Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next day, the Lazaro family was having a meeting, and Frederick's loud laughter filled the entire confession room.

"What’s so funny, Fred? Do you have something to tell us?" asked one of his cousins, as all of their relatives turned to look at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Well, you see, Anna’s going to have Esteban take her to the meeting—what on earth will that trash wear? It's embarrassing! And if the company owner sees him, there’s no way they’ll accept the offer because she brought trash with her." He laughed loudly, and the others joined in, agreeing with what Frederick said.

He thought that if the owner saw Esteban, both he and Anna would be humiliated, and as a result, Anna’s efforts to connect with the company would fail. The responsibility would then shift to Frederick. Their grandmother would favor him instead, and more importantly, Esteban would be pushed out of the family’s path—something Frederick had long wanted. They had been plotting ways to intensify the pressure on Esteban.

Meanwhile, Anna and Esteban were talking.

"Are you sure you want to pick me up?"

"Don't you want me to?" Anna raised an eyebrow at Esteban’s question, while Esteban looked away and scratched his head.

He didn’t understand why he felt relieved when Anna told him not to hide and wait elsewhere, but to meet her right in front of the company. He felt joy at hearing that from her. He had wanted to do that for a long time but had never had the courage. He didn’t even know how Anna found out about his habits. Maybe because they had grown close, she thought it was time to improve how she treated him—and she was starting with a small act.

"It’s not that... I just might embarrass you because..."

"Because of what? Because your clothes aren't presentable? Then I wouldn’t have let you take me today, right?" Esteban gave her a shy smile at her words.

"Thank you, Anna." Esteban stopped and faced Anna. Their eyes met, filled with unspoken affection. Even if Anna didn’t show it outwardly, she knew deep down she was happy just walking with Esteban to the company.

"I should be the one thanking you. But..." She stopped and turned toward the building. They had arrived at the Desmond Estate company. "I’m nervous, Esteban. What if I fail? What if we really do get evicted?" Her face fell as she turned back to him.

Esteban took a deep breath and held her shoulders. "I told you, just trust yourself. The owner is a close friend of mine," he said to reassure her.

Anna still couldn’t understand how someone like Esteban knew such a powerful person, but she set the thought aside. It was time to go in.

"I’ll wait for you here. Good luck." Esteban kissed her forehead, surprising Anna. His gesture made her even more nervous.

Anna walked slowly inside and was surprised that no one asked for her ID or questioned her at the information desk—they even smiled at her.

"Good morning, Ma’am. This way please," said a woman in a black uniform. Though confused, Anna followed her. "Sir Flavio will arrive later, so I’ll accompany you to his office to wait," the woman added.

Anna was puzzled by the name, thinking perhaps he was the owner. No matter how long it took, she was willing to wait as long as she could win the owner's trust—for her family’s sake.

When they arrived at the floor of the person they were waiting for, Anna silently observed the surroundings. She was thrilled to be inside a new and especially large company.

‘He must be very rich,’ she thought.

"Good morning, Sir!" greeted the employees as a tall man stepped out of the elevator. Anna immediately stood up, and the nervousness she had felt earlier intensified when she saw the imposing figure approaching.

He was tall, professional-looking, with sharp features. He walked toward her.

"Hello, Ms. Anna. I’m Flavio, the right-hand man of the owner. I’m sorry, but he can’t make it today—he had something more important to attend to than this. But I assure you, your visit won’t be in vain." Anna furrowed her brow at his words. So, Flavio wasn’t the owner—meaning the owner wasn’t the one she was meeting today.

"Let’s talk in my office. The contract is waiting."

"Wait, Mr. Flavio. Am I allowed to sign the contract even if the owner isn’t here?" Anna asked hesitantly.

"Yes, don’t worry. The owner gave permission, and to be honest, my signature is just as important as his." Flavio smiled widely, which made Anna a bit uneasy.

There was nothing she could do.

"Here’s the contract," said Flavio, handing it to Anna. Her hand trembled as she held the document, barely believing she was about to sign it.

"Should I sign it now?" she asked softly. Flavio nodded.

"Yes, and I’ll be in charge of this project with you, Ms. Lazaro."

Anna immediately signed the contract and handed it back to Flavio, who also signed it. Anna looked at the paper tearfully—in her mind, this meant they wouldn’t be evicted anymore. She had successfully connected with Desmond Estate Corporation.

"Thank you so much, Sir. I promise I won’t let you down," Anna said joyfully. Flavio extended his hand toward Anna.

"Welcome, partner. Let’s turn this partnership into something big." Their handshake sealed Anna’s victory in the mission entrusted to her.

‘Grandma and my parents will be so happy when they find out!’ she thought excitedly.

"I need to go now, Ms. Anna. It was nice meeting you, and I hope we work well together on this project."

"Thank you so much, sir."

She still couldn’t believe how fast everything happened. Then again, Esteban knew the owner—but even so, she couldn’t believe she had signed the contract.

She walked out of the company happily, and when she saw Esteban waiting outside, she ran toward him.

"Esteban!" she called, and he turned to her with a smile. She stopped and surprised him with a hug.

"I did it—I signed the contract. Thank you, Esteban. Thank you so, so much." Anna couldn’t hold back her tears of joy. Without Esteban’s help, she couldn’t have done it.

Esteban hugged her tightly, happy to see her happy. He had always wanted to bring her joy, and now, it was beginning.

"Let’s celebrate. Let’s eat. Where do you want to go?" he asked, and Anna was surprised by the offer. "It’s my treat," Esteban added.

"Do you still have money?" she asked.

"I do, and we’ll just eat at a food stall—I only have fifty pesos." Anna just shook her head at his playful attitude.

As they walked away from the company, Esteban subtly glanced back and looked at a man watching them. They nodded at each other, as if silently acknowledging a shared success.