Ayla kept working tirelessly as she sought money to help in her admission on campus. She wanted to study so she could have her own money and be able to stand up for herself. She had no one but herself. As she kept on working, her admission letter from Imperial University arrived, too. She had applied for the school at the internet cafe. She was so happy that she was going to study at her dream university. However, her joy was short-lived when she flipped the next page and saw the required fees. She covered her mouth so she wouldn't distract the people around her with her gasp of shock; she was still at the internet cafe. Why was it so expensive? She had tried her level best to look for scholarships to no avail. She wasn't as lucky as she was in high school. She sighed bitterly. Money was really everything, and it felt so bad to be poor and helpless, but what could she do? She would never give up. From what she had saved, it was only enough to last her for the first semester on campus. She was getting a headache trying to rack her brains on how she would make more money for school fees.
Without telling anyone her problems, she would always smile to her workmates at the cafeteria like everything was okay. She didn't want to burden others with her problems as she was sure they had their fair share too. Every day after work, she would go to the internet cafe to look for job openings near Imperial University. She wanted to secure one as soon as possible in order to be able to cover for her school fees for all her semesters in school. She really wished she would find one. She didn't want to drop out in the process.
"Hi miss, you are back?" The manager looked at Ayla and sighed. This girl was really pitiful. Judging from her faded jeans and her white sneakers, which seemed to be the only pair she had, he could tell that she was really going through a lot. However, he was just a manager, he couldn't help, as he had to follow the rules of his profession.
"Yeah." Ayla nodded at him and took a seat before the computer. She had little time to surf on the internet, so she had to be quick.
"Hi beauty, can I have your phone number?" As Ayla was going home, he encountered a group of boys. One of them seemed to be interested in her as he kept pestering her along the way.
"I don't have a cellphone." Ayla said coldly. She didn't have a cellphone. But her main aim was to avoid men as much as she could. This was because of how her mother had suffered all alone while carrying her in her womb because of that man who refused to acknowledge her. She didn't want anything of that kind to recur, and that was why she would always avoid men at all costs. Ayla was very beautiful. It was only because of poverty that she was emaciatingly thin and had lots of black spots and wounds on her skin caused by bullying. However, she was still striking with that appearance. It was only natural that she would attract attention wherever she went.
She didn't even wait to hear what the guy had to say as she swiftly boarded a cab and headed for her next stop. She usually worked part-time during the day, too. To save as much money as possible.
She could hear the guy cussing at her, but she couldn't care less. She only wanted to make money.
At 2:00 p.m., when she clocked out, she went to her house to sleep. She was so tired. She only had a few hours to rest before she went for the night shift at the cafeteria. Fortunately, she slept soundly and without nightmares . She woke up when the alarm blared. Even though she hadn't had enough rest, she still had to wake up. Only then would she be able to survive. She remembered the job she had applied for that morning. They had said they would give her feedback by evening, so she went back to the cafe to take a look. The news she got made her eyes light up in happiness.
"Congratulations, Miss Ayla Williams, you're hired!"
That was what it said. Since they knew she was going to get admitted to Imperial University in a few week's time, they were considerate and told her to report after joining campus.
How could she not be happy?
Ayla's day was ruined the moment she came face to face with the manager of the shop she was working part-time at during the day. He leered at her lecherously, which made Ayla have goosebumps. He had shown interest in her ever since she came to work there, but Ayla was so against it.
"Hi Ayla, have you thought about my suggestion?" The manager asked and laughed. His huge belly shaking from the impact.
"Sir, i respect you as my employer, but nothing more can go on between us." Ayla looked at him with her resolute eyes and said.
A cold glint flashed past the manager's eyes as he intently stared at Ayla.
The gaze shook Ayla, but she didn't show obvious reactions of fear. However, she clenched her hands secretly. Was she going to keep her job now that she had challenged the manager?
"Very well." The manager said as he walked toward her, step by step. Before he stood next to her and continued. "However, this is not over." He whispered in her ear , making her shocked. He stepped back and admired her shocked expression for a while before he left while laughing wickedly.