A/N: This chapter has been rewritten with two new scenes and revised from the original version.
Laurel had been on edge since Lianna blackmailed her.
She was unsure of how to handle matters. Back on her Earth, she was harsher and didn't care about what she had to do to ensure she always won. If she were on her Earth, she would have more than likely have killed her already, but that wasn't who she was anymore.
She had to go about this another way. She was unsure what that way was going to be.
Still, she couldn't just do nothing.
She started following Lianna, watching her every move, tracking her whenever she could.
Lianna worked two jobs, one as a waitress at a diner near the Glades; she took the bus to get to and from work. She seemed to isolate herself from others. She was holding everyone around her at arm's length. What Laurel didn't understand was why.
Laurel slipped through the doors of a small local law firm. It was pretty easy. The security was lax, which wasn't a surprise since it was in the Glades. And was one of the less reputable law firms in Starling.
She had seen Lianna come in here for the past few days as early as eight in the morning and leave around four. She doubted Lianna was a lawyer here, not after she was banned from taking the bar, so the question was, what did she do here.
Laurel lowered the hat on her head and adjusted the glasses she wore, her hair pulled back into a tight bun. She hoped the minimal disguise was enough to keep anyone from recognizing her.
She saw Lianna walking down the hall, and she followed at a slower pace watching as she turned down the corner and got onto the elevator. She poked her head around the corner. She waited till the doors slid closed before moving forward, watching as the elevator climb floors till finally coming to a stop on the fourth floor.
Laurel glanced around and saw while a few people were walking about none seem to be paying her any attention. She moved toward the door for the stairs and slipped into the stairwell and quickly jogged up the floor fights of stairs, and exit out onto the fourth floor, she peered down the hallway. She caught sight of Lianna talking with two other women. One was a redhead with a pixie hair cut; the other was a blonde with curls that fell around her shoulders.
She moved closer discreetly, close enough to hear them.
"Beth, I need you to go to the Starbucks on 31' st street and get me a decaf, Soy Latte With An Extra Shot And Cream," Lianna told her.
"But that's nearly thirty minutes away." Beth protested.
"And?" Lianna raised one perfect brow.
"I won't be back in time before my break is over." Beth protested.
"Then you better get going." Lianna shooed her away.
Beth shot her a disbelieving look before shrinking away to do as she was instructed.
"Do you always have to treat the interns like corporate slaves, Lianna?" The redhead asked, her judgment evident.
"Of course not, but it is fun watching others rush to do my bidding like I'm their queen, speaking of underlings. I need to pick up my dry cleaning on 57 and Paseo."
"I am not one of your interns," the redhead protested. "Not anymore."
Lianna's eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward. "No, you're not, but you are still beneath my station. You are nothing more than the receptionist. Me? I am the executive assistant to one of the partners of this office, and I am rapidly moving up the business ladder. Let's not forget how close I am with my boss, who happens to be your boss's boss, Andrea."
Andrea shrunk back at the reminder.
"You would do well to remember you do not want to make an enemy out of me." Lianna continued.
Andrea pursed her lips, glaring. "I will have your dry cleaning back by the end of your lunch hour."
Lianna smirked. "I thought so." she walked away. It felt good to boss around those that were beneath her ranking in the company. She could say and do whatever she wanted without worrying about the consequences. As far as she was concerned, she outranked them, and that made them beneath her. She was better than them, and she had no problem making sure they knew it.
Laurel's eyes narrowed, Lianna could pretend to be a good person, but after what she just saw, it was clear she wasn't. She was far from innocent and knowing that Laurel began to hatch a plan of her own. A plan to take of Lianna before she could use the information she had to ruin her life.
If anyone's life were going to be ruined, it would be Lianna's. Laurel would make damn sure of it.
In following her, Laurel realized more than what her background check had revealed to her. Besides her aunt and uncle, she had no family, and they were getting up there in age. She looked after them more than they did her.
She was more alone than Laurel had thought.
But realizing Lianna was alone was not the most shocking revelation.
No, the most shocking revelation was when she got a look at Lianna's actual figure, what she had been hiding beneath her coat.
Her stomach was large and round with child.
It was no wonder she was so desperate for money. Lianna was a single pregnant woman living in the Glades, tasked with taking care of her aunt and uncle, whose health was declining with each passing year.
Knowing that Lianna was pregnant did complicate how she went forward with dealing with her.
Laurel needed to make sure Lianna kept quiet, and she needed to find out what all she knew. She needed to see if she had the proof Lianna claimed to have, and if Lianna did, she needed to destroy it.
Still, she needed to deal with her, but she was hesitant to risk harming an unborn baby.
So the question is just how far was she willing to take this?
It was something she thought about long and hard.
She wasn't a good person, but there was a time she was, and a good person wouldn't harm an innocent pregnant woman.
But then again, Lianna wasn't an innocent woman, was she?
An innocent person, somebody good would not be blackmailing her for an insane amount of money she didn't have or for mistakes that were not hers.
And while she may be reluctant to make a move against Lianna because she was pregnant, she wasn't going to let that stop her from doing something. Doing nothing was not an option.
Lianna hated her waitress job with a passion, but she needed the extra money. With the baby coming soon, she needed all the money she could get her hands on.
Everyone always said having a baby was expensive, and they were right.
And they were even more expensive when you were on your own. Sure, the baby's father was in her life, but he couldn't give assistance without his wife finding out the truth, and he reused to let his bastard child ruin his marriage.
It made Lianna's blood boil, just thinking about how he saw their child. Her child.
A bastard. A problem to be taken care of.
Well, screw his ass. Lianna didn't need him. Her baby didn't need him.
She would take care of herself and the baby. She was more than capable of providing for her family without anyone's help but her own.
So yes, she would endure a stupid waitress job in need be until she had enough money to start a new life for both her and her unborn child.
She spent the last four hours waitressing tables, dealing with rude customers, and even a drunk who likes to grab at her.
She was relieved when the night as coming to an end. She counted out the day's tips. She got the money from the cash register for the credit tips. She looked around, making sure none of her other co-workers were paying attention and quickly swiped some cash. Lianna slipped the money into her back pocket and closing the register back.
She moved to the backroom, making idle chitchat with one of the cooks as she moved to the back computer to clock out for the night, taking her receipt, and slipping in her pocket. She pulled on her jacket and bid everyone goodnight and headed out for her journey home.
Lianna's feet ache as she left the diner after an almost 10-hour shift, her back ached, and she was so hungry. She just wanted to get home, eat her weight in a pint of ice cream, and soak in a hot steaming bubble bath.
She walked down, 8th and Main, turning down Charlotte street and crossing the road, cutting through the park like she did every night to get to the bus stop.
She was almost through it when she felt arms go around her neck, Lianna let out a scream. A gloved hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her sounds, she struggled to break free, her eyes widened as something sharp pricked her neck.
Laurel injected the sedative into Lianna's neck. She wrapped her arms just above her breast as she went slack in her arms, Laurel dragged her backward into a back alley where Laurel knew the traffic cameras couldn't see her and where she parked her car.
She quickly got Lianna into the back seat. Looking in on her, she reached a hand out, and stroke her fingers through Lianna's hair, eyes glinting dangerously, she murmured.
"You really should watch who you make an enemy of, Lianna."