Chapter Text
3 years ago:
Bill Forbes was a cruel man inside closed doors. No one knew him to be the monster that his wife and young daughter had depicted him to be. Of course Liz, his ‘beloved and devoted wife’ knew his role in the human trafficking ring and would get beaten up badly by Bill for even so much as opening her mouth or looking at him oddly. As for Caroline, he turned to her for physical abuse and sometimes worse too. When things got rough, she’d have to take severe beatings from her drunk father and would have to let the wounds heal for themselves as she found herself staying at home for days, with no social life except for the fake friendships with Matt, Damon, Stefan and Tyler, her abusive cheating ex boyfriend.
So when she got the chance to flee, she ran without hesitation with her burner phone, charger, passport and money with some clothes chucked into a bag which Liz gave her for shelter few months ago. That night would often come back to haunt her as she left the burning house with scars and bruises painted on her and the taste of iron blood in her mouth, salty tears streaming down her puffy face while he yelled at her with a smashed bottle in his hand, anger radiating off of him in waves as he watched his child run away from him.
Knowing her father’s strong influence, connections and power in America, she had to think this through carefully and rationally, and so she started by buying a plane ticket to New York in the airport as that was the flight that was set to leave in less than an hour. Bill wouldn’t be able to track her to the public airport anyway since she always went on his private jet with him and her mother, who had vanished few months ago so she figured that she was safe, flying economy class to New York where she’d have to find somewhere to stay.
As she sat on the plane staring out of the window she sighed in defeat, pondering where her mother vanished to. This was a whole mess. How was she supposed to just start anew in a foreign city without her mom to guide her? She was only 19 after all and despite everything, she really did think her mom would be her guide. But now she was thrown into the deep end, not even having gone to college to start her degree. It was only a few months ago when Caroline’s and Liz’s escapes were planned but both of them agreed to separate, just in case Bill would find them both. It was better that way and the blonde knew it, despite not wanting to admit the truth.
Once the plane was in the air, she began contemplating how her new life would treat her. Anything, she realised, had to be better than this. Than what she would leave behind permanently. See you again soon one day mom when we’re both safe, she thought before shutting her heavy eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
Now:
At 22, Caroline was thriving. Admittedly, her sudden arrival into the buzzing city of New York was difficult but she made it work eventually . Luckily an old friend of her mom’s had a cheap apartment in a less than ideal location that Caroline could rent and the blonde didn’t hesitate to take her up on it. As for money, well let’s just say that getting a job at the Nightingale Cafe near her home did help to an extent. But it was obviously not enough to use for college, and she could barely make ends meet, despite Liz sending her funds off her private account that her father didn’t know about.
Bill had supposedly announced that his wife and daughter were dead almost immediately after they left and due to his massive influence in America, and as expected, people believed him easily, no questions asked. She was sure that people would suspect him of chasing them away, but it would all be kept inside closed doors. Funnily enough, he didn’t send some investigators to find them and Caroline figured that he had a hell of a lot of money to do so, but if he didn’t bother, then she could be happy with that. No more hiding, just stay on the hush side of things and avoid mixing with gangs or any sort of notorious family that Bill may know about.
A buzzing sound made her wake up from her sleep and without looking at her nightstand, she reached out for her phone and successfully got it on her fifth attempt.
”Hello?”
”Caroline! You’re supposed to be at work now. Are you still in bed?” Clearing her voice instantly, she figured she had to lie.
”No! Sorry Davina, I was just getting my-“
”Whatever. This is your one warning. Just come in quickly and also, you’ll be the one to close tonight.” As Caroline was about to reply, the other girl hung up out of frustration, making the blonde groan before quickly jumping out of bed, brushing her teeth, putting make up on and picking a nice enough outfit before running out of her apartment without so much as even a single sip of water.
Thankfully, her work was only a 10 minute commute from her apartment and she arrived just as it was getting busier. Davina ushered her in quickly, pulling her through the crowd of people hovering around whilst they waited for their coffees. Please save the lecture for next time, Caroline thought. They were too busy to waste time rambling on about why she was late anyway. Caroline put her badge on and went to serve at the till for all the caffeine thirsty people.
”Hi there, what can I get you?” Her voice was typically bright and chirpy, with a sweet smile on her face. That was a good enough happy façade for work anyway, even if it didn’t reflect how she was really feeling. No one ever cared or asked her about her life, so she bottled it up. After 3 years in New York, her only close friend was Davina, and whilst she did have good friends around her, she couldn’t trust anyone.
“Hi, can I have the special? I wanna change things up a bit.”
”Yeah sure, coming right up. Anything else?” Caroline met the eyes of the beautiful brunette in front of her, and she couldn’t help but briefly scan the woman with Dior sunglasses on her head and absolutely stunning outfit.
”Any recommendations?”
”Um yeah sure. The blueberry muffin is my personal favourite.”
”Then I’ll go for that. Thanks…Caroline.” The lady placed the money over the till, leaving a tip and that already made Caroline’s day better, while the blonde got her coworkers to make the coffee.
”Thanks so much for the tip…”
”Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett. Recognise me?” The blonde frowned as she tried to recall where she had heard the all too familiar name before but nothing came to mind instantly.
“I’ve definitely heard of you, but I can’t figure out where or when.” A man behind Bonnie started to yell at the blonde and for Bonnie to move, but at the turn of the brunette who gave him a horrid look, he quietened quickly, mouth clamping shut, before leaving the cafe.
”I own Bennett Fashion & Co.“ At the gasp of realisation, Bonnie chuckled. Everyone in the fashion world knew of the famous company and the famous icon, so it was no surprise when she had Caroline fawning over her.
”Ohhh, right. I’ve always loved the clothing line you guys had! You’re actually amazing for opening such a successful business on your own too,” the blonde complimented, pushing back her luscious curls that got in the way of her face.
”Aww thank you Caroline. That means a lot.” She paused briefly before continuing, with a surprising proposition in store for Caroline.
”Hey, I’ve got a good job offer and if you want to take me up on it, here’s my card. I know you have customers to serve, so I won’t keep you too busy now, but I’d like to speak to you for a second if that’s ok.” She placed her business card on the table before turning around, putting her sunglasses back down, getting her drink and muffin before waving for the blonde to follow her to the outdoor area. Caroline followed, intrigued by the offer.
“While I was waiting around as you were serving people politely, I thought that you could make a fantastic PA, so if you wanted, you could have a trial run. The pay is amazing, to the extent that you don’t even need a part time job here.” She hunted for something in her Gucci bag and found it after a few seconds.
”Here. Take my card and let me know if you’d want to consider it.” Caroline’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped ever so slightly. Was she being serious?
”Me? Really?” Disbelief was evident in her tone. It made Bonnie chuckle.
”Who else would I be talking about right now?” The blonde grinned and gracefully thanked the brunette.
”Can I ask a question?”
”Sure.”
”Why?” She pauses, but continues after Bonnie’s confused expression. ”I mean, why me?” She stuttered slightly, confused at what just happened.
”Something about you looks promising, Caroline. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for the people around me, and money. Lots of money.” Both of them chuckled before Bonnie resumed.
”HR looks for my employees based on my criteria and briefly present the potential workers to me. It’s very rare that I have to fire someone or dismiss someone at first sight, but what’s more unusual is me going out on my own and deciding on people I want to work for me. Believe it or not, but I have a good eye for potential and will occasionally pick employees. You happen to be one of them.” A buzzing noise interrupted the brunette’s speech and she didn’t hesitate to reach for her phone, only to gaze at the caller ID and dismiss it as quickly as she reached for her phone, all while the blonde helplessly gazed at the brunette in awe.
”You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve spent ages here and forgot I have a meeting in the office. Call with any questions if you need to ask them and let me know asap. My offer will only stand for two days.”
As the brunette started walking off, Caroline reached out to her and gently held her wrist.
”I could start tomorrow? If that’s ok, of course.” One thing she knew was that she absolutely, most certainly, wouldn’t miss the chance to seize this amazing opportunity. With the monthly payment, she could be out of her crappy apartment and in a gorgeous one by Central Park within a couple of months.
Bonnie looked ever so slightly startled by the quick decision but masked her expression in a heartbeat.
”Are you sure that this is what you want?” No hesitation, not doubt, no uncertainty. Caroline didn’t spook. She knew what she wanted.
”Yes.” After a few moments, Bonnie smiled, content with the decision.
”Today’s a Thursday so why not tomorrow? You’ll get a tour and understand how we work, so yeah it’s more beneficial. Give me a ring later on and I’ll make sure you get the itinerary soon.” Bonnie disappeared into the busy streets of the city, leaving a flabbergasted blonde in her wake. But not for long, since her current boss started to yell at her from inside.
“Care! Get back to work, you have clients!” Davina scolded, unaware of who the blonde just served.
”Sorry! I’m on it.” The blonde gently worms around the crowd of people waiting for the good quality nourishments and coffees. It took some time and to reach the till, what with the overwhelmingly large groups of people hovering by the till.
“You better be, or you know what’s gonna happen.”
”I said I’m on it, D,” she reiterated with a clearer voice before an enthusiastic smile found its way onto her face as she tidied her hair. Why not, she figured, she had the best job offer and if all went well, she’d be rich at the end of a couple of months. Everything was on an upward trajectory and she was finally making progress in her life, moving away from what held her back. Liz would be proud.
“Hey there, what can I get you?”
What, or rather who, she saw next most definitely took her aback. A man, all in black with some odd necklaces hanging round his neck, as well as black sunglasses concealing his eyes and it was fair to admit he had a stunning jawline with a light stubble. There was no denying that he was handsome. In just a mere few seconds, she managed to scan him over briefly before he made his order.
“A black americano please.” She noted his non-american accent and found it quite nice. She could only assume that it was British, recalling she had once heard an accent like this back when her Dad hosted a ball at some random affluent guy’s estate.
”Anything else?”
”That will be all. How much will that be?” After receiving his money, she turned to make his coffee, knowing it wasn’t a common choice here. Nothing about him looked normal, and she guessed he must have been involved in some sort of gang. This left her hesitant to make small talk with him, but she gathered her courage and talked anyway.
”Nice choice of coffee. Is it your first time here?” He looked up from his phone slowly, meeting her clear blue eyes with his piercing eyes.
”Don’t bother with small talk, love. I’m not in the mood.” His tone had an irritated edge to it, but she wasn’t going let anyone, let alone someone like him, mr moody, walk all over her.
“Unnecessarily rude, but ok.” He clearly hadn’t been expecting a retort from her as he gazed at her, with slight curiosity in his eyes.
”How long does it take to make a damn coffee around here?” He was visibly irritated now, a threatening anger simmering on the surface.
”Aww, is somebody in a rush?” She taunted, her goal in irritating him working.
”Don’t try me, sweetheart. I can assure you that you don’t want to get on my bad side.” Caroline smirked, ignoring the threat as she firmly planted his coffee on the counter, a few stray drops spilling.
”Take it. You better be on your way, mister moody. Wouldn’t want to get on your bad side.”
Instead of giving her the reaction she wanted, Klaus smirked, taking the coffee quickly. No one ever pushed his patience except for this girl, who intrigued him. This pretty waitress Caroline, he looked at her badge, clearly didn’t know who he was, otherwise she wouldn’t challenge him like that. No one dared to mess with Klaus Mikaelson, head of the Mikaelson mafia which was the most dangerous and well known mafia family in the states.
”Glad to know you’ve learnt your lesson, Caroline.” He purposefully said her name this time and this time, it’s her that gets annoyed. Before leaving, Klaus leaned over the counter and whispered near her ear, making her shudder.
”Just know that I can ruin your life, love. Including your job. With a simple click.” His threat was harsh, but it confirmed what Caroline already knew. This guy, as handsome as he may be, was trouble. The exact thing she vowed to stay away from.