CHAPTER 4

That’s what happened to Lenie. Every day, Alexis would ask her to do tasks that weren’t even part of her job description. Lenie couldn’t do anything about it because, aside from being her boss, Alexis had just hired her, so she had to maintain a good record at RCG.

“What? Can you still handle it? You know, of all the women employees of Sir, you're the only one he treats like this. We've never experienced this. I don’t know what you did to him, but he seems to favor you,” said Zyra.

“I don’t know about our boss, I’m not sure if he favors me or if he’s angry at me. But I can handle this. It’s nothing compared to the hardships I’ve gone through in life,” Lenie replied, then smiled at Zyra.

In the three weeks that Lenie had been working at RCG, she had almost gotten used to the daily grind of her life. She no longer paid much attention to her boss, just continuing with her work.

“Lenie, Sir is calling you. He has something for you to do. Hurry up,” said Celeste.

Lenie was puzzled about what her boss wanted again, considering that he had just asked her to do something 30 minutes ago. Zyra was also confused, but she couldn’t help Lenie.

“Okay, I’m on my way. Thank you, Celeste,” Lenie responded, then stood up to head to the fourth floor.

When she reached Alexis’s office, Lenie immediately asked what he needed this time. She tried to smile, but she felt like Alexis was treating her like a robot.

“Sir, what do you need me to do this time?” Lenie asked.

Alexis didn’t speak. He simply handed Lenie a piece of paper. Then, he pulled out five thousand pesos from his pocket and handed it to her.

Lenie unfolded the crumpled paper and was shocked by the sheer amount of items listed. It contained the names of Alexis’s employees and their favorite drinks from a nearby coffee shop.

“What—What is this, Sir?” Lenie asked, confused.

“I want you to buy all of that and distribute them one by one to all my employees. Is that clear?” Alexis replied authoritatively.

Lenie was taken aback by his request. She quickly searched for her name but didn’t find it on the list. Her irritation toward Alexis grew again.

“Ah, okay Sir. But where should I put all of these afterward? It’s too much, I can’t carry all of them,” she said, her voice filled with exhaustion and sadness.

“You figure it out, Miss Santos. I know you're smart. This is simple for you. Rent a taxi if you need to. Just make sure you deliver everything by 3pm,” Alexis said, giving Lenie a mocking look.

Lenie couldn’t say anything further. She turned around and took a deep breath before leaving Alexis’s office.

At that moment, she felt like exploding in frustration, but she calmed herself, knowing that she needed this job.

Lenie had no choice but to rent a taxi to fulfill Alexis’s order quickly. She felt even more pressured because her boss had set a deadline.

Even the taxi driver was shocked by how many drinks Lenie was carrying. He helped her because it was obvious that she couldn’t carry all of it on her own.

“Miss, are you okay? Why did you order so many coffees?” the driver asked, concerned.

“I’m fine. Yes, my boss ordered a lot. These are for all my co-workers,” Lenie replied, even though she was struggling to hold the drinks.

Out of sympathy, the taxi driver didn’t charge her for the fare.

“Really? Are you sure, kuya? I’m okay with it, but you also have a job, and I don’t want you to waste your effort,” Lenie said, still in disbelief at the driver’s kindness.

“It’s fine, hija. I don’t want to add to your problems today. It’s okay. What matters is that I helped,” the driver replied.

After getting out of the taxi, Lenie thanked the driver repeatedly. She couldn’t believe that there were still kind people in the world.

Once Lenie distributed all the drinks, she went to a corner, away from everyone, and cried. She couldn’t handle the exhaustion from Alexis’s orders anymore.

What she didn’t know was that Zyra had followed her, and saw her crying. Lenie was shocked when she saw Zyra and quickly wiped her tears.

“Lenie, are you okay? By the way, I’ve already put the drink in your cubicle. Enjoy it, it’s delicious, and it’s my favorite,” Zyra said with a smile, which confused Lenie.

“Huh? No, it’s okay. I’m fine. That drink is for you, so you should drink it,” Lenie replied.

“No, it’s for you. I already had mine earlier. I didn’t know you’d order from that coffee shop,” Zyra said, smiling.

Lenie had no choice but to return to her cubicle and accept the drink Zyra gave her.

She smiled, realizing that she had once thought Zyra was aloof, but now, it seemed like she was going to be her friend.

What neither of them knew was that Alexis had heard their conversation. When Alexis saw Lenie crying, it felt like a knife pierced his heart for an unknown reason.

From that moment on, he promised himself that he would never make things difficult for Lenie again, and he would make up for all the wrongs he had done to his employee.