When I left King's office, I didn't feel any better. I needed chocolate. I needed Bea. I needed to hit my to-do lists. Bea could help with that, so I texted her and arranged to meet for lunch downstairs.
I caught Bea up on morning drama over a double-scoop fudge sundae smothered in whipped cream and chopped nuts. Bea had smiled at the guy behind the counter, who treated us to extra cherries on top.
The chocolate helped, but I had a to-do list to work on, so I pulled out my laptop.
"Bea, do you know the names of the servers who helped us escape Well Water?"
"I know JJ. Give me a sec. Let me see what I can do."
While she did that, I went into my old bank account. I moved all of my funds to my new bank account, then I had the bank reverse the guilt money transaction. King got back every penny he had added to my account. Once the account hit a zero balance, I closed it.
Done. Next item.
Bea received a list of names from JJ, who assured her they didn't expect anything from her. He also confirmed they had all been fired. While I couldn't give them back their jobs, I could give them a little cash cushion to tide them over. I divided half my earnings from the engineer's hack job equally among the servers. Fortunately, JJ was able to provide their email addresses. It made using a cash app to reward them that much easier.
Reimbursing the girl upstairs would have to wait. I'd have to go fishing for her name. At this point, I wasn't sure I'd affected her job yet.
Next, a physical activity.
"Bea, what do you think about taking taekwondo classes, you know, for exercise and self-defense?"
"Sounds like fun. I have a friend who owns a dojo not far from here. He's been asking me to check it out for a while now. Want me to line something up?"
"Sure, but please, I don't want us to be the only adults in a class full of little kids. I'd die if they were better than us."
I could picture a ten-year-old taking me down and making me cry. The Things were almost capable of that much without training. With training, they would be unstoppable. I wasn't sure my fragile ego would survive that humiliation on top of everything else.
I missed the little beasts.
Feeling good about knocking some items off my list, I was cool with shopping. While I'd given away a big chunk of my savings, I still had enough to buy a few pieces—not necessarily designer pieces, but at least clothes better suited to a CEO's wife. I had a feeling I'd be seeing the inside of King's office again soon. I should fit the part a bit better.
We covered the basics pretty quickly. Sweatshirts, jeans, and a new pair of high-tops were a must. I wouldn't feel like myself without them.
Where Bea and I disagreed was in the dressier clothes.
"Come on, Teela, just try it on."
Bea held out a Chanel suit with a short skirt. The jacket was also cropped. I grabbed at the price tag, but Bea jerked it back.
"Not this time. This one is on me."
"I can't let you do that. Not after all the problems I've caused you."
"You would do the same for me."
I gave in and tried the suit on. I had the overwhelming urge to pull the skirt up to hide my midriff while simultaneously pulling the skirt hem down to cover my legs. The warm colors of the subtle plaid complemented my complexion, though, so I didn't totally dismiss it. Perhaps I could get away with it if I wore opaque tights.
"You look adorable," Bea proclaimed.
"She looks like a dog dressed up by its owner for the first time."
I pirouetted toward Anya's voice at the same time the camera flash went off.
Anya said, "One more. King should see who you left him for and how you dress like a hooker now."
Bea said, "There's nothing wrong with how Teela is dressed. I chose this outfit for her myself. It is stylish and perfect for a woman her age."
"Who are you to define fashion trends?" Anya said.
"Someone with taste."
"Taste is debatable. Money is not. Can you afford to shop in a place like this? I know Teela can't."
I said, "How do you know what I can afford, Anya?"
"Because I'm the one who convinced Mom you didn't need an allowance. I kept waiting for you to beg me for period supplies, but you didn't do it. Darn shame, too. I had something special planned for you. Is it because you were stealing money out of King's wallet?"
"I've never stolen anything from the Heavenly family."
"Once a thief, always a thief. You're probably planning to shoplift that outfit as well."
Before I knew what was happening, Bea slapped Anya. Anya cried out and fell back a step with a palm pressed against her flaming cheek.
"You struck me. Call security. Call the police. I want you arrested for assault."
I said, "Anya, don't do this. You provoked Bea, and you know it."
"And what do you think Lettie would do?"
"Who is Lettie?" Bea asked.
"Our mother-in-law."
"Oh, oh," Bea said as she put the name with the stories I'd told her. Her eyes widened when she comprehended the threat behind Anya's statement.
The store clerk called in the complaint as Anya played up her injury.
Bea asked, "What do we do now?"
"You shouldn't have hit her. You can't fight against people like the Heavenlys easily. They use every avenue to maintain the upper hand. If you run, they will find you. You already know that. If you go to jail, I'll hire an attorney and pay your bail."
And make Anya pay. Oh, what the heck? I was having a bad day. She might as well pay now.
"If I've got a police record, I won't qualify to bid on government contracts. Teela, my company survives on those contracts."
"Wait here. I'll be right back."
I ducked back into the changing room and opened my laptop. For a used laptop, I was most assuredly getting my money's worth out of it. I quickly located the feed to the store's security cameras. I downloaded the footage of Anya's nasty behavior and tapped into the live feed.
I was totally out of the loop with current social media leaders, but a quick search educated me on who might be most open to and effective in spreading gossip about industry leaders. Lucky me. The wealthier people are, the more willing others are to trash their reputation. Before security or the police arrived on the scene, Anya's face was streaming on three different platforms. The comments and reposts were flowing in.
After glancing over one comment confirming Anya was a nasty piece of work, I wished I had time to read over the reaction. I suspected the commenters would have a lot to say that I may be able to use in the future.
Instead, I made short work of changing back into my street clothes. I handed the suit to the clerk and returned to my friend. "Do a search on Anya Heavenly see what's hot right now."
Bea might not win a legal battle after slapping Anya, but Anya was crucified on social media. The sound of Anya's tirade streamed from Bea's phone and filled the store.
"What is that?" Anya snatched Bea's phone from her and watched as her own image stared back at her. Her eyes widened as she scrolled through the comments. "Who did this to me? Who shared the cam feed?"
Security chose that moment to show up with the police in tow. Anya had changed to another platform and watched in horror as the real-time feed updated.
"Anya, do you have anything to say to the public?" I asked innocently. "I mean, wouldn't this be a good time to explain why you admitted to the whole world that you bullied me, your sister-in-law, for three years?
"A wealthy family like the Heavenlys could surely afford to give me a few dollars each month for personal items or buy them for me. Afterall, I did all the cooking and most of the cleaning. I carried your shopping bags. Did you once make me wash your car during freezing temperatures? Yes, I remember now. You had a gala to attend and didn't want the mud to clash with your off-the-shoulder gown. I'd say I earned a few dollars if not at least your gratitude."
"Teela Heavenly, you have no right to do this. This is an invasion of my privacy."
"We are in a public space, and I have no control of what is caught on camera."
Anya pointed to me and Bea and demanded, "Arrest them. Arrest them both. Teela, you did this to me. I know you did."
"That's enough," King said as he entered the store with Min on his heels.
Anya hugged King's arm. "King, these women maligned my reputation."
King pulled away. "From what I saw, you did it to yourself Anya. Mom will have something to say about this. You should go home. Now."
Anya paled. "King, you have to speak up for me. Explain to Mom how infuriating Teela is. Let her know how upset you've been about her leaving and hooking up with trash like this." She pointed at Bea who was busy giving a statement to the police.
"Home, Anya, or does Min need to escort you?"
Min stepped forward.