CHAPTER 2

She was on her way home when it suddenly started raining. She decided to wait for half an hour at a nearby coffee shop until the rain subsided.

As she was walking home, a speeding car suddenly stopped beside her, splashing mud onto her white dress. Frustrated, she shouted at the driver.

"Hey! Whoever's driving, could you be more careful? Do you think you own the road?" Lenie angrily exclaimed while trying to clean the mud off her white dress.

The driver rolled down his car window, also annoyed and seemingly in a hurry.

"Miss, that's not my fault. Besides, why are you even walking when it just rained? You should expect muddy roads! And you’re wearing white of all things. Ugh, such a waste of time!" the man said before rolling his window back up.

Lenie shook her head at the man’s behavior. Luckily, she memorized the car's license plate number. She vowed to get back at him if she ever saw him again.

"DVW 674. You'll regret it the next time I see you on the road! Ugh, he’s handsome, but his attitude is the worst! That car is lucky I just want to go home!” she fumed.

Once she got home, she immediately washed her clothes. She also told her mom about her ongoing job hunt. At first, her mother was worried, but after Lenie explained everything, she calmed down.

A few weeks later, Alice called her. She said there was something they needed to discuss. Lenie didn’t ask further, as she assumed it was about the job she was waiting for. Excited, she left the house without even saying goodbye to her mom.

“Alright, I’m on my way. It’s about time you called! I’ve been waiting for their response for so long,” Lenie said.

“Sorry for the delay. I forgot to follow up earlier. Anyway, just come to my house, okay? I’ll wait for you here,” Alice replied before ending the call.

When Lenie arrived at Alice’s house, she was surprised to find no one there except for a crying baby in a crib. She couldn’t believe that Alice had a child. They had been friends for a long time, but Alice never once mentioned her love life. She tried calling Alice’s number, but it was unreachable.

Her world seemed to crumble. First, her ex-boyfriend Dexter deceived her, and now her friend Alice had betrayed her, too. To make things worse, Alice left her child in Lenie’s care.

A week later, Lenie went to Ramirez Group of Companies (RCG) to apply for a job. Fortunately, she remembered asking Alice where she worked before she disappeared. For Lenie, any position would do as long as she could have a job.

When it was her turn for the interview, she was shocked to see that the man she had an argument with on the road was the one conducting the interview.

“You?!” Lenie almost shouted.

“Miss Santos, kindly lower your voice,” the man responded, seemingly not recognizing her.

Lenie decided not to remind him of their previous encounter. She didn’t want to jeopardize her chances of getting hired.

Despite her annoyance, Lenie went through with the interview.

“Miss Santos, I see here that you’ve submitted your resume before. What happened? Why didn’t you proceed?” the man asked.

Taken aback by his serious demeanor and good looks, Lenie froze for a moment and stared at him.

“Miss Santos, are you okay? Why are you spacing out? You’re not even answering my question,” the man said seriously, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Lenie suddenly remembered that Alice had submitted her resume on her behalf. She initially thought Alice hadn’t followed through because of her betrayal.

“Ah, I got busy, Sir. But I’m ready to start working at RCG now,” Lenie replied.

“It’s a shame; you were already approved back then. Well, you’re approved now as well, so there’s no problem. You’re hired, Miss Santos,” the man said, not even cracking a smile.

Lenie was shocked. She thought she had no chance of getting hired at the company.

“W-What? Really? Thank you, Sir!” she exclaimed, her annoyance momentarily forgotten.

In her excitement, she grabbed the man’s hand and shook it vigorously. She only realized what she was doing when he spoke.

“Miss Santos?”

“Ah, sorry, Sir. I’m just really happy,” Lenie said, embarrassed. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole when she realized she was holding his hand.

She quickly let go, grabbed her bag, and said goodbye.

As she was about to leave, the man called her back and asked if she had a child. Lenie remembered that RCG didn’t allow employees with children.

“Miss Santos, do you have a child?”

“Ah, no, Sir. I’m single,” Lenie replied, lying even though it hurt. She was doing this for Javi, the child left in her care.

“Good. Then you’re good to go. Thank you, Miss Santos,” the man said, finally smiling at her.

Lenie left the office, feeling relieved that she finally had a job again. When she got home, she immediately shared the good news with her mother.