Chapter 4

When Joy woke up, it felt like a hammer was hitting her head. She closed her eyes for a moment before fully opening them. She was immediately greeted by loud laughter, the sound of zippers, and the dragging of big suitcases on the dorm floor.

"Hey, that is mine! Do not take it with you!" someone shouted.

"Regine, where is my charger?!" another one added.

Her vision spun on the ceiling before she sat up. Her head hurt more with the sudden movement. She still felt dizzy and had a dry throat, a clear effect of the alcohol last night. She could not even remember what shot was her last drink.

She held her head while trying hard to understand what was happening.

She slowly looked around. Their once tight but happy dorm looked like a different place now. The suitcases were on the side. There were open boxes. There were clothes already arranged inside the luggage. Others were fixing their hair in front of the small mirror.

And Regine was sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully putting on lipstick.

"Oh, you are awake, Joy," she said immediately when she noticed her sitting. "Does your head hurt? I prepared medicine on the table. Eat first before you take it."

She looked at the small table beside her bed. There was a glass of water, two pieces of bread, and medicine neatly placed there.

She did not know why her chest suddenly felt heavy.

This. This is what she will miss.

Not the bed. Not the dorm. But this kind of care. When they go their separate ways, no one will take care of her anymore. Everything will be gone.

She slowly looked at her things. They were still scattered. Not even arranged. It was like she was the only one not ready to leave. Because the truth is, she has nowhere to go.

The reality was still not sinking into her brain. It was like her body just wanted to eat and lose the headache first before facing the heavier problem.

"Do you want us to help you pack?" Regine asked again while closing her make-up kit. "Where is your bag so we can start?"

She sighed. Why should she even pack, when she has nowhere to go.

"No need, Reg. I will handle packing," she forced herself to answer.

"Are you sure?" another roommate chimed in. "Because we will go home now if you do not need help. My Papa is already at the gate. He is picking me up."

She looked at Jason who was now wearing a neat polo and holding a van key. He was the richest among them and it was obvious in the way he was being picked up.

"Yes, Jason. I will handle it."

After she said that, the door sounded. Her roommates went out one by one.

"I will ride with Jason!"

"Okay, let us go together!"

The noise inside the dorm slowly faded. Until she could almost hear nothing but the dragging of the last suitcase outside. Silence wrapped the place again, just like when she first moved into this dorm.

Regine approached her again before finally leaving. She handed over the glass of water and smiled a bit.

"Are you really sure you do not want help?"

She nodded immediately. She can do it alone, why would she need help.

But the truth? She did not know where she would put her things.

Maybe she will pack later. Maybe she will sell vitamins first. She needs money. She needs a place to rent. She needs a plan. She really needs a lot of things, money is just what is missing.

"By the way," Regine added, looking a bit hesitant. "Ma'am said we really need to leave today. Someone will use this dorm. She said someone will take summer classes."

It felt like cold water was poured on her. She was not ready to pack today because she had no money yet. She was not like her classmates who had families to go home to. If only her parents were alive, she probably would not have this problem now.

She drank the water without realizing it. Her hand was shaking. Not because of the hangover, but because of the truth that she had nowhere to stay tonight.

"So, what now? I will leave." Regine hugged her tightly. Longer than before. "Take care, okay? Just chat me your address so I can visit you."

Address. She closed her eyes out of nowhere. She just smiled at Regine and even nodded. Regine completely thought she already had a place to move to. She did not want to rely on Regine for everything anymore.

"Yes. Okay. Take care too."

And when the door fully closed, that was when she felt the real heavy weight. There was no more noise, her roommates were gone. Everything was gone. And before she took her medicine, she looked around the whole place first.

She was all alone. Their dorm returned to how it looked before.

She just sighed again and shook her head when she saw her things that she did not know where to bring.

She dressed up first before packing. She changed her clothes first because the clothes she wore yesterday were still what she was wearing until now. She could already smell the scent of tomorrow so she really needed to change clothes.

While taking off her pants, she cringed.

"Wow..." she whispered softly. "I can smell tomorrow."

She was about to fold it to put it with the laundry when something fell from the pocket. A small white cardboard slipped onto the floor.

She bent down and picked it up.

Calling card.

Her forehead slightly creased when she read the name.

Alexander Montalban.

The paper was thick. Its design was even minimalist. It had a contact number and the name of the company. And even if she closed her eyes, she perfectly knew who owned that company.

She held onto the edge of the bed. She knew that name.

She had heard it many times on the news. They said he was the youngest CEO in their industry. A self-made billionaire. This man even had interviews in business magazines. There were articles praising his intelligence and strategy.

And there was also gossip.

She smirked.

"Womanizer," she whispered.

There were models. There were socialites. There were children of politicians. Even if the man did not admit it directly, there was always a new woman with him in pictures. Of course, he is famous and rich. He probably has nowhere else to put his money so he just goes after women.

And now, he gave her a calling card? A simple vitamin vendor. Why?

She looked at her wallet resting on the table. She opened it. Her wallet was really empty. She might have nothing to eat later. She sighed. It seemed like her head just hurt even more.

If she does not act, she will be the loser.

She slowly stood up and took her cell phone. Her fingers were still shaking while she typed the number from the calling card.

She paused for a moment.

What if this is just a prank? What if he is just playing with her? What if she gets into a bigger problem? But what else is worse than having nowhere to stay later?

She took a deep breath. And she pressed the call button. Now or never is really the theme of her life. And she shook even more when the other line rang. She even held her chest and forced herself to calm down.

"Hello? Alexander Montalban speaking. How may I help you?"

It felt like a cold wind passed the back of her neck.

His voice was deep, making her heartbeat even faster. It was like his voice alone could be her lunch later.

"Hello?" the tone was lower now.

She bit her lip before answering. "Hello."

"Yes. Who am I speaking with?"

She went quiet for a moment. How was she going to say it? She did not formally apply. She was just given a calling card yesterday in the middle of her selling.

"I am the one you gave the calling card to yesterday."

She heard a slight breath on the other line. It seemed like he remembered something and suddenly cursed, followed by coughing.

Her forehead creased.

"Yeah. I was hoping you would call."

It felt like something crawled in her chest.

"So," he continued, the tone more relaxed but with more emphasis, "are you calling about the job?"

"Yes, but what job is that?"

"Before I answer that," he said, "tell me something. Are you desperate?"

It felt like something hit her pride.

"Excuse me?"

"I am not insulting you," he answered calmly. "I am asking because I only make serious offers to people who actually need them."

She swallowed.

She did not want to admit it. But she also could not lie.

"I need a job," she answered weakly.

"Good. Here is the job," he continued. "Make me laugh."

She blinked. It seemed like the person she was talking to was crazy. She wanted a proper job but she needed to make him laugh. Is this man out of his mind?

"What?"

"I do not need an assistant. I do not need another employee who is scared of me. I do not need someone trying to impress me. So, all you need to do is make me laugh. Deal?”