Chapter 2 His Secretary

Chapter 2

LEURHEINE ANGELA FERRER'S POV

"Manang," I called out to the housekeeper as I descended the stairs. "Where's Dad?"

"Good morning, my dear." She greeted me with a smile before answering my question. "He still hasn't come home."

It's been almost a week. Where could Dad be?

"Is he out of town?" I asked as I took a seat in the dining area.

"I'm not sure either," she replied while placing rice on my plate.

I let out a deep sigh. He's always gone.

"If Dad comes home while I'm not around, please tell him he needs to clear his schedule this Monday," I instructed. "I don't want him leaving again before I can talk to him about the parents' tribute."

I don't want to call him because his secretary is always the one answering, saying he's busy and to call back later or on another day.

I'm his daughter, yet I feel no different from those people who struggle to get an appointment with him.

"I can attend in his place again," she suggested. "That's what your father always instructs whenever there's an important event at your school that he can't attend."

"Manang, thank you for the offer," I gave her a small smile. "But this is the last one because I'm graduating from college. So for the last time, I want it to be him."

"Besides, vacation starts next week," I added. "Don't worry about me. Just spend time with your family. One month isn't even enough for that, and I don't want you using a day of it just for me."

"But-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Manang, I insist," I said firmly. "I'll be fine."

"Alright," she finally agreed. "I'll inform your father as soon as he gets home, my dear."

I saw how her eyes glistened with emotion, probably out of sympathy.

I averted my gaze and quickly ate my food. I was going to be late for our thesis defense. I was already in my uniform since it was required for the presentation.

Halfway through my meal, I felt my phone vibrate in my coat pocket.

Someone was calling-Aubrey, my best friend.

I answered the call while continuing to eat since I didn't want to be even later. I was starving since I skipped dinner last night to work on my part of the thesis.

"Where are you, you slowpoke?" she asked impatiently.

"I'msh shtill eating," I mumbled while chewing.

"Ugh," she groaned in disgust. "Are you a starving peasant? Swallow your food before talking to me."

I swallowed before responding. "Is it my fault you called while I was eating?"

"The whole panel is here already, and we're about to start, but you're nowhere in sight."

"Tell them to wait."

"Tss, you really act differently when you own the school, huh?"

I just laughed, though I wasn't actually amused. Then, she ended the call.

I only ever wanted a simple life-one where my family was happy and whole.

Ever since Mom died, Dad buried himself in work, probably to avoid thinking about what happened.

But what about me? I was struggling too.

"I'm heading out, Manang," I said to the housekeeper standing nearby as I walked toward the door. "Take care of everything here."

"Alright," she replied. "Take care as well."

I just nodded and went straight to the garage to get into the car.

"Please hurry, Mang Remy," I urged my driver. "I'm already late."

I know my limits when it comes to the privileges I have in life. I only ask people to adjust for me when I truly need it.

"Finally, the princess has arrived," Aubrey teased the moment I entered the room where our defense was being held.

"Yes, my loyal servant," I shot back playfully, making Seiji, our other friend who was also presenting with us, laugh.

There were supposed to be four people per group, and it just so happened that we were a group of four friends. Our last member, Ken, was busy distributing our thesis papers to the panel.

One of the panelists spoke. "Since you're all here now, you may begin."

I started sweating.

Speaking in front of people has always been my weakness, especially in serious discussions. I've gained confidence over the years, but I'm still not at the level where I feel completely at ease in situations like this.

We positioned ourselves in front, with Aubrey standing in the center holding the projector remote, as we had agreed that she would go first.

But before she could even begin, Seiji interrupted.

"The rule says we can start now, not that we must, right? So that means we can start later too? Time out first," he joked, though his nervousness was evident in his voice.

The panelists looked surprised and shook their heads in disbelief. Seiji was always like this-on the verge of getting us in trouble.

Aubrey shot him a sharp glare, making him shut his mouth and casually whistle as he backed off. Ken and I exchanged glances, both trying to suppress our laughter.

We both knew that Seiji had liked Aubrey since our first year in college. But from the looks of it, she had zero interest in him. In fact, she seemed to despise him, probably because of his constant teasing-which Aubrey hated.

"Good morning, everyone," Aubrey finally started. "I am Aubrey Centenera. Allow me to introduce the group, starting with Ms. Leurheine Angela Ferrer, Mr. Alquinn Fabro, and Mr. Seiji Ramos."

She introduced us one by one.

"Welcome to the thesis defense on Navigating the Digital Frontier: Strategies for Business Adaptation to Technological Advancements."

That was our thesis title-something closely related to our BS in Entrepreneurship course. Since all four of us were heirs to our respective family businesses, it made sense for us to pursue this field.

After some time, I felt like I was about to faint from nervousness. Aubrey was almost done, which meant it was my turn next. I was assigned to present the literature review.

I composed myself as Aubrey wrapped up. I never let my nervousness show because doing so would only make me more anxious.

"Good morning, once again," I greeted.

"I'm Leurheine Angela Ferrer," I introduced myself, even though they obviously knew who I was. "At this point, I will be providing an overview of some previously published works related to our topic..."

I acted confident, but in reality, my knees were trembling.

I went through the published works one by one, and when I was done, I braced myself for the possible questions-just like the ones they had asked Aubrey earlier.

But to my surprise, the panel remained silent.

Although I felt relieved, it also seemed unfair to my groupmates. So, I decided to ask instead.

"Do you have any questions?"

They just exchanged glances and shook their heads. I didn't push the issue.

"Alright, allow me to call on Mr. Fabro to continue," I said before quietly stepping aside to join Aubrey and Seiji.

Aubrey gave me a thumbs-up, and Seiji patted my shoulder as I reached them. It didn't feel right, but they seemed fine with it.

LEURHEINE ANGELA FERRER'S POV

"Yay!" Aubrey cheered as we sat on the bench. "Good job, everyone."

Ken sat beside me, while Aubrey and Seiji sat across from us. We were now at the back of our building. After our defense, we went straight to the cafeteria to buy snacks and decided to hang out here.

This spot was a great place to chill since there were large trees providing shade, so we often came here to cool off.

"Where are we going?" Seiji asked. "It's still early."

It was only ten in the morning, and it seemed like he wanted to go out.

"You seriously have the nerve to ask that?" Aubrey immediately retorted. "You practically turned our presentation into a joke show."

"If the panelists hadn't found your jokes funny, you would've gotten a failing grade."

Here they go again. Ken and I could only shake our heads as they bickered.

"Hey." Ken nudged me, making me turn to him. "You did good in there."

I snorted. "I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't!" I said irritably. "It was just another case of special treatment. They didn't even bother asking me questions."

"They didn't ask because you explained everything clearly. So stop sulking." He chuckled before poking my side.

"Hey!" Aubrey suddenly called out, arms crossed. "We look away for one second, and you two are already flirting?"

"We are not!" I protested. "I don't flirt with friends."

I glanced at Ken, but he avoided my gaze and stayed silent.

So, I turned to Seiji, who was innocently munching on his chips.

"Right, Seiji?"

He quickly glanced at Aubrey, his face turning red.

"A-ah, y-yeah. Of course." He answered awkwardly.

I laughed and nudged Ken playfully, but he didn't even look at me. His attention was completely on his food.

What's up with him?

Aubrey and her big mouth. She made things awkward.

"Ma'am Leurheine," a familiar voice suddenly interrupted.

I turned in surprise to see my driver appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh, Mang Remy," I acknowledged his presence.

"Your father is home," he informed me. "He asked you to come home as well-your guest has been waiting for quite some time."

To Be Continued...