1. Rosalia's Life

ROSALIA'S POV:

I was jolted awake due to the repeated and persistent blare of my alarm clock. Disoriented and with sleepy eyes, I took a glance at the alarm clock: It was 7 am. The early hour is definitely not my favourite time of the day. I don't really like to miss the chance of sleeping in unless I have to go to work. Yes, I am definitely a sleepyhead!

Cursing the necessities of the early hours under my breath, I dragged myself out of bed. In an attempt to tap the alarm off my sleepy gaze fell upon the family photo kept on the bedside table. "I miss you, mommy," I whispered, a familiar ache tightening my heart. It's only me and my younger sister now.

Our father abandoned us a long time ago leaving behind a childhood which is never a pleasant one to remember, A childhood marred by constant arguments between my parents. The relentless arguments took a toll on my mental health and made me feel unloved and desperate for some affection.

My younger sister, Emilia, was my solace. Trying to keep her away from those discomforting situations became my mission, she was my only reason which made the so-called home bearable for me after school. As my parents were always busy bickering, I took care of my little sister like my own baby.

One day, finally, Mommy left that house and the we three shifted to a different city. For the first time in a while, I saw a glimpse of happiness. We rented a small apartment and mommy used to work hard and tirelessly to provide for us. In that meantime, Dad had completely cut ties with us, practically abandoning us without any prior information.

To help cover the educational expenses of me and Emilia, I started taking up part-time jobs at a very young age.

Despite the hardships, we were determined to make it work. We were poor but there was a sense of relief, a feeling of happiness. That happiness did not last long. Mommy was taken away from us in a fatal accident, there was not a single day in the past three years which did not remind me of this. I was in my second year of college when my life was shattered into pieces.

Soon we ran out of the little savings we had, and I had to tutor school students in addition to my part-time jobs to manage the finances. Still, it was not enough. Being that the reason I opted for a full-time job as soon as I graduated to ensure Emilia could get a good education. I outdone myself in order to get into a good company, but the feeling of the newfound independence is quite good.

Emilia is currently studying in high school and she stays there in the school's hostel which led me to shift with my best friend, Kristen. As she went to her hometown for her cousin's wedding ceremony, I could not help but miss her. She's like a sister to me, a sister from another mother. We both studied at the same University where she is still pursuing her master's. I also planned the same as I wanted to complete my higher studies but my fate did not allow me.

Reluctantly, I got out of the bed and headed to the small bathroom. Even though our apartment was small, it's tidy and cozy, our little comfort place indeed. After my quick morning routine, I took a refreshing shower.

I chose a knee-length black pencil skirt paired with an off-white top for the day, letting my waist-length black hair cascade down my back. I applied a touch of mascara & lip tint. It's not that I don't like make-up but it's not my thing for daily purposes. After grabbing some toast, I hurried out the door and left for the office.

Luckily my boss, Kate is genuinely a sweet and warm-hearted person. She is only a few years older than me, yet she carries herself with grace and kindness. Despite her position, I never saw her acting bossy, she always treats everyone with kindness making the office a welcoming one.

My shift starts at 9.30 and thankfully, I am not late today. No matter how friendly a Boss might be, everyone expects punctuality from their employees.

"Good morning, Miss Knight" I greeted Kate as I saw her passing by. "Come to my office at 10," she said smiling at me to which I simply nodded.

"I need you to make ten copies of each document," Kate instructed while handing me a file.

"Yes mam," I replied and stepping out of her office, I headed towards the Xerox machine which is on the ground floor.

While busy doing my work, I noticed a blue metallic BMW pulling up in front of our office. A tall man in a suit got out of the car and he helped a toddler to get out of the car also. The guards immediately bowed down as he approached followed by the little boy.

Upon entering the office, he looked for the receptionist who was not present at that moment. I was standing nearby, just beside the receptionist's place, absorbed in my work when his gaze fell upon me. His eyes were captivating, strikingly handsome in a very masculine way. Towering with a tall stature, he made me feel even smaller. Literally, everyone is taller than me cause I'm only 5'0 but he is over 6' I guessed. He was quite a different person to be looked at, his aura, his presence was somehow exuding a powerful vibe that was both intimidating and intriguing.

Geez! Rose, he is with a baby boy most probably he is his father.

I was so intimidated looking at him that I did not notice the cute little boy was trying to grab my file.

"Have you seen my mom?" He asked looking

up at me with wide eyes.