What is worse: getting bitten by a viper or stirring a cobra?

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When Nellie woke up the next day, the trailer was deserted. No sign of Sweet Pea except his unmade bed. It was a bit early for him to leave for school but she just assumed that he'd rather not have to talk about his confessions about Tall Boy from last night. 

After running a quick shower, Nellie made her way down to the Five Seasons as usual. She got into her uniform, running a quick eye over her schedule as she went. 

"Miss Hearst," Mr. Harrington's voice surprised her. Still tying her apron in front of her, Nellie turned around to face her boss. "Mr. Kowalski was pleased about your service yesterday. He specifically asked for me to give you this,"

Mr. Harrington held out an enveloppe. As Nellie was about to tear it open, Mr. Harrington came closer and whispered so only she could hear "Keep that away from prying eyes, Miss Hearst. Rumors spread quickly,"

Confused, Nellie looked up noticing several housemaids keeping a close eye on her interaction with Mr. Harrington. She nodded in comprehension. As Mr. Harrington left, she quickly tucked the closed envelope in the pocket of her apron and grabbed the key to the first room that required cleaning. 

Once she left the busy laundry room behind her, Nellie halted in the empty corridor. Her fingers fiddled with the envelope. Curiosity got the better hand as she shredded it open. Her eyes grew wider and she audibly gasped when she caught sight of the money. A hundred dollar. 

"Well, well..." an unknown voice called out from the dark. "Looks like our silent nun isn't so innocent after all," 

Nellie's head snapped back to locate the voice. It belonged to one of the housemaids she had seen in the laundry room previously. Her blonde hair was tucked away in a tight ponytail, not a single strand out of the way. Her slender figure was leaning against a doorframe, her features barely illuminated by a flickering lightbulb. 

"Well, I guess you deserved it," the girl shrugged, throwing Nellie a disgusted look as she passed her in the cramped space.  

"I merely cleaned his room," Nellie found herself defending her own. She almost immediately wanted to slap herself. It didn't matter what these girls thought of her. She was about to be gone as soon as possible. The reputation she created here, wouldn't follow her anywhere. 

"Sure, and I am the tooth fairy," the girl bit back over her shoulder, swaying her ponytail obnoxiously behind her. 

Nellie rolled her eyes. She wanted this conversation to be over with anyways. But the girl wasn't finished yet. 

"If you get on your knees next time, I'm sure he'll double your profit," she taunted. 

Nellie's head snapped back up. Embarrassment flared her cheeks. "I didn't do anything," 

The girl turned around to face Nellie again. "No one would blame you if you did, darling. We're all trying to get by," and with that the blonde girl finally left. 

Nellie pushed the money deeper in the pocket of her apron and returned to her routine. In front of Mr. Kowalski's room, she hesitated. After her meeting with the man yesterday, she wasn't sure how she should react to his avances. His gift made everything even more forced. She should ignore his intentions, clean his room and get going. 

Knowing her strength, Nellie pushed open the door and walked in. Unlike the previous day, the room wasn't vacated. Seated in the corner of the room, Mr. Kowalski looked amused as Nellie froze in the doorway.

"It is so good to see you again, Miss Hearst. I was afraid I had to wait an entire day to encounter you again," Mr. Kowalski said, lifting himself of the chair and walking over to Nellie. "Please don't mind me, you can work around me, so to speak," the man continued, keeping a careful eye on her. 

Uneasily she started picking up dirty laundry and placing it in the baskets. She froze when she heard the door lock behind her. She held her breath waiting for the sound of Mr. Kowalski's shoes leave through the corridor. Instead his steps approached her, indicating he was still in the room. 

She tried to ignore her pounding heart. Her every instinct told her to bolt, to run away from the man that was observing her as she pulled the linens over the king sized bed. 

"I have to say I was surprised to find out Mr. Lodge's daughter is a mere servant at the Five Seasons Hotel," Mr. Kowalski broke the suffocating silence. Nellie froze. Kowalski lit up a cigarette, his eyes filled with amusement as he saw her struggle.

"You're not allowed to smoke inside, Sir," Nellie replied, ignoring his previous  statement.

"Oh, there are so many things we aren't allowed to do, Miss Hearst, but it has never stopped anyone," Kowalski replied taking a long pull of the cigarette and blowing out the smoke in a straight line.

"So, tell me, how did you end up here?" he asked, his eyes directly connected to hers. She felt his gaze bore down, burning into her. He wanted secrets, information. Information Nellie wasn't prepared to give.

"You have mistaken me for someone else, Mr. Kowalski. I am merely a housemaid," she replied.

The amused look disappeared from Kowalski's eyes turning them anger and cold again. "I am never mistaken," he snapped, violently tapping ashes from his cigarette.

Nellie couldn't hide her surprise as she flinched at the tone in his voice. But it was clear Mr. Kowalski was done playing the nice guy. His approach hadn't worked so he returned to a method he was comfortable with. He came closer, so close Nellie could feel the smoke he breathed out fanning over her cheeks. She coughed but the man didn't pay attention to her.

"You're Lodge offspring," he stated. How he knew was a mystery to her but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of confirming his suspicions. 

"If you say so," she replied, taking a step back.

Mr. Kowalski's free hand wrapped around her upper arm and pushed her closer to his chest. Nellie was so close she could see his pigment spots gracing his retreating hairline. 

"Listen," he sneered, tightening his grip around her. She flinched as it hurt. "I can't seem to control your daddy dearest but you won't believe the satisfaction I'm getting from having you underneath my touch," he said. His warm breath smelled of cigarettes. 

Nellie turned her head away. "I have no connection to Mr. Lodge," she insisted. 

Mr. Kowalski let out a low rumble of a laughter "You underestimate my knowledge, child. I know about his affair with that hore of a woman. Dhalia, wasn't it? So eager to please her boss until he knocked her up. Of course, then the adventure get's a little awry. And look, here you are." Mr. Kowalski said. 

Nellie had balled her fists, it wouldn't take much before she'd hit the man. "And here am I." Kowalski continued, nuzzling his nose in her short hair. "The Hearst women have this thing that make a mobster's blood run quicker," he whispered, wet lips tracing the curve of her neck.

Nellie felt disgusted by his touch. She let out a throat deep scream before she used all her might in pushing the heavy man away from her. "Don't touch me!" she groaned, lunging for the door. 

With long strides, Kowalski followed her. He placed his hand and all his weight against the door just when Nellie had managed to open the lock. "You can't run away from me, kid," he said, his voice dangerously close to Nellie's ear.

Without really thinking about it, Nellie balled her fist and hit him wherever she could. Unfortunately for the man, it was his jaw. His head fell back and his stupor gave Nellie enough time to run onto the hallway. 

Mr. Kowalski stood in his doorframe, yelling Russian profanities her way as she ran through the corridor.

Suddenly a hand gripped her tight and pulled her inside one of the rooms. Nellie was out of breath when she saw the blonde girl from the staff corridor looking into the hallway. The girl put her finger against her lips, motioning to Nellie to keep quiet. 

Nellie could hear her heart stammer in her chest but she did not hear approaching footsteps thunder through the hallways. "I guess you're safe for now," the girl said, her voice still barely louder than a whisper.

Nellie looked up at her savior in confusion. "Thank you," she breathed out. 

The blonde girl shrugged, "Well, even a hoe has the right to say no," 

Nellie rolled her eyes but was grateful for the girl by her side either way. She blew out a deep breath as she let her head fall back against the pale wallcovering. 

The other girl eyed her as she went on with her work as if she hadn't been interrupted by saving a housemaid from one of the worst experiences imaginable. 

"You should get out," the girl suddenly broke the silence "Demand another room because next time, I'll doubt he'll let you escape. Men like Kowalski can be very dangerous," 

"I'd suggest to not pick a mobster the next time you decide to grant extra services. Those men can literally kill you," 

Nellie felt a shiver run down her spine. "Mobster?" she let out in disbelief.

"You're quite daft, aren't you? A bit on the slower pace? Mr. Kowalski is in town for business. It wouldn't surprise me if he's one of the clients of those thugs from the South," 

"Either way," Nellie brushed away the dark remark on Kowalski's occupations, "I guess I owe you a thank you," 

"Accepted, now bugger off," the blonde said with a wave towards the door.

"Perhaps, I should know your name... You know, in case I one day have to call for your help," Nellie said, a sly smile dancing around her lips although her hands were moist as one revelation lead to another conclusion. 

"Waverly Campbell," the blonde girl hurriedly replied, "Now get out and do your job," 

Nellie glanced at the empty corridor before heading away, straight to the staff entrance hidden behind a panel in the wall. 

The confrontation with Mr. Kowalski hadn't been unpleasant alone, it had also stirred a new interest in her father. The man knew the mobster she had barely managed to escape. Perhaps after all, Hiram Lodge wasn't only involved in fraud. 

She had captured a glimpse of Hiram's secret life. Now the only question was: should she forget what she knew and leave as soon as possible, forgetting Riverdale and all of its inhabitants. Or perhaps, should she put herself back on the map, become a player no one anticipated in this game of secrets and lies?