CHAPTER ONE: Mistress

Lilie

I'm terrified.

I'm afraid of how their critical gaze is currently aimed at me. They mumbled that I'm the only one who will be blamed following the recent incident.

I'm afraid of what they're thinking right now, but I'm equally afraid of losing my job right now. I'm not sure why some individuals insist that customers are always correct.

What about those of us who serve in a professional manner? Are you always the one who gets blamed when anything goes wrong? Is it inevitable that we will always be bad at everything?

I'm not sure who suggested that customers should always be correct. What about the crews? Detecting their errors until we lose our jobs?

Just like right now, in front of a large crowd. Today, one of our customers got disoriented in front of me since I put the Ice Tea in the wrong place. What actually happened was that he was the one who was too responsible for the Ice Tea being tossed away.

How could he not throw away his drink if he concentrated on his food rather than his phone?

"Sir, let's calm down. Only Ice Tea was thrown out, and you didn't read anything, maybe you didn't read anything," I responded gently, although his angry face was still visible due to what I said.

"What's the matter?! Are you stupid? It's your fault; you're the one who wants to tell me that; are you the one I'm going to throw Ice Tea at?! You want that, huh?!?" he exclaimed scandalously, pushing me even further.

While I was closing my eyes tightly due to the embarrassment we are currently experiencing, I sensed that one of my coworkers had approached and soothed our customer.

My coworker questioned, "Lie, are you okay? Why is he like that? Did you do anything wrong to him?" I turned to her and wondered.

"Yes, I'm OK; I'm not sure why he's acting that way; I didn't do anything wrong; in fact, he did; why is he blaming me?" I asked, agitated, as I approached the client who was now arguing with Alexandria.

"No! She's the one who's responsible for this kind of mistake; she'll just put the Ice tea in the right place; why would she be that stupid?!?" I heard him return and moved between them.

I don't want anyone else to suffer as a result of my actions. I preferred to be calm, as well as my voice, before I explained again. It's difficult in my circumstance right now because the more we raise our voices, the less we understand one another.

"Sir... shit," I said as he splashed Ice Tea all over my face.

As a result, I couldn't help but see him as a reason to be fearful of him. Because of today's occurrence, some of my coworkers have been dubbed "Manager."

"Sir, you're going overboard; why are you doing this to me? It's fine for me to talk to you, but why are you being so rude?"

Alexandria whispered to me, "Lie, calm down. The Manager is here," and pulled me aside to speak with the Manager. While Alexandria assisted me in wiping the soaked uniform.

"Lie, I ordered you not to entertain that kind of customer; in fact, you should just leave abruptly," I sighed loudly as she sighed one after the other.

"That's rude, Dria, even though they act as if we should respect them; yet, I don't see why he needs to blame me for what he did wrong? Why does he have to blame me?"

"People nowadays are like that Lie," she continued as she combed my hair. "They blame someone because they are terrified of being criticized by others."

"I know... but is it really worth it to blame each other for your mistakes? You blame someone because you're afraid of being judged? I'm the one he blames for me to attract other people's attention and tell me I'm truly wrong?"

I inquired, my voice solemn. As a result, she gave me a serious look.

"Yes, that's what she did. She used you to distract everyone by blaming you for her mistakes. She realized she was the one who made that kind of mistake and she was ashamed and afraid that everyone would judge her. Lie, you were the one she saw at the time, he can blame you for anything." She gave a long explanation, so I was just shaken.

"And it won't be worth it to blame someone; it's already imprinted on people that I'm the one who's wrong, which is why they're staring at me like that," I remarked as I walked up to my Manager, who informed me that the client with whom we were conversing had left.

"Ahm... Sir, where is he?" I ask, referring to the earlier scandalized customer. I noticed him shiver and laugh.

"I told him that if my employee had done something wrong, he would have talked quietly because they were also chatting gently," our Manager stated, and Alexandria and I nodded.

"All right, Lilie, finish your duty so you can get home early and rest; just don't think about the accident that happened earlier," he added as he patted my shoulder and walked back to the office in front of us. .

"Don't make me smile there! Are you sure you can go back to work now?" She was concerned, so I simply signed okay and forgot about the prior encounter.

We were waiting for Dria's jeep to arrive home early after five hours of duty at the cafeteria where we work.

"Hays, another exhausting day!" exclaimed the person sitting next to me on the bench, so I sat down as well. I couldn't help but laugh since what she said was accurate.

"When will we be free of life, Lie?" she asked, shaking his head. I shrugged before responding.

"Perhaps when we grow acclimated to what we're doing, that's when we feel comfortable," I replied, sitting back in my seat.

Today, I was drawn to a giant billboard that was placed in front of us. This billboard features a man who appears to be a model. I just smiled as I read the headline.

"For the last few years, Lucas Nixon Montiero had been the CEO of one of the world's most influential perfumes, and he was still on top of it."

"How can we be like Lucas Nixon Montiero?" I asked, pinching Dria. "You see, Lie, the handsome, the wealth case seems rugged, but at the age of 30 he's already very successful. As for us, we're in our twenties and life still has no destiny."

"Never compare your timeline to others'. I mean, they always say that by your 20s, you should have proven something in life, and that's always what I hear, but they don't realize that not everyone's timeline is the same, and that some of them are still searching for their purpose and passion in life, and when they do, they will bloom freely."

I continued speaking after looking at the person next to me. "Just like us, Dria; we're still finding our purpose and passion, which is why we can't flower right now," I explained, to her approval.

As we drove back to our house, I remembered what I had said to Dria. I thought as I peered out the window of the jeep.

“What is the best way for me to discover my life's purpose and passion? When will I find out? I'm not sure how I'll find out. Will it be worthwhile if I discover my calling and passion early on? "

I parked the trike in front of our house right away. I paid and proceeded to our gate. Our home isn't particularly large. Our home is on the second story and includes a small garden. It's the perfect size.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by a large bottle of wine and chichirya skins. I looked at my Dad, who had just awoken, and he gave me a stern look.

"Oh, what are you doing there?! Clean it up," he said as he smacked me across the shoulder, causing me to yelp.

I tossed my bag against the sofa and zipped it shut. I'm crying right now. I assumed I'd be able to sleep, but I couldn't. I couldn't help but pick up Dad's trash.

I went to the kitchen after unpacking and throwing everything away to see whether Dad was cooking. I was even more depressed when I arrived at the table since not a single meal had been prepared. I looked at Dad, who was also about to enter the kitchen, and asked him a question.

"Dad, can't you prepare our dinner today?" I asked, turning away so I wouldn't see his response. I literally jumped out of my skin as he slapped his hand on the table.

"Don't you have a hand for cooking?" he urged. "You see, I just woke up and then you asked me. You can do that, can't you Lilie? Why do you have to ask me?" he insisted.

I couldn't help but cry. I'm not sure why Dad was the way he was. The extent to which he altered things. He's not the same Father I used to know. He began to alter once he lost his job and we became in debt.

He became enraged and focused solely on drinking. So Mama and I are devising a plan to restore normalcy to our lives.

I remembered what Alexandria had said earlier for the first time. When are we going to be free?

…

"Well, let's go get some perfume there," Dria said, pulling me inside. "It's too aromatic, but the price is reasonable."

We were greeted by a large number of individuals and extremely costly scents when we entered. Because of the pricing, my mouth is full of pity. It's inexpensive and accessible, but you won't be disappointed in terms of quality.

When Lucas Montiero sells perfume, it appears like he is definitely losing money. Other perfumes I've seen cost between 150 and 350 dollars.

"Isn't he losing at this price?" My friend was shaken by my questioning.

"No, because he has so many branches all over the world, not just here in the Philippines, that he can't possibly lose."

"It's also strange since a man owns this shop, but it's unique and intriguing because he knows what people like in perfume. Lucas Nixon Montiero is a smart and amazing man," I added, but the person next to me simply ignored me and jabbed me in the side.

She laughed and continued, "Oh, so Lucas Nixon Montiero will make your heart beat," but I just gazed at her.

"Crazy, I'm just fascinated by him," I protested, smelling something that piqued my interest. I was completely taken aback when I saw the perfume's name.

"My name is this perfume, Dria," I said, but when I didn't get a response from the person next to me, I scowled. When I returned her stare, her countenance was shocked, and I could nearly let go of the scent I was wearing as a result of what I witnessed.

Dad is with a woman, and the two of them are holding hands.