Rags, Ruins, Riches and Revenge

Chapter 6

Nick sighed as he wiped down the last table in the dining hall. It had been a long morning of cleaning up. He had been living in the Sinclair mansion for weeks now and in all honesty,it was hard to keep up. As he turned to take the dirty rags to be washed, Clara's sharp voice rang out. 

"Nick, I need you to drive me shopping today." Clara was perched on her usual bar stool, cheeks flushed from half a bottle of champagne already. 

Nick paused, brow furrowing. "I'm the house help, ma'am. Don't we have drivers for your errands?"

Ma’am. He had been ordered to address everyone as “Sir or Ma’am” and that included Clara too. 

Clara frowned delicately. "They're all busy with other tasks. I need someone to carry my purchases. You'll do.Its an order." 

Her tone left no room for argument. Nick suppressed another sigh. 

"Give me a moment to change," he replied politely but firmly. Clara waved a well-manicured hand in dismissal.

Nick hurried to the basement  and pulled on his most presentable clothes - an almost faded jeans and a cream cotton t-shirt.As he headed back downstairs, Clara eyed his outfit disapprovingly. 

"You had to put on cheap clothes again. Hurry up, we haven't got all day," she snapped.Nick followed her graceful stride to the garage in silence. 

“Carry this,” she dumped her large Louis Vuitton bag on his arm. “It’s expensive,don’t get it stained.”

 She twirled around, her flowing sundress swayed around her, and gazed adoringly at the luxurious fleet of vehicles parked in the expansive driveway. Her eyes lit up as they fell on the smooth black Rolls Royce Phantom. "That one," she declared, pointing.

Clara skipped merrily to the passenger side and tossed the keys through the open window to Nick. "We'll be taking this today. Get the door for me."

Nick fumbled to catch the keys without dropping her handbag then hastened to pull open the Rolls Royce's back passenger door for her. She slid elegantly inside and settled into the leather seats with a contented sigh. Nick hurried around to the driver's side before taking his place behind the wheel. 

"To the mall, Nicky," she  commanded with a sweet smile. Nick started the car and pulled smoothly out of the driveway. 

They soon arrived at the most exclusive shopping center in the city. Nick parked and rushed to open Clara's door, only for her to have already let herself out and be waiting impatiently. "Hurry up, slowpoke! Shopping awaits!" she said curtly, tossing her long blonde hair over one shoulder.

Clara breezed through the doors with Nick struggling to keep up, weighed down as he was. She wasted no time checking the  trendiest boutiques,accumulating piles of the season's finest dresses, coats, bags and accessories, which she carelessly dumped in Nick's arms without a second thought. 

Within an hour, Nick could barely see over the top of the massive stack of clothing in his arms, which now also included several pairs of designer shoes dangling from his fingertips. His back and shoulders burned with strain. But Clara showed no signs of finishing her spree anytime soon. She moved from rack to rack, pulling out item after item without even checking the price tags.

“Goodness,is she going to start a shopping mall of her own?” Nick muttered.

“Did you say something?” She shot him a hard look. 

“Nothing ma’am.”

Finally, two long hours later, Clara was done. She swanned up to the register with Nick staggering behind, and slid her shining black platinum credit card across to the cashier without a blink. The total was a mind-boggling sum, but Clara didn't spare it a glance. She was already signing her name impatiently.

When they finally reached outside, Nick groaned inwardly but said nothing as he loaded the trunk with all her items.

Clara's sharp voice spoke up again. "Actually, I think I'll drive us home."

Nick's head whipped around in shock. "But Ma’am Clara - " he began to protest weakly.

Clara cut him off with a pout. "Don't you trust me, Nicky? I'm a great driver." Her expression darkened. "Or do you want me to leave you here all alone? I won’t hesistate to drive home leaving your lazy ass here."

Nick fell silent, shoulders slumping in defeat. He knew better than to argue when Clara got that tone. Without a word, he shuffled around to the passenger side. 

Clara beamed, snatching the keys from where Nick had left them. "Wonderful!" She started the engine with a playful gleam in her eyes. "Buckle up, buttercup. It's going to be a wild ride!" And with that, she slammed her foot down on the gas and peeled out of the parking lot, swerving dangerously between lanes with a wild cackle. 

Nick made sure to tuck his seatbelt in firmly. He had never seen Clara all his life and he didn’t want to die.

When she finally stopped laughing like a maniac and slowed down a bit, Nick felt a pressing urge to ask the question he never got to ask. He turned to her calmly, "Why did you do all of this to me? Did you ever really love me or was it all just a game to you?"

Clara glanced at him briefly before returning to the road, a small frown lining her forehead.

She let out a weary sigh, "Nick,you were always so strong, hardworking,so good-looking, tall, muscular, with the perfect hair and eyes... everything," she admitted, "But you were dirt poor.You still are dirt poor and might remain poor all the days of your life."

Nick's heart hurt in his chest as her words cut through. He knew they weren’t of the same class, but hearing Clara voice it so bluntly stung deeper than he could have anticipated.

Clara continued coldly, "You see, good looks without money... it's a waste of good looks," she said, her eyes briefly meeting his. "I'm used to being with powerful business types, men who can provide me with everything I desire," she stated. "Compared to them, you were... easy to manipulate." 

Clara's voice softened slightly as she continued, "Having a hardworking guy fawning over me daily... it did wonders for my self-esteem," she admitted, her gaze shifting to the road ahead. "I wanted something different, someone more regular, less flashy. And at first, you seemed to fit that mold. But soon, I realized that you weren't getting your big break anytime soon, that you couldn't escape your low-class background. I was fed up with your cheap ass."