No Place to Rest

The crushing weight of the medical bill in her hand left Audrey with only one choice. She forced her own discharge after a mere two days in the hospital ward. Her high fever still raged, burning through her veins and leaving a layer of cold sweat on her pale skin, but the reality was simple. She had no way to pay the rapidly mounting costs. Every cent of her decent salary at the Apex Club went toward basic expenses and her meager emergency savings. There was no room in her ruined life for a proper convalescence. She needed to save that small amount of money for true emergencies.

Dragging her exhausted, shivering frame back to the cramped staff dormitory felt like a monumental task. The room spun the moment she stepped through the door. A severe wave of being lightheaded blurred her vision. She reached out blindly, her fingers clamping tightly onto the cold edge of a nearby metal locker just to keep herself upright. She closed her eyes, trying to wait for the nausea to pass.

A rough push from behind sent her spinning out of control.

Audrey lost her grip on the metal. Her lower back crashed painfully against the sharp metal edges of the lockers. A soft grunt of pain escaped her pale lips as the blunt impact radiated through her already battered body. She clutched her waist, trying to catch her shallow breath.

She looked up through the haze of her fever to see Hazel Cruz standing over her. The other girl’s face was twisted in disgust, her eyes glaring down with undisguised hatred.

"What is a convicted murderer trying to do with my locker? Are you planning to mess with my things while we are gone?" Hazel demanded, her piercing, shrill voice ringing out in the small room.

The humiliating public incident on her knees days prior had done its permanent damage. In that sickening moment, it slowly dawned on Audrey that the altercation had exposed her hidden prison past to the entire club's staff. There were no secrets left. Anticipating the immediate wave of embarrassment and ostracization washing over her, she averted her exhausted eyes. She lacked the strength to fight back against the harsh accusations.

"I was feeling a bit lightheaded. I only leaned on the metal for balance, and I promise I did not touch your things." Audrey forced the words out in a soft, raspy voice.

Hazel let out a loud scoff and rolled her eyes wildly. "Who knows what you are capable of doing? If I continue to share a living space with a murderer like you, I will probably end up dead in my sleep one day without even realizing it."

Footsteps hurried into the room before the confrontation could escalate further. Penelope rushed forward, catching Audrey’s trembling frame just as her knees threatened to buckle. The sudden, warm support was the only thing keeping Audrey from collapsing onto the hard linoleum floor.

Penelope reached out, pressing her palm against Audrey’s burning hot forehead. She gasped softly at the heat radiating from the skin.

"You are burning up. Why would you foolishly leave the hospital so early? You should have stayed longer to recover." Penelope scolded, her brow furrowing with genuine concern for the sick girl.

Audrey weakly shook her head, trying to minimize the situation. "It is just a minor cold. I will be fine."

"Stop acting like a victim." Hazel clicked her tongue loudly, venom dripping from her words. She grabbed the handle of her locker and slammed it shut with a deafening crash. "I am going straight to the supervisor’s office to demand a dormitory change. It is physically disgusting to live with people like you."

Without another word, Hazel stormed out of the room, her heavy footsteps fading down the corridor.

Penelope glared at the empty doorway. Her eyes reddened with unshed tears of frustration on Audrey's behalf.

"Do not mind that vicious girl. She is no better than any of us working here. Just ignore her, Audrey." Penelope spoke softly, gently guiding her roommate toward the narrow bed.

A rare moment of gratitude pierced through Audrey's battered heart. The realization that the entire world was not just cruel offered a tiny shred of comfort in an otherwise hostile and exhausting existence.

"Thank you, Penelope. I truly appreciate your kindness." Audrey murmured sincerely, sinking down onto the mattress.

A sharp knock on the door suddenly interrupted their quiet moment.

Penelope stood up and pulled the door open. Her polite greeting died in her throat as she stepped back in surprise.

Nadine, the formidable female owner of the Apex Club, stood in the doorway. Audrey instantly recognized the imposing woman. Two years ago, Audrey had gone to great lengths to secure a VIP membership solely to investigate swirling gossip surrounding Dominic and this very woman. Back then, Audrey had only observed Nadine from a distance and had never seen her clearly. When Audrey was assigned to the club two weeks prior, an assistant manager had handled her placement. Nadine had never shown her face until now.

Nadine merely hummed dismissively at Penelope, ignoring the polite greeting. Her sharp almond eyes immediately bypassed the other girl and locked onto Audrey. She scrutinized the sick, pale figure sitting on the bed with a cold calculation.

"You. Come with me." Nadine ordered in a flat, authoritative tone.

Audrey gathered what little strength she had left and followed the club owner out of the room. Once they were isolated in the empty hallway, the older woman dropped any pretense of neutrality. Her tone turned sharp and unforgiving.

"Your roommate has been making a massive, disruptive scene in the manager's office. She is demanding to be moved to a different room," Nadine stated, crossing her arms over her chest. She watched Audrey closely to gauge her reaction. "You appear well aware of the situation. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Audrey maintained her submissiveness. Fighting back would only make her precarious situation worse.

"It is indeed because of my past. I am willing to voluntarily move out of the staff dormitory to keep the peace."

Nadine curled her bold red lips into a calculated smile. "At least you are good at taking responsibility for your actions. Apex Club cannot function with internal conflict, and I will not tolerate this kind of disruption among the staff."

The older woman took a slow step closer, her eyes gleaming with a hidden agenda. She seized the perfect opportunity to further isolate and degrade the disgraced former heiress.

"How about I transfer you to the cleaning department? It is a sector where there will supposedly be far less friction between you and the rest of the employees. What do you think of the idea?"