Chapter 132 Good Karma
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Caroline snapped out of her thoughts and gave Maia a gentle smile. “It’s nothing.”
Maia nodded and hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Ask anything you like.”
Encouraged by Caroline’s openness, Maia finally voiced the question that had been bothering her. “You and I aren’t related. We’ve never even met before. Why are you helping me?”
She had never seen Caroline in person, but she’d heard the name before–several times, in fact, from her mother’s mouth.
If her mom hadn’t shouted Caroline’s name today, she never would’ve known that the woman who stood up for her was the same Caroline she’d heard about.
Caroline seemed hesitant. Then a smile slowly curved across her lips. “Probably because I couldn’t stand the way your mother treats you.”
But the real reason lay deeper. In her past life, Caroline had once received a phone call.
The person on the other end had warned her–told her to be careful because someone named Ruth was planning to have her violated.
When she asked who was calling, the person had hurriedly said the name was Maia before hanging up.
Caroline didn’t know any Maia then.
But she knew Ruth well enough to believe such a vile thing was possible.
So she stayed home those days unless she absolutely had to go out. When she did, she kept to busy streets and always carried pepper spray.
But one morning, she did run into a group of thugs. They leered at her with disturbing looks in their eyes and started trailing her down the street. Fear gripped her–were they the ones Ruth had sent? She quickly merged into a nearby crowd and made her way to a police station. Only then did they finally back off.
She’d always wanted to thank the mysterious girl who called herself Maia.
Later, by pure coincidence, she found out Maia was Ruth’s daughter.
And that Ruth didn’t seem to care much for her at all.
“Thank you, Ms. Somerton,” Maia said sincerely.
Her mother and Alaina had been close friends. Plus, her grandmother had worked as a maid in the Somerton household for years.
It made sense that Caroline already knew what kind of person her mother was.
And yet, even knowing Ruth’s petty, vindictive nature, Caroline had still stepped in to help her. That touched Maia deeply.
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She had worked at the Somertons household long enough to know Caroline had moved out.
They weren’t headed in the same direction.
But Caroline didn’t let go of her arm.
She still had questions.
“Just now, I overheard your mother telling you to go cook at the Somerton Residence. What did she mean by that?”
She was already beginning to piece things together–especially after remembering Wren sneaking bites of jackfruit the other day.
But she needed to hear it from Maia herself.
Maia’s eyes grew dim with sorrow at the question, and her head slowly lowered. “My grandma’s getting old, and the Somertons wanted someone younger to take her place, so my mom told me to step in as their maid.”
Just as Caroline suspected.
The day she left, she knew Wren wouldn’t last long there. Still, the pay was decent, and Wren was never the type to give up that easily.
Caroline hadn’t expected they’d make Maia take her place.
Her lips curled into a mocking smile, and she said, “I bet you’re not even getting the full paycheck, are you?”
It reminded her of her time working in the factory–doing just as much as everyone else but getting paid
the least.
When she confronted Liam about it, he brushed it off, saying, “We’re family. Why are you making a fuss over money?”
Maia gave a bitter smile and said, “No. I don’t get any of it. The Somertons pay my mom directly.”
Caroline’s smile dropped. Her brow furrowed. “Then why are you still doing it? They’re going too far!”
Even her cold, distant family hadn’t treated her that badly.
Maia explained, “That’s why I asked to meet with my mom today. I wanted her to give me at least 2,000 bucks a month. But not only did she refuse, she hit me. You saw how hard she went. There’s no way she’ll agree to anything.”
Caroline’s heart ached for her. She asked, “Then why go back? Are you really going to keep being her free labor?”
“What else can I do?” Maia’s voice was barely a whisper now. It wasn’t just defeat–it was resignation to her
fate.
Caroline looked at her long and hard, as if she could see her entire life written across her face.
If she let Maia keep going like this, she knew exactly how her story would end. It’d be no better than the life
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She didn’t want to see someone like Maia–kind, brave, and good–get crushed like that. After a moment’s thought, she spoke. “Then don’t go back. Find another job. Start fresh.”
Maia didn’t even hesitate before shaking her head. “I can’t. My mom will kill me.”
Caroline sighed deeply and advised, “But isn’t she already hurting you with you listening to her? Didn’t she just beat you within an inch of your life today? I know this might be hard to hear, but she doesn’t treat you like her daughter. And you’re a grown woman now. Don’t you think it’s time to earn money that actually goes into your own pocket?”
