Chapter 3

"What's the matter with you? You broke Sir Byron's plate, you weren't careful."

I ignored Ms. Lucy. I understand why she is mad at me, but if I tell her why that happened to me earlier, will she understand? The answer is vague. They don't understand because they are not in my situation, my family is involved here. What I heard before, the mention of my Dad’s name was the collapse of my world again. Debt? Getting married to pay off our family debt? For their son Byron to have a child, which is obvious from his previous behavior, it is no longer good. I can't agree, whoever they give Father to our siblings, I can't agree — wait, Mariz!

I don't know if many people are looking at me now while I am removing my uniform, I want to go home.

"What's going on? Your shift isn't over yet," Jenny whispered to me as she also helped me get dressed.

"I have to go home, I'll talk to my parents."

"How did this happen before, you might lose your job?" traces in her voice the worry. I looked at the person who had just entered the locker room. Daniel.

"I will accompany you," he offered. I shook my head, he couldn't be bothered.

"Your shift isn't over yet, I don't know if I'll lose my job after today. I need to talk to them now." I said and then turned my back on them towards our exit.

"Amanda." I stopped when I heard Ms. Lucy, I slowly turned to her and there was another trace of anger on her face. "I'm sorry, but you're fired."

I heard the breathing of my colleagues, I was no longer surprised. I knew this would happen with the little mistake I had made earlier. I will admit it hurts inside me that I was fired but I am reluctant to argue or even fight this job of mine, I am depressed. I have no energy right now.

"De Mevius is our best and biggest client, he is angry with you for what you did. It would have been okay if it was another customer but the De Mevius family is the one you sinned against even if it was small, they are a nightmare to many." I just smiled at what she said at length and then I nodded. Do I have a choice?

"Thank you, Ms. Lucy. And I'm sorry," I said and then turned to my colleagues with a smirk, refraining from crying in front of them. "Be careful and be organized so that you don't be like me. Avoid the name De Mevius."

I kept turning my back on them and when I came out, there I shed the tears I had been wanting to let out. My chest tightened, I was having a hard time getting into my mind what had happened. By my simple mistake, I lost something again. I will think about it again where I apply for a job. I wiped away the tears that were on my cheeks and then waited for the jeepney.

I was about to get into the jeep when it stopped when someone suddenly pulled over to my side, I looked at him in shock. I even watched him wearing his uniform. "D-daniel, what are you doing here?" I wondered.

"It's late and maybe you'll still be able to. I'll be with you." I frowned at what he said.

"Your shift isn't over yet, is it? Come back—"

"Will you come in or just flirt?" I looked at the woman who said, Daniel and I looked at each other before getting into the jeepney.

"Why did you follow?" I whispered.

"Don't worry, I said goodbye to Ms. Lucy and she agreed, she said she would just reduce my salary." I felt a headache when I heard those words from him, I knew a lot would be deducted from his salary then. I hope he just didn’t.

"It's a waste of time, Daniel. I can go home alone."

"No Amanda, there's nothing you can do because I'm already here. It's dangerous on the road so let me take you." I was always bitten when he was so close to me, the few passengers were so close that I could feel the air from his mouth when he whispered and I wasn't happy with how I felt, I was nervous. But that shouldn't be what I think, I have an even bigger problem to face when I get off this jeep. So I let him do what he wanted.

When the jeep stopped and we immediately got off, he went first and then he helped me even though it was not necessary. I know their house is still far away and I don't know why he came down with me.

"You shouldn't have come down, you should have gone straight to yours." I stopped first to face him.

"I'll take you, Amanda. If I can, I won't go home until you're okay." I averted my eyes, he didn't know what was happening to me but I knew he could see something worse than what I was going through.

We also walked while talking on the road.

"That's just work. I can look for others." That’s not true because it’s hard to find a job nowadays.

"That's not what I mean, as long as you need sympathy for everything I'm just here. Not because I'm going to court you but because I want you to feel like someone else cares about you."

I want to hug him now, I want to pour into him the hardship I am going through in life.

I smiled at him when we reached the front of the house of my parents, the house was still lit so I knew they were still awake. "Thank you, Daniel. You can count on me to approach you if I need sympathy," I said. He smiled and messed up my hair. "Thanks for the accompaniment, be careful." He nodded and smiled even more.

"Just call me if you're going to cry," he said. I just nodded and then asked him to leave first.

 I turned to my parent's house and kept knocking. Mariz opened it, and she was surprised to see me.

"Let's go home," I said immediately and grabbed her arm but I heard Dad's voice to stop us.

"What are you doing here, Amanda?" in his baritone voice.

"To get Mariz," I replied coldly.

"Here she will sleep, we have plans tomorrow."

My ears were touched by what he said so I stopped and turned to him. When I entered the house, I put Mariz in the back. "Stay here," I said.

"Where are you going tomorrow, Dad?" I asked boldly, he was obviously nervous because he couldn't look at me. I shifted my gaze to Mom who also looked at me badly, she was on Dad's side. "So, where are you taking Mariz tomorrow?" I asked again.

"Your sister and I are just going somewhere." I nodded at him, why not tell me where they were going?

"Are you going to Mr. De Mevius, Dad?" they looked at me in shock, I don't think they expected what I would say. "Is that right Ma, Pa? You're going to make Mariz pay off your debt to the De Mevius family?" I'm still calm but as I say that, I feel like I'm being crushed.

"H-how do you know that unrealistic news, Amanda? Why would we sell your sister?" They can't even look at me, they're still lying.

"Mom, why Mariz? She's young? Sixteen years old but you're going to use her to pay the debt? Are you still human to do that to my sister?!"

"Don't shout!" My Dad shouted back at me that he was about to slap me but he did not when Mariz pulled me.

I could no longer contain my anger at them and my tears, I swallowed first before facing them with full courage. "Mom, Dad. I let what you did to Marla then that you didn't pursue justice for what happened to her. I didn't fight against what you wanted, to just let justice disappear and until now Marla still hasn't achieved it. But now, Mom, Dad. I won't let you do what you're going to do to Mariz. "

I'm done with them, even though they're my family, I won't let them do it again with Mariz, it's too much.

"What are you talking about? Are you going crazy again ?!" Mom shouted so I laughed. Acting like she doesn't know what I was talking about. I looked at Dad who now had a look of anger on his face.

"You know Bryan De Mevius, don't you? You owe that family and the plan you're going to pay is for your daughter to make their son marry, am I right?" He can't look at me directly.

"Well, how much do you owe them so we can pay it off. Just don't use my sister, I feel sorry for you." I find it hard to pronounce those words, I am fainting.

"We can't afford to pay that amount, it's just the way we don't have to think about big debt, Amanda!" I was even more angry at what Dad said. Is this the way? To dedicate my sister?

"The family is looking for a wife for their youngest child or even just a surrogate mother so that their youngest can have a child. Amanda, this is the only way so that you won't have any trouble thinking about paying our debt—"

"Bullshit!"

I could no longer take what they were saying, I could already hear Mariz sobbing behind me. I find it even harder, they are the one who destroyed us.

"Bullshit! Are you really our family? Why are you like that? We used to be fine, you made us feel that you love us very much and how important we are to you. What happened? Just because of the debt, Because of the money, will you forget us? Mom, Dad! We are not puppies that if we are no longer your favorites, you will just give and sell, we are human beings. We are your children ... "

I was sitting on the floor when I could no longer bear what I heard from their mouths, I felt Mariz support me. "Let's go home sister," she whispered to me in a cracked voice. I swallowed and lifted my head to look at them again.

"How much do you owe, I'll talk to De Mevius." Dad shook his head as if my words were hopeless and ineffective.

"Two million, Amanda. And if we don't pay, you'll be affected. It's hard to talk to De Mevius, we don't want you to be affected either. They'll kill us, Amanda." I was almost depressed especially when I heard that, two million? Why are they in debt two million?

I took a deep breath and stood up, adjusted myself and faced them. I held Mariz tightly in her arms. I don’t know if I’m going to do the right thing, maybe it’s the right thing to do so as not to ruin my family, especially Mariz. She is too young for this.

"Is it enough if I marry their son?"

They fell silent and looked at me in shock while I still looked up at them.

"Sister," Mariz's voice cracked. "There's no need for you to be the one to sacrifice again." I turned to her without emotion.

"I also won't let you pay the debt that you have nothing to do with." I turned back to my parents who still can't seem to believe it.

"I will marry their son, Byron De Mevius."