Chapter 2

Joy walked mindlessly along the street.

She felt the weight of every step. It was like her feet had ropes pulling them down. The heat of the cement pierced through the soles of her feet. Her sweat stuck to her back, her neck, and under her blouse.

Her body was very tired and she was also very hungry. Her stomach was already growling. The popcorn and taho that were supposed to ease her hunger seemed to just melt away when she fought with the snatcher.

She already had no fare, and her twenty pesos was even taken. It was really sad. Maybe when heaven gave out luck, she was still snoring in her bed so she had no luck left.

She held her bag tightly to her chest, as if at any moment someone would attack again and grab it. With every man that passed beside her, she would slightly dodge.

"It is really too much," she whispered to herself. "It was only twenty pesos, and he still took it."

Finally, she saw the pedestrian lane. On the other side was the jeepney stop going to their dorm. Just one crossing and a little patience, and she could go home.

She took a deep breath and stepped towards the side of the road.

She was about to cross when she heard continuous shouting.

"Miss! Miss! Wait a minute!"

Her head turned automatically. That was a reflex for anyone who heard that kind of calling. Even if she was tired, her radar for gossip was very much alive.

Her eyes searched for where the voice came from.

There was a man wearing long sleeves and slacks, who seemed unused to running in this heat, running towards the pedestrian lane where she stood. He was panting and sweating heavily. It was obvious he came from a nice place and was not used to the streets.

She looked around at the people nearby.

No one was paying attention to the man she was looking at now, so she got even more confused.

It seemed like she was the only one being called.

She shrugged. "That is not me," she whispered to herself and stepped forward again.

"Wait a minute, Miss!"

She stopped.

Her forehead quickly creased.

What is his problem? Why not just say the name of the person he is calling? There are so many women here. He keeps saying Miss.

But her forehead creased even more when she noticed that he was looking straight at her.

At her.

Not at other women.

He was really looking only at her.

She stared at him carefully and observed his face. Maybe he was a previous customer. Maybe he forgot to pay. Maybe he had a debt. Or maybe she offered him before and he only wants to buy now. Or maybe he really has a debt and wants to pay today.

I hope so, she whispered to herself. Even just two hundred pesos would be okay for her.

"Are you calling me?" she asked, almost whispering. She might just be assuming and get embarrassed.

Finally, the man came close. He bent down for a moment, holding his knees and trying hard to catch his breath.

"It is you," he answered between pants. "You walk so fast, wow."

She rolled her eyes.

Well if you were robbed in the middle of the day, would you not hurry? Even if it was only twenty, that was still her fare.

"Who are you?" she asked the man, looking straight at him. She did not smile. She did not try to be friendly. "What do you need from me?"

She fixed her grip on her bag. She tucked it under her arm. If this was part two of the robbery, she was ready. Even if her umbrella was her only weapon.

The man observed her for a moment. Like he was measuring something.

"Can I know your name?"

She stopped and became more intrigued. Why would he want to know her name? She did not even know him. He also did not look like a vitamin agent.

"Are you crazy?" she answered directly. "Hey, if you bought vitamins from me before, they are legit, okay? I have suppliers from abroad. Even if you report me to the FDA—"

"Miss," he interrupted quickly, smiling a bit at her speech, "someone just asked me to ask you."

He pulled something from the pocket of his slacks. A calling card, and he handed it to her.

"My boss is asking for your name. He also told me to give this to you."

She stared at the small thing that looked like an ID.

Calling card?

What will she do with this? Can this pay for a jeep? Can this be pawned?

"What will I do with your boss's calling card?" she said while accepting it. "Can I pawn this at the pawnshop?"

But even though she was joking, she still read the name.

Alexander Montalban.

Her brain stopped for a moment.

Montalban.

Familiar. She seemed to have heard it on the news. On tarpaulins. On event sponsorships.

"Montalban?" she repeated weakly. "Is this the son of Mayor Montalban?"

The man nodded slightly.

"Yes. So just call my boss—"

But she quickly shook her head.

He was not even done speaking.

"Your boss is probably a womanizer," she said, holding her head high even if she was sweaty and her hair was messy. "With my beauty, I know he was attracted."

She did not even know where she got that courage. Maybe from hunger. Maybe from anger. Maybe it was a defense mechanism.

The man stared blankly for a moment.

He seemed unused to having someone answer him like this.

"I will leave you now," she added. "I will cross now."

And she did not wait for an answer.

"WHAT?"

Alex's voice echoed across the entire executive floor.

The two employees talking outside his glass office stopped. Even the secretary at the reception looked inside. He did not often raise his voice.

And when he did that, there was a heavy reason.

He stood behind his wide desk, pressing his two palms on the shiny wood. His jaw was tense, obviously trying to hold back his annoyance.

In front of him, Brian almost did not know where to look.

"You're telling me," he said firmly to Brian, his tone controlled but scarier, "you ran after her and you came back without her name?"

Brian scratched his head. "Sir, I tried to—"

"Her name, Brian." His gaze was direct. "That was the only thing I asked from you."

"Oh, Sir, I was even mistaken for someone else. She thought I would report her to the FDA. She even explained about her vitamins."

He slightly raised an eyebrow.

"FDA?"

"Yes, Sir. She said she sells vitamins."

The room went quiet for a moment.

He slowly stood straight and turned his back. He walked towards the large glass window where he could see the street where the scene happened earlier.

He put his hands inside the pockets of his pants.

In his mind, the image of the woman was still clear.

Her hair was messy and her face was slightly red. She was even sweaty but she still fought and struggled for her bag.

"Do you know," he said quietly while looking outside, "what most people do when they hear my last name?"

Brian did not answer.

"They adjust," he added. "They change their tone. Their posture and their intentions."

He slowly turned to face the front.

"But she didn't."

Brian remained quiet.

"She looked at my calling card," he continued while remembering what Brian told him about what the woman did, "and asked if she could pawn it." Brian almost coughed but stopped himself. "She assumed I was a womanizer," he added, and at that moment the corner of his lips slightly lifted. "I haven't met someone in a long time who spoke to me without calculating what they could gain."

He walked back to the desk and picked up the glass of water. He drank slowly, as if thinking about every detail.

"I watched her fight over twenty pesos," he said. "Not because it was a large amount. But because it was her own money." He returned the glass to the desk. "That kind of instinct... is rare, Brian."

Brian shrugged. "Sir, maybe—"

"I don't care if she sells vitamins," he cut in. "I don't care if she misunderstood you. And I certainly don't care if she insulted me." He looked straight at Brian. "What I care about is that she didn't flinch."

The weight of his every word could be felt.

"Find her."

Brian paused. "Sir, and then?"

He picked up another calling card and slid it across the top of the desk.

"You will offer her a job."

Brian blinked. "Job? Here in the company?"

"Exactly, it is not like it would be in your company. You do not have one."

"What position, Sir?"

"I don't care," he answered calmly. "Reception. Marketing. Sales. Give her something that keeps her in this building."

A moment of silence.

"Sir, what if she refuses again?"

At that moment, his smile was clear.

"Then we make a better offer." He leaned slightly on the desk, putting his hands in his pockets again. "No one walks away from opportunity twice, Brian. And if she does, then she becomes even more interesting.”