Chapter 6

"What happened here?" Rosemary demands, but I don't know what to say. I'm still not sure how I made a mistake with the clothes. I could swear I put bleach in there and nothing else!

"I don't know...I don't know how it happened. I put all white clothes there but..."

"She is a liar," Amelia sneers before I have the chance to finish my sentence. "She did this out of spite."

Out of spite? What is she talking about?

"That's not true!" I protest. "Why would I do something like this on purpose? I like it here!"

Rosemary crosses her arms and gives me a stern look. "Then explain to me how this happened. And don't lie to me."

I take a deep breath, trying to calm down my racing heart. "I'm not lying. I put all white clothes in the washer and added bleach. I don't know how they all turned pink."

Amelia scoffs. "That's ridiculous. You're just trying to cover up your mistake."

I feel a surge of anger inside me, but I try to keep my voice steady. "I'm not lying. Maybe someone else put tainted the clothes in there without me noticing."

Rosemary looks at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nods. "Alright. We'll investigate this further. But in the meantime, please be more careful with your chores."

There's a long moment of silence, broken only by the sound of the washing machine still churning away in the background. I can feel their eyes on me, judging me.

"Dear goddess...how am I going to explain to Alpha Xavier? He will have to buy a whole new set of white shirts," Rosemary says, clucking her tongue.

I have the strong urge to comment that he might look even more handsome in a pink shirt, but I stop myself. I can't afford to get fired over my smart mouth!

My mind starts racing. How could all the white clothes turn pink? I was certain I had done everything right. But then again, I've been feeling more and more forgetful lately. Maybe I'm not cut out for this job after all.

As I turn to leave, Molina steps in front of me, blocking my path. "Don't think you're off the hook just yet," she hisses. "We'll be watching you closely from now on."

I grit my teeth and force myself to meet her gaze. "I have nothing to hide."

Rosemary clears her throat. "That's enough, Molina. Let her go." She looks at me. "Go assist the Chef with lunch, Sylvia."

Molina steps aside, but not before giving me one last angry look. I hurry out of the laundry room, my mind racing. What had just happened? Why were they so quick to accuse me of something I hadn't done?

I quickly walk to the kitchen, I can't shake off the feeling of unease that settles in my stomach. Something isn't right here, and I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I can't shake off the feeling that I'm being watched, that every move I make is being scrutinized.

"Hey, wait a minute."

I halt as I hear a soft voice behind me. I turn around and look at the girl. "Hi, Daisy," I say and smile with recognition.

Daisy is one of the youngest maids in the packhouse. She is usually very quiet and doesn't have a lot of friends.

She is a loner like me, I think to myself.

"Can I help you with something, Daisy?" I ask again since she is not saying anything else.

"I think I know what happened to the white clothes," she says with a frown.

I look at her with surprise. "You do?"

She looks at me with her big eyes and then nods. "Earlier today, I saw Amelia coming out of the laundry room. And when she went back, she was holding a bottle of red dye in her hand."

I look at her with wide eyes. "Do you think she tampered with the white clothes?"

"Yes, I think so," she whispers.

My heart sinks as I realize what might have happened. "Why would she do that?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I feel betrayed, not only by Amelia but also by Molina, for accusing me so quickly.

"I don't know why," Daisy answers, shaking her head sadly. "But you can't trust anyone here."

"Why didn't you say something to Rosemary?" I ask.

"Be...because I was scared. Molina and Amelia are best friends and they scare me," Daisy says, her eyes dark.

My heart ached for Daisy, she was so young and powerless. I couldn't ask her to risk herself for a complete stranger like me. I wanted to speak up and tell her that I would do anything to keep her safe, but instead, all I could offer were the soft words of understanding, "I understand."

Daisy's gaze drops to her toes, hanging her head in remorse. "I'm sorry. I should have been more brave and stood up for you. I want to be stronger," she murmured, her voice shaking with emotion.

I place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to apologize, Daisy. You're very brave for telling me what you know. And in my book, that's more than enough."

She looks up at me, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, Sylvia. You're nice to me, even though no one else is."

I feel a pang of sadness in my chest. How many other maids in this packhouse feel the same way as Daisy? How many of them feel scared and alone, with no one to turn to?

I smile at her. "No problem. I have to go help the Chef with lunch. Maybe we can talk again sometime?" I say.

Daisy's eyes light up. "I would like that!"

I turn to walk towards the kitchen, my mind racing with thoughts of how to handle the situation with Amelia. I can't let her get away with this, but right now, I shouldn't do anything that might put my identity at risk.

I will figure out how to get back to her later.