Of course she saw it, she wasn't blind.
You've been putting on makeup for half an hour already! Rachel complained silently in her heart.
Rachel had a good temper.
When she came in to clean, Stella had already been standing there doing her makeup, so Rachel had gone to clean other places first.
Now, everything else was done, only the spot where Stella was standing was left. She just needed her to move a little.
"You just need to move a little to the side," Rachel said politely, pressing her lips together.
Stella turned her head, her face caked with makeup, and pouted her bright red lips. "No, I can't!"
She was clearly doing this on purpose.
Rachel had heard rumors that this woman had a daughter and might've been kicked out by some rich man's wife.
Stella looked down on her. She also loved taking her sweet time doing makeup.
Rachel was getting kinda impatient.
She had a lot of work to do, and after this she had to rush home to cook for Cora. And Stella? She just needed to move over a bit.
So annoying!
Rachel grabbed the mop and shook it hard in the bucket, water splashing. Then she pulled it out and shook it again.
"You got my pants dirty!" Stella shrieked, jumping back, eyes wide.
"A good dog doesn't block the road," Rachel snapped without thinking.
Stella was doing this on purpose anyway. Rachel didn't have to be polite. She always held things in, but even she had a limit.
"A good dog doesn't block the road," Stella repeated, mocking, her face twisting with anger. But the next second, she put on a fake smile.
"I heard you have a daughter and got kicked out by a rich man's wife. Now you can only survive by cleaning toilets?" Stella sneered.
Rachel had heard enough of her snide comments.
She didn't wanna talk anymore. She just wanted to get the cleaning done, so she moved the mop toward Stella's spot.
Stella got more pissed off when Rachel ignored her.
"So you admit it? That's why people shouldn't take crooked paths. Even if you wanna be a third party, at least you should be hot enough. With your face, toilet cleaning really suits you," Stella laughed coldly.
What the heck?! Since when was she a third party?
"What's wrong with being a toilet cleaner? It's an honest job. Clean and proper. Not like someone who works here as a waitress but wears a full face of makeup every day, trying to catch the eye of rich customers just for a cup of coffee," Rachel said sharply.
She was honestly disgusted. The one trying to hook up with rich guys and being a third party was clearly Stella. Always dressing flashy and showing skin.
"I don't wanna argue with you," Stella huffed, feeling like she'd been slapped. She spun around and walked out.
Stella was furious. She stomped back to the front desk, hips swaying angrily. She was a single mom too and didn't have anyone to rely on, yet even a cleaner dared to talk back to her?!
She was a student from H University. She had the looks. This was so frustrating! The more she thought about it, the more pissed she got.
Stella stood behind the cashier, thinking hard about how to get back at Rachel. Then she looked up and saw the store manager, Barrett, walking over.
Her eyes lit up. Instantly, she adjusted her posture, switching to a pitiful act with a small, stiff smile.
"Good morning, Manager!" Stella lifted her head, eyes slightly red, trying to look like she'd just been bullied.
She honestly should've been an actress with how dramatic she was.
Her figure was good and her face wasn't bad, just the kind of girl average men liked.
Barrett saw her teary eyes and immediately felt sorry for her.
"What's wrong, Stella?" he asked gently.
"In the bathroom earlier, I overheard Rachel talking about... you know what. I got upset and argued with her. I didn't expect her to splash mop water on my pants. I'm so annoyed," she said, pointing at her pants.
She even wiped a tear with the back of her hand, but there was a cold smirk hidden deep in her eyes.
"What did she say about me?" Barrett asked, looking surprised.
Rachel was usually quiet and well-behaved. She didn't seem like the type to gossip, but seeing Stella's teary face, he started to doubt.
"She said… she said…" Stella hesitated.
"Just say it," Barrett pushed.
"She said the manager is a bit effeminate…" Stella said, lowering her voice.
Barrett was kind of delicate-looking, and Stella honestly thought he looked a bit soft. But right now, she looked so pitiful that nobody would suspect her of lying.
Barrett instantly got mad.
He was very manly, okay?!
How was he effeminate? He hated when people said that about him.
Did she really badmouth him behind his back just because he scolded her a few times for taking leave?
He really wanted to find a chance to fire her!
"Ring, ring, ring…" The phone on the counter rang.
"Hello, this is the Mansion Cafe. How may I assist you?" Stella answered quickly.
As the manager, she had to act professional.
"The Marriott urgently needs 20 cups of coffee," she told Barrett after hanging up.
"Then send two people to deliver it," Barrett said.
Twenty cups of coffee was a lot. There's no way just one person could carry them all safely.
But then Stella got a bright idea. She glanced over at Rachel, who was wiping tables in the distance, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
This was the perfect time to prank her!
"The shop's really busy right now and we don't have enough staff. Let Rachel ride the electric bike to deliver the coffee. I heard she's really good at it. She's delivered coffee by herself a bunch of times before, so she should be able to do it again," Stella said, smirking.
She looked at Barrett, clearly hinting this would be a fun way to mess with Rachel.
Barrett instantly got what she meant and shouted toward her, "Rachel, go deliver the coffee."
"What?" Rachel looked up from wiping tables, confused and surprised to hear him call her.
"Marriott International ordered 20 cups of coffee and they need it ASAP. You go deliver it," Barrett said, not looking too happy.
"Delivering 20 cups alone isn't easy. They might spill," Rachel said, trying to stay calm.
It really wasn't easy for just one person to carry that many cups, and besides, there were still other workers in the shop. Why did they pick her?
Before she could say more, Stella cut in, smirking, "If the boss tells you to go, just go. Or do you not listen to orders now?"
You messed with me, now it's your turn to suffer.
"Hurry up. Do you want to keep your job or not?" Barrett snapped.
Rachel glanced at Stella's smug face and instantly knew she was behind this.
But she needed this job, so even though she didn't want to go, she bit her lip and agreed to deliver it.
Rachel had gone to the Marriott before at night, but during the day, it looked even more grand and intimidating.
There were a dozen tall floor-to-ceiling windows out front, and walking through the spinning glass doors, she was met by a super neat and polite receptionist.
Inside, it was even fancier than she expected.
Rachel felt like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, everything looked expensive, and she had no idea where to go.
All the hallways looked the same, and the place was way too big. She ended up getting totally lost.
Stella had said this was urgent, and now she was wasting time.
Then she suddenly remembered that Faith, the girl she picked up before, was working at the front desk that night.
Maybe she'd be there now. Rachel decided to go back and ask for help.