Destiny's POV
"Red bought all these for me?" Daria asked, her eyes enlarged in surprise, and I just nodded as I smiled at her, trying my best to hide my disappointments and sadness.
Before I could remove my heels, she bombarded me with questions, and I didn't want to tell her that I went to Lucas's office, but I never lied to Daria.
"I told you so; you must be lucky that Red came to your rescue." She said that after I told her what had transpired during my meeting with Lucas,
"It was better if he didn't show up," I responded in more than a whisper. I was drained- after my encounter with Red. His hurtful words penetrated my core deeply, but I am still worried if Lucas is true to his word.
I couldn't imagine what would happen to Red's life if the Supreme Court disbarred him, knowing Lucas has connections because of their family's status in our society.
I was so furious that he slept with my stepsister, but seeing him without any care about me, as if I was a stranger to him, made me feel more desolate.
"Don't say that, Destiny. Don't throw away your good memories with Red with one mistake. Trust me, you will need them on your bad days. And Red will always be a part of you." She added, and I cracked up but couldn't contain the tears falling from my eyes and wetting my cheeks. I quickly wiped them before Daria could see me crying.
"Daria, as if my day wasn't bad enough. I had my worst days for the past few days, and there is no difference from what happened today. My life sucks, and none of the companies where I applied called me." I responded with bitterness, trying to avoid the topic as I turned around, pretending to arrange the canned goods in the cupboard.
I couldn't tell her what Red had said to me since she was so proud of him; even if I knew her loyalty would always be with me, Red had a special spot in Daria's heart. I wished to tell her I didn't want to talk about Red anymore since I was mad at him, and he had nothing to do with me.
Red dumped me as if I was nothing to him, and in one blink of an eye, he had forgotten how much he loved me.
I tried my best to stop thinking about Red and shifted my attention to the fridge as I put the fruits and vegetables on the bottom shelf. I was thankful the two-bedroom house we rented was fully furnished, and we didn't need to buy furniture and appliances.
"I couldn't believe Red used me as an excuse to buy you the things you needed." Daria declared, and I wrinkled my forehead as I slowly turned around and faced her.
"I don't think there are items intended for me on these groceries he purchased. I don't use expensive body wash, shampoos, lotion, and hair treatment." Daria added, and my pupils dilated as I watched the bottles of beauty products in front of Daria.
She was right; all the products Red bought were my favorite brands.
"Even the dairy products are all for you. I don't like to eat Greek yogurt." Daria added, and I was dumbfounded as I stared at the items one by one as Daria pulled them out from the carton.
"Maybe it is about time you tried eating yogurt, Daria," I said before I turned around and rearranged the fruits inside the fridge just to avoid Daria's eyes.
I knew what she was trying to say, but Daria couldn't say it to my face.
"Red must be angry with you, but he can't deny it; he is still in love with you. He was a coward for not telling you what he felt because of his pride. One day, his ego will be his greatest enemy." Daria declared, and I sighed heavily as I veered around and faced her again.
"Daria, if you had seen Red's face, you would not be saying those words. It was over between us, and he hated me as much as I hated him. Please, I don't want to talk about Red anymore." I said.
"You have to fight for him, Des," she replied, pursing her lips.
"I don't want to hurt myself more; I know when to fight and when to give up, Daria. Don't worry when the right time comes; I will take back what is mine, but I could never have Red again." I firmly said, and her face fell.
"I don't want you to have any regrets in the future; you are only angry today, and so is Red."She responded with tenderness as she put the red wine on the wine rack on top of the refrigerator.
"I don't drink wine, and Red knew that too," she added and looked at me. I just shook my head as she looked at me with amusement.
"Red will always be in love with you, Des." She added, and I scowled at her as I put my hands on my hips.
"Please, stop it; if you speak his name again, I will throw all these items in the trash bin. Love is only for fools." I reacted, and Daria's face saddened. She continued pulling out the grocery items in silence, wrinkling her forehead. And I knew she was upset with me.
On the next day, Daria never mentioned Red's name, not even on the days that followed; even so, my mind kept wandering, and I always ended up thinking about him and my father. I didn't know what to do or how to convince them I was innocent.
Lucas was my only hope, but what he proposed was something I couldn't do, and he tarnished my reputation more by giving Red an extra false statement that worsened our situation.
I remembered how Red's face turned redder when Lucas mentioned I fell out of love with him. I never expected Lucas to tell Red something ridiculous. I had always been in love with Red.
But now, I realize love could be the source of someone's agony instead of being the source of one's strength. I needed to carry the pain of losing Red in my heart forever, but I have to move on, or I will end up miserable.
"I am sorry, Ms. Ganzon, but we can't hire you." The HRD officer said that after I showed up at her office, asking about the status of my application.
"May I know the reason, Ma'am?" I asked politely.
"You don't have any experience, and even if you excelled during the examination, we needed someone with expertise." She replied, and my face fell.
"Your manager mentioned during my interview that you don't need someone with work experience, and my internship and scholastic records were good enough," I replied, hoping she would reconsider my application.
"I am sorry, Destiny, but the position has been filled." She stated, taking off her eyeglasses and avoiding my gaze. I softly mumbled my thanks and left her office, trying to keep my head high.
I had been to many final interviews over the past weeks, but none of them hired me. I was desperate to find a job since my funds were running out, so I started going to the Human Resources Department offices to follow up on my applications.
Some companies didn't even allow me to get past the guards, telling me they would call me if they were interested in my application. This is the last company I visited today; the result was the same.
I was on my way out when I saw Carmie heading in my direction, flashing a victorious smile on her lips. I wished to avoid her, but there was only one exit, and I had to pass through her if I wanted to get out of the building.
"Haven't your feet got tired from walking every day? Are you that naive not to know why no one hired you, Destiny? My mom and I made sure you would not get hired. You know what money can do, right?" She proclaimed as she ceased walking before me, putting her arms over her chest with a devilish smile creeping on her lovely oval-shaped face.
They infuriated me, but I didn't show her my dismay. I couldn't believe they undermined even my job applications. I sidestepped and walked past her, pretending I didn't see her.
"You have no right to walk away from me, Destiny, when I was talking to you!" She cried out, making the people in the lobby stare in our direction, but I didn't stop and kept on walking to the door.
A wicked smile formed on my lips, and I felt glad I didn't need to deal with her anymore. The sun was still brightly shining even if it was almost sundown. I put on my shades before I took the front stairs.
I only make three steps when someone grabs my arm from behind, and I have to stop and turn around, only to see my step-sister's angered face ready to devour me.
"How dare you walk away from me, you slut!" She hollered, and she was about to slap me, but her hand didn't land on my face as I quickly ducked and averted her blow. I held onto the railings while Carmie lost her balance and fell to the ground.
My little triumph was cut short when I saw Carmen, followed by her bodyguards, running to rescue her daughter.
"How dare you hurt my daughter?" She asked, looking daggers at me as my father's men helped Carmie get up.
"You are not getting away from this!" My step-sister hissed, dusting her short dress with her hand as I could see blood on her forehead, but I didn't feel guilty since she was the one who attacked me.
"I didn't do anything to you, Carmie. I only evaded your slap, but you lost your footing and plummeted to the ground," I replied.
"Liar, you pushed me," my step-sister reacted, feigning she was about to pass out as she looked at the blood on her blouse.
"I am calling the police, don't let her get away!" Carmen ordered the bodyguards, and in an instant, they surrounded me like I was a criminal.