Reborn to Ruin the Woman Who Destroyed My Family

3: 3

This tearful little performance had every heart in the room in her hand.

"Oh, poor thing, she's such a sweet, well-behaved girl!"

"Tutored the kid for free, and now she just wants a place to get some experience, and she gets shot down this cold?"

"The girl's so sincere, she only wants to learn a little. That owner's got no heart at all."

"And she came right out and said she hates kids. A child's feelings are simple. How's she supposed to swallow something like that?"

Even the few customers who'd been on my side had a strange look in their eyes now.

Beside them, Mercedes let a flicker of triumph slip through.

She stepped up and wrapped an arm gently around Madge's shoulders.

"Silly girl, stop begging. We won't force ourselves on people."

Watching the two of them play off each other, mother and daughter, the anger shot straight up in me.

Last semester my daughter's grades fell off a cliff.

I'd already lined up a tutor.

It was Mercedes who came knocking, asking to send Madge over every day to help.

Back then I cooked something different every single day, laid out all kinds of fruit.

Terrified of not treating Madge well enough.

But a whole half a semester went by, and my daughter's grades didn't just fail to improve, they dropped even harder.

Only after I pressed her again and again did my daughter quietly tell me the truth.

This so-called free tutoring was a scam from start to finish.

Every day Madge came to my house, she left little Shelby to grind through the practice problems on her own.

While she sprawled on the couch playing video games.

There was no tutoring at all.

Furious and full of regret once I knew, I told Mercedes right then that Madge didn't need to come anymore.

For the sake of all those years between us, I stuffed a thick red envelope of cash into Madge's hands.

Saw the little princess off politely, all smiles.

Gave Mercedes every bit of face.

I thought that was the end of it.

And yet here they were today, still shameless enough to milk it for sympathy.

I looked at Madge and said coldly,

"Are you sure you were seriously tutoring Shelby?"

Madge's crying caught in her throat.

"I've still got the full security footage from my study, you know."

The moment I said it, Madge went white.

Her mouth opened and closed, and she didn't dare get out another word.

I let my face go cold.

"If you don't want me airing your dirty little secret, get out. Now."

Mercedes shot me a vicious glare, then slunk out.

My dad had been standing at the back kitchen door, watching the whole thing.

He came over to me and couldn't help asking under his breath,

"Weren't you and Mercedes always close? How'd it turn into this today?"

Looking at how unguarded my dad was,

my nose stung, and the tears nearly spilled over.

"It's nothing, Dad."

"I just suddenly realized some people don't deserve our sincerity."

I thought that had finally closed the book on the whole thing.

But the next day at noon, right in the middle of the lunch rush,

Madge actually showed up again.

Like she knew the place inside out, she walked in and started clearing tables.

She even started waiting on customers.

The whole routine, smooth as anything.

As if she'd already decided she was staff here.

I strode over and demanded coldly,

"Who said you could come? Wasn't I clear enough yesterday?"

"We will never take you on. Leave, right now!"

At the sound of my voice, Madge's hands jerked to a stop.

The next second, her tears came down.

"Aunt Sally, I, I came on my own…"

Her shoulders trembled, and she looked at me carefully.

"I don't want any pay. I just want to quietly get some experience here."

"I promise I won't affect your business at all, I swear!"

Before I could answer, she gripped the rag tighter and scrubbed the table even harder.

"No."

I stepped forward and took the rag straight out of her hand.

"I'm asking you to leave. Right now!"