Chapter 3

Instead of going back to my desk, I chose to head straight to the restroom rather than listen to the office gossip.

Upon entering the bathroom, I hurried to the sink. I couldn't hold it back anymore. My tears just suddenly started to flow.

I didn't know which hurt more, the things Tirso said in the meeting, or the whispering outside. Both were heavy. Both tore down my self-worth.

I gripped the edge of the sink, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. “You can do this, Irene. Please. Just a little more strength,” I whispered to myself.

I felt the door open behind me. Three women. The ones who were always gossiping in the pantry.

I quickly ducked into one of the stalls.

“Unbelievable, right? It’s like she fails every single week.”

“Maybe she’s just trying to get Sir Tirso’s attention.”

“With a performance that pathetic, even if she tried to be seductive, Sir Tirso wouldn't give her the time of day.”

Then they all laughed together.

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists. I knew they were talking about me, even without mentioning a name, it was clear. I was the only one humiliated in the meeting.

I stepped back slightly. I wanted to come out once it was quiet, but before I could even open the door, I winced as cold water poured over me from above, a bucket of water.

“Oops! Sorry! I thought this was where we dumped the water,” one said from outside before they laughed again.

"Let's go, girls. Looks like she’s been refreshed."

My blouse was soaked, as were my slacks. My whole body went cold. I wanted to pull their hair, scream at them, fight back. But I remained frozen where I stood. Not because I was weak, but because I was just so tired.

I silently wiped my face with a tissue and turned on the hand dryer. I tried to dry my sleeves even just a little. But it was no use. It was still so cold.

I went back to my workstation as if nothing had happened. I sat down, opened my laptop again, and continued the report Tirso had assigned earlier.

As I typed, my fingers were still shaking. Not just from the cold, but from the shame, the frustration, and the resentment.

The most painful part? No one noticed. It was like I was invisible. Even my officemate sitting right next to me didn't even wonder why I was wet. Nothing. No one cared. Maybe they were just as fed up with me being a failure.

But I won’t leave. I won’t give up.

It was past eight in the evening. I was the only one left on the floor. It was dark outside. The whole office was silent, except for the sound of my keyboard.

“Almost done,” I said while adjusting the format of the slides.

I suddenly stopped when a voice came through the intercom.

“Ms. Ang, office. Now.”

It was the voice of my boss, Tirso.

I bit my lip. Carrying my laptop, I stood up even though I was still trembling. As I walked toward his office, I wiped the wet parts of my blouse again. It wasn't that wet anymore, but I could still feel the damp stickiness.

Standing in front of his office door, I took a deep breath before knocking three times.

“Come in.”

I entered without looking at him, head bowed, sensing the atmosphere.

“Sit.”

I sat in front of him. I couldn't look at him directly.

“Can you explain this?” he said, showing one of the slides I had submitted in the past few days.

I had revised that several times already, but he still seemed unsatisfied.

I swallowed hard. “That was from the revised file, sir. I added the projections for Q3... and—”

“Exactly. The projections are wrong.”

I froze. “Sir, I rechecked the figures earlier—”

“Rechecked? Seriously?” He raised his voice at me, seemingly holding back. I knew he was extremely annoyed with me again.

I felt my cheeks burn with the shame he wanted to rub in my face once more.

“Do you even understand what this account means for us? This is not just some school presentation, Irene. We're talking about multi-million peso clients here. This is real business. Real stakes.”

“I'm sorry, sir... I—”

“Stop saying sorry. That doesn't fix anything.” He stood up and approached where I was sitting, looking down at me. “Why do you keep messing up? You’ve been here for months, but it’s like there’s still no progress. Do you even want this job?”

I bit my tongue. “Yes, Sir. I do.”

“Then act like it. I'm not paying you to just go around and mess things up or be the subject of office gossip. If you can’t handle pressure, there’s the door.”

I felt devastated by what he said, unable to move from my seat.

“I just talked to you, Irene. Are we just going in circles? I want improvements from you. You’re hardworking. I see that, but why does it feel like you’re moving backward?"

I looked at him. Straight into his eyes. With all the courage I had, even though tears were welling up.

“I’m doing my best. Maybe it’s not enough for you, but I’m trying. I might not be able to make everything perfect, but at least I’m not giving up on it.”

He went silent for a moment. Just staring. No reaction or emotion could be seen in his eyes.

I held his gaze. Still trembling, forcing myself not to cry.

He sighed, turned away, and sat back down. “Just send the corrected deck before midnight. Redo all your work. I want to see it done right the first time. I don't want to keep repeating myself, Irene."

I nodded. I stood up and started to walk out. But as I was about to close the door, I heard the last thing he said that made me pause for a moment.

“What happened to you?”

Instead of answering, I didn't look back and finally stepped out.

I didn't care if he thought I was being rude or if he was concerned. I just wanted this night to end.

As I walked, I quickly brushed away the tear that rolled down my cheek.

"I can still do this, I'll make it through..."