When Richard opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with Charlie. The boss leaned forward as he rested his hands on his chin, staring at him with a close-lipped smile. Claudia stood next to him, cleaning a wooden bat with a washcloth.

Richard tried to move, but something held him back and made his chest tighten. He looked down, only to find rope strapped around him, and tied up a chair. Richard glanced over as Mindy just now woke up, also tied to the chair.

“Ah, good, you’re finally awake,” Charlie spoke up.

“Huh?” Mindy mumbled, adjusting her eyes.

She looked around; the two found themselves inside a confined room with a few windows and a long table. Aside from the chairs, those were the only objects in the room.

“What’s going on here?” Richard asked, giving off a perplexing look.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re tied up.” Charlie pointed out. “In a matter of minutes, the mayor’s authorities will come and take you away. To do what? I have no idea.”

“You mean to tell us you planned this all along?” Mindy guessed with a scowl.

“But of course. You wanted to know the real reason I hired Richard in the first place, right?”

Richard shook his head in disgust. “That interview seemed fishy. I should’ve known something was up.”

“Why are you getting rid of us?” Mindy inquired, offended by what’s going on.

“You’re both irritating and ruining my business!” Charlie thundered, slamming a hand on the table. He took a breather to calm down before smirking. “I could always find a replacement. And besides, I’m expecting a reward from those business folks momentarily, so I consider it a win-win. Well, for me anyway.”

Seeing him show his true colors like this made Mindy and Richard sick to their stomachs. Mindy whispered to Richard that she would think up a plan to get them out of here.

Charlie looked up and noticed her planning, as usual, so he opened some wounds.

“Hey, Mindy.” Mindy turned to face him. He opened the drawers and pulled out some papers and plopped them onto the table. “I checked through some files and documents from you, and noticed something.”

“I don’t care about what’s on your mind.” Mindy hissed.

“You will when I bring up an old memory that it reminded me of. The time I met your mother.”

Mindy’s face turned pale. “You know my mom?”

Charlie nodded. “She used to work together in the same place as me back in the day.” He explained. “She was interesting...” He hesitated, finding it difficult to keep a straight face. “...Impulsive, impatient, irresponsible and a JERK!” He roared. Silence embodied the room. Charlie cleared his throat and calmed down. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t talk bad about my mother like that!” Mindy thundered, not wanting to give in to his lies. “Maybe she was mean to you because you deserved it!”

“What?” Charlie’s face hardened. He stormed over and slammed his hand on the table. “Excuse me?”

“Mother would’ve known you’re a terrible person!”

“My, are you defending her, of all people? Does even your mom even treat you kindly?”

“Of course she does! She gives me attention, treats me with kindness...” Mindy insisted.

“Honestly, I got to say, I’m jealous,” Richard muttered, lowering his head.

Mindy shook her head, her eyes to the brink of tears. “Now that I think about it, how long has it been since I last saw her? I don’t even know if she’s alive or not.” She shut her eyes, letting the tears flow down her face. “I didn’t want my mother to hate me. I figured she’d lead me down the right path, and I’ve been doing well, like she said. But why do I still feel this way? Like I somehow didn’t make the right choice?” She bit her lip. It was hard to deny it any further.

Mindy knew her mother wanted what was best for her, and she never complained. Mindy always did as told, which got scorn from most students. That didn’t bother her. She didn’t have time for making friends, and would rather focus her time on getting an education, making something with her life. But then, what would she do after achieving that goal? Just coast it for the rest of her life? Sure, she didn’t mind being independent, but something felt off, that she couldn’t describe.

One thing seemed certain, even if it took her a while to figure out: Her relationship with Lily. Mindy never understood why her younger sister cared more about garnering attention rather than focus on her wonderful traits. She also didn’t like how needy or lazy Lily could be. Whether it be asking for help with homework, or spending her days repressing away from everyone else.

The thing Mindy despised about her the most was her freedom. Lily wasn’t as naturally gifted as her sister, but she didn’t have to worry about the pressure or high expectations from social peers. Lily also got to choose what she wanted to do, even if it was one Mindy couldn’t get behind. Still, neither of them knew how the actual world worked, so they took appropriate measures.

Mindy leaned forward and let the tears run off her face, silently sobbing to herself. “Lily...”

The room grew dead silent, the atmosphere heavy. Richard slumped his shoulders, at a loss for words. He tried to move closer to her and say something reassuring, but he couldn’t think of anything.

Charlie, however, stayed unfazed by all of this.

“Mindy, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone that cares.”

Her eyes widened as she nearly choked on her words and saliva. Richard looked up at the boss and ground his teeth. His blood boiled, the urge to punch the guy in his high and mighty face grew with every passing second. Richard couldn’t think of anything to say. In fact, he couldn’t think at all, given the current situation.