor, Mister Cross, so why do you want to punish me with that for a meal?"
Jack pulled a chair for the smiling young woman and answered, "I am not going to punish you, and I am giving you an opportunity to try something delicious. It is not my fault if you have never eaten that kind of food. Blame your parents, not me!"
Mia signalled the waiter to come to them, and after choosing what they would have and after the waiter left, Mia said in a low voice, "You know, you can't threaten to kill people like you did in that meeting. If I wasn't there, they could have called the police, and you would have been immediately arrested. Even if they were the ones at fault, you can't even threaten them physically or insult them, because they could sue you for threats or an attempt against their honour."
Puzzled, Jack asked, "I can't? Why not? They were shamefully plotting against Sophia, so why can't I threaten them? That Principal, for instance, had no problems whatsoever with suspending my daughter! Why can't I threaten them or tell them that it wouldn't be good for their health to go after my kid with all she has been going through ever since she started attending that school?"
"Because we live in a peaceful society, and people that threaten others become the bad guys, and bad guys are arrested. Well, unless you have a lot of money to pay for an army of attorneys or even bribe some police officers and a few judges. I am not saying that I ever did that. Or my father. Well, actually, I think my father did that once or twice. What? How do you suppose he got so filthy rich? A completely honest person can't get so rich!"
"You know, hearing you say that with such a straight face makes me wonder who the bad guy here is. I just threatened a bunch of bastards that were trying to go against my kid, and you basically admitted that your father is a criminal. What does that make you? A criminal as well, or the daughter of one?"
"Daughter of one, I confess. Perhaps that is why those guys went after me yesterday. My father either annoyed someone, or they only wanted some easy money, because they found out my father would do anything for me, even paying an absurd amount for ransom."
They both went silent when the waiter returned with their order and after she left, Jack asked in a low voice, "So, if your father is some sort of criminal, that makes me his accomplice in case the police go after him considering I am hiding you?"
"Well, my father is not that kind of criminal. I mean, it is not as if he had robbed a bank, scammed a few people, or killed someone. He is only a ruthless businessman. Maybe some guys or even some families had some bad luck because of his actions, but directly, he never did anything. I know he bought a few companies, fired most of the employees, invested a tonne of money to improve those companies, and then sold them for profit. But that is not criminal. Perhaps unethical or mean, but not criminal."
"Well, to me, that is also a crime. Ruining people's lives and saying they only had bad luck is not a very nice thing to say either. You need to try to be more empathic. Sometimes, you sound as if you don't care about anyone else besides you or that you are above everyone. When you are not."
Mia Mills shrugged while sipping her tea and explained, "Until yesterday, I always lived a carefree life with no worries whatsoever, surrounded by maids and assistants who would do anything for me. If I asked for something absurd, they would do the impossible to grant me my wish. Well, considering the paycheck they get as my father's employees, they want to keep their job, even if it consists of only following me around and taking care of me. So what if I consider everyone else beneath me? I never got into any kind of trouble because of that."
"I am glad I am not one of your assistants, because you would never get anything from me. If you asked me something absurd, I would probably tell you to get it yourself. And if you threatened to fire me, you would probably get a good spanking on your buttocks to teach you some manners. And then I would quit and find an easier job. Maybe as a hunter of wild animals or in a circus, working with lions. As for getting into problems, you probably got into a few, and you never realised."
"What do you mean by that? What kind of problems did I get that I was never aware of?"
"Allow me to demonstrate. It will probably shock you, but listen and don't say a thing."
Jack Cross signalled the waiter, and the woman approached with a smile on her lips. "Yes? What can I do for the lovely couple?"
That simple question made Mia Mills turn bright red, but Jack didn't even notice. With a slight smile, he asked in a low voice, "My friend here doesn't believe me, but I know a thing or two about working as a waiter. If, for instance, a very rude customer started complaining to you about something absurd or insulting you and the job you are doing, what would you do?"
"I… I guess I would smile and take care of everything to be sure the customer got his order right. I am afraid I do not completely understand your question. Did I mess up something in your order?" The woman asked, visibly worried.
With a grin, Jack explained, "No, everything is splendid so far. I was just explaining to my friend that sometimes a very rude customer gets what he or she deserves without even noticing. Sometimes, the bread falls on the floor, or the tea or coffee accidentally gets some spit on it as a punishment for that rude customer. It is an excellent way for the waiter to get his revenge without the rude customer ever finding out."
"We… I mean, I… we never do something like that…" the woman tried to explain, getting more worried.
"I didn't say you ever did any of that, but I am sure you know some places or some waiters that do these kinds of things. Am I not right?"
With a slight smile, the waiter answered, "Yes, you are indeed correct. Like you said, in a few places that I know about, sometimes accidents happen, and it is always better if the customer never finds out. Strangely, most of those accidents happen occasionally to difficult customers or rude people who treat waiters and cooks badly."
Hearing the waiter confirm what Jack said made Mia gasp, and she even stuttered, "You mean… Jack, sometimes I… I see… I never knew… But the way you explained it, I now understand…"
With a big smile, Jack Cross thanked the waiter and asked if she wouldn't mind suggesting a slice of cake that would go well with that tea, and she went to the kitchen to choose one.
Mia was sipping her tea in silence, and Jack asked with a grin, "Now you know, don't you? I wonder how many times you drank coffee or tea or even ate something after you were rude to a waiter and some accident happened to your food or drink."
Seeing Mia in silence, Jack drank his tea and thanked the waiter when she returned with a slice of chocolate cake with red berries.
After a while, they left, going to the nearest subway station, but that time, instead of complaining about everything in the underground station, Mia was looking all around, noticing the nuances in different people, the noises, the smells, and even the music that some street performers were making.
Until she met Jack, she never travelled by subway or mingled with common people in a subway station. She found herself casually talking with the old woman who was seated on the bench near her about the weather, the old woman's grandchildren, and listening to how she recovered so well from the cold the old woman got last week, and surprisingly, she seemed to be enjoying the talk.
When the subway arrived, Mia even helped the old woman get up, guided her to a free seat on the subway, and then went to sit next to Jack Cross, who was watching her act like a normal person, probably for the first time in her life.
Noticing how he was grinning, she asked, "What? Do I have something on my face? Don't tell me I have cake crumbs! That would be embarrassing!"
"No, there is nothing there; you don't need to worry. I was just watching you."
"Okay… Why?"
Since he only shrugged without answering, she insisted over and over, with him refusing to say anything else, making her complain that he was probably mocking her.
…
When they finally arrived at Jack's apartment, with Jack carrying bags of groceries, Mia rang the bell, and Sophia opened the door for them with a big smile. "Look what the cat dragged in! How was the meeting? You didn't kill anyone, did you? Do I need to help you hide a body somewhere?"
"No, nothing of the sort. Well, I might have threatened your Principal and the parents of those girls a bit, but Miss Mia took care of everything with her father's help. I think you and Emma can return to school tomorrow."
"Really? Awesome! Tell me everything!"
Mia followed Jack and Sophia to the kitchen and sat on a chair while he told her everything about that strange meeting in school.
In the end, Sophia had a frown and was staring at Mia Mills very seriously, making her feel uncomfortable. She then walked around the table and hugged the surprised young woman while saying, "Thanks a bunch! I knew my father would exaggerate as usual, so I am glad you went with him to put some reins on his wild behaviour! You got some points from me! Not many, but enough for me not to want to slice your throat any more!"
"Thanks, I guess… It was nothing much; I just got enough experience with those kinds of situations because I was a total menace when I was in school."
Sophia sat next to her and said with a big smile, "Oh, a bad girl! Tell me more!" Sophia then turned to her father and said, before facing Mia again, "You cook while we talk! Something delicious, because we need to celebrate the end of my suspension and my return to school!"
Mia smiled a lot and started to tell some of her experiences in school, but as she talked, she realised the bullying she did to the other students was not as funny as it seemed then, and while she was saying some things, she remembered that Sophia also suffered in similar situations, and after her third story, she looked more worried than usual, making Sophia ask what was wrong, with her answering with an awkward smile. "Well, I just realised that what I did to other students, you also suffered them, and that made me think that what looked like a good joke at that time was really awful, and now I am feeling bad about it."
"You are feeling bad? Imagine how the ones who suffered at your hands felt! Yeah, you were a piece of work, alright! Lucky for you, I was not even born, because if you were a student in my school and you did some of those things to me, you would wake up in a hospital bed after a three-year coma!"
"Yes… but now, after all these years, I am not sure what I can do… I wonder if those students are alright or not… I was told that sometimes bullying in school leaves mental scars for life."
"Well, you could perhaps find out where the ones you bullied live now and maybe get in contact with them and apologise. Perhaps you can even help them with something, like a job, money, or even food. Apologising won't make them forget or even forgive you, but it would be a start."
Mia nodded in silence and made a mental note to talk with her father at her next opportunity to ask for his help in finding the students she bullied when she was in school.