"ERINA ISABEL TUAZON POV
"I'm just heading in, Faye. I woke up late. My alarm didn’t go off this morning," I spoke into my phone as I unlocked the chain from my bicycle. I always secure my bike like this because I don’t trust the people in this neighborhood. There are a lot of snatchers here—especially thieves. My apartment has a gate, but I still have to be extra cautious. [Are you serious, Erina? It’s already noon! Your boss is definitely going to lecture you again. Hurry up! You know he gets to work early, yet you still couldn’t wake up on time.] I just laughed at what my friend said. She seemed more stressed about it than I was. It wasn’t my fault that my phone alarm didn’t go off—or maybe I was just too exhausted that's why I didn't hear it? "I'm hurrying, but this bike you gave me isn’t cooperating," I joked, and I heard Faye sigh deeply on the other end of the line. This bike was her gift to me on my birthday last year. It has been my only mode of transportation to work every day, and it has helped me so much. But now that I’m in a rush, it decides to break down. [Wow, really? Now you’re blaming the bike I gave you? You should be blaming that broken phone of yours instead. Why haven’t you bought a new one yet? You’ve saved up enough money.] "I have something more important to save for. You know what that is. Besides, my phone still works. It’s old, but I can still use it." Faye was right—I had already saved up some money. But I was keeping it because I wanted to go back to school. Ever since I left my father’s house, I hadn’t attended classes the next day. That’s why I decided to continue my studies—I wanted to graduate. Maybe if I accomplished something, my father would finally be proud of me. "Alright, Faye, I’ll talk to you later. I have to get to work, and you take care at school." After ending the call, I slipped my phone into my pocket. I quickly got on my bike and left the apartment. I pedaled as fast as I could since I was already super late. Luckily, I took the bike lane, so I didn’t have to deal with cars on the road—less risk of any accidents. "Sh*t! Just my bad luck!" Out of nowhere, heavy rain started pouring down. The sun was shining brightly when I left my apartment, so why was it suddenly raining? Goodness! Of all times for a downpour, it had to be when I was already late for work. And to make things worse, there wasn’t a single shed nearby where I could take cover. "Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!" I cursed repeatedly as my bike wobbled unexpectedly. I hit the brakes hard, barely stopping myself in time before I could get thrown onto the road. I collapsed onto the pavement, struggling to catch my breath after getting off my bike. Even though I was already drenched, I felt like I was sweating from the sheer panic. My heart was pounding wildly. Damn, that was close. I really thought I was going to have an accident. Thank God I managed to stop in time. "Thank you, Lord," I whispered, looking up at the sky. The clouds darkened even more, thunder rumbled, and the rain intensified. A bad feeling crept up my spine. Was something worse going to happen to me today? I hoped not—but I had barely escaped an accident just now. "Shucks! Why did you have to break now?" I nearly cried, staring at my bike. The tire was flat, and the chain had snapped. I let out a deep sigh before giving up and lying down on the pavement. I didn’t care what people thought—I was too frustrated to move. Was this a sign that I should just go home and skip work? But if I didn’t go to work, I’d be losing a day’s pay. "Erina Isabel, you got this! Don’t be weak, don’t let negativity win!" I told myself, suddenly sitting up from the pavement. I blew out a deep breath and pushed myself to stand. "Inhale... exhale... stay away, negativity! Leave me alone!" I said loudly before taking another deep, calming breath. I probably looked insane right now, but I didn’t care what other people thought anymore. "Erina, where have you been? The boss has been looking for you." As soon as I stepped into the coffee shop, Lean, one of my coworkers—who was always punctual—immediately approached me. "And why are you soaking wet? Don’t tell me you went through the heavy rain?" She followed me to the locker area, her voice full of concern. I nodded before glancing at her. "I didn’t have a choice. My bike broke down, and there was no shed in sight." I quickly opened my locker to grab a towel. Fortunately, I always left a spare pair of pants and a T-shirt inside for emergencies. And today turned out to be exactly that—a completely unexpected disaster. "You're going to get sick. You should’ve just stayed home." "I can’t afford to miss a day’s salary." Lean leaned against my locker, arms crossed, staring at me. "It’s better than getting scolded by our boss," she said, making me laugh. "What’s the trick for handling that?" I asked. She let out a deep sigh, clearly frustrated with me. "In one ear, out the other," she answered flatly. "Exactly! So don’t worry about me. Just wait for me outside, I’ll change quickly." I rushed to the restroom to change before I ended up catching a cold. My immune system was weak, so I always avoided letting sweat dry on me or getting drenched in the rain. But with what happened earlier, I had no choice—I’d just have to face the consequences. As soon as I stepped out of the locker area, Rome, the shop’s bartender, called out to me. "Erina, the boss wants to see you." I barely had a moment to process before heading straight to my boss’s office. Better to go now than have him come after me. "Boss, you asked for me?" I said as I entered the office. He immediately looked up, his expression dark and displeased. Oh, crap. I’m in trouble. Am I about to get fired?I could tell he was furious just by the way he looked at me. His glare alone made it clear that I had tested his patience. This was my first time being late, but I already knew I wouldn’t let it happen again. "How many months have you been working here?" he asked, his tone sharp and unyielding. I was confused by what he asked, but before I could process it, he stood up, leaned against his desk, and crossed his arms. "S-Seven months … sir," I stammered, feeling nervous. I instinctively took a step back as he moved closer to me. His face was unreadable, but I was sure he was angry. He was undeniably handsome, but his strictness at work was terrifying. "Then why aren’t you doing your job properly?! The rules were explained to you, but you keep forgetting them! Just because you're my cousin’s friend doesn’t mean I won’t scold you or that you can do whatever you want," he snapped, his voice laced with frustration. His words caught me off guard. I couldn't bring myself to respo
None of us dared to speak. I wasn't looking at him, but I'm sure he was looking at me now. I didn't want to talk to him, but he asked Boss Yuki for permission, so I had no choice but to leave the counter and go to him. But until now, we still haven't acknowledged each other and he hasn't started talking yet. As if I'm going to talk to him. Over my dead body! But I looked at him when he placed something in front of me. An envelope, and I know it's filled with money. "Take it, it will help with your daily expenses," he said, and suddenly, my mood shifted. He did this last week too. He handed me money, but I refused to take it. My brother never learns. He knows I won't accept it and that he won't get anything from me, yet he keeps coming here and trying to give me money. "We're just going in circles, Kuya. Aren't you tired of this?" I said in frustration, crossing my arms. "No, I'm not." "Then why?" "Because you're my sister!" Sister, my ass! I suddenly smiled bitter
"What the heck?! Why am I so unlucky today?" I said, almost in tears, as I stepped out of the restaurant. And suddenly kicked the trash can I saw out of sheer frustration. The people who saw what I did were shocked, but I didn't care anymore. It's a good thing I vented my anger on the trash can and not on someone else. And I almost rolled on the ground here in the street just like I did earlier. Because the manager scolded me for delivering the food to the wrong table. The customer confronted me and scolded me until they called my manager. "Why is this the food you served us? We didn't order this, miss," said a lady, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I suddenly got nervous and immediately looked at the list I was holding. And that's when I realized that I had indeed gone to the wrong table to deliver the food. Table 8 is the one I went to, and the food on the table is not on their list. "I apologize, ma'am .. I think I just overlooked what was written—" "Are y
"Sit down first…" I said as I slowly guided him to sit on the small sofa.I immediately let out a breath once he was seated, but I made sure not to let him notice. He was tall, big body, and well-built—completely different from my physique. It felt like I had just carried a sack of rice because of how heavy he was. Not that I was complaining, I was just exhausted from helping him get here to my apartment.Yes, to my apartment because he refused to be taken to the hospital. I insisted, especially since he had a wound on his forehead that needed to be treated by a doctor. But he was adamant about not going and insisted that I bring him to my place instead. I had no choice but to agree. I couldn’t just leave him alone, or I’d be the one to blame if something worse happened to him."I’ll just get my first-aid kit," I informed him before heading straight to my room."Tss, why did you even bring him here, Erina?" I muttered to myself in frustration. I was talking to myself again out of shee
“ERINA ISABEL TUAZON POV”A strong slap landed on my face from Dad when he saw the report card I handed to him. I wasn’t surprised—I had already expected this to happen. The moment I saw my grades yesterday, I knew this was coming, so I wasn’t shocked when my father did this to me."You failed Filipino?! That’s the easiest subject, and you still flunked it? What kind of student are you? Do you even attend that class? I sent you to an expensive school so you could learn, and this is the kind of grades you show me? Do you really think I can accept this?" he yelled angrily before throwing my report card at me.I just lowered my head and wiped my cheek as tears started falling. I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but here I am now, my tears flowing like a river as my father continued his scolding.“I-I’ll make it up, Dad. It’s only the second quarter—”"I don’t care what quarter it is! You still failed, and there’s nothing you can do to change that!" he cut me off. "And stop making excu
"Sit down first…" I said as I slowly guided him to sit on the small sofa.I immediately let out a breath once he was seated, but I made sure not to let him notice. He was tall, big body, and well-built—completely different from my physique. It felt like I had just carried a sack of rice because of how heavy he was. Not that I was complaining, I was just exhausted from helping him get here to my apartment.Yes, to my apartment because he refused to be taken to the hospital. I insisted, especially since he had a wound on his forehead that needed to be treated by a doctor. But he was adamant about not going and insisted that I bring him to my place instead. I had no choice but to agree. I couldn’t just leave him alone, or I’d be the one to blame if something worse happened to him."I’ll just get my first-aid kit," I informed him before heading straight to my room."Tss, why did you even bring him here, Erina?" I muttered to myself in frustration. I was talking to myself again out of shee
"What the heck?! Why am I so unlucky today?" I said, almost in tears, as I stepped out of the restaurant. And suddenly kicked the trash can I saw out of sheer frustration. The people who saw what I did were shocked, but I didn't care anymore. It's a good thing I vented my anger on the trash can and not on someone else. And I almost rolled on the ground here in the street just like I did earlier. Because the manager scolded me for delivering the food to the wrong table. The customer confronted me and scolded me until they called my manager. "Why is this the food you served us? We didn't order this, miss," said a lady, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I suddenly got nervous and immediately looked at the list I was holding. And that's when I realized that I had indeed gone to the wrong table to deliver the food. Table 8 is the one I went to, and the food on the table is not on their list. "I apologize, ma'am .. I think I just overlooked what was written—" "Are y
None of us dared to speak. I wasn't looking at him, but I'm sure he was looking at me now. I didn't want to talk to him, but he asked Boss Yuki for permission, so I had no choice but to leave the counter and go to him. But until now, we still haven't acknowledged each other and he hasn't started talking yet. As if I'm going to talk to him. Over my dead body! But I looked at him when he placed something in front of me. An envelope, and I know it's filled with money. "Take it, it will help with your daily expenses," he said, and suddenly, my mood shifted. He did this last week too. He handed me money, but I refused to take it. My brother never learns. He knows I won't accept it and that he won't get anything from me, yet he keeps coming here and trying to give me money. "We're just going in circles, Kuya. Aren't you tired of this?" I said in frustration, crossing my arms. "No, I'm not." "Then why?" "Because you're my sister!" Sister, my ass! I suddenly smiled bitter
I could tell he was furious just by the way he looked at me. His glare alone made it clear that I had tested his patience. This was my first time being late, but I already knew I wouldn’t let it happen again. "How many months have you been working here?" he asked, his tone sharp and unyielding. I was confused by what he asked, but before I could process it, he stood up, leaned against his desk, and crossed his arms. "S-Seven months … sir," I stammered, feeling nervous. I instinctively took a step back as he moved closer to me. His face was unreadable, but I was sure he was angry. He was undeniably handsome, but his strictness at work was terrifying. "Then why aren’t you doing your job properly?! The rules were explained to you, but you keep forgetting them! Just because you're my cousin’s friend doesn’t mean I won’t scold you or that you can do whatever you want," he snapped, his voice laced with frustration. His words caught me off guard. I couldn't bring myself to respo
"ERINA ISABEL TUAZON POV"I'm just heading in, Faye. I woke up late. My alarm didn’t go off this morning," I spoke into my phone as I unlocked the chain from my bicycle.I always secure my bike like this because I don’t trust the people in this neighborhood. There are a lot of snatchers here—especially thieves. My apartment has a gate, but I still have to be extra cautious.[Are you serious, Erina? It’s already noon! Your boss is definitely going to lecture you again. Hurry up! You know he gets to work early, yet you still couldn’t wake up on time.]I just laughed at what my friend said. She seemed more stressed about it than I was. It wasn’t my fault that my phone alarm didn’t go off—or maybe I was just too exhausted that's why I didn't hear it?"I'm hurrying, but this bike you gave me isn’t cooperating," I joked, and I heard Faye sigh deeply on the other end of the line.This bike was her gift to me on my birthday last year. It has been my only mode of transportation to work every d
“ERINA ISABEL TUAZON POV”A strong slap landed on my face from Dad when he saw the report card I handed to him. I wasn’t surprised—I had already expected this to happen. The moment I saw my grades yesterday, I knew this was coming, so I wasn’t shocked when my father did this to me."You failed Filipino?! That’s the easiest subject, and you still flunked it? What kind of student are you? Do you even attend that class? I sent you to an expensive school so you could learn, and this is the kind of grades you show me? Do you really think I can accept this?" he yelled angrily before throwing my report card at me.I just lowered my head and wiped my cheek as tears started falling. I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but here I am now, my tears flowing like a river as my father continued his scolding.“I-I’ll make it up, Dad. It’s only the second quarter—”"I don’t care what quarter it is! You still failed, and there’s nothing you can do to change that!" he cut me off. "And stop making excu