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Chapter 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Lesley could hear the sound of her heart beating wildly as the beautiful secretary opened the door to an office. The door opened like they were in slow motion as she held her breath. What took the secretary three seconds was like a minute to her.
Here it is. Her very first job interview.
"Are you sure you're ready?" the secretary asked, bothered by her pale face.
She took a deep breath then looked at the secretary enthusiastically. "Yes!" she answered. But in reality, her chest is about to explode.
The secretary sweetly smiled at her, and it gave her courage. The woman's smile is as beautiful as her face, she thought.
"Okay, good luck!" the woman said and then politely pointed to the open door. "You can go in."
"Thank you!"
She slightly bowed her head to the kind woman then went ahead and walked into the office of the person who would dictate if she still has a house to return to. This manager, whoever he is, must hire her because her mother would throw her out of their house if she failed.
She slowly stepped forward and peeked inside. A man in his forties was leisurely sitting on a black swivel chair. His hands rested on the back of his head. Both his feet were on the table, and his back was leaning on the chair with his eyes closed.
She coughed loudly to get his attention. The man flinched when he opened his eyes and saw her at the door. He immediately put down his feet and sat upright.
"Sorry, come in. You can sit down here," the man offered while pointing at the chair in front of his desk. She smiled, feeling a bit awkward, and then she walked in.
Only half of her butt sat on the chair while she straightened her back and faced the man with a smile. She made eye contact with him, not showing any hesitation. She needed to look confident. Her mother told her that she would be more likely to get the job if she did this. It would make her look reliable.
She glanced at the acrylic desk nameplate in front of her for a second. Engraved on it was the name, Jacoben Alonzo. There was no title stating his position here in the hospital, which was usually put under the engraved name. Anyway, she was sure she heard the secretary call him manager earlier.
"What's your name?" the manager asked with an accommodating smile.
Her nervousness was somewhat reduced by his gentle eyes. This man did not look intimidating to her. He looked kind and very approachable.
"My name is Lesley Madrigal," she replied, then enthusiastically handed over her resume.
Her forehead furrowed when she saw the shock on the man's face upon hearing her name. What is wrong with her name, and he seemed so surprised?
His eyes got fixated on her face as he took the resume from her hand. He looked at the paper she handed him for only a brief moment and then looked at her face again, still with a shocked expression.
"So she accepted... Interesting..." he mumbled. And for some reason, his eyes were sparkling.
"You're hired!" he nonchalantly said as he stood up and returned the resume to her.
"Sorry?" She looked at him in disbelief.
"You're hired!" he repeated with a broad smile.
Her lips parted and stared at his face in shock. She was sure he had not read the resume he had held for only five seconds. How come she was hired just like that?
Both of his eyebrows rose when she did not respond. "What? You don't want the job?"
She shook her head violently. "No! Yes! No, I mean—" While still confused about what was happening, she stood up and held out her hand. "I-I want the job! T-thank you so much sir! I'll do my best! Thank you!" she said then the man shook her hand.
"You're more than welcome!"
It was suspicious, but she brushed it off her mind immediately. She got hired! She should celebrate and not complicate things. Furthermore, she was told that this hospital was desperate for workers, so maybe they would just accept anyone as long as they fill the vacant jobs.
The manager picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.
"Kali, please come to my office now. Orient Ms. Madrigal here. She will be assigned to V-03," he ordered the person on the other line.
When he hung up the phone, he folded his arms and studied her from head to toe. "Are you sure you want to be a janitress here?"
She bit her lower lip and bowed in shame. She looked at what she was wearing. "It's my mom," she said. "She had me wear this to look presentable."
He laughed. "I'm just messing with you! It looks good on you. Don't be embarrassed."
She raised her head. "T-thank you..." she said with a small smile then shyly averted her eyes.
She applied here for the part-time janitress position, but she was in corporate attire, and her skirt was too short. Where have you seen a janitress mopping the floor in a pencil-cut skirt and long sleeves? She felt like she looked ridiculous.
She also prepared a lot of answers to the possible questions that the interviewer might ask her, but the only question asked was her name. She had put a lot of unnecessary effort into this interview that turned out to be simple.
Her face was burning red from embarrassment, but this was not her fault. It was her mother's idea. She suddenly remembered what happened the day before.
Her mother forced her to put on the clothes she is wearing now and told her to search the internet for ways she could pass the interview as if she is preparing for a professional job.
One afternoon after school, she found her mother whispering and talking on the phone. The expression on her mother's face was dark, and her feet were restless as she walked back and forth. When she saw her, she immediately hung up the phone and approached her.
"You need to be absent from school on Wednesday. You're going somewhere," her mother hastily said.
Her forehead furrowed. "Where?"
"I'll send you to the company of someone I know. You have to work there."
She became stupefied for a moment. Then she grabbed her mother's hands, confused about what was going on.
"What? But, why? Can't I just do it after the semester, on vacation? I have an exam next week!"
Her mother violently withdrew her hands from her hold. "Are you really asking that?! Do you think I earn enough for the three of us here?!"
She was stunned in shock at her reaction. Who was the person her mother was talking to on the phone earlier? Why does she suddenly need to work? What is happening?
"But, Ma, I—"
"I'm not going to change my mind!" her mother shouted at her protest. "You're too much of a burden to me. It's only right that you help me now. You're already eighteen and able to work! Go put yourself to use!" the woman angrily said as if she did something wrong.
She pleaded. But after her mother upbraided her for the difficulties her mother experienced in raising her even though she was not her real child, she could no longer refuse.
Her mother said they were in dire straits and deep in debt. According to the person her mother spoke to on the phone earlier, the company she will work at is willing to give her a salary in advance, which will solve their financial problem.
The next day, her mother borrowed formal clothes from a friend, boasting that it was for her job interview at a large and private hospital. But when they got here, only then did her mother tell her that she was applying for a position of part-time janitress, and it was only here that she found out that this was actually a mental hospital.
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"Mr. Alonzo, I'm here." Her deep thought was interrupted by the person who had just come in. She looked at the door behind and saw an old woman with a red pixie cut hair and large eyeglasses. The old lady's red and long skirt was bright in color, and her tucked-in white polo shirt was uncluttered. The old woman's tall stature was emphasized by her black heels, which were four inches high. Her pearl necklace and earrings were also striking. One of the old woman's thin eyebrows rose at her sight and scornfully looked at her from head to toe. Lines drew on the old woman's forehead, and the veins in her neck protruded. She gulped. The person was intimidating from head to toe. She had not done anything yet, but it seemed like she was already guilty of something because of how sharp the woman's stare was. "You're scaring her, Kali," said Mr. Alonzo, who stopped the woman's deadly stare at her. "Lesley, please meet your supervisor, Mrs. Dapit." "This is a joke, right?" the old woman, wh
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She let out a heavy sigh. She placed her hands on Patrick's shoulder and looked straight into his eyes. "Okay, fine. I'm taking back everything I said, and I'm not mad at you anymore. I forgive you. Will you come out now?" She knew he would not go away with a simple beg. So she said what he wanted to hear. His face cleared. "Really? Do you mean it? Did that come from your heart? "You bet! I swear! Now, please leave. Mom's calling you." She became breathless when he suddenly hugged her tightly. She was so shocked she could not respond to what he was doing. "Don't think like that ever again. Okay? You're making me sad. I just want to get your attention. That's why I tease you every day. After you turned fourteen, you became distant from me. I don't like it," he softly said while she was still in his arms. She expected her hands to push him, but her bones seemed to have softened. Instead of scolding him, the first thing that came to her mind was how light it felt. Nobody in her
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More than an hour had passed, but no one had raised their white flag yet. Her eyelids had gotten heavier. Half of her face, which had been resting on the table, was already red and a bit swollen. She slightly lifted her head to check on V-03. She frowned when she saw him. My Goodness! He's still looking at me, unmoved, like a dummy. Doesn't he get tired? Unbelievable! He looks like he has no intention of eating his food unless she feeds him. She looks at her wristwatch. She is running out of time. It seems like she lost this battle. She now has no choice but to do as he says, or she will not be able to go home. She raised her head and sat upright. She took a few deep breaths before standing up and slowly walking towards V-03. She left a distance of three steps between them. Then she looked at him lazily. "All right, you won. I'm going to feed you. I'll do what you want, V-03, but I'm begging you, please, don't hurt me." She took one step closer. "I'll be nice to you, promise.
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Kali just received a call from the front desk that a janitress asked to see her in her office. She sneered when she heard who it was. "I am busy right now, but let her in. I'm sure she wants to see me to hand in her resignation. I can make time for that." "Okay, Ma'am. I will tell her to come in." "Thank you." She put down the phone and put away the laptop on her desk. Then she heard three faint knocks on the door. "Come in." Slowly the door opened, and Lesley's head peeked. "Good evening," the young lady greeted before entering her office. Kali smiled widely. She could no longer wait to sign Lesley's resignation papers. "So, how may I help you, Miss Madrigal?" "Y-yes." Lesley swallowed before continuing. "Uhm, I just wanted to say tha—" "Wait!" she interrupted while she raised her right hand. "Let me guess. You want to leave, right?" She did not wait for Lesley to answer and assumed that the girl was giving up her job. She stood up and took a couple of documents from th
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Lesley can hear her heart beating loudly inside her chest. Her palms clenched in nervousness as they stared into each other's eyes."I… I got very angry with you, and I was bitter… But I still love you..."She saw his face getting redder. She could feel herself slowly being swallowed by his gaze that seemed to penetrate deep inside her."How about the things you said before I left?" he asked in his low and deep voice. "Do you want me?"She slightly raised his eyebrows at this and pursed her lips."What do you mean?" she asked nervously.The atmosphere is getting hotter. She knew what he was talking about. But it was too embarrassing to admit now without the alcohol in her system."You remember it, right? Everything you said... and what we almost did here in your room," He brought his face closer to hers. "Lesley, tell me honestly... Do you want me inside you?"Lesley can hear the loud beating inside her chest as if she will have a heart attack at any moment. Only one person has the ab
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Lesley stared intently at him for a few seconds before sighing heavily. "Fine," she finally agreed, walking to a table nearby. And then she started to put her things away. "Instead of moving on with each other, I messed with your mind again," she murmured, then looked straight at him. "This is my fault. I'm sorry.""No. It's not your fault!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "It was me. I did this. If I hadn't asked you for that one last kiss, last night wouldn't have happened."She paused, frowning at him. "What are you implying?""I made you feel something in that kiss, and you can't forget me," he answered so casually.Lesley scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't even know what to say. Can you stop assuming?"He walked to her, slightly bending down to put his mouth closer to her ears. "You miss me… And you want me…."Lesley stepped back and glared at him. If only those stares could cut him, he would be in pieces."I'm being serious," he immediately said while holding back a grin. "But
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"What… What do you mean?" Kieran asked, staring intently at her face. "You're asking me why it has to be the last kiss? Do you... Do you want more?"Lesley's heart was beating so fast that she could hear its deafening pounding.She could not take her gaze off Kieran's eyes, which were also fixed on her, even though she felt like she was melting to the ground.Her expression remained brave and confident even though her thoughts were getting tangled in her brain.'What are you doing, Lesley?!' she scolded herself in her mind.She can already see that she will regret this in the morning. But she can't do anything but continue what she started. And she couldn't stop herself either, as if she had lost control."What's wrong with that?" she continued.There flared a strange sparkle in Kieran's eyes. He was speechless for a couple of seconds before he could respond to her."D-Do you... Do you mean it? Seriously—"He suddenly paused when he realized something. He blew violently and shook his
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Lesley took her deepest breath and then looked ahead. She decided to go to the training grounds to warm up. Rio might be there now to start their new training."Lesley!"She scrambled to her feet when she heard Kieran's voice calling out to her."Lesley, please wait!"She ignored him until he finally caught up to her."I swear I didn't mean to eavesdrop," he said.She took a deep breath and slowly faced him."Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter," she coldly responded.Kieran just smiled, then he held out a clean towel familiar to her. "I wanted to give this back to you."She frowned. "Is it mine?""Yes. It fell on the training grounds the last time we talked there. I washed it, so it's clean."She stared at his eyes for a few seconds, and then she averted her gaze immediately as if burned by something she saw in them."Thank you," she said, almost choking on the word."You're welcome," he answered sweetly.Lesley stared at Kieran again, which seemed strange. He appeared oddly dif
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The air-conditioning in the room was cold enough, but a drop of sweat still managed to escape Kieran's forehead. Since he woke up from a wet dream a few hours ago, his body still felt hot. He knew he had to release this heat. But he doesn't seem to have the energy for anything right now. He is too lazy to even get up.Kieran has been awake for a while now. But he hasn't gotten up yet. He rested his head in his hands as he stared blankly at the ceiling, recalling his happy memories with Lesley and intimate moments.He kept thinking about the sexy dream he had last night. He misses her in his arms, her lips on his, her perky breasts, and her hot wetness. He recalled how sweet those tasted, especially the heaven between her legs. But most of all, he yearns for her beautiful eyes that always look at him passionately, and her soft voice muttering words of love for him. Oh, how he longed for that.If he only knew that they would be like this, he would have shown more of how much he loves he
