Not for the first time, Rose life had become more miserable and depressing. Her mother's tragic death from late-stage ovarian cancer two years ago had been devastating to her family. Living with a terminally ill mother had left her in complete failure and desolation for two years.
In fact, they were so poor that they couldn't afford her mother's pain relievers, leaving her with no choice but to helplessly cry in pain while watching her mother cough up a mouthful of blood in the middle of the night.
No words can console her, and no one can give her a warm embrace. Nobody understands how she feels. But what can she do?
Rose felt she was the most unlucky person in the world as a result of her unbearable sufferings.
She was poor; her father had abandoned them; and she had a younger brother who relied on her for financial support. And now that her mother had left the world, they'd be in a tough spot, both living in poverty and being labeled orphans.
Despite her difficulties, Rose was adamant about not giving up. She had managed to balance her life between part time jobs and her studies, working her tail off.
She had used her intelligence to help her brother's studies by tutoring a group of students from various wealthy families in Manila.
She had, indeed, surpassed the challenges that had come her way.
Rose took the courage to take the Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers after graduating from college with a Bachelor Degree of Secondary Education - Major in English from one of the best universities in Manila. She even passed with flying colors.
What surprised her the most was that she topped the exam with the highest rating in the country, not because she underestimated her abilities.
Not only that, but she had made the historic distinction of being the first teacher to top the exam with a score of 98 percent, and this historic distinction had led to the conclusion that she was born a genius.
Rose had grown cunning and ambitious as a result of her accomplishments. Why would she choose to work with a petty offer if she wanted to work with school? After all, that does not demonstrate her work.
She had learned to dream big this time after so many losses, hoping that this opportunity would help her get closer to her once-and-for-all dream of working at the renowned international school in the Philippines.
But she had no idea her dream would come sooner than she had expected. She received a call three hours ago requesting an appointment.
It was a quick conversation that resulted in an appointment. Rose had just answered a call that had appeared on her phone screen and heard a female voice request a meet-up at 5 p.m. at Cafe Roshe. When she heard the name of the school, she agreed and then hung up the phone.
Rose, who was very excited for the appointment, rushed to the meeting location two hours before the scheduled time; she wanted to prepare herself by looking nice and professional.
And now, during the appointment, she would calmly listen to the woman's voice as she tried to persuade her to work with their school.
"Ms. Asuncion, how about working with our school? We will make sure to provide you with the benefits and incentives that will satisfy your position, I can guarantee it," she said softly.
She wore sunglasses and a formal outfit that gave her the appearance of a secretary. Her words were very articulate. She appears to be in her thirties based on her appearance. Rose could even tell that her voice sounded professional and promising.
Rose was deep in thought for a brief moment, so she waited a few seconds before returning to a serious expression and landed a smile on her face, attempting to conceal the trace of the absent-mindedness on her face.
Rose cleared her throat, lowered her head, and began to sit up straight in her new suit.
"A-hemm, excuse me. What's your name again?" she asked faintly, a sour expression of embarrassment on her face.
The secretary simply smiled and replied, "My name is Mylen Cueva, and I work for Ramirez Group as a secretary."
"I don't have a problem with the benefits or incentives, Ms. Mylen. The problem is..." "A-hem, the problem is...is the..."
Rose hesitated to finish her sentence. She paused for a moment before clearing her throat once more.
She wanted some changes made to the contract, but she appeared to be afraid to say anything for fear of being misunderstood and put in an awkward situation. But whenever she was about to say something, she couldn't bring it up.
Meanwhile, she could see the secretary across the table widening her eyes as she waited for her sentence to be finished.
When she noticed Rose hesitating to say anything, she interrupted and smiledly explained,
"If you had something to point out in the contract, we could have simply adjusted it to your specifications."
Rose just gave a faint smile after the secretary said what she wanted to say, feeling guilty about being caught. She hadn't expected the secretary to read her mind in a matter of seconds.
"If we can see that your conditions are feasible, why not adjust to the benefit of both parties?"
Rose felt relieved when she heard her words. She returned to a solemn expression and confidently expressed her concern about the contract.
"All right, the contract stated that the monthly salary would be $5,000, which I believe was less than the other school had offered me."
In Rose's opinion, the school was too good for her in every way, and working with them was her greatest dream, but she was slightly disappointed that the salary was lower compared to the other schools.
If they could just make a few changes, she'd probably be happy to accept it with no strings attached. But, in this case, Rose required it in order to solve the problem.
The secretary nodded and smiled slightly once more. Her expression was indecipherable. She allowed Rose to continue speaking.
"How about raising my monthly salary a little bit higher so that I'm satisfied?" she negotiated, her confident expression on her face.
"The school earns a lot more money than the teacher does; thus, we are just your employee after all; with my skills, Riverend International School will earn a lot more and that's a thing that will happen." She boasted incessantly.
Secret cunning words caused the secretary to pause for a few seconds before changing the color of her expression. In an emergency, she appeared to be adaptable.
Secretary Cueva simply leaned forward and clasped her hands above the table.
"If that's your concern, I believe we could work something out, but I'm afraid we'll need two days to figure it out."
Rose, across the table, was clearly listening to her while folding her arms.
"We just need it to inform the school about your condition, and if the school agrees, we will call you as soon as possible, and you should be able to go to work the next day after signing the contract."
The last sentence had rung in her mind, and the sudden arrangement of the work had lit her up. After signing the contract, will you be able to work the next day? Rose couldn't keep the glee from her eyes. She couldn't believe it when she thought about making a lot of money---her problems would be over.
But one question popped into her head out of nowhere: what if the school refused to agree to her small favor, wasting her time in achieving her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with the country's most prestigious international school, thinking this appointment was her last resort?
Looking back in time, remembering the effort and hard work she had put in for half her life, she would try to calm herself down and act naturally, as if she were pointing out something important for assurance.
Rose stowed her thoughts. Her face became solemn as she inquired of the secretary, just in case there was any disapproval.
"What if the school doesn't agree with my minor condition? Can I still stick to the previous contract if the latter is rejected?" she inquired earnestly, her face filled with concern.
Secretary Cueva smiled back, as if she knew she was going to ask her a question. Rose had been comforted by the tone of her voice.
"Of course, Ms. Asuncion, with your credentials, I don't think the school will object. Besides, our chairman likes you, and he clearly states that you have natural talent in your profession. Let us say you made a great impression on him, and that is his business instinct."
Despite her embarrassment, she simply nodded her head in satisfaction because she was flattered by her captivating words.
"Well, I don't have any objections to it." Her concerns had finally subsided.
Rose didn't ask any questions. Her ultimate goal of working with the country's renowned international school lingered in her mind.
A hundred percent chance of getting the job was enough for her to exhale a sigh of relief and an unexplained sense of comfort.
This promising opportunity felt as if it had lifted the rock that had been in her heart her entire life. However, there must have been a mix of happiness, anxiety, and a sense of not believing what was going on at the time.
While the conversation was taking up too much time, Secretary Cueva remembered that she still had a lot of work to do at the company.
Rose had forgotten that the owner of the Riverend International School was the Family of Ramirez.
The Ramirez family, on the other hand, had managed successful businesses in the country and in Southeastern countries, including hotels, malls, hospitals, schools, and real estate-becoming one of the country's largest conglomerates. Their family name has become well-known in the business world as a result of their accomplishments.
Before Secretary Cueva informed Rose that she had a job in the company, she rose to her feet and extended a handshake. Shen then waved goodbye with a happy expression and scurried away with the company car.
Rose remained seated near the glass panel, her gaze fixed on the moving car until its shadow was beyond her reach. She looked at her wristwatch and saw that it was already half past seven o'clock.
She remembered how Secretary Cueva hurriedly left the cafe, so she knew how tough the Secretary's was.
She must have been exhausted, she reasoned.
She was startled by the sound of her phone ringing a few seconds later, so she instinctively tapped her right hand on the left side of her chest. She took her phone from her bag and saw that it was her brother who was calling.
She answered the phone, stood up, and walked out of the cafe quickly. Her brother's name was Rick Asuncion, and he was a third-year medical student.
He, like Rose, had been able to study medicine thanks to a university scholarship. He didn't have time to work part-time jobs because studying medicine requires a lot of concentration.
Rose recognized the situation and offered to assist her brother by paying his school expenses, which were not covered by the scholarship.
In the opposite line, a young man's deep voice, resonating with his tone, appeared to be troubled.
"Miss Asuncion, where are you now?" inquired the young man in the opposite line.
When Rick wanted to tease his sister, he called her 'Miss Asuncion' instead of her name. Rose had grown accustomed to it because her brother had previously teased her with this name after learning that his sister had aspired to be a teacher.
Rose let out a sigh before responding,
"I'm at the pedestrian crossing near Cafe Roshe; don't bother coming after me; I'll be home later."
Knowing Rose could anticipate what he was about to say, he immediately diverted the question and asked another,
"All right. All right. I got it. By the way, how's the appointment going? Is everything going well so far?" he inquired.
"Well, I think it's going well; I made a few changes to the contract, so I'll need at least two days to get their decision," she replied, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
Rick was overjoyed for her sister's happiness because he knew how much her sister wanted to work at this school. Even after all these years of struggle, he couldn't help her in many ways; all he wanted was for her to give his full support for her own happiness. Although he felt guilty for the sacrifices his sister had made for her, he was not afraid to express his feelings for her as her younger brother.
And now that she was almost there, Rick couldn't help but admire her sister's determination to fight to the end.
"Whoah, the school must be good, because they personally contacted you and even set up an appointment for you. They must be treating you like a business partner, huh?" Rick teased her sister.
Rose simply smiled as she heard her brother speak, then cleared her throat before bragging,
"Of course, they should treat me very well because they knew I was a gem; there were so many schools who wanted to work with me, but I rejected them right on the spot," she laughed, flattering herself.
"Alright, there you are again, with your arrogance; can you stop it?hahaha!" he joked, clearing his throat once more.
Rose simply smiled widely instead of responding with words. But just as she was about to respond to him, Shad's second attempt cut her off.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come get you?"
"I told you not to bother. You can rest assured that there is no more room for your third time. Okay, go cook your dinner. I'll be there soon."
Rose hung up the phone when she finished her sentence. She understood why her brother was so protective of her, but she didn't want to bother him because he was in his third year of medical school.
While she was talking about dinner, she heard a grumble from her stomach. Jane recalled that she had eaten little at Cafe Roshe because she had been too preoccupied with contract terms.
After seeing the time on her wristwatch, she muttered under her breath that she needed to go home.
Meanwhile, why was she walking a few steps to hail a taxi when she was interrupted by a shout behind her back? Rose could tell it was a man's voice.
She turned around instinctively to see who it was, but to her surprise, she was approached by a man staggering towards her. The man abruptly clumped his right hand on one of her shoulders to control his balance. The alcohol was wafting around, and Rose could smell it. She was taken aback and pushed him away from her, a sour expression on her face.
"How dare you!" She screamed.