In the busy street of Sierro, where each lives function on their own daily routines, from the newsboy who in the early morning delivers the piece of paper to each house, the vendors in the streets, and the shop owners who rose up early in the morning to set up their stores, like the Resto de Castillo—Eve's restaurant.
You may think Eve is someone who is tied by a typical work life of nine to five noontime, five days a week job for some establishment; if that's what you think, then you are greatly mistaken. Since you see, our dear Eve is far greater than you know; she owns a restaurant down town, not just a merely restaurant but the most famous one in the area, always packed with her loyal customers four to seven days a week.
Her restaurant's opening is always depending on her mood.
And even the great Aldines can't even touch it for now.
The Aldines don't have any interest yet in the food industry; their main focus is the malls and airlines, and their subbusinesses in the city are more on jewelry, high-end clothing lines, and devices.
Anyhow, the Aldines doesn't want to get involved with the market people as long as the head of the Aldines is in politics; he for sure knows the value of the people there who put their bloodlines in that spot from the past generations and up until now, the present generation. Therefore, they better not mess with any of them.
And the current leader of this people is none other than our dearest Eve, and next in command is her ex-boyfriend Antonio—yes, this is where their love story started.
You may think Eve is someone's previous leader's daughter, like a family hierarchy—Ahem, like Aldines—No, my dear, Eve is a proud self-provider and a goal-getter; no one works harder than her, and thanks to that resilience she showed, these people recognized her skills and put her in that spot through democratic votes between the market people.
Eve might still be a naive twenty-seven-year-old young woman for anyone who doesn't know her. But for those who do, they know that this very woman crawled her way up at the tender age of seven years old.
She was known before as one of the street kids—ones who are always on the street at any day or season—and had been branded as an orphan.
No connection or roots, but look where she is now.
The voice of the market people and running her own restaurant.
She's fierce and warm at the same time, but only to the people she cares about, like Rebecca—probably the most important one in her life as of now.
"This girl won't answer her phone?!" She paced back and forth while unconsciously biting her bottom lip, and the sentence 'The person you are calling is unavailable right now' is repeatedly playing on the other side.
Eve got quite drunk last night with some of the market-people officials and doesn't really remember where on earth Rebecca is—if Rebecca told her where she is, the only clue she has is the message she sent to her asking to buy vodka for her.
"Madam, she might have stayed with one of her friends houses." A nervous tone from her employee Leah caught Eve's attention.
"That b*tch ain't got no friends, a f*cker loner!" She said while still trying to dial Rebecca's number.
"But you don't have any other friends either," Leah mumbled to herself, but Eve's ears are pretty sensitive, so she glared at her employee, letting her know she heard her crystal clear.
"I-I'm just kidding! I think I'll have to do the dishes now." Without looking back, Leah stormed out of Eve's office room in a fast-walking pace.
"I should cut at least a month of her salary," Eve said while intently watching the back of Leah leaving the door.
"DON'T!" "I'm sorry!" Leah seems to have heard what her employer has said.
Eve sighed before resting her body on her gray office chair.
"Where on earth are you?" She said while blankly staring at the ceiling of her office room, picturing all the possible things that happened to her only friend.
From a simple one-night stand to horrible murder.
"Agghh! I can't stay here. I need to find her."
She immediately got up and grabbed her purse and jacket before heading out of her office, which is connected to the counter and near the kitchen.
Leah immediately ran towards her, curiously looking at her.
"Madam, where are you going? We need another pair of hands here," she said while pointing to the tray of food she's holding using her lips.
She's blatantly asking her employer to do the errand.
"Leah! Could you move faster? The order for tables 8 and 16 is ready." The chef, Kairo, is shouting from the tiny window in between the counter and the kitchen.
"Where is Sandy?" Eve frowned since her restaurant needs at least three employees to function smoothly without her, and since there are only two of them, the order got piled up within just two hours of opening it early this morning.
"That di*k-wh*re probably somewhere sucking who-knows-what, he's absent," Leah says in a pissed tone. Well, who wouldn't be? She was forcefully working more than she was supposed to in order to cover her co-workers job.
"That b*tch, he didn't even bother to notify me!" Eve dialed her phone to contact Sandy, but her call just moved to his voicemail.
"Excuse me? Can I order?" A blonde tan guy confusedly interrupted the two ladies that seemed to be arguing from his point of view.
"Y-yes sir, madam, a little help, please?" Leah smiled from ear to ear, asking Eve to deliver the order she is holding, and based on her flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes, it seems she wants to assist the man in front of them.
"Sure, Leah, I'll handle him; please give it to our starving customers now," Eve says, smiling while gritting her teeth.
"Madam—" Leah tried to protest for a second, but seeing a smiling Eve frightened her, so in the end she followed Eve's order.
"What can I get you, sir?" Eve asked while impatiently tapping the cash register and unconsciously checking the wall clock hanging near the main door, which is behind the man.
"Hmm." The blonde guy crossed his arms while checking the board with their menus hanging on top of the counter. "What's your best selling here?" he asked, trying to meet Eve's eyes that are restlessly checking the wall clock.
"The double patty burger and monster fries are our best sellers these days; should I get you this?" she asked, but she's already punching the orders in the cash register.
"I didn't say yes yet, Miss—" "Do you want to cancel it then?" she asked before finally meeting his sparkling blue eyes.
In her normal state, it will definitely make her wet, and she'll probably make the first move now, but due to Rebecca's occupying ninety-five percent of her mind, she couldn't appreciate the stunning looks of this guy; he looks like a model who came out of a magazine that even the other customers can't stop looking at him.
The blonde guy smiled at her, his perfectly lined white teeth shining like his somewhat endorsing a toothpaste brand.
"Do you want me to cancel it or what? You know, I'm kind of in a hurry." Sadly, it didn't work for our dear Eve.
"Of course not—" "Hey, love." The blonde guy didn't even manage to finish his sentence when Antonio showed up out of nowhere.
"The hell, love my ass—" "Hmm, hmm, your ass, yeah—" "Antonio!" It made Eve blush for a second, not because she likes it, but because she finds it terribly embarrassing in front of a stranger.
"Oh, you're taken." The blonde guy broke the silence.
"No." "Yup," Eve and Antonio retorted in unison.
"We broke up ages ago, damn hippie," Eve says with a hint of irritation, "Stop it now; I'm busy." She continued and then looked at the customer in front of her.
He chuckled, which made Eve and Antonio frown and look at him weirdly.
"You okay in the head?" Antonio asked while pointing to his head.
"Sorry," he paused and calmed himself before talking again. "I'll take the order and add a soda, please," he says, smiling from ear to ear.
Before she could even finish punching the orders of Mr. Blonde Guy, her phone suddenly rang.
"And if it's not too much, may I know your name—" The blonde guy got interrupted when Eve suddenly answered her phone.
"What?! Okay, I'll come now," she says, and suddenly looking at Antonio, she says, "Take his orders; I'll need to go now." "What—hey, wait—"
She immediately got out of the counter, not minding the multiple voices of Antonio and her staff calling her.
"What an interesting girl," the blonde guy blurted out of nowhere with a mischievous smile on his face.