Chapter 65 Manipulating Him
Jessica slammed her fist on the table and rose to her feet, aggressively shoving the seat behind her further away. "This is outrageous! It is more than outrageous!" She fumed. "How can you ask for something as lowly as this from me?" She squinted. "I may have little value in your eyes but I know my worth enough to know that I will never be seen working the cash register at some dumb café!" She kept her head high as she spoke.
Michael fumed. "How dare you talk back to your mother-in-law like that?!" He rose to his feet like a rising storm. "Do you have any idea of the gravity of what you just did?" He pointed a judgmental finger at her face. "This is the highest form of disrespect in front of your parents in-law!"
"Go ahead!" Jessica barked. "Get angry! Yell all you want but let me tell you this, however angry you get, it will not drive me to do something as lowly as this. Can't you even stop to think about this for once? This isn't embarrassing for me alone but the entire Knowles family!"
She scoffed a laugh. "Father in-law, think about this," she placed a hand on her hip. "The Knowles family is trying so hard to get its name out there more than ever, I know that much because I have been paying attention. Mother in-law doesn't see any of that because she is too busy with her fashion house.
"But I care, I listen and I worry!" Her hands reached her chest as she spoke. "What do you think people will say when they see the respectable daughter in-law of the Knowles family working at a lowly café? Huh? And not even as a manager or something but as a cashier?" She scoffed.
"Not things they aren't already saying!" Sarah said through gritted teeth as she rose to her feet. Thunder flashed across her eyes. She noticed that her husband seemed to be softening up listening to Jessica's words and it made her angry. "So stop overreacting like this is something so outrageous!"
"Listen to me father in-law!" Jessica called out to him when she saw him looking at his wife. "This will not only be embarrassing but humiliating in all ways! Popularity? Sure, we'll get that. In fact our names will be out there everywhere! News about how much we have fallen to depend on salary from a café and there will be nothing we can do to help it then.
"Also can you even hear yourself mother in-law? Not things they aren't already saying? Shouldn't we be trying to get rid of all the bad things people are saying about us but instead, you want to make it worse!"
"How dare you?!" Sarah yelled, a deep frown settling on her face. She picked up her drink to bathe Jessica with it but her husband intervened.
"Honey!" He sharply warned. "Put that drink down right now! Where are your manners? Is this how you are going to behave with your daughter in-law?" He frowned, keeping his tone as strict as ever.
She stared surprisedly at him, jaws hanging ajar. Her husband had never spoken to her in such a strict manner before. Heck he had never raised his voice at her before! Speak more of talking strictly like that!
She felt so infuriated and surprised at the same time. She stuttered as she spoke. "What... Can't you see...? Honey, I-- what...?"
"Drop the glass honey, you are a sophisticated woman as we are a sophisticated family." He adjusted his shirt. "I don't think she should work at such a lowly place-- but," he raised a finger to stop his wife from interrupting, "I will find her a job suitable in her line of study or at least something to show people how sophisticated we are."
"Are you dumb?!" Sarah yelled. "Can't you see that this is exactly what she wants?"
"Don't talk to me like that in front of our daughter in-law. This dinner is over." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
Sarah groaned angrily through gritted teeth as she slammed her glass on the table, some of the content spilling on her hand.
Jessica enjoyed the sight in front of her, she had never seen her mother in-law lose her cool like that. She couldn't help the smile that crawled up on her face as she watched her mother-in-law storm off.
She majestically sat back down and picked up her fork. "Why haven't you tried to reason with Michael Knowles before? If it is this easy then why hasn't it occurred to you before?" She asked herself.
She broke out in a soft chuckle. She felt so pleased, Michael Knowles was almost as gullible as his son. If a few words like that could make him change sides so easily then what would she achieve with more and more convincing actions and words?
"This has just gotten way too easy for me." She said amidst a chuckle. She shook her head while laughing and raised her fork to her mouth but her eyes landed on the bag Sarah had handed her and an irritated look took over her face.
She returned the uniform and face cap back inside it. "Anyone there?" She called out and a maid came running.
"Yes ma'am?" She bowed her head.
"Here take this," she handed her the bag and the maid accepted it in confusion. "Starting from tomorrow, you are to resume there and work from now on. You can come here to sleep every night when you close from work."
The young girl looked her in the eyes, shocked. "What?... Ma'am..." She lowered her gaze.
"Why? Do you not want it? It's a terrible job for me but a good opportunity for you or do you not wish everyday to get out of this hellish cage?" She arched her brow at her.
The maid was stunned.