Walking down the bustling street of Global City in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, is a woman in her early thirties looking dazed and melancholic. Sandra has been very self-aware. She knows that she's average in general, whether it's in looks, intellect, or talent.
The only redeeming quality she has is hard work. She used hard work and a little bit of luck to build her mid-range business, which is now earning enough for her to live a comfortable life and save up for her retirement.
It has been another long day of hard work. She will go home, have a simple dinner, and sleep, only to do the same thing again tomorrow.
Her business, OS Allure, a fashion brand, has finally taken off and stabilized, but she's still working hard like a cow. However, tonight her world seems to slow down, and she realizes her vibrancy and enthusiasm from five years ago when she was starting her business have long gone.
She dedicated her youth and stayed celibate for a long time for her ambition, but she doesn't feel satisfied at all.
'Am I going through a midlife crisis?' she thought to herself.
Before she could entertain that idea further, her phone suddenly rang. She fished it out of her pocket and answered lazily.
"This is Sandra." It was her assistant, Rayna, on the other line.
"Boss, don't forget the party of Miss. Jean tomorrow at 4 pm."
She had already forgotten about it. "How is that possible?" She lied.
"That's good. I will pick you up at your apartment at three in the afternoon." Rayna knows her too well and is pretty sure she did forget, which is why she's reminding her now.
"Okay, okay," Sandra answered impatiently.
She continued walking until she reached her condominium building.
She chose this place three years ago because it's walking distance from her business office headquarters. It's a small two-bedroom condominium on the 24th floor. Her apartment features a minimalist Scandinavian design with warm tones of white and beige.
There's a floor-to-ceiling window in the living room that overlooks the city and brings in enough sunlight during the day.
She prepared a simple dinner of pasta with sauce she had pre-cooked three days ago. She quickly ate, showered, and went to bed.
Because of tomorrow's party, she would only go to the office in the morning and would have to go home at noon to prepare for the battlefield.
That's right, tomorrow's party is a battlefield for her. Miss Jean is a socialite in the rich society of the Republic, and her party will be attended by big names and big-time celebrities. Sandra has to be on her toes and wary all the time.
She will use this opportunity to gain more of a foothold in higher society and make more connections, but she also has to be careful because one wrong word or move could lose her everything she has worked hard for.
It's the most tiring part of growing a business: the politics, full of scheming and back-stabbing; she has to proceed with caution.
After going through some paperwork, she finally reached her limit, and her brain seemed to no longer function. She closed her laptop and turned on the television.
The business news on the cable started to show. In the news was the arrival in the country of Roland Fleming, the Chairman of Fleming Corp., a global corporation based in the USA, operating in Asia and Europe.
Fleming Corp. has recently expanded into cybersecurity and established a headquarters in the country, with the Chairman himself overseeing the expansion.
"What a handsome and stable man," Sandra thought aloud. She chuckled lightly, turned off the TV, and went to sleep. It was a dreamless night.