Chapter 07
1419 Words
SIANNA HAD just gotten home to her condo unit. She had already eaten out before heading back so she could just sleep. But before she could even change her clothes, the doorbell rang.
With visible reluctance, she walked to the door and opened it.
Her face instantly went blank when she saw Rose standing outside.
Even dressed in expensive clothes—ones she knew Wil had paid for—Rose still looked like she was trying too hard in Sianna’s eyes.
She was about to shut the door when Rose stopped her.
“What do you want?” she asked impatiently.
“Aren’t you even going to let me in?”
Sianna gave her a bitter smile. “Snakes aren’t allowed in here,” she said bluntly.
Rose’s eyes narrowed. Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Looks like you still haven’t moved on,” she mocked.
“Moved on? Do I look like I haven’t moved on from a weak man?” Sianna shot back. She wasn’t about to show any weakness in front of her. Rose didn’t deserve the satisfaction of seeing her stressed. “What do you think of me? That I cry every day because Wil is gone from my life? Is he made of gold or something that I’d waste my time on him? I’m actually thankful I found out early how spineless he is. And thanks to you, our wedding didn’t happen. God clearly didn’t want to give me to a man who can’t be content with one woman. I don’t even know where you get the nerve to face me. Do you want me to give you a black eye for real?”
Rose instinctively stepped back. Then she lifted her chin once she recovered.
“I just came to remind you that you’re the maid of honor at Wil and my wedding. It’s this Saturday, Sianna.”
Sianna let out an insulting laugh. “You actually expect me to show up at your wedding?”
“You’ll look bitter if you don’t. Papa Juancho also ordered you to come.”
“You think I still care about your stepfather—who also happens to be my biological father? That’s long gone, Rose. Just like I don’t care about you. Get lost— Oh.” Sianna paused, about to close the door, “I have only one wish for you… I hope Wil cheats on you too.” She flashed a taunting smile before finally shutting the door.
Rose’s blood must have boiled at that. She even screamed outside the condo and kicked the door.
And yet, Sianna felt a strange satisfaction from that last remark she made.
Did Rose really think she could intimidate her?
Or maybe she expected to see her looking haggard and broken after being dumped by her fiancé?
Well, she wasn’t giving that woman the pleasure.
Because if anyone was going to laugh in the end, it would be her—not Rose.
If Rose thought she had stolen something extremely important from her, then she was mistaken.
She even called her bitter for not attending the wedding. Did she really want to make a fool of herself at her own ceremony?
Sitting on the sofa in her living room, Sianna found herself deep in thought.
“SIANNA,” one of her coworkers, Hazel, approached her in the office restroom. She looked hesitant.
“What is it, Hazel?” she asked with a smile, eyes fixed on the mirror as she retouched her makeup.
“Is it true that your wedding with your fiancé is off? I’m sorry for asking.”
“It’s true,” she said, not showing any sadness.
“Then it’s also true that your stepsister is the one marrying him?”
“It’s true.”
“Aren’t you sad about what happened? You don’t look like someone who just went through a terrible heartbreak.”
Was it because she still looked beautiful every single day?
In fact, she made even more effort with her appearance. She refused to let people pity her.
Once she finished fixing herself, she finally turned to Hazel.
“Hazel, when a man is worthless, he doesn’t deserve your tears. Especially when you catch him cheating on you. I’m more thankful the wedding didn’t push through. Because if it had, and I found out later that he was betraying me, wouldn’t I be more pitiful?” She smiled. “God still loves me. He didn’t give me double the pain.”
“Wow,” Hazel said, momentarily speechless. “You’re so brave, Sianna.” She sighed, then hugged her briefly. “I hope you meet someone better than your ex. And someone who won’t cheat on you. You’re right—you’d be worse off if you found out later. You’ve impressed me even more. Thanks for the tip.”
Hazel had even gotten advice from her, which made Sianna smile wider.
“Oh, by the way, Mr. Tuarez wants to see you in his office,” Hazel added. “Right now.”
“You had an errand but still found time to gossip with me,” Sianna laughed.
“I couldn’t stop myself from asking.”
“Okay. I’ll head to his office.” She then said goodbye.
She took the elevator to one of their boss’s offices.
She prepared a polite smile as she approached Mr. Tuarez’s desk. “You asked to see me, sir?”
“Yes,” he replied in a serious tone—far from his usual friendly one. “I have some bad news for you, Miss Melendrez.”
Bad news?
“What is it?”
“You are fired.”
For a moment, it felt like silence swallowed everything around her. Had she really heard that clearly?
The words echoed in her ears like a tolling bell.
“E-excuse me?”
“You may only work here until Friday.”
“Why? I mean, why do you need to fire me? I don’t see any reason—”
“There’s nothing we can do about orders from higher up. The car you’re using will also need to be returned to the company.”
Sianna couldn’t speak. She wished it were just a bad dream.
Why did it feel like everything she had worked hard for was being taken from her one by one?
She didn’t want to think Rose and Wil were involved in getting her fired—especially remembering that they had asked the company’s owner to be their wedding sponsor because he was Wil’s acquaintance. And now that same man would stand as Rose’s sponsor in her wedding to Wil.
Mr. Tuarez had her sign some papers before she left his office.
This was the kind of situation that truly made someone cry. Years of hard work, gone just like that.
If her suspicion about who was behind her termination was correct, she would curse them to the depths of their souls.
Why wait until Friday? She might as well leave today.
She grabbed a box to pack her personal belongings from her cubicle.
“Sianna!” Hazel gasped when she saw her packing up. “What happened?”
“I’m leaving, Hazel,” she said briefly.
“But—”
“It’s okay. Good luck. I hope you close a lot of deals.”
Hazel’s sadness was obvious, especially when Sianna walked away. She returned the car keys she always used.
Looks like she was back to basics. Commuting home.
“No big deal, Sianna. You’re used to commuting. That’s where you started,” she told herself as she walked out of the building she once worked in.
She refused to cry right then. There was a time and place for that.
The problem was, she couldn’t find a passing taxi, so she kept walking, carrying the box that wasn’t exactly light.
As she walked, she nearly dropped it when a car suddenly honked and pulled up beside her.
She was ready to curse at the driver when the window on the driver’s side rolled down.
A man wearing sunglasses looked at her. She frowned. Even with the glasses on, his handsomeness was obvious—sharp nose, fair skin, slightly rosy lips and—
She didn’t finish admiring his features when he removed his sunglasses.
In an instant, without a single word exchanged, she recognized that face.
How could she ever forget it?
It was the face of the man who had taken the innocence she had carefully guarded.
- Writer
