Chapter 7 Test of Wit and Nerves

Stefanie's POV

" Haay naku self, itulog na natin toh,nakakamiss din yung mga makukulit na pasyente sa ward pero kailangan makapag beauty rest tayo ngayon kahit pahapyaw lang dahil ang mga impaktang Zubiri na ang pagkakatoxikan natin mula ngayon!" Natatawa kong sambit sa sarili.

Sa unang gabi ko sa mansion, naramdaman ko na ang mix ng excitement, fear, at curiosity. I have a feeling… my life is about to change in ways I can’t even imagine.

At naghello na nga ang liwanag ng sumunod na umaga, pero ang katawan ko, parang may sariling rhythm na hindi ko makontrol.  Nasa bedroom pa ko, nakatingin sa mirror, iniikot sa kamay ang pen. Okay, Stef… first board meeting. Walang room for mistakes. Backbone ready, at dapat - wit sharp. Let’s do this!

Paglabas ko sa hallway, sinalubong ako ng mayordoma.

“Stefanie, breakfast is ready. Doña expects punctuality,” sabi niya, nakatingin sa akin mula sa taas ng aura niya.

“Opo, Yaya Loring. On time po,” sagot ko, habang humihinga nang malalim.

Pagdating ko sa dining hall naroon na nga siya, nakaupo si Doña Beatriz sa dulo ng mesa, tila commander sa battlefield.

“Ah, Stefanie. Breakfast done? Today, you will accompany me sa board meeting. Observe, assist, and… anticipate,” sabi niya, hindi lumilingon sa akin, pero ramdam ko ang intensity ng tingin niya.

“Yes po, Doña. I am ready,” sagot ko, pilit na calm.

“Good. Don’t fumble. I don’t tolerate incompetence, especially not in front of my… relatives,” dagdag niya.

Napaangat ang kilay ko. Relatives? Great… vultures sa table, huh?

Pagdating sa Zubiri Airlines boardroom, napansin ko agad ang mga nanunukso at mga nakangisi na relatives.

“Ah… bagong kasama, huh?” bulong ng isang matandang babae.

“Stefanie, tama ba?” tanong ng isang matapang na lalaki, nakatingin parang hawak na hawak ang agenda ng buhay ko.

“Yes po. Nurse and assistant to Doña Beatriz,” sagot ko, tuwid, kahit ramdam ko ang tensyon.

Nag-smile si Doña Beatriz, bahagyang amused. “Observe them. They will test your patience. But you… maintain your backbone.” pasimple niyang bulong.

“Yes, ma’am,” sagot ko, internally thinking, Test my patience… more like survive the jungle.

Board meeting starts. Ang tension? Halos tangible. Relatives arguing, demanding, and throwing opinions like daggers.

“Stefanie, take notes. Highlight every request, every complaint, every suspicious move,” sabi ni Doña Beatriz.

“Opo, Doña,” sagot ko, habang mabilis na nagta-type sa tablet ko, subtle glance at every reaction.

Isang relative, clearly ambitious, tumingin sa akin. “So… nurse, you think you can keep up with this?”

Ngumiti ako ng polite. “Po?  yes. I plan to observe and understand before reacting. Efficiency po ang aking goal sa aking trabaho.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Efficiency? From a nurse? Interesting.”

“hindi po ba ganoon naman tayo dapat sa trabaho? Hindi naman po siguro nakapagtataka sapagkat… efficiency is universal. It's not limited to medicine,” sagot ko, subtle confidence.

"And nurses works better under pressure...so wag po kayong mag- alala sa'kin." pabiro kong sabi na may pakindat effect pang kasama.

Pero deep inside me, I know that he intends to intimidate and challenge me.

Doña Beatriz tinitingnan kami, amused. “See? She really has backbone and tact. Rare combination.”

“Ma’am, she speaks well,” sabi ng secretary.

“Bah, yes. But observe. Not all words carry truth. Some… are just filler,” she added, scanning the room.

Habang nagpapatuloy ang meeting, may pagkakataon na kailangan kong mag intervene: isang urgent health concern ng Doña habang nakikinig sa heated discussion.

“Doña, … there is slight spike  po sa BP nyo. I suggest po, take five minutes break?” sabi ko, calm pero firm.

“Hmm… thank you, Stefanie. Noted,” sagot niya, hindi nagpapa-impress sa pressure.

Napatingin ang relatives at iba pang board memberssa akin, halatang impressed at surprised na may sumasalba sa Doña sa ganitong high-stakes setting.

At habang break time at naglalakad kami sa hallway, nagkatinginan kami ni Doña Beatriz.

“You handled that well. Not many would dare speak in front of relatives and… survive,” she said.

“Trabaho ko po yun… thank you, ma’am. I try to stay alert and respectful,” sagot ko, medyo embarrassed pero proud.

“Respectful… hmm. Backbone… hmm. I might keep you longer than I intended,” she added with a subtle smirk.

Tinuloy nila ulit qng board meeting for awhile after the short break. Dahil marami pa silwng agenda ay nagdecide ang board to resume the meeting after the lunch break 

Hindi ko inexpect na even sa lunch break ay kasabay ko ang boss ko. Doña Beatriz insisted that I sit across her.

“You will have to know my taste, my preferences. Observe, remember. Not all will be spoken,” sabi niya.

“Yes, ma’am. I will take notes and remember everything,” sagot ko.

“You are bold… for someone new. But clever. Let’s see if it lasts,” she added.

Ngumiti ako ng bahagya. Bold, clever… Napangisi ako deep inside feeling sumakses lang...I should be surviving this first full day. Dapar backbone intact .

Pagbalik sa boardroom, tension resumes. Relatives continue to argue.

“Stefanie, notice the patterns. Who is power-hungry, who is desperate, who is loyal. All information is valuable,” sabi ni Doña Beatriz.

“Opo, Doña,” sagot ko, mabilis ang fingers sa tablet, subtly documenting behavior and tone.

“Remember… patience is a weapon,” she added, staring straight at me.

“Yes po, ma’am. Patience… weapon noted,” sabi ko sa sarili habang  pilit pinipigilang ngumisi.

At the end of the day, habang naglalakad ako sa pasilyo ng mansion , nagulat akong biglang bumuling si Yaya Loring sa aking likuran:

“Stefanie, you survived first board meeting without stepping on too many toes. Bilib ako ha... Doña Beatriz notices subtle things, and… she respects backbone. You’ve earned her grudging respect.”

“Po?… thank you. I will continue to be observant, witty, and… useful,” sagot ko, secretly smiling at my small victory.

Pagpasok ko sa room ko sa mansion, naupo ako sa balcony habang tinitingnan ang garden lights.

Okay, Stefanie. First real test… survived. Backbone, wit, patience, check. Observations… check. And she… notices you. Intriguing… dangerous… promising.

Iniikot ko sa kamay ang tablet, notebook, at pen. Tomorrow… bigger challenges. Ang mga relatives… more vultures. But I… I’m ready. First day conquered. Let’s see how deep this Zubiri jungle goes.