Chapter 6

After finishing her deliveries, Cynthia arrived home and knocked on the door. A hushed voice came from inside, asking, "What's the password?" Cynthia chuckled at their familiar game and responded, "Yasmine is the best girl in the world!" "Why is six afraid of seven?" the voice continued. "Because seven 'ate' nine," Cynthia answered. Finally, the door clicked open. A chubby girl in a white princess dress darted out and hugged Cynthia's legs. "Congratulations, Mommy! You passed the test, and you can come in!" Cynthia smiled, her heart warmed at her daughter's antics. Yasmine Lynch was safety-conscious and mature for her age—she was also Cynthia's biological daughter, a secret she had kept for three years. After leaving the hospital that day, Cynthia gave birth to Yasmine in the back of a car, not knowing that she was actually pregnant with twins. Since Janice had prevented her from getting prenatal check-ups to prevent the truth from getting leaked, no one knew about the second baby. Cynthia could not bear to part with her daughter, so she begged the driver to let her secretly keep her. Now, Yasmine's existence was Cynthia's most carefully guarded secret. Janice and Zachary could never find out. "Mommy, Grandma wants to talk to you," Yasmine chirped. Before Cynthia could respond, Hazel emerged from her room in a green nightgown and a sheet mask. Despite her rural upbringing, she appeared rather sophisticated, thanks to the hefty allowance she received from the Lynch family. Hazel tossed a container of homemade pickles onto the table. "Take this to The Crave tomorrow at 7:00 pm for Mr. Liam Wilbur." Liam was a 200-pound, pockmarked face man. Despite only being 40 years old, he already had five dead wives to his name. He was notorious in Scatham as a perverted creep. "No way," Cynthia immediately refused. "I don't deliver to that area." Hazel's face fell. "He already paid good money for my signature pickles. How am I supposed to explain if you don't deliver it? Besides, I was going to use the money to buy Yasmine new clothes for the season. It's not like I'm spending the money on myself." Cynthia softened at the mention of Yasmine. She figured she could make a quick delivery and reluctantly agreed, "Fine." Hazel watched Cynthia's retreating figure, her eyes narrowing with malice. She was bitter that her adopted daughter remained distant after all these years. She smirked as she thought about how Liam would teach Cynthia a lesson in humility soon. Nevertheless, even Hazel had to admit Janice's plan was cruel. ... The next day, after dropping Yasmine at school and completing her regular deliveries, Cynthia headed to The Crave. Upon her arrival, she noticed that Liam was not at the reserved booth. Even though she thought it was strange, she quickly dismissed it as him being late. She sat down, took a sip of the water already on the table, and pulled out her phone to call him. Before she could dial, Liam emerged, saying, "Cynthia! Sorry, I was in the restroom. Order whatever you'd like. It's my treat." The Crave was notoriously expensive, and Liam was typically stingy. However, he wanted to impress Cynthia with a show of wealth. "No, thank you, Mr. Wilbur," Cynthia said politely, setting down the container. "I'm just delivering this from my mother. I need to get back to work." "What's the rush?" Liam grabbed her arm as he spoke in a friendly tone. "We're friends! Why work yourself so hard delivering food when you could marry me? I'll treat you like a queen." His hand began to wander, his breath reeking of cigarettes and alcohol. Disgusted, Cynthia slapped his hand away and immediately stood up. She scolded, "Mr. Wilbur, I prefer earning my own money. Please respect my boundaries!" As she stood to leave, her head suddenly spun, and she collapsed back onto the couch. She mumbled, "W-What did you put in the water?"