BRIANNA

I explained everything to my mom and Mariana, and they were both surprised—especially when I told them about Adrian asking me to be his date to a gala. I left out the part where he’s paying me for my services, though.

“Wow, I like your boss. He’s so nice!” Mariana gushed. I rolled my eyes.

“He’s not nice. He’s crazy,” I replied flatly.

“Shush, you don’t talk about someone who did you a favor like that,” Mum scolded, and I muttered under my breath. If only they knew how he really acted.

“He’s the one who dropped you off, right? I heard a car outside,” Mum asked, curiosity thick in her voice.

“Yeah, that was him,” I nodded.

“I knew it! And you’re telling me he’s not nice? He’s the perfect definition of a gentleman,” Mum said with a grin.

“Oh, Mum, if only you knew how he really is. I deal with him every day, so I know what he’s really like,” I said, already tired of them praising my annoying boss.

“Enough about him already. Let’s talk about something else,” I sighed in exhaustion.

“The stuff you and Mum have been discussing is of no concern to me,” Mariana said, grinning mischievously. “My concern is that I’m taking some of your clothes, Brianna. I don’t care if they’re bigger than me. They won’t be for long!”

“Just because we have similar body types doesn’t mean you can steal my clothes!” I threatened, narrowing my eyes playfully. But she wasn’t intimidated—she knew I was joking.

“You obviously can’t break my head, and I’ll be taking them tomorrow, when you’re not around. If you find anything missing, just know it was me. I might steal some shoes and makeup too.” She flashed an impish smile, and I couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled up from deep within.

“Just tell me you want to steal everything in the bag,” I laughed, shaking my head at her antics.

“If I get permission to take everything, I’ll gladly take it all,” she teased.

“Do you really need permission to steal again?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, right. I don’t need to ask you first,” she said, adopting a villainous laugh. “Mu ha ha ha.” Her grin was straight out of a movie, and I couldn’t help bursting into hysterical laughter. Mum, who’d been silently watching our display, joined in too.

“You’re cracking me up so bad, Marie! My ribs hurt at this point,” I said, holding my stomach.

“I better stop then; don’t want to be the reason you end up in the hospital with broken ribs,” she smirked.

“Damn girl, where’s all this coming from?” I managed to ask, still laughing.

“I don’t know,” she chuckled.

“That’s enough, girls. Mariana, go to bed. You have school tomorrow,” Mum said, cutting the fun short. Mariana’s cheerful face turned sour.

“But Mum—” she started, but Mum interrupted.

“No objections. Go to bed, young lady. It’s already past ten.” Her voice was firm, leaving no room for debate. Mariana grumbled and stood up, mumbling incoherent complaints before attempting to storm upstairs. Mum stopped her.

“Where are your manners, young lady? Did you say ‘good night’?” Mum asked, glaring at her.

“Good night,” Mariana muttered before finally stomping off.

“Mum,” I said, giving her a look.

“What?” she drawled.

“You were too hard on her. The time’s not even 10 yet,” I protested.

“I had to tell her that so she’d go to bed early,” Mum replied nonchalantly.

“Okay, before I forget, I got my salary today,” I said with a small smile.

“Really? How much?” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

“Ten thousand dollars,” I replied, and her eyes went wide in shock.

“That’s a lot of money! That’ll go a long way in getting the things we need.”

“Yeah, it will. We’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow and pick up your medication,” I said, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Mum’s eyes welled up with tears. “Thanks so much, sweetie. I can’t imagine how we’d manage without a daughter like you.”

“It’s okay, Mum. You don’t need to cry,” I said, moving closer and wrapping my arms around her.

“Why wouldn’t I cry? Any mother would be blessed to have a daughter like you. I sure am blessed,” she smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Well, cry all you want then,” I joked, and she started laughing.

“That’s the smile I love to see,” I said, pulling her cheeks, and she laughed harder.

“I’ll start smiling more often, then,” she said, wiping her tears away.

“You should. Your smile brightens up my day,” I said with a grin.

“I’m feeling sleepy. I need to go to bed now,” she yawned, stretching. After a few moments of silence, she stood up.

“Me too. Today’s been so stressful,” I muttered, standing and stretching my arms above my head.

“Good night, darling,” Mum said, heading toward the stairs.

“Good night, Mum,” I replied, heading to my room.

I quickly showered and changed into my nightdress before crawling into bed. I grabbed a novel I’d been reading for months but hadn’t had the time to finish. Turning to the bookmarked page, I started reading.

Just as I was getting immersed in the book, my phone rang. I grabbed it off the bedside table and saw it was Cherry calling. I answered, holding it to my ear.

“Babe! Guess what?!” Cherry squealed from the other end.

“What’s up?” I asked, curious about her excitement.

“My boss asked me to be his date to the gala, too! I think it’s the same one you’re going to,” she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

A small squeak escaped me. “Woohoo, that’s awesome! At least I won’t be so bored now. I can’t imagine being stuck in a room full of rich people,” I said.

“Yeah, baby, see you at the gala!” she said cheerfully.

“See ya!” I replied, and she hung up.

Tomorrow was looking a little more fun, I guess.