THE ALGORITHM

10.

Bilal didn't speak. Instead, he sat back and allowed Penny to continue to speak her mind.

"I had a job as a chef—and...and." She glanced at Bilal before saying, "I'm supposed to start my dream job, but...I see I won't be able to." Penny looked off as her mind clouded from the situation. She grew emotional while thinking about the job offer she received from Vital Health Institution. Rebecca gave her a few days to make a decision, and she failed to respond. Penny knew her offer letter was rescinded. It pained her to think about it.

"The decision is made," Bilal announced. "Starting tonight, you'll work in the kitchen. Mei will work the morning shift. Around that time, you'll be on housekeeping duty. That'll give you something to do until we figure this out."

Penny didn't bother to speak. She was trying to process the information through her head.

###

With her arm extended, she watched Hannah closely. The pregnant housekeeper used a cotton ball dipped in acetone to rid the chipped polish from Penny's fingernails. Bilal wanted her to blend in and look like the rest of his staff, so he ordered his housekeeper to fix her up.

"There you go." Hannah patted her hand and pushed out, "You look great."

Penny didn't crack a smile because she didn't feel great. She stood there adorned in all white. The dress reached below her knees, and she paired it with the same slip-on shoes. Her locks had been freshly washed and pulled into a bun. Her nails no longer looked disoriented due to Hannah removing the old paint.

"Let me clip your nails, and you should be good to go."

"No, thank you." Penny rejected with a headshake. "I like my nails to have length."

Hannah held a cautious look before glancing at Scoop. He stood off but made sure to keep his eyes on Penny. She still wasn't to be trusted, and he didn't want anything to happen to Hannah.

"Bilal has a strict protocol when it comes to...our dress code." Hannah tried to speak warmly. "We cannot have long nails."

Penny looked irritated as she eyed Hannah with her nose wrinkled. "Are you serious? He gets sensitive over fingernails?"

Hannah shrugged while holding the fingernail clippers in her hands. "His rules." She rasped softly.

"He's so sensitive..." Penny frowned while holding her right hand out. "Hurry up and get this over with."

Swiftly, Hannah clipped her nails and informed Penny that she would train her on the basics of cleaning the mansion. Bilal liked the home to be cleaned a certain way, and Penny had no choice but to follow the directions.

"We wear masks when handling the chemicals. Be careful not to mix the wrong products. We don't want to create mustard gas."

Or do we? Penny questioned herself as she accepted the mask and placed the loops behind her ear, which secured it around her face. She pulled the mask down to take a breath.

Next, she was given a black bucket filled with items to use.

"This is your bucket to keep. You need this when cleaning around this house." Hannah informed her. "Keep it safe. If I were you, I would write my name on it."

"Wait, why would I have to do all of that?" Penny questioned Hannah as she continued to wear a scowl on her face. "It's just a bucket."

Hannah couldn't help but smirk at the woman. She thought Penny was hilarious with her stern words and facial expressions.

"The staff around here are known for...taking things," Hannah whispered before grabbing a silver permanent marker from the supply closet. "Here. Write your name and make sure you keep up with your bucket. Do not lose it."