PROLOGUE

SEBASTIAN'S POV

"Sir, pang-siyam na applicant na po 'yon."

I didn't bother looking at the woman who had just walked out of my office. I simply signed the evaluation form before placing it on top of the rejected pile. Nine applicants in one day, yet none of them managed to convince me that they deserved the position.

Mr. Reyes let out another exhausted sigh. I could already tell what he was about to say even before he opened his mouth.

"Sir, if you reject the last applicant, wala na po tayong ibang iinterviewhin."

I looked up from the documents on my desk and met his worried expression.

"So?"

"Halos isang taon na po tayong naghahanap ng bagong maid. Every month, we interview ten applicants, but none of them gets hired because they fail to meet your standards."

I closed the folder in front of me and leaned back on my chair.

"They applied for the job. The least they could do is prove they're capable of doing it."

"But, Sir—"

"If they can't even impress me during an interview, what makes you think they'll survive working in this mansion?"

Mr. Reyes fell silent. He had been working for my family long enough to know that once I had made up my mind, no one could change it.

"Is there anyone left?"

He nodded. "Isa na lang po."

"Send her in."

Without another word, he walked out of my office.

I picked up the last resume from the stack and glanced at the applicant's name, but I didn't bother reading the rest. I had already decided how this interview would end.

A few seconds later, three soft knocks echoed from the other side of the door.

"Come in." the door slowly opened.

"Good morning, Sir."

I kept my eyes on the resume.

"Name."

"Maevis Scarlett Bellamy."

"Age."

"Twenty-three."

"Any experience as a maid?" There was a brief pause before she answered.

"Wala po."

I almost sighed another applicant with no experience I was about to tell her that the interview was over when I instinctively lifted my head.

For the first time that day, I actually looked at the person standing in front of me.

She wasn't wearing anything extravagant. Just a simple white blouse tucked into black slacks, with a worn brown envelope clutched in her hands. She looked nothing like the previous applicants who tried so hard to leave a good impression.

I was about to dismiss her the same way I did with the others. After all, she had no experience, and I wasn't interested in wasting my time training someone from scratch. But the moment I looked up, the words I was about to say never came out.

There was something about the woman standing in front of me that made me hesitate. She looked ordinary nothing flashy, nothing remarkable yet she met my gaze without a hint of fear.

Most applicants would avoid eye contact the moment I questioned them but she didn't. Instead of asking her to leave, I closed the folder in my hand and rested it on the table.

"You have no experience." I asked her

"Yes, Sir."

"Then convince me. Give me one reason why I shouldn't ask you to leave right now."

"Because I need this job, Sir."

"Everyone who comes here says the same thing."

"I know."

"Then give me a reason."

She lowered her eyes for a moment before speaking again.

"My younger brother has cancer. She's been in a coma for months, and the hospital has already warned me that they won't continue her treatment if I can't settle the bills. I've been applying everywhere, but no one wants to hire someone without experience."

She looked at me without a trace of self-pity.

"I can't promise that I'll be perfect, but I can promise that I'll work harder than anyone you hire."

I stayed quiet, letting her words sink in. Most applicants would've begged or cried by now. but she didn't. She simply waited for my answer, ready to accept whatever decision I made.

I closed the resume and slid it across the table.

"You'll start tomorrow."