William spent the remaining weekdays thinking about a better plan, knowing his son would never agree to that setup. Still, before thinking about ways to convince him, he went back to reading what was in Anita's record.
While reading, he couldn't keep his eyes off every detail written on the printed paper. It only had two pages, but the academic and leadership awards listed impressed a billionaire like William.
Who wouldn't if the owner was a valedictorian from primary and secondary school and, to add to that, a summa cum laude when she graduated college?She was an intelligent girl, but William couldn't believe someone who could get so much spotlight from her achievements would only become a servant in a different country. He realized how overqualified his servant was. William wasn't even like her when studying and never had such recognition.
Reading everything made him curious about what kind of life Anita had back in her country. He hired a relevant person to do a background check on her, and the investigator asked him for two days.
Early Sunday morning, he received an email with an attached document containing everything he needed.
It had pictures. Scrolling into it made William's heart ache to see images of a great example of a happy family that he only gave to his son for a brief period.He noticed the simple life Anita had when she was a child. The genuine smiles of her siblings and parents inside their small house caught his eyes.
The next photo made him sad. It was Anita's father in the hospital, and it was evident in the picture how sick he was. All the written information and the pictures convinced William that Anita was the perfect person for the task. He knew Lennon would learn so much from the Filipina; the culture, her educational background, and how she sees life were tools for his goal to be on his palm, but before thinking of success, he needed a yes first.
That same morning, he went to the kitchen, where he could see her. He wanted Anita to feel comfortable with his presence. He could feel how uncomfortable she was the first day they met. He wanted Anita to see him as a friend, not just her boss, who would grant her wish to stay longer in the United States.
He had already thought of an offer. He felt the servant would regret it if she said no to it. William's confidence was not even half what he had for his son, who would undoubtedly get enraged just seeing him.
Anita was busy helping Linda prepare breakfast when he came. He saw the girl's captivating, sweet smile from where he stood. She was smiling like she wasn't someone who had so much trouble inside her head, and William saw this lively aura that he didn't notice the first time they met.
Anita's physical appearance didn't even matter. Although the servant had so many unique features that most men could like about her, William focused more on her personality, mindset, and things she could teach his rebellious son. He secretly wished she was brave and strict with his son. William doubts that because Anita seems like a very nice person.
Linda noticed William. He saw her look at him as well, and he took that as a cue to speak and approached them as he had just come.
"Hello, good morning!" he greeted the two. They were pretty surprised by his sudden arrival. They stopped what they were doing for a moment, and Anita silently panicked when she saw their boss for the second time.
She suddenly remembered the first conversation they had and the promise he had made. She had been waiting for an update for a few days already. It worried her, but Linda kept convincing her to stay calm and trust their boss because she believed he would stick to his words.
Seeing him at the moment made her think of asking him about it, but she was too shy to inquire.
"Good morning!" Linda said with a smile. Anita greeted William too, but her voice was only a whisper.Catching their boss looking at her made her swallow her words, and how he smiled at her made her uncomfortable. Anita was the first one to look away. She couldn't bear her awkwardness because he was staring at her, and William couldn't hide his amusement from her. Her shyness was too modest for any man to witness.
That exact moment caught Linda's eye. The sight brought unexplainable tickles to Linda's stomach. She noticed something different about William that day. Being her friend and knowing him for a long time, the smile on his face and in his eyes also delighted her.
Linda cleared her throat to get William's attention, and the billionaire got stunned by what she did that Linda found funny.
"What's with that look?" She whispered to William. She didn't want Anita to hear because he was just next to him, and those were too loud for him to hear.
"N-Nothing," he briefly answered, and while acting like he was fixing his clothes and how he stood, added," Can I talk to you for some time?" He wanted to get Linda's opinion regarding his plan before taking a step.
"We could," Linda unhesitantly replied, put down the spatula, and turned off the stove.
William took the lead. Linda followed him outside after explaining to Anita what to do with the other ingredients on the table. She nodded and was about to go back to slicing the carrot for the soap when she unintentionally cut the tip of her fingers.Anita ran towards the sink to wash the blood dripping from her finger. Trying to remove the juice of the carrot made her wound tingle. Linda heard Anita's short, in-pain scream, and she forgot their boss was already waiting outside the kitchen's backdoor.
"What happened?" Linda asked with so much concern. She approached her to see how it was and immediately saw the blood mixing in the running water. She took her hand and examined it, only to discover the cut was deep.
Linda hurried to get the first aid kit in her room and was already out of sight when William returned to see what was going on. He immediately saw Anita near the sink. She was already pressing the wound, putting enough pressure to stop the bleeding, when William suddenly grabbed her hand.
Surprised by what he did, Anita froze where she stood. She could feel the warmth of his hand on hers, but the pressure he put on her wound made her wince.
"Press it this way," he instructed. "I won't let a servant die in my vicinity because she lost a lot of blood by a cut on her finger," William added.
The way William uttered those words was far from how they spoke the last time, and she could sense genuine concern in him. Anita couldn't avoid thinking that the person in front was different. She mostly heard his voice when William was furious when scolding his son, for she had already heard them fighting a few times.
Anita mimicked what he did to the wound. It was like sticking the skin back, and with enough pressure, it did help. William walked away after he saw she was doing what he taught before Linda saw him doing what he was doing.
"Tell Linda I'll be heading to my horseback riding," he said after grabbing one apple from the basket and walking away.
Anita couldn't answer. She watched him leave the kitchen from the back door. Linda came back holding a small white rectangular container. She placed it on the tiled marble sink and took an ointment inside that could help stop the bleeding after cleaning before she put the band-aid.
"Be careful next time," Linda murmured while putting ointment on Anita's wound. She didn't notice William was already gone and only found out when Anita told Linda about what message William had left for her.
"We need to bring food there then," Linda uttered as she put the first aid kit on the side.
"We?" Anita asked in disbelief.
"Yes. You don't want to come?" Linda asked, a bit confused by Anita's reaction. She then thought maybe she didn't want to go to the place where they were going to bring breakfast. She might regret it since it was a beautiful place.
"I want to!" she exclaimed.
"I thought you didn't," Linda murmured, and the two returned to preparing food.
The breakfast was already in a basket when the wireless phone on the counter started ringing. Anita watched Linda talk on the phone. She noticed her wrinkled forehead while listening to the person on the other line.
"Okay," she politely said before putting the phone back where she had taken it and turning back to Anita to tell her they were going.
Anita carried a medium-sized basket. A 4x4 that would take them to where their boss was already waiting for them outside. Anita had never been to the place they were about to go. On their way, she felt awe while watching the green field on the opened window while smelling the cool and fresh air.
Countless cattle and sheep were roaming inside an enclosure. Unlike the usual farm animals, Anita mostly sees the country she came from. Those she saw were hairier and more round, and the calf was adorable. Anita also saw many chickens, ducks, and even ostriches in separate enclosures. It seemed she was on a field trip, and Anita even thought of nursery rhymes she would sing while they were on their way.
It took them ten minutes to reach their destination. Anita's jaw almost dropped while looking at what was in front of them. It was like a paradise in the middle of nowhere. There were countless beautiful gigantic plants, trees with colorful leaves giving enough shade, and birds chirping. The river she could hear the water flowing was relaxing.
She followed Linda while carrying the basket. It was already fascinating outside, but what she saw inside was more than she expected. There was a pavilion right in the middle of the river. There were arc bridges to walk on on both the front and back, and an artificial forest on the other side was captivating.
William was walking on the other side of the bridge. They met in the middle, where the wooden, Japanese-inspired pavilion was. Anita placed the basket she was carrying on a small table where Linda pointed. After putting it down and raising her head, a white-carved rock caught her attention.
She eventually realized it wasn't just a rock because it was a tombstone, and there was a mausoleum.
"In Memories of Samantha L. Martin," Anita whispered to herself as she read the carved name and words on the stone at the top entrance of the white mausoleum. With how it appeared, she knew it wasn't something ordinary. She had never seen a rock as white as those. It seemed like a cave at first glance, but it wasn't at all. Anita didn't know what their late boss' wife's name was. She hadn't heard from Linda yet, but looking at how the place was created in memory of someone who had passed away, she could imagine how much love they had for her. They created a paradise inside a ranch. The place felt peaceful right on the spot where they were. The air was fresh, and the sound of the river flowing below the pavilion was relaxing. "Anita—" Her silent sentiment was interrupted when Linda suddenly called her name. She turned her head right away and looked at her apologetically. It was a shame that she was spacing out and almost forgot what they came for in that place after she got captiva
Third-Person's POV “Find Lennon,” William ordered his assistant, Timur, after reaching his office. The middle-aged man bowed his head and rushed outside to follow the order, calling people he knew to find the rebel son of his boss. They tracked the location where Lennon used his Centurion card last, and it was in a luxurious hotel outside Colorado. After getting the information, he went back to William's office to tell him what he had, and William asked Timur to call the bank and freeze Lennon's card. Meanwhile, at the hotel... Lennon and his friends were about to check out after a night full of fun. On the moment where they were about to pay, Lennon stepped forward, waving his black card, to hand it over to the lady at the front desk. "Let me!" he announced, and the lady who recognized the group blushed when she carefully took the card from the young man. Beep! "S-sir?" the lady called out to his attention. Beep! "Yes?" Lennon asked. "T-there's something wrong with your card
Third-person's POV"Can you hand me the salt, Anita?" Linda requested, but it seemed Anita was not in herself while wiping the table where they prepared all the ingredients for the dishes they were cooking that late afternoon.It had been a few minutes since she returned to the kitchen and went back to what she had left, and since then, Anita has been acting strangely."Anita?" Linda called and gave the young Filipina a gentle tap on her shoulder."Y-yes, M-miss Peters?" Anita was startled. "I-I'm sorry, are you saying something?""No," Linda lied, and she asked, "Are you okay?""Y-yes...I-I think so." As expected, she would lie."Come
Anita's POV"Anita, I can't come with you. William asked me to handle something today, but if you need some help, don't hesitate to call, okay?" I waited for Ms. Peters for a couple of minutes in the garden near the cooking area where we work. When she arrived, she was still wearing her uniform, giving me a clue that she wouldn't come with me.She seemed gloomy when we spoke, but knowing what kind of duties she had inside and outside the villa, I understood that she couldn't leave just like that to go to the mall, but it was okay.I smiled at her to show it was fine, even though I was a bit disappointed because I didn't know what clothes I should get for tomorrow."It's alright, Ms. Peters," I replied, and after saying goodbye, I started walking and waited for the Grad car I booked outside the gate.I was given an off day. Ms. Peters and I woke up early to prepare Sir William's breakfast so we could leave early as well.From what I heard, Ms. Peters and Sir William will be there as
For us, overseas Filipino workers, nothing could be more exciting than going home. Being away from our family is never easy, but it’s better that way than to cry in hopelessness when something goes wrong and you don’t have enough savings to go on. I worked for almost three years as a kitchen assistant at Martin’s mansion in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. It was all a stroke of luck when I got picked by the agency to be a servant and later chosen to be the assistant of our boss’ personal chef. My experience as a kitchen helper at the school canteen where I studied college was something they saw in my resume for me to be assigned to the kitchen. Well, that was something I never thought would push me into that position. I was only twenty-one when I accepted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from an agency that went to our province, Tanay, Rizal. I spent two of my birthdays away from my family. And four months was not a long period compared to the months I had already spent in the
“W-we rushed Papa to the hospital. He couldn’t properly breathe. He lost consciousness on our way here, and until now, he’s still asleep.” My brother’s voice trembled as he spoke, and I could hear cries from the background that I knew were my mother. My tears were on the verge of falling as I listened to his every word. I could sense hopelessness in my mother’s cry, so I told my younger brother to let me talk to her for a while. I tried—I tried my best to comfort her. My voice was shaky as I told her that she didn't have anything to worry about because Tatay would be fine, even though I knew there were so many things to think about. She listened without responding. I heard the doctor had just arrived. My brother ended the call after telling me he would update me right after the doctor gave them the other test results. I wanted to request to keep the call going so I could hear whatever the doctor was saying, but my tears were about to fall, and my chest felt like bursting. I bit
NARRATOR Colorful laser lights were scattered all over the place in sync with the loud music playing in a private underground country club in Cherry Hills. Everyone on the dance floor was dancing and singing to the DJ's party music like it was going to be their last time to party. People's sweat, perfume, and hair gel scents were in the air, along with the odors of liquor and smoke from everyone puffing on cigarettes. People partying didn't care if they bumped into a stranger or got hit by another person dancing next to them. All they cared about was having fun and forgetting about life and what was outside for a while. Among the people present were these five adult men, who were sitting in their favorite corner. There was an oblong table at their center full of empty and unopened cans of different liquors and glasses from drinks they ordered. Like everyone else, one of these men had problems dealing with them that made him so annoyed that night. His problem? His father. I
William was already fast asleep after a long and tiring day when his phone suddenly started ringing in the middle of the night. He tried reaching for it, which he remembered he had placed on the bedside table. With his eyes closed, he grabbed the phone. His forehead wrinkled after seeing an unregistered number calling him that late. He got skeptical about who owned the number instantly, knowing he wasn't the type who handed it out to random people without getting their phone numbers as well, especially the number they were calling only for personal use. He answered the call, thinking it was from someone he knew, only to discover it was from a police officer, informing him that his son was in jail after getting involved in a drug raid at a party. Besides this, Lennon and his friend got sued for parking illegally and destroying private property. William was left speechless. His son had disappointed him again, but he tried setting that aside, and the thought that Lennon had asked the o