Chapter 2

It’s my first day here. I talked to Aunt Rose last night around midnight. It turns out they’ll be staying there longer because they’re handling a company business. If ever they come back here, it might only be for about a week.

When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. I forgot to close the curtains last night, and since the walls of this room are made of glass, the sunlight easily streams inside.

I folded my blanket and fixed the pillowcases before heading to the bathroom.

Good thing each room in this house has its own bathroom—at least I won’t get lazy whenever I need to pee.

When I went downstairs, the head maid was the first person I saw.

She was wiping the glass table in the middle of the living room while another maid was vacuuming the carpet.

“Good morning! What would you like for breakfast?” she asked me with a warm smile.

“Anything’s fine,” I replied with a smile of my own.

I walked straight to the kitchen. When I got there, Rica—the youngest maid which is the daughter of the head maid, Manang Celia—was busy working.

I went straight to make myself a cup of coffee. After that, I sat at the far end of the dining table, even though I was eating alone.

“There’s bread inside the fridge,” Rica said suddenly.

I wanted to get closer to her, maybe have someone to talk to here, but she seemed shy and uneasy whenever I tried to start a conversation.

“Ah, okay. Thanks,” I replied simply as I grabbed the bread and spread from the fridge.

I went back to the dining table and continued drinking my coffee. The silence between us filled the room as I finished my cup.

After breakfast, I headed back to my room and grabbed my phone. I was about to message Alliyah when suddenly her name popped up on the screen. I quickly answered—yesterday, I couldn’t reach her at all.

“Wow! I’ve been calling you since yesterday and now you finally pick up!” I said.

“Oh my gosh, sorry! Yori and the others invited me to hang out. I thought we were just going out for fun, but it turned into a drinking session—”

“Why didn’t you say no? I should strangle you—you just wanted to drink, admit it!” I joked.

“Hey! I didn’t mean to! They said it would just be one drink, then they kept refilling my glass again and again… until I got drunk,” she said, sounding guilty.

“Oh sure, you’re just pretending to be innocent,” I teased.

“I swear! I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry!”

“Yeah right, sorry my foot,” I replied playfully.

“I mean it! Let’s meet up today—I’ll treat you so I can make it up to you,” she offered.

“Wow!! Are you rich now?” I said, laughing.

“Nope, but I have a job now!”

“Really? Fine then—how about this: you buy the coffee, I’ll take care of the bread or anything to go with it.”

“Hey, I said I’m treating you!”

“Whatever, let’s just do that. Where should we meet?”

“I’ll text you the address.”

“No, wait—you might get lost. You don’t really know the streets here, do you? So I’ll just come pick you up instead.” she sounded so concerned.

“Uh, you can’t. I don’t live at our old house anymore; Mom sold it a long time ago.”

“Then where should I pick you up?” she added.

“Just text me the address. I’ll find my way to you.” I insisted.

“Are you sure? You might get lost—and your parents might come back to haunt me,” she joked.

“Where are you even staying right now? You don’t have any relatives left here, right?”

“I’m staying at my mom’s friend’s house. My parents asked them to look after me. Thankfully, they’re really kind.”

“Where exactly is that?”

“I’ll text you the address. Just message me when you’re at the gate,” I said before ending the call.

A few minutes later, she texted me. I got dressed and left the house, making sure to inform the head maid before going out—just in case Aunt Rose asked about me later.

“Oh my gosh, is that really you, Shim?” she said, sounding half-serious and half-teasing.

“Oh no, you’ve got the wrong person. Who are you again?” I replied sarcastically.

“I’m serious! You’ve changed so much—you’re really beautiful now, I swear!”

“Let’s go already! You’re talking nonsense again. I think you’ve gone crazy,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Wow, that’s how you thank me for giving you a compliment?” she said, pretending to be offended as she followed me.

We spent a few minutes chatting and catching up as we walked until we reached a coffee shop near the university where she's planning to get enrolled.

We entered one after another—she went in first, and I followed behind.

We chose a seat by the window. I’ve always preferred sitting there; you can see and appreciate the view better.

“You order,” I said.

“Okay, wait a sec,” she said, quickly standing up and heading to the counter.

After a few seconds, she came back holding a small standee with a number printed on it—the kind that can stand on its own without support.

“So, what course are you planning to take?” she asked seriously, looking straight at me.

I glanced at her and fell silent for a moment. Her question made me realize I hadn’t really thought about it yet.

“I’m not sure yet. How about you?” I asked back.

“I’m taking up Nursing. You should enroll there too—you’re smart, and at least I’ll have someone with me,” she said straightforwardly.

“I’ll think about it. I really don’t know yet,” I replied.

While we were talking, the waiter came and served our orders on the table.

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