Lillian's impatient voice interrupted Gloria's thoughts.
She said angrily, "Gloria, I said that I accidentally locked the door. I didn't mean it. What do you want?"
Lillian thought that Gloria was accusing her.
Lillian had been angry with her ever since she saw Gloria and Derrick kissing in the stairwell.
She had explained the reason to Gloria. She thought that Gloria should be grateful and not pretend to be weak.
Looking at Gloria's pale face, Lillian remembered that Derrick helped Gloria out when she was bullied by Patrick at Fittro Club.
She couldn't understand why Derrick paid special attention to Gloria.
The more Lillian thought about it, the more unhappy she felt.
In Lillian's eyes, Gloria could not be compared to her at all. Lillian was prettier, sweeter, and better educated.
However, Derrick treated Gloria so differently.
Lillian thought, 'Gloria must have slept with Derrick, that would be the only explanation.'
Lillian looked at Gloria with contempt in her eyes.
Gloria lowered her head to hide her emotions.
Three years in prison had taught her tolerance and compromise.
Slowly, Gloria raised her head and looked at Lillian. "If you like Mr. Fisher, then you shouldn't have come to me. Mr. Fisher will look down on you if all you can do is bully me."
Though Gloria had learned to suffer in silence, she still had her pride.
She didn't need to blame Lillian for being a bully. Only one sentence would break her down.
She also knew what she should do to end this bullying most straightforwardly.
Lillian's face changed dramatically at Gloria's words. Her face was distorted, and she looked ghastly, quite unlike her usual self.
Lillian's eyes widened and looked at Gloria in disbelief.
"Shut up! Are you saying that Derrick would fall for a shameless woman like you? You whore!"
Lillian glared at Gloria with a distorted face and shouted as if she had regained her confidence.
Gloria felt her head getting heavier and heavier, and at the same time, she felt her body trembling.
She raised her head. She felt as if Lillian had turned into countless shadows and everything was spinning. So, she clenched her hand and the pain helped her sober up.
There was something she must tell Lillian.
She said, "Lillian. If you like someone, shouldn't you treat him sincerely and only have him in your heart? However, compared to Mr. Fisher, you seem to care more about me. I don't understand. Don't tell me that your love is just an act. How much do you love him?"
Lillian gasped for breath. She felt humiliated and her face flushed.
Her expression became more and more ferocious. She said angrily, "You mean I don't love him, right? As a whore like you, what do you know about love?"
Gloria frowned and shook her head.
She never said that she had anything to do with Derrick, let alone love. Derrick was just a customer that she could not offend or understand.
Lillian lost control, which proved that Gloria was right about her.
"Why are you shaking your head? Do you think you're better than me? I'm telling you, Gloria, everyone in the world can look down on you, not the other way around."
Gloria trembled, and she looked dejected as she lowered her head. Everyone in the world could look down on her, but she had no right to look down on anyone.
She thought, "Patrick, are you satisfied now?"
Lillian looked at Gloria with disdain. Gloria's desperate look made her stomach churn.
She said disdainfully, "In short, remember that you are just a cripple. Don't try to seduce Derrick ever again."
After Lillian finished speaking, she turned around and walked into her bedroom.
Gloria rushed to the bathroom for a hot shower and then curled herself up under the quilt.
The weather was hot and people would use air conditioners to cool themselves down. But Gloria was cold and trembling.
She curled herself up into a ball as if she could feel warmer this way.
She fell into a deep sleep.
"Hey, hey! Get up!"
After a rude push, Gloria woke up. When she looked up, she saw Lillian.
"Don't push me. I feel dizzy."
Lillian paused for a moment. The next second, she sneered.
"Do you think I want to come to your room? Get up now. It's time for work! The last time you didn't go to work, Christine scolded me. I don't want that again. Get up and get to work."
Gloria felt hot and cold all over. Her mind was not clear. She only heard Lillian talk about going to work.
The word "work" made her sober up right away. She had to work!
Gloria got up quickly while she was still in pain. As a result, she almost fell to the ground.
Lillian frowned and said discontentedly, "Hurry up and stop wasting time. There are no men around, so stop acting delicately."
Gloria didn't care about Lillian's mockery. She muffled herself up with thick clothes and put on her shoes.
"I know you were caught in the rain. What's the big deal about it? I've been in the rain before, but I was never like you. Do you think you're special?" Lillian was still mocking Gloria.
Gloria rubbed her head and turned around. "Lillian, you should know that no man in the world prefers a mean woman. If you want Derrick to have a good impression of you, you'd better stop talking like that."
After that, Gloria was ready to be humiliated by Lillian.
When she was young, her brother said that she could be willful when she was sick.
At that time, she was clingy to Patrick. In fact, she knew that Patrick found her annoying.
So, when she was sick, she pestered Patrick to take a nap with her. She knew that Patrick found her annoying, so she shamelessly told him her brother's words, "Sick people have the right to be willful. I am sick. If you don't take a nap with me, I won't get better."
For the first time, Patrick agreed to take a nap with her.