Island of Desire with My Billionaire (English)

The soft hum of dozens of voices echoed across the production floor. The sound of rapidly pressed keyboards, continuously ringing phones, and overlapping English conversations of call center agents busy with their customers all blended together. In the spacious office filled with white light from the ceiling, there was hardly an empty cubicle left. And on that night, Alyssa Reyes was facing two monitors while carefully typing notes into a customer account. She was wearing a black headset, her long curly hair was tied in a loose bun, and there were obvious traces of exhaustion under her eyes.

But despite her situation, the sweet smile on her lips never faded.

"Thank you for calling. My name is Alyssa. How may I help you today?" Her voice was gentle.

That voice that she never thought would be the reason she was still alive today. That was the reason she had money for her everyday needs.

If there was one thing Alyssa was proud of in her five years of being a call center agent, it was her ability to smile even when the person she was talking to couldn't see her.

Customer service, as they say. Smile through your voice.

She had heard that line thousands of times during training. And up until now, her body did it automatically.

"Yes, sir. I completely understand your concern."

She bit the inside of her lip when she heard the customer's endless complaints. He had been talking for more than ten minutes, just saying the same things over and over. Honestly, she just wanted to tell him that it was his own fault why his account got locked.

But of course, she needed to be professional even though all she was receiving were curses.

"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, Sir."

While waiting for the system to load, she looked at the small digital clock on the side of her monitor.

6:57 A.M.

Just three more minutes, and her five-year life as a call center agent would finally end. She didn't realize she was smiling. A strange feeling enveloped her chest.

It wasn't sadness, and she wasn't exactly happy either. But she felt like she could finally breathe freely. It was as if she had been carrying a heavy backpack for five years, and she could finally put it down.

She continued listening to the customer while her mind wandered. She remembered her first day at that company. She was only twenty years old back then. She almost cried when she first received an irritable customer.

But now? She could talk to any American without even feeling nervous.

She let out a sigh. Time really did fly so fast.

"Your request has already been processed, sir."

A few seconds passed. She heard the familiar sound of the system.

Call Ended.

She looked at the monitor. She slowly removed the headset from her ears. And for the first time in five years, she would never wear it again.

She remained seated while looking at the headset resting on the table. It was just a headset, but she had worn it on her head for thousands of hours. She had talked to thousands of customers using it.

"Goodbye..."

She whispered softly while gently touching the earmuffs of the headset. She didn't expect to get emotional. She thought she was just excited for everything to be over. But now that she was here at the end, she realized there was also a slight pinch in her heart.

"Well!" A familiar voice suddenly broke the silence. "What's with the drama?"

She jumped slightly when two hands suddenly covered her eyes.

"Oh! Mae!"

The woman removed her hands and spun around to face her. She was still wearing her headset while grinning.

"Is your shift over?"

Alyssa nodded. "Yes."

Mae was quiet for a moment and then she smiled.

"Congratulations."

It was just a simple word. But it was enough for tears to form in the corners of Alyssa's eyes.

"Hey!" Mae immediately pinched her cheek. "The birthday girl is not allowed to cry!"

Before she could even answer, the lights across the entire production floor suddenly went out, and then she heard music playing. And even if she were asleep, she would probably still know what music she was hearing.

Happy birthday to you...

Her coworkers slowly approached. Everyone was singing, and one of her workmates was even carrying a cake. And everyone brought a gift for her. She didn't know how she should react at that moment. All she knew was that she just wanted to cry.

"Come on!" She laughed softly as tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

She hadn't expected this. She thought she would just go home quietly. But it seemed the people who had become her family for five years had different plans.

Their team leader approached while holding the cake.

"Make a wish, Alyssa."

She quietly stared at the candle. She was twenty-five years old now. And on the first day of the new year of her life, she was jobless.

It was funny and scary, but somehow, it was exciting. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Lord... I don't know where You will take me after this, but I hope I become happier."

She gently blew out the candle. At the same time, the whole team clapped loudly. And she didn't know that, while she was happily surrounded by people who cared for her...

~

The employees slowly started going home.

The previously noisy production floor began to quiet down. Some of the office lights turned off one by one as the agents for the next shift took their places.

Meanwhile, Alyssa stood in the middle of her cubicle. She looked at the small space that had been her world for five years. She gently touched the desk.

"Bye." she whispered softly before walking out of the production floor.

The tote bag hanging on her shoulder was heavy. All the gifts she received could barely fit inside. It had turned into a mix of assorted gifts because there were so many. She hadn't even opened all of them yet, but it felt like she wasn't excited, or maybe she was just really sad because tomorrow, she would no longer have a job.

"Why did you even resign without having a backup plan? You're so stupid, aren't you? What is this? Just leaving it all up to fate?" she asked herself while laughing. "Whatever, the important thing is you got out of that toxic environment."

As she walked out of the building, she was immediately greeted by the cold breeze. Rush hour had just ended. There were employees rushing into their offices. There were students carrying backpacks. There were delivery riders going back and forth.

While walking toward the waiting shed, she noticed something hard hitting her arm from inside the tote bag.

She stopped under the shade of a tree and carefully placed the bag on the concrete bench. She took out its contents one by one. She smiled as she read some of the small notes attached to the gifts.

"Don't forget us!"

"Come back when you're okay, alright?"

"Good luck with your future!"

She laughed. "They're really crazy."

But while she was organizing her things, she noticed an envelope. It was matte black and did not look like the other gift envelopes. It was thicker and more elegant. It felt like velvet when touched.

She frowned. "Oh! I wonder who gave this?"

She flipped the card over, but there was no name written on it and no greeting either. There was absolutely nothing written on it. But there was a weird gold logo engraved in the middle. It looked like a family crest of a very wealthy clan.

She had never seen it before.

"This is so fancy," she said softly.

She carefully opened the envelope and almost gasped when she saw what was inside. It wasn't paper, nor was it a gift certificate, but rather a black card. It was shiny, slightly heavy, and cold to the touch. It was obviously not ordinary plastic and it even looked like it was made of metal.

When she held it up to the sunlight, the engraved gold letters shined.

WELCOME TO ISLA VERDE

Below it, something was written in a smaller font.

"This Black Invitation grants exclusive access to Isla Verde. Transportation has already been arranged."

She blinked.

"Huh?" Transportation? She shook her head. "What an extravagant prank."

She tried flipping the card over. The back was just simple black, but there was something different. There was a small symbol that sparkled when hit by light.

She couldn't understand why, but while holding the card, she felt like it wasn't a toy. It looked very expensive to make. It seemed like something that wasn't just casually made.

"Who could this be from?"

Her coworkers entered her mind one by one. Mae? Her team leader? Her manager?

Impossible. Why would they give her something like this? While she was thinking, she suddenly heard the faint hum of an engine.

She turned around, and right there, a very long black luxury van slowly came to a stop right in front of her.

She gasped. "Whoa..."

She wasn't into cars, but probably anyone who saw it would immediately know it was extremely expensive. Its black paint was glossy, and she could almost see her own reflection on its side.

The sliding door opened quietly. Along with that, a man in his fifties stepped out.

He was wearing a black suit and white gloves. And he seemed very used to being a chauffeur.

He approached her. He stopped about two meters away. Then he bowed slightly.

"Good morning." His voice was deep but polite. "Miss Alyssa Reyes."

Her eyes widened. "Pardon?"

How did he know her name?

The older man smiled slightly.

"Happy twenty-fifth birthday, Miss."

She froze even more. She felt like time suddenly slowed down. She looked around.

Was this a prank? Was there a camera? A vlog? But she saw no one around.

"I am Alyssa."

"Good," the man said. "Your transportation is ready."

She looked at the black card she was holding. Then at the van, and then she looked back at the man.

"Transportation?"

He nodded. "You have been invited to Isla Verde."

She laughed. "Sir, if this is a prank, you've already won."

The older man didn't even smile. Instead, he gently brought out a tablet. It showed her picture. As well as her birthday, her full name, and even the time she clocked out from work.

"Everything has been prepared for your arrival, Miss."

The smile slowly faded from Alyssa's lips. This no longer looked like a joke. And it certainly didn't look like a scam.

"Is it really free?" she suddenly asked.

The chauffeur blinked. "Excuse me?"

"This is free, right? You aren't going to charge me? Because, Sir, you really won't get anything out of me right now since I just resigned from my job."

The older man only smiled slightly now.

"No, Miss. Everything has already been paid."

Her face lit up. "Really?"

He nodded, and a moment later she scratched her head. She didn't have a job anymore anyway.

It was also her birthday. The trip was free. The resort was supposedly free. And if this was a prank, it looked like they spent a huge amount of money on it.

She laughed at herself. "Alyssa, you only live once. Just try it."

She took a deep breath. Then she slung her tote bag over her shoulder again.

"Okay."

She smiled at the chauffeur. "Let's go."

He bowed gently before offering his hand as a sign of respect.

"Welcome, Miss Alyssa."

As she got into the luxurious van, she didn't realize that the door slowly closed behind her. Along with its soft sound, it was as if the door to her old life had completely closed as well.

And a journey began that she never thought would change her destiny.