WITHOUT thinking, Sapphie kicked a plastic bottle she spotted on the road. She was hungry, tired, and frustrated. Her feet were already aching from all the walking. She had been looking for a job since that morning, and now, with noon fast approaching, she was still searching. She was getting desperate. She was willing to take any job, as long as it was decent and paid enough.
She let out another weary sigh. She felt like collapsing right there on the sidewalk. Looking up, she noticed the sky had turned gloomy.
Great. It looked like it was about to rain, and she had not brought an umbrella.
“Nope, hold it in, Sapphie. Don’t cry. Cry on the inside like a warrior,” she muttered to herself as she picked up the plastic bottle she had kicked earlier and threw it into a nearby garbage can. She might not have a job, but she knew where trash belonged—in a garbage bin, not scattered wherever people pleased.
Suddenly, her stomach growled, and her eyes landed on a small stall selling inexpensive burgers.
That'll do, she thought. She would just eat rice when she got home later.
She bought a burger and smiled when she realized it was a buy one, take one deal. At least it would keep her hunger at bay while she continued searching for a job. She took a seat while waiting. Fortunately, there were only two customers there. A few moments later, her burgers were ready. Smiling, she took them after paying. She also bought a bottle of water to wash them down. Since the place was quiet and there were plenty of empty seats, she decided to eat there. Hamburgers were not her favorite food, but at that moment, they tasted like the best thing she had ever eaten. That was what extreme hunger did. Food you normally thought was nothing special suddenly tasted incredible.
Sapphie was in the middle of unwrapping her second burger when a man suddenly stood uncomfortably close beside her. She froze and looked up at him. She did not recognize him right away because he was wearing dark sunglasses. She could even see her own reflection in the lenses. She was certain he was staring at her, even though the glasses were pitch black and heavily tinted. Somehow, it made her pulse race.
“Uh, hi. Do I know you?” she asked despite herself.
He did not answer. He simply kept staring at her.
“Dude, you are invading my personal space.”
She was growing uncomfortable. Not to mention, it was rude. Yet her heart refused to calm down. There was something strangely familiar about him, though she could not place it. He was awfully familiar, and it was giving her goosebumps.
When he finally took off his sunglasses, Sapphie gasped.
“Now, do I look familiar to you?” the man asked.
She covered her mouth.
Not only did he look familiar, he was the very man who had been appearing in her dreams every night since they first met inside her tent. The man with black eyes that made her heart race every time she remembered him. The guy whose name she had never forgotten.
And at that moment, Sapphie could not look away.
She simply swallowed as they stared at each other.
“W-What do you want?” she asked, her voice cracking.
He scoffed with a smirk, and boy, did it make her heart flutter tenfold. He leaned in closer before speaking. “You owe me. You're going to pay for pretending to be a fortune teller.”
Sapphie blinked, feigning innocence. Deep inside, though, she already wanted to bolt. “I think you have mistaken me for someone. I don't know what you're talking about,” she said calmly. She fought the trembling in her hands as she wrapped her unfinished burger again and slipped it into her bag.
He shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. “You're not going to fool me, Sapphire Velasco.” He deliberately emphasized her name.
She gasped. “H-How did you—”
“You walked into my company a few moments ago,” he cut her off. “You wanted to apply for a job at my company. I must say, I admire your courage. You're really trying to level up your act. A nutritionist, really?”
He laughed again as though she were the funniest joke he had ever heard.
His words hit her like a slap.
“I am a registered dietitian nutritionist,” she said quietly. She had to admit, his words felt like tiny needles piercing her heart.
“Yeah, like I believe that,” he said. “Good thing I saw you while you were waiting in the lounge. The receptionist told me you were waiting for your interview with HR. I told them to cancel it just in time, before you could fool my employees.”
Then she remembered.
So this handsome jerk was the owner of AVIDA Corporation, a large and successful marketing company. The very company that had suddenly informed her her interview had been canceled because the position was supposedly no longer available. She had found it strange because she had just seen an online posting saying they were looking for a nutritionist.
Everything suddenly fell into place.
This man had been the one behind the cancellation of her job interview.
“Well, if you're the one who's going to be my boss, I'd rather find another job,” she said as she rose from her seat, trying to appear unhurt and unbothered.
She had expected him to be offended.
Instead, he only laughed, as though her words had bounced right off him. “You're going to pay for scamming people,” he said, making her heart pound even faster. Especially when she saw how serious he looked. He looked as though he might pounce on her at any moment.
So this was what Rio had warned her about.
Sapphie had finally met her match.
Back then, Rio had strongly opposed her side hustle of pretending to be a fortune teller during their town fiesta. He had warned her countless times, but she had not listened.
And now, this was the consequence.
She swallowed.
“Uh... what's that?” she asked, pointing behind him.
He fell for it and glanced over his shoulder.
She seized the opportunity and bolted.
“You witch!” she heard him shout.
But she did not dare look back. She just kept running. Even in high heels, she was surprisingly fast.
Ha! I was on the track and field team back in high school. I owe you one, Coach! she thought.
She was thankful to see a crowd of people ahead. Losing him would be easy. She just needed the right timing. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was still chasing her. But she had the advantage. She could not help smiling.
Then she spotted a taxi parked ahead. Its passenger had just gotten out.
Wait... do I even have money? Shoot. I don't have any!
“Dammit,” she muttered before deciding to duck into a flea market instead. She remembered there was another exit on the opposite side, so she headed straight for it. She was no longer running, but she kept a brisk pace. The place was crowded enough that if the man came inside, it would not be easy for him to find her.
Unless he had memorized every inch of her.
She looked back once more, but he was nowhere in sight.
She finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then Sapphie burst into laughter like a madwoman.
“Take that, you jerk!”