|NEXT DAY|

MARIANA

The loud hum of the blender woke me. Mom must be making her morning juice already. I glanced over at Brianna’s bed, seeing it neatly made, and realized she’d already left for work. I couldn’t help but think back to the previous night when I’d shared my news about the scholarship with her—she’d been so thrilled.

~Flashback~

“Hey, sis! What are you up to?” I asked, plopping down beside her.

“Ugh! Just trying to finish up these files. They need to be cross-checked,” she groaned.

“Oh, okay. I have something to tell you, though,” I said, suddenly solemn.

“Okay… what is it?” she asked halfheartedly, her focus still on the files.

“I passed the scholarship exams, and I’ll be starting at Royal Gate High School on Monday.” As I delivered the news, Brianna’s attention snapped away from her files, her eyes widening.

“You’re kidding!” she exclaimed, looking at me in disbelief.

“I’m dead serious.”

She shrieked, throwing her arms around me. “That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you! Does that mean no more school fees?”

“Yup! That’s extra money you can save or use for other things,” I grinned.

“God bless whoever funded that scholarship,” she said with a smile.

~End of Flashback~

Stretching, I glanced at the clock. I had about two hours until I needed to be at work. Slipping on my flip-flops, I headed downstairs, following the scent of breakfast into the kitchen. Mom was there, sipping pineapple juice with a plate of spaghetti in front of her. I leaned over, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before sitting beside her.

“Morning, Mom. Did you sleep well?” I asked.

“I did. And you?” she replied.

“Pretty well. Did you cook breakfast?” I asked, already knowing the answer as the smell of spaghetti wafted over.

“Yes, I did,” she replied with a small smile.

“You should have woken me up to help. I don’t want you stressing yourself,” I chided her gently.

She just smiled. “I didn’t want to disturb you. Besides, I was really hungry.”

“You should have disturbed me,” I insisted softly. “I don’t want anything happening to you, Mom.”

“Alright, alright,” she said, holding up her hands. “I won’t stress myself anymore. Happy now?”

“Very.” I stood, brushing my hands off. “I’ll get started on my chores before work.”

“Won’t you eat first?” she asked.

“No, I’ll eat after. Food makes me lazy,” I replied, already heading out.

An hour or so later, with my chores done, I showered, dressed, and finally sat down to eat breakfast. I let Mom know I was off to work and left the house.

When I arrived, Rosalind wasn’t at the front desk; instead, Mia was there. I didn’t bother to greet her since we weren’t on good terms. She glared at me as I walked past, but I ignored her.

In the back room, I changed into my uniform and mentally ran through my tasks. I remembered I still had clothes to deliver to that arrogant, infuriating guy. Picking up the package from the delivery room, I headed toward the door, but Mia’s shrill voice stopped me.

“Where are you going, Mariana? You just got here a few minutes ago,” she called out.

“Where I’m going is none of your business,” I replied curtly.

“It is my business when you leave without permission,” she shot back.

“Then go run and tell the boss that I went out to party, you fool!” I snapped.

“You witch, I’ll make sure you lose this job…” she began, but I cut her off.

“If you weren’t blind, you’d see these clothes in my hands and use your brain for once—I’m delivering them to a customer,” I said, frustrated.

“Oh, really? Since when did we start delivering to customers?” she sneered.

“Since today, genius,” I retorted, storming out.

Outside, I flagged down a cab and settled in.

“Where to, miss?” the driver asked.

I handed him a wrinkled note with the address. “Here,” I said.

He scanned it. “Alright. That’ll be five dollars.”

“Let’s go.”

After a long drive, the cab stopped in front of an enormous mansion—a place so grand, it felt surreal.

“We’re here, miss,” the driver said.

“Really? This looks like a palace…” I murmured in awe.

“Miss, I’d like to get back to work. Can I have the fare?”

“Oh! Right, sorry.” I handed him the money, and he drove off.

I faced the towering metal gate, looking for a doorbell. After a moment, I found it and rang. A large man in a suit and sunglasses eventually answered, his deep voice immediately demanding, “Who are you? What’s your business here?”

“I’m Mariana. I came from the dry-cleaning shop to deliver these clothes to someone,” I replied, holding up the package.

“Who is this ‘someone’?”

“I don’t know his name, but I can describe him,” I said.

“Describe him,” he ordered, crossing his arms.

“He’s tall, well-built, with pink lips, jet-black hair, and green eyes. He’s probably around eighteen.”

The man nodded. “Ah, that’s the Young Master. Wait here.” He moved aside, and I entered the grounds.

My jaw dropped. The mansion grounds were gorgeous, with a sprawling fountain, manicured trees, and colorful flowers lining the sidewalk. The building itself, glimmering under the sun, was more like a castle.

“Close your mouth. You’re embarrassing yourself,” the guard’s gruff voice snapped me back to reality. I blushed, quickly looking away as he headed toward the mansion.

Moments later, I saw the guy—Adonis, if I remembered correctly—walking over with the guard. His hair was a mess, his face groggy as if he’d just woken up.

“The dry-cleaning girl? You’re just delivering these now?” he demanded, stopping in front of me.

“Glad you remember me. I’ve been busy, but here’s your stuff,” I said, holding out the bag with a forced smile.

He snatched it from me, inspecting each item with a frown before nodding slightly. “At least you didn’t ruin them. You can leave now.”

I stayed put, raising an eyebrow.

“What? Didn’t I already pay you?” he scoffed.

“You did. But I need money for the cab back,” I replied coolly.

“Use the fare I gave you.”

“I already used it to get here,” I said, matching his tone.

“Then walk back,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Do you even realize how far it is?”

He sighed, reaching into his pockets. “Fine.” Finding them empty, he turned to the guard. “Clark, could you lend me twenty dollars? I’ll pay you back inside.”

Clark handed him the cash, which he passed to me. “There. Now get out of my sight. Talking to you is exhausting.”

“Right back at you,” I said with a laugh, quickly making my way out before he could think of a comeback.