I was staring at the paper placed on my bedside table. It was a resignation letter.
I had planned to submit it to HR and look for another job because I didn't want to go back to the office anymore. Even though Dominic assured me that the rumors were completely gone, the fear I felt would never disappear unless I left the company.
I sighed.
How could I even hand it to HR when he had just helped me get my house back? He hadn't even told me how much he paid to bring it back.
I sighed again.
Mira had just left after I told her to go home. She was exhausted too, and I wanted her to rest. Though she refused at first, I insisted. She seemed happy for me, but at the same time disappointed because she had already been excited about us living together.
My phone rang, and Mira's name appeared on the screen. I lay back on my bed and answered the call.
"I just got home," Mira said.
"Good to know," I replied, still sighing.
"What happened? I thought you were happy because you wouldn't have to leave your house anymore," she asked.
I looked at my resignation letter.
"Actually, I'm planning to resign from work," I said.
Mira gasped. "You are?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
"How can I go back to the office after what happened? I don't have the face to show myself there," I said.
"It's not your fault. Didn't Dominic tell you the rumors were already gone?"
"It will never fade away, Mira. Dominic only said that because he has the power to make it stop. But rumors are rumors; they stay forever," I said.
Mira sighed. "It's your decision, and I can't do anything about it."
"But the thing is, how can I resign when I owe him so much? It makes everything harder to decide."
"Dominic didn't ask you to pay him back, right?"
"He didn't, but they keep helping me. I don't know what to do anymore," I said.
"Then I'll pay him. The problem is whether he'll accept it. I already tried it with Lucca, but he refused to accept my payment."
"Mira, please don't. We're talking about millions here."
She laughed. "I have millions too."
"No, please. Don't add to what I'm already thinking."
"Okay. Do you want me to help you convince Dominic to let you resign?"
"I don't know, Mira. I'm so confused about what I should do."
"Why not follow your heart and do what you really want?"
"For now, I can't," I said.
"I know why you're always hesitant, Sera. It's all about the money. I know you don't have enough savings yet, but can't you just let yourself be happy and not think about money for once? I can literally sustain your daily needs if you want. If it takes forever then—"
I stopped her mid-sentence.
"I need to end this call. I need to rest."
I didn't want to hear any more. She was making my thoughts spiral. I knew she only wanted the best for me, to make me happy, but letting her support me like that wouldn't make me happy. I didn't want to rely on people as much as possible. But right now, I couldn't help but rely on them.
Mira said goodbye, and I ended the call.
At least she understood.
I placed my phone back on the bed and closed my eyes, falling asleep.
The next morning…
I woke up when I heard someone outside calling my name.
I opened my eyes but didn't get up right away. However, the voice kept shouting, so I had no choice but to peek out the window, only to find the woman I despised the most calling my name.
It was early in the morning, and my mood was instantly ruined.
Even though I had no energy to confront her, I still forced myself to go outside and open the gate.
She didn't even ask permission to come in; she let herself inside without it. I sighed heavily.
This was going to be another situation where I had to deal with that witch.
She sat on the sofa and placed a black bag on the table.
"Are you happy?" she asked sarcastically.
I frowned. What was she up to this time?
She glanced around the house and then gave me a fake smile. "This house is yours again, isn't it?"
"What brought you here?" I asked, ignoring her question. I didn't have the energy to deal with her longer; she always drained me.
She smirked and lifted the black bag. "This is the money from when I sold the house."
I frowned even more. "And then?"
She looked at me suspiciously. "You're damn lucky because of your boyfriend."
I crossed my arms and didn't respond. What boyfriend was she talking about?
"It's ten million. Count it if you don't believe me."
She opened the bag and showed me the money. Why was she giving this to me?
"It's all yours," she said, smiling falsely while gritting her teeth. It was clear she didn't want to give it to me.
"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked.
"Don't you want it? I'm giving it to you because your boyfriend threatened to ruin my family if I didn't return it to you or if I messed with you again. Happy now?" she said as tears fell from her eyes.
I felt no pity for her, even as she cried. I remembered the day I went to her house, asking why she sold the house, and she had shown me no sympathy at all. So why should I feel sorry for her now?
"What's your boyfriend's name? Damn, you're so lucky to have a wealthy boyfriend who's willing to threaten my family for you. He even said he would terminate my husband from his friend's company if I didn't return the money. Damn you!"
"Do you think you have the right to curse me?"
She laughed wickedly. "I have every right; you're a damn witch!"
"I'm not the witch here. You are. Aren't you going to leave my house, or should I call my boyfriend and tell him you're here causing trouble again?"
Her expression instantly changed with fear. I didn't know who she was talking about, Dominic or Lucca, but Lucca wouldn't interfere in something like this. I shrugged it off. It couldn't be him.
The woman stood up, clenching her fists. "You will regret hurting your own mother," she said.
My eyebrows furrowed.
"Why would I regret it when you abandoned me as a child? I wouldn't regret cutting you off as my mother either," I replied.
She opened her mouth to speak again but seemed to remember the threat. Without another word, she left the house, leaving the bag of money behind.
I stared at it and slowly touched it.
I never imagined holding millions like this. It was once my dream—to become a millionaire. But I didn't know that dream would come true this instantly.
But then I remembered that Dominic had bought this house back for me.
I placed the money back inside the bag and closed it.
I would give it to Dominic along with my resignation letter. At least that way, I wouldn't owe him anything.
I texted him and asked if he could come to the house. I had originally planned to meet him at the restaurant, but I was afraid to go out carrying such a large amount of money, so I asked him to come instead.
He replied that he would come after work and bring food so we could have dinner at my house.
I didn't refuse.
I sat on the sofa, still staring at the black bag. I didn't reject the money because she didn't deserve it in the first place. But I also couldn't believe that Dominic would threaten someone just to protect me. Now I owed him even more than before, and I didn't know how I could ever repay him.
I spent the entire day just sitting there and staring at the bag.
I even skipped breakfast and lunch because I had no appetite. With everything I was going through, I badly wanted to go to Dr. Keith's clinic, but I had to wait for Dominic.
I don't know how many hours passed like that, but suddenly I heard a car stop in front of my house, and a few seconds later, someone called my name.
I looked at the wall clock. It was already 4 p.m.
Did I really stay here for hours?
I hadn't even taken a bath. That's when I realized I hadn't even brushed my teeth.
I immediately opened the gate and said to Dominic, "Just stay in the living room. I need to go to the bathroom."
I didn't wait for his response and rushed inside.
I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and changed my clothes. After that, I combed my hair and immediately went back to the living room to face Dominic.
"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting," I said.
"I didn't wait that long. Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," I answered, then suddenly my stomach growled.
Dominic laughed, and I bit my lower lip in embarrassment. Of all times, why now?
"Let's eat first," he said, then handed me the plastic bags he brought.
We went to the kitchen and placed the food on the table. Dominic had bought pizza, chicken, and vegetable salad, which made me even hungrier.
"Let's eat," Dominic said.
I immediately grabbed a slice of pizza and started eating. I could feel my appetite coming back. But it was a bit awkward since Dominic was witnessing my messy, hungry side.
He laughed while I was eating, and only then did I realize how messy I looked.
"I'm sorry," I said, then drank water.
"You don't have to be. I know you're hungry."
"I haven't eaten since this morning," I admitted.
"Why?" he asked, looking concerned.
I sighed deeply and took a sip of water before answering, "My mom came here this morning. It made me lose my appetite," I said.
"Why did she come here?" he asked curiously.
I looked at him suspiciously. Was he pretending he didn't know that my mother had been threatened into returning the money?
I didn't respond. Instead, I went to the living room, picked up the bag, and returned to the kitchen. I placed it on the table, and Dominic looked at it curiously.
"My mom gave me ten million pesos. It's the amount the client paid for this house. I'm giving this to you as payment," I said.
Dominic smiled at me. "You don't have to pay me, Sera."
"But I have to. I'm obligated to," I said, looking at him seriously.
"I never said you owe me anything. I told you it's an advanced birthday gift, right?"
"I can't accept a birthday gift worth millions. Who in their right mind gives something like that?"
"Me," he answered without hesitation.
"Just take the money, Dominic. Threatening that woman helped a lot. She surely won't mess with me again," I said.
"Did I threaten her?" Dominic frowned.
I frowned too. Didn't he?
"You didn't talk to my mother?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I haven't met her in person," he said.
That made me pause.
If it wasn't Dominic… then who threatened her?
Was it Lucca?
I shook the thought away. Impossible. Lucca wouldn't do something like that just to protect me. He doesn't even care about me like that. I'm not even his friend.
But it couldn't be Damian either.
Then who helped me? Who threatened my mother?
"Sera! Sera!"
I snapped out of my thoughts when Dominic held my arm.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Why did you ask about your mother?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Just take the bag and let's continue eating," I said, sitting back down.
"I won't take it," he replied.
"But why?" I asked.
"It's yours."
"Dominic…" I sighed in frustration. My mind was already overwhelmed with everything.
"It's still a no. I won't take it," Dominic said, continuing to eat.
I sighed deeply. How could I hand in my resignation letter if he wouldn't even accept the payment?
"Dominic…" I called again.
He looked at me while chewing.
"I…" I couldn't even finish my sentence when he spoke.
"Seraphina, it's really nothing to me. I have a lot of money, and what I spent to get the house back means nothing. Don't stress yourself too much. Take care of yourself first and stop worrying about everything. I can help you as long as I can. Should I extend your leave? I'll notify HR—"
Hearing him, I took a deep breath and forced myself to face my fear.
If he got angry, I would deal with it.
At least I tried.
I interrupted him.
"I want to quit working at your company," I finally said, even though fear and hesitation filled my entire body.
Dominic froze.
"Because of the rumor, right? I already solved that," he said.
"Even if it's already solved, I don't have the face to go back to the office, especially in my department. I don't want them to see me as the reason our department head was terminated," I said.
"Then I can transfer you to another department," he insisted.
"Then they'll think I'm a privileged employee just because I have you backing me up. No," I replied firmly.
I continued, "I owe you a lot, Dominic. I'm grateful to be part of your company, but I don't think I can stay. I'm sorry," I said sincerely.
Dominic took a deep breath, then smiled.
"Okay. If that's what you want, I respect your decision. Then you don't need to give me that money since you're jobless now," he joked with a small laugh.
I frowned. "I should still give it to you."
"Sera…" he said softly, stopping me.
"Use it to start over. You don't owe me anything because I chose to help you. If you ever want to work again, just tell me. I'll accept you anytime. I also have other companies you can work in," he said.
I smiled weakly and shrugged. "I don't want to bother you anymore. And I have no intention of working under your company again."
"Why do you always think you're a burden? Did I ever say that?" he asked, sounding hurt.
"No. But I don't want people putting so much effort into me just because they pity me," I answered honestly.
He sighed and smiled softly. "Friends do that."
"I know. Just like Mira. But it's too much. I don't even know how to repay you."
"You don't have to."
"But I feel like I need to," I said.
"You don't have to do anything to repay me. I mean it."
I bit my lip while staring at him, holding back my tears. I didn't want him to see me cry.
I was truly grateful that I met them… though sometimes I also wished I hadn't.
At first, I didn't like Dominic. I thought he was just a flirt who would mess with me. But as time passed, I saw another side of him.
Flirt or not, he was caring, thoughtful, and always willing to help.
"Thank you," was all I could say.
Because he never even intended to take the money back—he was more stubborn than I was when it came to helping me.