Whenever she was in a bad mood and needed to blow off some steam, she''d always drag Sandy into her room, making sure Delh wasn''t around.


    "How much did Evelyn pay you to badmouth your employer?"


    "What did Dahlia ever do to deserve this from you?"


    Wesley remembered Dahlia mentioning that Delh was paid pretty well. Dahlia had always treated her kindly, yet here Delh was, talking smack behind her back.


    Delh hesitated for a moment. She had taken money from Ms. Evelyn, but she wasn''t lying.


    "I''ve got proof."


    Delh pulled out her phone to show Wesley a video. Wesley had always trusted Dahlia, but his feelings for Sandy were strong. Torn between the two, he reluctantly took Delh''s phone.


    The video was short, just a few seconds. In the middle of winter, Sandy was standing barefoot in the snow, wearing only a flimsy nightgown. Her arms and legs were exposed, turning a raw, purplish-red from the freezing cold.


    "This happened when Ms. Dahlia sent me to run errands far away. I came back early and saw this."


    Delh wasn''t a big fan of Sandy either; she had recorded it to share the gossip with her friends.


    Wesley''s eyes widened as he


    watched, his heart aching. His hands shook while holding the phone. Yet, his loyalty to Dahlia made him defend her instinctively, "There''s got to be more to the story. She wouldn''t treat Sandy like that."


    "If you don''t believe me, just look at Sandy. I saw her the other day while she was changing. Not only did she have new bruises, but there were fresh needle marks too."


    "Those bruises and marks appeared after Sandy visited Ms. Dahlia''s room. Who else could it be?"


    Wesley kept shaking his head, clearly affected by Delh''s words and the video.


    Evelyn let Wesley go. She didn''t


    expect him to immediately turn


    against Dahlia, whom he adored. But knowing he truly cared for Sandy she was confident doubt would creep into his mind after seeing the video and hearing Delh''s story. Once he sought the truth he''d realize Delh wasn''t making things up. When it became clear Dahlia was mistreating Sandy, Wesley would cut ties with her. That''s when Evelyn would have her chance to negotiate with him. All she had to do was wait.


    Wesley didn''t keep her waiting long. That afternoon, Delh called to say Dahlia had given her the night off again. And that evening, Wesley showed up at Greenrose at ten.


    Dahlia wasn''t thrilled. When she got Wesley''s call, her first thought was to say no. They had just been together the night before. She didn''t want himing over.


    Despite her sweet talk and protests, Wesley wouldn''t budge. The man who once hung on her every word was starting to be immune to her charms. This annoyed Dahlia. To her, Wesley was just a pawn useful when she needed him to satisfy her needs. In tough times, she''d whisper sweet words, shed a few tears, and share her woes about Evelyn. He''d then act on her behalf, dealing with the Evelyn issue. As long as he


    listened, it was fine. Once he


    stopped listening, Dahlia would


    reassess his worth.


    Waiting in her room, she soon heard footsteps approaching, but he didn''te in.


    This was a first, despite all his previous visits.