"Okay! So what is your plan?"
The four of them diligently planned the surprise party where they ended up later that afternoon. Nickel just noticed that it was already late because Zoey is already messaging him, asking if he was done with his meeting or not.
"I guess everything is okay and settled. Thank you for helping me for my short noticed surprise party." Nickel expressed his sincere appreciation and apology for dragging them to his plans.
"It's okay. We will message your once we are done with our parts. Also, play as if we haven't seen each other the next we meet, okay!"
Nickel bid his goodbye first then phoned Zoey that he is already on his way back to ASC.
"I will be there after ten minutes or fifteen. Wait for me."
Zoey was packing her things when suddenly a new housekeeper entered her room.
"I'm sorry Ma'am. I didn't know that you are still here." The old housekeeper apologized to Zoey, as he didn't know that she was still there. The old man was the newly assigned housekeeper to their office room because the last one that attended their room service was also brainwashed by Michael and when Nickel found it out, he immediately fired the housekeeper and asked the housekeeping agency that they've hired to replace her.
"It is okay, mister." Zoey genuinely smiled at him and saw that the man had a visible scar on his forehead down to his cheek. She instantly pitied him for experiencing that tragic scar and wanted to ask about it but she thought that she would sound insensitive if she still tried to inquire what had happened to his face.
The man, whose name was Ricardo, noticed that Zoey was looking at his face for a moment and thought that she is curious about it. "I had an accident when I was young. You know shit happened when you least expected it."
Ricardo retold his story as if he was narrating her a published novel. During his young age, he stumbled to a riot between two gang groups in his town. Although he wasn't a member of any of them because of his built and aura, they thought that he was a secret member of their opponents.
One member of the southern gang sliced up his face with a broken bottle of beer. Unfortunately, when he turned his body to the right that man was already aiming his left chest but with the help of his quick reflexes, he immediately swayed his hand but on contrary to what he expected that man hit his forehead down to his cheek.
He still considered himself lucky because he didn't go blind after that accident but unfortunately that riot left him a permanent mark that he will bring until his grave bed.
"I'm sorry for looking that your face and for being insensitive mister, may I ask what is your name?"
"I'm Ricardo, but call me Manong Rick." He warm-heartedly introduced himself and extends his arm for a handshake.
Zoey, of course, accepted it and willingly acquainted herself to Manong Rick.
"Hahaha, you're actually finer than the other who apathetically looked and asked me rudely whenever they first saw me and my big scar on my face. At least one for you, I still see empathy and sadness when you noticed my flaw."
It is indeed Ricardo's first time to meet a kind person like Zoey. Although he never shared his story to anyone he still willingly want to narrate her his life story.
"Ma'am Zoey, why are you still here? The housekeeping head told me that the Director's room was always empty after five in the afternoon. It is already passed 5:30 PM why are you still here?"
Zoey forgot that she allowed office hours have done after 5 PM. She was so focused on her report and also she was waiting for Nickel's return that she actually forgot what time it is.
"Oh! I was busy with my reports and overlooked what was the time. Anyway, you can now start your thing, Manong Rick, I am also on my way out." Zoey picked all her things up and went out of the room but before she pulled the door open, she thanks Manong Rick for him retelling his story to her.
"It was nice meeting you, Manong Rick."
As the door closes, Ricardo tried to follow her silhouette out of the department station before he starts doing what he was asked for.
"Nice meeting you too, Zoey."
Zoey settled herself in the lobby area of ASC building, waiting for Nickel's comeback; she sat on the couch and took her phone to entertain herself.
In a matter of three minutes or more, her game was paused for a while because she was receiving a phone call from her bae.
"I'm at the parking area. Want me to go there or should I wait for you up here?" Nickel asked her first as he remembered that Zoey wasn't yet comfortable for everyone in ASC to know his or her relationship.
"Wait for me there."
Zoey hangs up the phone went her way to the basement parking area to meet Nickel. It was still hard for her to locate Nickel's car so she decided to call him again and asked his exact location.
"Honey, I'm actually behind you. You really looked lost to wilderness standing there looking left to right. My baby girl is so cute." He couldn't hide his amusement to Zoey that is why he sounds like he was talking to a baby when he said, "my baby girl is so cute."
"Shut up!" of course Zoey is not yet used to this kind of affection so she always brushed him up whenever he starts acting childish.