Kayla’s POV
Three weeks later…
Life settled into a routine.
Three weeks passed at Glow and Grace studio without any issue.
I learned the rules, memorized the VIP client lists, and saved some cash.
I hadn’t spoken to my mother, and I hadn’t heard from Sarah.
I was surviving day by day.
Until one Thursday afternoon..
The studio was playing quiet music when the front glass door swung open, bringing a wave of heavy perfume and loud energy.
Stella Vance.
Stella was a rising social media influencer with a massive ego and a bad reputation.
She had bright blonde hair, heavy makeup, and a scowl on her face.
She strolled in with two massive bodyguards in black suits who looked ready to punch anyone.
“Where is my regular stylist?!” Stella asked before reaching the front desk, tossing her designer bag onto my clean white counter.
“I specifically booked Tristan for two o’clock, and your system says he is running late! Do you know who I am? I can ruin this entire business on my page with one story!”
I forced a professional smile on my face, standing up straight behind the desk.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Vance,” I said, keeping my voice calm.
“Tristan is finishing up a bride’s makeup that ran slightly over schedule, but he will be right back soon to attend to you. Can I offer you some water or coffee while you wait?”
Stella rolled her eyes.
“Water?
Please.
Do I look like a peasant?
Bring me a caramel cappuccino right now, extra hot, and extra sweet..”
”Right away,” I murmured, turning around to grab the iPad to log her arrival.
Five minutes later, I carefully carried a ceramic mug filled with hot caramel cappuccino out from the break room toward the seating area where Stella was scrolling through her phone.
“Here is your coffee, Ms. Vance—”
Right as I leaned down to place the mug on the glass table, Stella shoved her arm backward with a sharp smack smashing her elbow straight into my hand.
Hot liquid poured everywhere as the drink splashed across my blouse, soaking my chest and burning my skin, while the heavy ceramic mug flew out of my hand and shattered against the floor.
I gasped, stumbling back as a sharp sting radiated across my chest.
“Are you blind, you clumsy idiot? You just ruined my designer top! Look at this! You did this on purpose, you jealous nobody!”
Before I could process the burning pain or defend myself, Stella did something shocking.
She looked down at the shattered ceramic pieces on the floor, took a breath, and threw herself backward, falling hard onto the tile floor beside the glass pieces, letting out a scream.
“Ahhh! Help! She attacked me! She poured hot coffee on me and pushed me!” Stella wailed, crocodile tears appearing in her eyes as she clutched her arm.
“Ms. Vance!”
Instantly, her two massive bodyguards ran forward, slamming their hands onto my desk and cornering me.
“What did you do to her?!” one bodyguard yelled.
“I didn’t touch her!” I yelled back, panic rushing through my chest as people in the studio stared at us in shock.
“She knocked it out of my hand!
She fell on purpose!”
”Shut up, you lying imbecile!” Stella cried from the floor, playing the victim while her phone recorded everything.
“She’s aggressive! Look at her! She attacked me!”
The studio erupted into chaos.
Clients whispered, and within seconds, Brenda the manager pushed her way through the crowd, her face pale.
“What is going on here?!” Brenda demanded, looking between Stella sobbing on the floor and me trembling behind the desk.
“She tried to burn me and then shoved me to the ground!” Stella wailed.
“If you don’t fire her right now and pay for my damages, I am suing this studio into bankruptcy!”
Brenda’s eyes shifted towards me, flashing with panic.
“Kayla Is this true?!”
”No!
ma’am, I swear to God, it’s not!” I pleaded, my voice cracking as hot tears spilled over my cheeks.
“She shoved my arm!
She knocked the coffee out and threw herself on the floor!
Ask anyone…”
”Nobody asked you anything!” Brenda said coldly, cutting me off, terrified of the influencer’s social media reach.
She hurried over to help Stella up.
“Oh, Ms. Vance, I am so sorry!
Please, let’s get you to the VIP lounge, we will handle this immediately—”
”Fire her!
I want her gone tonight!” Stella snapped.
Brenda shot me a cold look over her shoulder.
“Kayla,” Brenda said, her voice dripping with ice.
“Get your bag. You are suspended. Take a three day leave starting right now. You need to learn some basic respect. This is an elite studio, not a street corner. We will discuss your termination on Monday.”
She turned her back, walking with stella as they walked toward the back rooms.
My chest tightened.
The humiliation burned hotter than the coffee.
I didn’t say another word.
I didn’t beg.
I grabbed my bag from behind the desk, ripped my name tag off my shirt, threw it on the floor, and marched right out of the front glass doors into the evening air.
Night had fallen completely by the time I started walking home.
My shift had ended in disaster, I was about to lose my job again, my chest was stinging from the burn, and I was drowning in self-pity.
I had enough money in my bag to take a taxi, but I was stubborn and angry.
I didn’t care.
I just wanted to walk.
I wanted the cold night air to touch the pain on my skin.
It was a mistake.
I took a shortcut through a narrow, dimly lit alleyway lined by brick walls and flickering streetlights.
It was late, and the neighborhood was silent except for the distant hum of traffic.
As I walked faster, hugging my bag tightly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind me.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
I quickened my movement.
The footsteps sped up too.
Before I could turn around, two dark figures lunged out from the shadows, blocking my path.
They wore dark hoodies pulled low, and one of them flashed a smile in the dim light.