Chapter 359: Emerging from the Underground
"If you don’t want to work here so badly, then don’t! I’m not giving you any money, so get lost! Don’t piss me off, or you’ll regret it!"
Damien Vaughn knew that having Sherry quit so suddenly wouldn’t go over well with these people.
He looked at the owner, his expression calm. "Are you sure you want to talk about ’rules’ with me? You force your employees to work fourteen hours a day but only pay them for six. That’s a serious violation of labor laws. Are you sure that’s a conversation you want to have?"
James: "..."
He’d been in this town for over forty years, and his word had always been law. ’How dare someone talk back to me?’
"What are you talking about? She’s an undocumented person without even an ID. I was kind enough to take her in and give her a job. The fact that I didn’t let her starve to death was a kindness from God, and now you’re complaining that I don’t pay enough? You people have no conscience! Get out! If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police and have you arrested! Sherry Cohen, aren’t you terrified of the police?"
Sherry used to be afraid. But for some reason, she wasn’t anymore.
It was like walking alone on a dark road at night, terrified of every shadow, and then suddenly having someone by her side. She instantly felt a surge of confidence. She wasn’t afraid of any monsters anymore.
"Mr. James, you should just give me the money. My friend has a very bad temper, and he’s skilled in oriental martial arts. If you make him angry, he’ll start throwing punches."
"You! You dare threaten me? Even *you* dare to threaten me now? Sherry Cohen!"
The owner grew even more furious, pointing viciously at the door.
"Get out. I’m not giving you a single cent. Get the hell out, now! You ungrateful wretch! I don’t want to see your face for another second!"
Sherry didn’t know what to do. She looked up at Damien Vaughn, who still wore the same composed expression.
"Fine. We can leave. But from now on, you’d better stay open twenty-four hours a day."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
Damien Vaughn ignored him and continued, "You should also install a few security cameras out front. This place is so backward. This entire street doesn’t have a single camera. If someone were to burn your shop down in the middle of the night, you wouldn’t even know who did it."
"You!"
The internet in Rivia wasn’t well-developed. People lived simple lives, still in an era of watching television, reading newspapers, and physical books. Surveillance cameras weren’t common.
When the occasional theft, fight, or other incident occurred, the culprits were almost never found.
Needless to say, Damien Vaughn’s threat was devastating for Mr. James.
He was panicking internally, but he kept up a tough facade.
"You wouldn’t dare!"
Damien Vaughn stepped forward, stared into the owner’s eyes, and suddenly—SLAM!—he brought his fist down on the cash register.
The glass on the register instantly spiderwebbed with cracks.
"Watch me. When this place burns to the ground, the damages will be a lot more than Sherry Cohen’s meager salary. Think carefully before you answer."
The owner’s face twitched. After a few seconds of meeting Damien’s gaze, he yanked open the cash drawer, hastily counted out a few bills, and furiously threw them out the door.
"Get lost! Now you can get lost, right?"
These people were experts at sizing others up. They knew Sherry was all alone here, that she had no ID, and that bullying her was like punching a pillow. That’s why they paid her such a pittance.
Her wages from both restaurants combined were no more than what a regular person earned in a month.
Damien Vaughn looked at the thin stack of bills in Sherry’s hand, then at her frail, weathered hands. His heart ached.
"Pay Risa’s medical bills, and then let’s get out of here. I’ve been looking around. This town is too small and the economy is too stagnant. It’ll be hard to make any real money here."
Sherry had moved here from a big city and wasn’t used to it at first. The local economy was indeed backward, but...
"If we give the money to Risa, we’ll have nothing left. You haven’t made any money yet. How are we supposed to survive in a big city?"
An old saying subconsciously surfaced in Damien Vaughn’s mind.
’We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’
"You don’t find solutions by just thinking about them; they appear when you’re faced with a problem. As long as you trust me and are willing to come with me, I swear I won’t let you go hungry."
When Risa heard they were leaving that very day, she was surprised and couldn’t bear to see them go.
"Even though you’re always busy with work and we don’t get to see each other much, I consider you my only friend. Sherry, I’m really going to miss you."
Sherry hugged her. "I’m going to miss you, too. I’ll come back and visit when I get the chance."
"But if you leave, what happens when your dad comes back?"
"He can go to hell for all I care. It doesn’t matter. I’m done with him."
Risa noticed that Sherry had changed.
She used to get angry and say harsh things, but when it came down to it, she was actually quite meek.
But now, she had truly changed. She’d become tough and strong, inside and out. Risa was genuinely happy for her.
"I used to be so worried about your future. I wondered when things would ever end for you. I was afraid life would wear you down to nothing before you ever saw a glimmer of hope. But now, I’m relieved. Sherry, I know things will get better for you soon."
Sherry took Damien Vaughn back to her place to pack, but he stopped her.
"Just pack a few changes of clothes. Leave the rest."
"But..."
"Only when you’ve hit rock bottom can you truly start over. This stuff isn’t worth taking with you."
None of the three had IDs, so they couldn’t take a train. They had to use all the money they had to hire a car to Rivia’s capital, Lanchester.
It was already dark when they arrived.
They didn’t have a single cent left. Where were they supposed to find work this late at night? They had no place to stay and nothing to eat.
But Sherry didn’t blame Damien Vaughn.
"The trash cans in Lanchester are much better than the ones back in town. This bread is still in its wrapper! It smells so good. Wow, and the milk is fresh, too."
Damien Vaughn had pulled some milk and bread from a trash can to share with Sherry and her mother. Seeing the look of contentment on her face, he reached out and rubbed her head, his heart aching.
"You and your mother will have to make do in the park for tonight. I promise you, this is the last time you’ll ever eat food from the trash or sleep in a park. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll make sure you’re living a better life."
Sherry paused. "Are you going to go make money? But it’s already dark. Where can you even go?"
"I have my ways. Don’t worry about me. Just remember to wait here with your mother. Don’t wander off. I’ll be back for you first thing in the morning, right on time."
The "way" Damien Vaughn had mentioned was to pose as a valet at the entrance of a high-end club and park cars for guests.
Maybe he’d done it before, or maybe he’d been a patron at such places. In any case, the moment they had passed by it, the idea had instantly popped into his head.
Tipping was customary in many Europea countries, but Damien Vaughn wasn’t a real valet. He’d have to be clever to earn even that meager amount.
Fortunately, the clothes that had belonged to Risa’s late husband fit him well, and their quality was decent. He was successfully mistaken for a guest and strode confidently into the club.
After a bit of observation, he found the employee breakroom.
A few minutes later, he emerged wearing a crisp white shirt, a black vest, and white gloves. With a smile on his face, he positioned himself at the club’s entrance, standing in front of a potted plant just below the main steps.
From this position, the actual valets waiting on the steps couldn’t see him, but guests could spot him the moment they drove in.