The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 115

Lavinia didn't really know why she was working a minimum-wage shift in a gritty neighborhood. But standing behind the register, her hands constantly moving, she realized the agonizing, shattering sounds in her head had finally faded to background noise.

Business was unusually booming. A ridiculous number of men walking past the store suddenly decided they needed to come in the second they saw her through the glass. They'd buy a lighter or a pack of gum, just to linger and try to strike up a conversation.

By the time the third guy asked for her number, Lavinia calmly reached for a surgical mask from the shelf and slipped it over her face.

Mrs. Potts noticed immediately and ambled over, her tone sweet but calculating. "Hey, Lavinia, why don't you take the mask off? A pretty face like yours is great for foot traffic."

Lavinia shook her head. "Social anxiety."

Mrs. Potts smirked. "Take it off, and I'll bump you to twenty-five hundred."

Lavinia shook her head again.

"Twenty-eight?"

"No thanks," Lavinia said flatly. "Two thousand two hundred is fine."

Mrs. Potts walked away, muttering under her breath about wasted potential.

A few minutes later, a girl in cutoff denim shorts rolled a hand truck full of soda boxes through the front door. She spotted Lavinia and her eyes lit up.

"You new?" The girl grinned. "I'm Lily Lambert, stock and inventory. What's your name?"

"Lavinia."

Lily leaned over the counter. "Since it's your first day, let me guess—she hustled you into renting one of her apartments, didn't she?"

Lavinia nodded. "Fifth floor."

"How much did she stick you for?"

"Nine hundred."

Lily rolled her eyes dramatically. "You got scammed. She charges everyone else seven-fifty. She pulled the exact same crap on me when I started. Pocketed an extra hundred and fifty on my first month. Total grifter."

"I'll renegotiate with her later," Lavinia said.

Lily looked her up and down. "You're gorgeous, you know that? What are you doing scanning barcodes in a dump like this? You should be working a luxury makeup counter at the mall."

Miles away, trapped behind glass, standing in the spotlight. Looking so incredibly perfect together.

"Mrs. Potts, can you put something else on?" she asked, her voice tight.

"Why? I'm watching this," Mrs. Potts replied without looking up, cracking a sunflower seed between her teeth. "Just look at them. Talk about a power couple. He's rich and handsome, she's gorgeous and classy. It's like a movie."

Lavinia lowered her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. "She's not a good person."

"How would you know?" Mrs. Potts finally glanced at her before returning her attention to the screen, spitting a shell onto her apron. "Rich people drama is complicated. But at the end of the day, whoever's got the money makes the rules."

Lavinia didn't say another word. She placed the barcode scanner in its cradle and turned her back to the counter to organize the shelves. She meticulously adjusted every single water bottle, ensuring all the labels faced perfectly forward.

Mrs. Potts kept watching, the rhythmic cracking of sunflower seeds filling the silence.

When Lavinia finally aligned the last bottle, there was nothing left to organize. She was forced to step back behind the register.

On the screen, Sigrid was leaning in, smiling warmly at Garnett. Lavinia stared at that smile, a violent burning sensation erupting in her chest. It felt like she had downed a shot of pure rubbing alcohol—she couldn't swallow it, and she couldn't spit it out.