“What about I try giving her a call to see if she’s still up?” I suggested.“Sounds good,” Ace replied casually. After giving my mother a call, we found out that she was beyond delighted to have us over for a late night visit. The way my mother smiled and how her eyes lit up when she saw Ace standing in front of her door made me wonder if she was more pleased to see him or her own daughter. “What a pleasant surprise! Welcome. Please come inside,” my mother greeted us with a wide smile. “I apologize for turning up so late like this,” Ace said apologetically. “Not at all. I’m very happy that you two are here. Thank you for driving Rina all the way here,” she said as she beckoned us to enter. Stepping inside my home felt immediately calming. The familiar sight and smell of the place reminded me of all the fond memories that I share with my mother. I wasn’t at all surprised that nothing seemed to have changed given the time that I was away. My mother seemed to be in high spirits, and
**A few months later**“What do you mean? You’re really quitting?” I asked as shock took over me. “Keep your voice down…” Richard warned as he looked around to see if anyone had overheard us. That was when I realized that I had raised my voice without meaning to. I was just too shocked when he suddenly told me that he was quitting his job at the end of the month. That meant that there was a little more than a week until his last day at the company. I never imagined that Richard of all people would be the one to leave the company first out of everyone else at the CEO’s office. He was so serious about his job and is also well known for his loyalty to the company. “Did something…bad happen to you after the merger or something?” I asked while stating my best guess. “Not at all. Everything is fine. It’s just the choice that I made, and it has nothing to do with the company. There’s nothing wrong with the company,” he replied firmly. “I see…” I murmured.I didn’t dare ask why he was qu
“You can take your time. There’s honestly no rush but it would be nice if you can just decide and come join me already,” Ace said before laughing a little. “It’s…a little complicated for me,” I confessed softly. “I think I know what you’re thinking, Rina…” he said.I was surprised to see the sudden solemn look that crossed his face. It made me feel like he might actually understand what was going through my mind at that moment and all the worries that I was facing. “I’d still like to support you in the meantime while I’m still making my decision. So, if there’s anything that I can do, just let me know,” I said before trying my best to smile. “Thank you, Rina. Don’t worry about my business, just focus on your work,” Ace replied. We didn’t discuss anything beyond that regarding my potential career move. Ace probably knew what I was worried about and had decided against pushing me. I was thankful that he was leaving this important decision up to me. Sometimes I hoped that I was brav
It was frankly such an amazing feat because I was certain that these two were rising stars in their respective fields and well known within the industry. “Since Richard and I are here, we’re good for planning and marketing. Now, if only we have someone who can help us with the design and creatives,” Julianna said before smiling meaningfully my way. “Don’t say that. You’ll just end up pressuring Rina into joining us,” Ace said with a small laugh. “But she should just join us. Right, Rina? I don’t even know why you’re hesitating for so long,” Julianna said. As always, she was very direct with her words. She was also right that if I were to join Ace’s company along with them then they would have someone to work on designs and creatives. “Don’t worry. We’ll have more people joining us soon in a couple of weeks,” Ace said happily. “Sounds good,” Richard said emotionlessly. “I don’t mind working in a small team as long as everyone is talented and motivated. That being said, having a
All I could do was nod my head as I felt Ace loop an arm around my shoulders to support me up. Everything felt like a blur, and I couldn’t think straight. All the ominous thoughts that ran through my head were too distracting. Ace led me to the car and then we were on our way to see my mother at the hospital.“It’s going to be alright, Rina. We’ll get to the hospital soon and then we can talk to the doctor about your mother’s condition,” Ace said calmly as he continued driving.Ace said something of that effect time and time again as he assured me repeatedly that everything was going to be fine. I prayed that nothing was seriously wrong with my mother. We just visited her not so long ago and she seemed fine. I promised that I would go back to see her soon and more often. Back then, I had no idea that something like this would happen and now I was scared that everything just might be too late. The feeling of guilt overwhelmed me, and I realized that I would never forgive myself if some
“You’re right but I still can’t stop worrying,” I replied followed by a loud sigh.My mind felt so bogged down with various heavy thoughts as we drove to a nearby hotel. Ace remained silent as if he was giving me time to recover from the shock. I was thinking of so many things all at once that it made it hard for me to focus. The unbearable feeling of guilt made it very clear to me that I had to do something to change the situation before it became too late. I didn’t like to regret the decisions that I’ve made, but at that moment, I began regretting my choice of moving to the big city and away from home.It felt like a necessity at the time when I was chasing money just to make ends meet for both me and my mother. Then it was about chasing my dream career so that I would get to do what I wanted to do with my life. My mother had been nothing but supportive of ever since I was very young, and she was still supportive of me up until today. She never complained and always put me first. So
**Around a month later**After making the decision to quit my job and move to work with Ace so that we could be closer to my mother, I submitted my resignation formally into the system. Given the thirty day notice period, that meant that I had one month left at my old job. That one month passed by in the blink of an eye with the many loose ends that I had to tie up. “It’s going to be your last day here soon. I’m still finding it hard to believe,” Elizabeth said as she stared at me from her side of the table. “I’m finding it hard to believe too. Thank you for your support and sorry for all the mess, I guess…” I said. “Not at all. I’m happy that Ace seems to be happy. He’s off doing something of his own now and you’re about to join him,” she said without much excitement. “You’re running this big empire,” I pointed out. “Things are so busy, and I’ve lost quite a few good people,” she said before rolling her eyes. “I was surprised to hear about the deal that you made with Ace,” I co
There was just too much paper and we probably needed a few trips to transport it all out even if we had a trolley. Ace began looking through the folders as if he was looking for something in particular.“Are you looking for something?” I asked with the hope that I could help him search for whatever it was that he was looking for. “No need. I’ve already found it,” he said as he took a folder out of the cabinet. I watched curiously as he opened the folder and began flipping through the pages of a document. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see very clearly what he was looking at. It did surprise me that Ace seemed to care about this past work now all of a sudden when he showed no interest in it before. Someone had told him that his old works were all disposed of and he seemed fine about it. “Let’s go. I already got what I came here for,” he told me casually. “That’s it? I mean, you’re not going to take the rest of it with you?” I asked in slight confusion. I honestly thought th