Although Wanda was clear on the fact that she had to escape, a new difficulty soon raised its head.
'How will I escape from this place?'
There were many bodyguards in No. 3 Mansion. She was sure that Quincy had specially instructed them to keep an eye out for her. If she attempted to run without a proper plan, they would catch her and take her back before she could even leave this building.
First, she went to the restroom and washed her face with cold water from the tap. She removed her heavy makeup and instantly felt a little relieved. The tension of thinking about escaping had been overwhelming.
She stared into the mirror. Her messy hair dripped water down her forehead, giving her reflection a dejected and embarrassed look.
With one hand holding up the mirror in front of her, she leaned over the washbasin. In a low voice, she cursed, "Damn it!"
She didn't rate herself an excellent person, but she had always avoided doing any evil. Why then was it that she couldn't live normally?
Why did she have to live in constant fear even though she had done nothing wrong?
Why did they take delight in pointing out her faults at will? Why was it that they wanted so much to control her?
She got no answer to her numerous questions. Fate had never been fair enough to give explanations to someone like her.
She hated that her mind was hesitant to do what had to be done. With annoyance, she clenched her fists. She considered smashing the mirror. At least the pain would make her head feel sober. The pain would be something worthwhile to feel.
She was going to act out her thoughts but before her fists hit the mirror, she looked into it again and noticed something behind her.
It was a cleaning trolley that was parked in the restroom.
Wanda's eyes flashed at the possibilities.
The cleaning lady was busy in the restroom cubicle. She must have left the trolley there. Wanda tiptoed to the side quickly and took a good look at the trolley.
She had a small stature. If she bent over carefully and shrunk her limbs, she would be able to hide in the car basket without any problems. She knew that it was easier said than done, but she had to do anything to escape from this damned place. The momentary suffering was going to be worth it.
The idea had suddenly come to her, and she intended to try it immediately. She was about to enter the basket when a soft voice startled her from behind. "Ah, ma'am! What are you doing? Please go away. Don't come and interfere with my work!"
Wanda could tell that she was the maid in charge of the cleaning trolley.
She had thought that something like that could happen so she was prepared. She stepped back and pulled out more than a thousand dollars from her pocket. It was the tip she got some minutes earlier.
Seeing that there were only the two of them in the bathroom, Wanda dumped the stack of cash into the cleaning lady's hand without hesitation. She stared at her and said pleadingly, "Aunty, please take these. I need a favor from you."
The lady realized that even though the girl in front of her wore the uniform there, her eyes were clear and looked unaffected by the intoxicating atmosphere in the place. She understood what was going on but was not interested in getting into trouble. She frowned and waved her hand dismissively. "No, miss. Please take the money back. I'm only a cleaner here. I didn't see or hear anyth
ing at all. If you need help, you had better find someone else. I can't do this."
"You must take it, aunty!"
Truly, Wanda didn't want to bring an innocent person into the situation but she had no alternative. She didn't even want to overthink it at all. She forced the money into the woman's hand and said, "Don't worry. It's not a very serious issue. I'm not asking you to do something very risky. All I need is that you put me in the cleaning trolley and push me out. That's all. Nothing more, I promise."
She tried to speak in a relaxed tone but knew that the cleaner had been working there for some time. Upon hearing Wanda's request, she turned pale and waved her hand. "Isn't it serious? If the boss were to find out..."
Wanda knew that the 'boss' she referred to was Quincy. Although the security guards had been informed to keep an eye on her, they wouldn't have told the cleaning lady too. Wanda calmed herself. "What are you worried about? Why would a man like the boss even care about me, an ordinary waitress?"
Although the cleaning lady was still waving her hand, she looked less hesitant now. Wanda took a deep breath. "If anything were to happen, I will take all the blame. No one will know you were involved because I won't rat you out. You must trust me!"
Wanda assured firmly. She looked straight at the lady with dark but pure eyes. It was obvious that she was determined to have her way. She knew that Wanda would not let go of her until she agreed.
Wanda didn't have much time left. If the news of her mistake spread, the manager would lead his men to find her out. The restroom wasn't a very safe hideout. Anyone could come in at any time and discover her. All she had to do was to seize this one opportunity to make a way out for herself.
She had to do it even if she didn't know whether this would work or not.
The cleaner was unable to get through to her, most likely because there were too many people coming in and going out. Also, she realized she was spending too much time with Wanda. If too many people noticed them together, she could be accused openly of what she was about to do. She sighed and hid cash under her clothes in a hurry. Left with no choice, she asked Wanda carefully, "Miss, as you said, all I have to do is push you out. That's all, right? And I don't have to say or do anything else?"
Since they had arrived at that point, the discussion was nearly over. Wanda heaved a sigh of relief. She turned to look at the lady and nodded hard. She lowered her voice. "Yes, as long as I get out of here, I have an idea of what I'm going to do next. Don't worry. It won't take more than twenty minutes. Everything will go as planned. There will be no problem."
Wanda said this not only to encourage the cleaner but also to comfort herself.
Her fate was about to be decided. In the next twenty minutes, she would know the outcome. She had no other choice but to pray in her heart that all would go well.
The cleaner looked around carefully and thought for a long time. Finally, she resigned helplessly. With a bitter face, she succumbed to the pressure. "Okay, okay. I just realized that you are as old as my daughter. You have such a good-looking face and you look like you come from a decent family. This is not the place you should be staying in. That's why I'm agreeing to this. But please...if something bad were to happen, please, don't rat me out!"