CHAPTER 6

SANTIARA'S POV

When I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. My brows furrowed as I looked around, trying to figure out where I was and who the people standing before me were.

"Where am I?"

"Goodness, I'm glad you're awake, young lady," an elderly man said as he approached me.

"Why am I here? W-What happened?"

"You fainted, young lady. I thought I'd run you over earlier."

"D-Did I sleep for a long time? I'm s-sorry for causing you trouble. I need to leave."

I hurriedly tried to fix myself before getting up.

"Let me take you home, young lady. You might faint again along the way," the old man offered.

"He's right. Let him take you home. Based on your test results, you're fine, but you don't seem to have enough strength yet," the doctor agreed.

"Thank you, but I might lose my job if I don't report to work today."

I insisted before bowing my head in gratitude.

"Thank you, Doctor."

The old man followed me and stopped me, asking me to come with him to the parking lot. I didn't refuse.

While we were on the road, I noticed him checking his phone after a notification popped up. He seemed to be reading a message, but I didn't bother asking about it.

He eventually turned toward me and smiled.

"I'll take you to your destination, too, young lady."

Although I was confused, I eventually got inside the vehicle.

Our journey was quiet until he pulled into the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant.

"A-Are all of these for me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, young lady. Finish everything. I know you haven't eaten yet. By the way, what's your name?"

"Santiara. My name is Santiara Marasigan," I immediately replied.

"Santiara. What a beautiful name. Take care of yourself and regain your strength, young lady. Your health is your greatest asset when it comes to your job," he advised before getting out of the vehicle.

The old man eventually dropped me off at the restaurant where I worked.

"Thank you, sir. Please drive safely!"

I waved at the departing vehicle.

I was about to enter my workplace when I noticed a white envelope inside the paper bag.

"Oh my God!"

I immediately covered my mouth when I saw what was inside.

It was a substantial amount of money—more than I could possibly earn in an entire year of working.

With trembling hands, I carefully put the envelope back where it belonged. I was about to chase after the old man who had driven me there, but he was already gone. I hadn't even managed to ask for his name.

I returned to work despite still feeling weak. Perhaps it was because of my extreme exhaustion that my body could no longer endure the strain. I barely had any time to rest with all the consecutive shifts I had been working as a service crew member.

And just last night, I had already made a mistake.

"Jeez. You're so stupid, Ara. My gosh! Where's your brain?"

I wanted to smack myself for what I had done. I couldn't believe I had practically handed everything over to a complete stranger.

Distracted by my thoughts, my eyes widened when I accidentally bumped into one of my coworkers. The impact caused the glassware I was carrying to fall to the floor. The glasses shattered into countless pieces, creating a loud noise that immediately drew attention.

Our manager was practically ready to tear me apart with anger.

"Gosh! How careless of you, Miss Marasigan! Look! What have you done?" he shouted.

I lowered my head, trembling with fear.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I-I didn't mean to."

I slowly raised my face and looked at him pleadingly.

"Whether you did it intentionally or not, you still have to pay for all of this! I'll deduct the cost from your salary, whether you like it or not. And you won't receive any salary this month. Do you understand?"

His voice was firm and unforgiving.

"Clean this mess!"

That was his final order before turning around and leaving me behind.

I was left fighting back tears. I bit my lower lip as I began cleaning up the mess.

"I'm sorry, Ara. This was actually my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going," my female coworker admitted before helping me clean up. "Let me help you. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. I was also partly at fault."

After finishing the cleanup, I headed to the restroom, where I finally let out the tears I had been holding back.

I wouldn't receive any salary for the entire month. I had no idea what I was going to do, especially since I still had to pay for my apartment.

I let out a sigh and wiped away my tears. After washing my face, I stepped out and continued working until my shift was finally over.

On my way home, I was walking toward the bus stop when I passed by a bookstore.

It was perfect timing. I had managed to set aside some money, and the book I had been wanting to read was finally on sale.

I immediately went inside and headed toward the bookshelf.

Crazy Sabouter was the title of the book, written by my favorite author, Miss Chen.

With a smile on my face, I flipped through its pages and began reading as I made my way toward the cashier.

After paying for it, I excitedly continued reading while walking across the street.

However, before I could even make it across, my eyes widened at the sudden, continuous honking of vehicles.

Startled, I accidentally dropped the book I was holding.

It felt as though my soul had left my body. This was already the second time I had nearly been hit by a vehicle.

My entire body turned cold, and I could barely move my feet because of how nervous I was.

"Hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" the driver snapped, stopping barely a meter away from me.

My knees were trembling, but I didn't even bother looking toward the source of the voice.

I could only be thankful that I hadn't been seriously hurt. I let out a deep sigh of relief.

It seemed my bad luck was getting worse by the day.

I eventually made it home, still pale from fear. I hugged the book I had bought and burst into tears once again.

"Gosh! I know this is karma. I deserve all the misfortunes that have been happening to me."

In the following days, I was fixing myself in front of a large mirror.

I let out a deep sigh.

Work had become even more difficult. I no longer had any days off, and I wouldn't be receiving a salary for the entire month.

As I remembered what had happened, something else came to mind—the white envelope containing a substantial amount of money.

I immediately went to my locker, took out my bag, and opened it.

My eyes widened when I saw the envelope again.

"Oh my God, Lord!"

I almost cried with happiness. At long last, I had money to pay my debts and the rent for my apartment.

I was also deeply grateful to the old man who had given me the money.

Despite how difficult it was for me, I still chose to report to work.

"Miss Marasigan, I've been looking for you. So you're here after all," my coworker said.

"Sorry. I was just looking for something," I replied briefly. "What do you need?"

"Sir is calling for you. He probably has something to ask you to do. I'll go ahead. Hurry up, okay? He might turn into a dragon again," my coworker joked before leaving.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her remark.

I headed toward our manager's office. I was extremely nervous, but I had no choice but to face him. My hands and even my muscles were trembling as countless questions filled my mind.

What if he's going to fire me? Please, no. I hope it's something else.

But what if he wants to have me arrested? My God, I don't even have money for bail.

I took a deep breath as I finally stood in front of his office door.

I had barely knocked once when I heard my boss's voice from inside, instructing me to come in.

My hand trembled as I turned the doorknob.

When I opened the door, my manager was already waiting for me with his usual stern expression. I felt as though my soul had left my body when he gave me a displeased look.

"Have a seat, Miss Marasigan."

I immediately followed his instruction and sat on the empty chair.

"I called you here because of what happened the other day. Well, I want to apologize for going too far with what I said."

My manager spoke sincerely before placing a small brown envelope on the table.

"Here is your salary, Miss Marasigan. I've seen how dedicated you are to your work."

Tears welled up in my eyes as happiness washed over me.

All the worries that had been troubling me just moments ago suddenly disappeared. It felt as though my long-dormant soul had finally awakened.

"Thank you so much, Sir!" I exclaimed happily.

"That's all. You can leave now. But if something like that happens again, I won't hesitate to fire you. Understand?"

My boss spoke in a softer, warning tone.

I nodded and gave him a wide smile.

"I'll keep that in mind, Sir. Thank you so much."

I smiled before taking my leave.

I headed toward the dining area. The noticeable change in my expression caught the attention of Ivory, my coworker.

"That's quite a big smile! Are you and Sir Dragon on good terms again?" she teased with a mischievous grin.

"Of course!"

"Well, that's good to hear. By the way, someone's been looking for you for quite some time."

She paused before continuing.

"Looks like you've got yourself a sugar daddy!"

She whispered the last part with a laugh.

I laughed and shook my head.