It had already been three days since I arrived in the big city, Manila, and as you'd guess, it had not been easy for me.
Upon arriving in Manila, the bustling city presented unexpected challenges and tested my resilience. I almost got raped by some drunkards, but narrowly managed to escape.I also didn't have money to buy food, nor could I afford a cheap hotel room to stay in. Desperation led me to seek refuge beneath a bridge, among a community of individuals facing similar struggles. It was a terrible experience.For two consecutive days, I had nothing to eat and it started taking its toll on me. I became weak; my vision was blurry and I constantly felt like passing out. I tried looking for part-time jobs, but no luck. I was desperate. I needed a job to be able to survive. If I don't survive, how will I ever get justice for dad? Luckily for me, I walked by a cafeteria currently hiring waitresses. The ads were neatly placed by the entry. That was my cue to go in and apply. Gently, I pushed open the screen door and went in.Perceiving the aroma of food at the cafeteria, my stomach growled. All I wanted at that time, was a plate of any type of dish. I would clean the whole place, the kitchen and even the restrooms if it was what they wanted."Hi, ma'am. How may I help you?" A waiter walked up to me and asked."I want to speak to the manager. Is he or she here?" I inquired, trying my best to maintain my composure and not dash into the kitchen like a mad dog."This way, please." He led me towards a counter, where a middle aged man was seated, and left afterwards."Hi." The man sounded friendly. He instantly made me feel less apprehensive. "How may I help you?"Here goes nothing... I hoped I get accepted, otherwise, I would definitely die of starvation.Taking a deep breath, I spoke; "I read the ads outside and was wondering if you still needed a waitress around. I would like for you to hire me."Staring intently at me, the manager hummed. My gut feeling instantly told me I wasn't getting the job, but I still held onto positivity, as I awaited his response."Unfortunately..."Oh no!"The last slot has already been taken." He replied, apologetically.Instantly, my heart fell. Was I really going to die of hunger? "I really need this job, Sir. Please hire me." I impelled."I'm sorry, I can't do that." He stood his ground."Is there nothing else I can do, sir? Don't you need a cook? I'm a very good cook. Many people have testified to that."Now that is a lie — my conscience fired.Whatever. If that little, harmless lie is.going to get me a plate of food, then I'm in. — my mind replied.Biting my lower lip between my teeth — a habit I exhibited whenever I lied — I continued; "I can cook all sort of dishes. Mexican, Indian, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian, African, you name it." I rambled on."That's good to know, but we have enough competent chefs. With these skills of yours, I'm sure you're going to find a job at some other cafeteria soon enough." He remarked.I instantly took back my words. The man wasn't friendly anymore. He was SUPER annoying.My poor stomach!"ERM..." I stammered and trailed off, not being able to come up with another convincing lie. "How about cleaners?" I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sure you need one. I will clean the floors, windows, tables and even the toilets. By the time I'm done, your cafeteria will be sparkling — this, I assure you. Please give me a chance. I really really need this job, otherwise I'm going to die. I haven't real—""Alright." He remarked, cutting me off.Alright?"Alright?" I asked with uncertainty."I can tell you badly need this job and you're so persistent, I can't even say no to you." He heaved a sigh. "You can work here as a cleaner. Come to my office so we can discuss the pay."Yay! I'm not going to die of starvation after all."Thank you. Thank you so much, kind sir. Before that..." I aimlessly fidgeted with my fingers. "Could you be so nice to give me a plate of food?"•A day into the job, the manager found out I was homeless, and out of the goodness of his heart, he allowed me to sleep inside the cafeteria. My coworkers were also friendly towards me. My pay was okay. So far, I had nothing to complain about. I was just waiting to gather more cash before proceeding to search for my targets. Fortunately for me, I had some clues. The plate number of the car they drove and the name of the mastermind — Mr. Eduardo Fernandez.I was busy in the kitchen, doing the dishes, when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder from behind. I turned around and my gaze met with that of Rosa's, my coworker. She was dressed in a knee length gown — too tight if you would ask me. Nonetheless, she looked beautiful. It looked as if she was attending a gathering."Hey, Nicole, aren't you done yet?" She inquired, putting on some makeup on her face.Nicole — a new name I had given myself. I wanted a new identity but I still hadn't gotten used to the name yet. It sounded strange whenever my coworkers or boss called me by it. If I wanted to live a new life, I gathered it was important for me hide my real identity. It would be safer that way. I wouldn't want to take chances in my new life.in order to be successful, I promised myself to keep my past buried in memories and not in my emotions — that was me starting anew."Nicole," she called again, making me push aside the thought.I snorted. "Obviously. What's up?""My sister's best friend's friend just invited her to her twentieth birthday party, but because she has a seminar to attend this week and wouldn't be able to attend, I decided to go on her behalf. Do you want to tag along?" She offered, pressing her lips together to blend the mixture of her lip gloss.I cringed a little. "No thanks." It would be extremely awkward to be there, when I know absolutely no one. I hated to be an uninvited guest.She shrugged. "Alright then. How do I look?" She struck a pose and pouted her lips as if I was about to take her photo.I rolled my eyes. "You should know if you're looking into the mirror." It irked me whenever she got that way. Not to be mistaken, I liked her — she was a good colleague, but most of the time, she gets too self-conscious — it wasn't cool to me. She was beautiful and that was what really mattered. At times, the makeup she put on, made her look like a scary masquerade. Really horrible."Drop the attitude, will you?" Rosa snarled. "I was just asking." She muttered and started walking towards the exit of the kitchen, but abruptly stopped in her tracks and spun around. "Are you really really sure you don't wanna come with me?"I puffed out air from between my lips and nodded my head slowly. "Positive.""Your loss." She swung her long ponytail behind and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I heard many affluent people are gonna to be there! This might be my chance of finally getting hitched with a politician's son or a rich politician himself. Sugar daddy things." She squealed."Oh really?" Out of her ramblings, what readily caught my attention was what she said about many affluent people being present at the party. If that was true, then it was definitely my cue to get closer to the rich and eventually maneuver my way into Mr. Eduardo Fernandez's family."Of course." She responded with an attitude. "Are you coming along or no?""Wait." I yelled before she could turn back around. "I'm coming with you.""I feel so uncomfortable in this dress." I voiced out, adjusting the neck of the navy blue dress I was putting on — the dress Rosa borrowed me, because obviously, I didn't have any decent looking dress that would suit the occasion. I felt really uncomfortable in the dress. I wasn't really used to getting all dressed up. Rosa had wanted to force me into painting my face as well, but I strongly objected. It wasn't really my thing. I felt I always looked ugly whenever I had makeup on. I was comfortable with just my nude lipgloss on. "Don't worry, babes, you look stunning." Rosa reassured. "To be honest, you look different. Like someone else." Of course — I mentally rolled my eyes. I wasn't blind myself. I looked like someone else indeed. The dress I was putting on was borrowed, the bag, as well as the shoes. What did she expect? I was practically a counterfeitress. "Yeah, right." I slurred. "Do you think I'm going to meet the one for me, tonight?" She emphasised, flicking her long eye
To Rosa's disappointment - and of course, mine, he walked past us and towards a very beautiful, tall, pale looking lady. For a brief moment, my jaw hung. I took the opportunity to take in the girl's appearance - she was dressed in a red, mini dress. She was heavily made up, just like Rosa, but hers was classier. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail. Her heels - it was just so beautiful beyond description. I would definitely love to own a pair...someday. It was a matching pair with her dress. Her expensive Michael Kors bag made my jaw drop even lower. I had always wanted the exact bag, but couldn't afford half the price. Dad had promised to get me one if I passed my scholarship examination. At the thought, sadness washed over me as I suddenly remembered he was gone, and I would never see him again. I missed him a lot. His memories were still fresh in my mind. Not a single one had been omitted. Everything still felt like a dream to me. A terrible one. Right at that moment, I realize
Sauntering towards him, I could feel his gaze on me, but I pretended to be oblivious. Immediately I was few inches away from him, I pretended to trip and in the process, threw my drink all over his pants. "Oh no!" I gasped, feigning remorse. "I'm so so sorry for that. I'm usually not this clumsy. I must be tipsy from all the drink I've consumed tonight. I'm going to pay for the damages if you want." I mentally cringed at my own words. What if he actually agreed to what I said? Where was I ever going to get such a huge amount of money? "Once again, I'm terribly-" He suddenly cut me off by chuckling. Oh my! He actually chuckled! "It was a honest mistake." He justified. "...and I don't hold grudges against people for little mistakes, especially if the mistake is coming from a beautiful lady such as yourself." I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at his comment and pretended to blush instead. "Thankfully, the stain isn't too obvious. I will just go to the restroom and have it clean
This is it! Stop hyperventilating, idiot! Think of an excuse, dimwit!!!"You don't know her?" Caesar asked, equally perplexed. "How comes he doesn't remember you?" His last question was directed to me. "Probably because it has been a long time since we last met." I lied, trying my best to sound as convincing as possible. "I also know your brother, Diego. Is he here as well?" "It happens." Caesar shook his head. "I sometimes don't recognize some of my dad's business partners." If the situation had permitted it, I would have rolled my eyes at him. I wasn't even speaking to him. I smiled - at least I had gotten away with this one. "That can't be." Sergio interjected. "I'm pretty sure I have never seen you before, but that doesn't matter right now." He waved a hand dismissively. "I need to leave. I have some guests I need to attend to." "Alright, man." Caesar replied. My gaze didn't avert from his retreating figure. A new type of hate suddenly overwhelmed me. This was the son of th
My eyes opened to the white walls of the hospital. I wanted to sit up, but pain instantly surged into my heavily bandaged head, making me lie back down. Reminisces of how I ended up in the hospital flooded my mind. It was a huge step I had to take in order to get his attention. Indisputably, he was never going to notice me, if I hadn't taken this huge step. I just wished he didn't just bring me to the hospital and left - If that was the case, then my efforts would go down the drain. I groaned as I felt a throbbing pain in my head. I tried to move my legs, but horrifically, I couldn't. My breath hitched in my throat and I began to shake my head, vigorously. I wasn't paralysed. No, I wasn't. "No!" I shrilled.Immediately, a female nurse ran to my aid. "Ma'am, please calm down. Where does it hurt?""I...can't...why can't I move my legs?" Tears trickled down my cheeks. "Why the hell can't I move my legs?" I boomed and wrapped my hands around my throbbing head, that was about to rip into t
"How's the patient doing, doc?" Sergio Fernandez inquired. From where I was lying down, I could hear their conversation. "Unfortunately, there's a little bad news." The doctor began. "She's suffering from what we call quadriplegia - it means the nerve injury that happens above the first thoracic spinal nerve and causes paralysis." "Are you saying she's paralyzed right now?" His word was laced with worry. "Exactly, but the good news is that, it may not last forever. Give her few months. I'm just she's going to recover. Her spinal nerves aren't affected very badly.""Can I speak to her?" He inquired. "Of course." He responded and excused himself. Hearing his footsteps approaching, I heaved a deep sigh and got prepared to get into action. . "Miss?" He called in a soft voice. "I'm really sorry for want happened. I t-""Sorry?" I turned around and faced him. "You're sorry? Will your sorry give me back my leg?" Tears streamed down my face. "What am I going to do now. You've destroyed
He furrowed his brows, obviously trying to recall where he had seen me before. "That can't be," I shook my head. I was silently praying for him not to remember. "I don't think I have ever seen you before and besides, I'm new in the city." "Oh!" He heaved a sigh. "I'd have sworn I have. I'm sorry about that""It's fine," I faked a smile. "I get mistaken for different people several times. It's not really a new thing." I responded, hoping so hard that he bought my story. He hummed. "If you'd excuse me then." He turned around and walked out of the room. Immediately he left, I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. It felt really suffocating to pretend to be someone you weren't, but I wasn't about to give up, until I achieve my aims and make every single one of them pay for ruining my once peaceful life. We were poor, yet satisfied and happy, until his father came along and ruined everything. "I'm sorry, Sergio, but nothing is going to stop me from using you as a pawn to g
"Mum, please. Just listen to what I have to say first, befo-" "It's okay, Sergio." I feigned sadness. "If your mother doesn't want me here, I can just leave. I told you this was a bad idea. Please allow me to leave." "That's nonsense! Where will you go? You have no one. You told me that yourself. You're in this situation because of me." He said.. "I won't run away from my responsibility. Just allow me talk to her." "No, please." I continued. "I don't want to be a burden to you and your family. I told you I didn't want to stay here, didn't I? Please just take me to the streets and leave me there to fend for myself." I shut my eyes tightly, trying to squeeze out tears. "Come on, mum. What's the harm in letting her stay here for just a few days? It's not like she's going to stay here forever and besides, Sergio was the one that got her into his mess. I actually feel bad for her." I covered my face with both of my hands and smile. It seemed my plan to gain their trust was working pre