My Daddy Boss

Lenie went to the condominium of her boyfriend, Dexter, to surprise him for their first anniversary, even though Dexter had told her not to.

Since she knew the door password to Dexter's condo, she let herself in.

"Hi, baby! Surprise-" Lenie's words were cut short when she saw Dexter kissing another woman, Via.

Dexter immediately noticed Lenie and ran towards her.

"Baby, let me explain. It's not what you think. I was just blowing on Via's eye because something got in it. That's all," Dexter explained.

"And you think I'll believe that? Something got in her eye? Really? And that happened while she was naked?" Lenie tried to hold back her tears.

Via then approached them, looking smug as if proud of being caught. In that moment, Lenie wanted to pull her hair out but restrained herself to avoid creating a scene.

"What's wrong, Lenie? Does it hurt? Did you think you could have everything in the world? I'm sorry, but I already have the person you love most," Via taunted.

"Via, how could you do this to me? Is this because of the promotion I got instead of you? Did you seduce my boyfriend to get back at me?" Lenie asked, her voice shaking with tears.

"It's not just about that! There's a lot more, Lenie. If I could hurt you worse than this, I would. Don't worry, next time I'll make it even more painful for you," Via sneered.

Via's words pushed Lenie to her breaking point. She didn't care who could hear them anymore. She slapped Via, who slapped her back.

In her rage, Lenie grabbed Via's hair and dragged her out of Dexter's condo. Dexter tried to stop them, but Lenie was too furious to listen.

"Let go, Lenie! Stop this! I won't bother you and Dexter anymore!" Via screamed.

"No! This is what you want, right? I'll give you exactly what you deserve. I'm not as evil as you, but I know how to handle people like you," Lenie retorted.

"Lenie, stop this! If you want, we can get back together. Just please don't hurt Via!" Dexter begged.

Lenie continued dragging Via by the hair until they reached the elevator. When the doors opened, a crowd of people saw them. Some wanted to help Via, while others just gossiped.

"Hello, everyone! I just want to warn you about this woman! She stole my boyfriend! Go ahead, take pictures of her, because she might steal your boyfriends or husbands too!" Lenie announced.

The crowd obliged, with some even live-streaming the scene on social media. This left Dexter and Via humiliated. Dexter tried to chase after Lenie to apologize, but she left the building with her head held high.

A week later, Lenie met with her friend Alice. Heartbroken over Dexter, Lenie sought Alice's help to find a new job so she could move on. She needed a fresh start.

"You caught them kissing? Ugh, that guy's the worst! He made all those promises not to hurt you, and this is what he does? I trusted him too!" Alice fumed.

"That's why I'm here. I need your help finding a new job. I can't stand seeing them at work anymore. It makes me sick every time I bump into them!" Lenie replied, her sadness still evident.

"Of course, I'll help you. It's perfect timing-there's an opening at my office. And our boss is handsome too! A bit of a womanizer, though. Want me to submit your resume?" Alice teased, making Lenie smile for the first time in days.

"Come on, Alice. I'm looking for a job, not another headache. Good thing I brought my resume. Wait, let me grab it from my bag," Lenie said, pulling out her resume.

After giving Alice her resume, the two friends chatted some more. What Lenie didn't know was that Alice had a child and was planning to leave the baby in Lenie's care.

"By the way, where do you work again?" Lenie asked.

"Oh, at the Ramirez Group of Companies. The pay's great, but they only hire single women. You and Dexter didn't have any kids, right?" Alice clarified.

"Of course not! I don't have a child with that jerk. He's the worst!" Lenie replied, her voice filled with anger.

"Good. That means you'll definitely get hired at RGC. I'll let you know once I've submitted your resume, okay? I have to go now; I've got something to do," Alice said.

Before Alice left, Lenie thanked her. For the first time, she felt hopeful. Finally, she had a plan to move forward, and the pain in her heart seemed a little lighter.

She was on her way home when it suddenly started raining. She decided to wait for half an hour at a nearby coffee shop until the rain subsided.

As she was walking home, a speeding car suddenly stopped beside her, splashing mud onto her white dress. Frustrated, she shouted at the driver.

"Hey! Whoever's driving, could you be more careful? Do you think you own the road?" Lenie angrily exclaimed while trying to clean the mud off her white dress.

The driver rolled down his car window, also annoyed and seemingly in a hurry.

"Miss, that's not my fault. Besides, why are you even walking when it just rained? You should expect muddy roads! And you're wearing white of all things. Ugh, such a waste of time!" the man said before rolling his window back up.

Lenie shook her head at the man's behavior. Luckily, she memorized the car's license plate number. She vowed to get back at him if she ever saw him again.

"DVW 674. You'll regret it the next time I see you on the road! Ugh, he's handsome, but his attitude is the worst! That car is lucky I just want to go home!" she fumed.

Once she got home, she immediately washed her clothes. She also told her mom about her ongoing job hunt. At first, her mother was worried, but after Lenie explained everything, she calmed down.

A few weeks later, Alice called her. She said there was something they needed to discuss. Lenie didn't ask further, as she assumed it was about the job she was waiting for. Excited, she left the house without even saying goodbye to her mom.

"Alright, I'm on my way. It's about time you called! I've been waiting for their response for so long," Lenie said.

"Sorry for the delay. I forgot to follow up earlier. Anyway, just come to my house, okay? I'll wait for you here," Alice replied before ending the call.

When Lenie arrived at Alice's house, she was surprised to find no one there except for a crying baby in a crib. She couldn't believe that Alice had a child. They had been friends for a long time, but Alice never once mentioned her love life. She tried calling Alice's number, but it was unreachable.

Her world seemed to crumble. First, her ex-boyfriend Dexter deceived her, and now her friend Alice had betrayed her, too. To make things worse, Alice left her child in Lenie's care.

A week later, Lenie went to Ramirez Group of Companies (RCG) to apply for a job. Fortunately, she remembered asking Alice where she worked before she disappeared. For Lenie, any position would do as long as she could have a job.

When it was her turn for the interview, she was shocked to see that the man she had an argument with on the road was the one conducting the interview.

"You?!" Lenie almost shouted.

"Miss Santos, kindly lower your voice," the man responded, seemingly not recognizing her.

Lenie decided not to remind him of their previous encounter. She didn't want to jeopardize her chances of getting hired.

Despite her annoyance, Lenie went through with the interview.

"Miss Santos, I see here that you've submitted your resume before. What happened? Why didn't you proceed?" the man asked.

Taken aback by his serious demeanor and good looks, Lenie froze for a moment and stared at him.

"Miss Santos, are you okay? Why are you spacing out? You're not even answering my question," the man said seriously, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Lenie suddenly remembered that Alice had submitted her resume on her behalf. She initially thought Alice hadn't followed through because of her betrayal.

"Ah, I got busy, Sir. But I'm ready to start working at RCG now," Lenie replied.

"It's a shame; you were already approved back then. Well, you're approved now as well, so there's no problem. You're hired, Miss Santos," the man said, not even cracking a smile.

Lenie was shocked. She thought she had no chance of getting hired at the company.

"W-What? Really? Thank you, Sir!" she exclaimed, her annoyance momentarily forgotten.

In her excitement, she grabbed the man's hand and shook it vigorously. She only realized what she was doing when he spoke.

"Miss Santos?"

"Ah, sorry, Sir. I'm just really happy," Lenie said, embarrassed. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole when she realized she was holding his hand.

She quickly let go, grabbed her bag, and said goodbye.

As she was about to leave, the man called her back and asked if she had a child. Lenie remembered that RCG didn't allow employees with children.

"Miss Santos, do you have a child?"

"Ah, no, Sir. I'm single," Lenie replied, lying even though it hurt. She was doing this for Javi, the child left in her care.

"Good. Then you're good to go. Thank you, Miss Santos," the man said, finally smiling at her.

Lenie left the office, feeling relieved that she finally had a job again. When she got home, she immediately shared the good news with her mother.

She entered the office, smiling at everyone she passed by. She didn't care if they didn't know her. What mattered to her was that she was happy on her first day at work.

Although feeling shy, she had to ask people where her cubicle was. She approached a man, and he kindly responded to her question.

"Ah, Sir, may I know where my cubicle is? Thank you," Lenie asked.

The man smiled at her and pointed to a woman sitting not too far away. Lenie quickly approached the woman to ask. She felt embarrassed because it was clear the woman was very busy.

"Ah, hello. That man over there told me to ask you where my cubicle is," Lenie said.

"Ah, here. So, you're the one Sir Alexis told me about-the newly hired employee. Well, you better prepare yourself because even though it's your first day, I'm sure you'll already have a lot of work," the woman said, making Lenie even more nervous.

The woman introduced herself as Zyra Bermudez. From the first glance, Lenie already felt intimidated by her. But since she was new, she knew she had to get along with Zyra for now.

To test Lenie, Zyra asked her to deliver some papers to their boss.

"Huh? To Sir Ramirez? You mean our boss?" Lenie asked, surprised.

"Yes, why? Can't you do it? You'll be seeing Sir every day, so you might as well get used to it now," Zyra said, clearly challenging Lenie.

"Ah, it's not that I don't want to see him. It's just that I'm new, and I feel shy around him. But fine, give me the papers that need signing," Lenie said, hesitant but determined.

Zyra told her that Sir Alexis Ramirez's office was on the fourth floor. Lenie immediately went there. Upon reaching the fourth floor, she asked a woman for directions.

"Hi, Miss. Can you tell me where Sir Alexis Ramirez's office is? I have some papers for him to sign. Thank you," Lenie said, smiling.

Lenie was surprised when the woman looked her over from head to toe, probably wondering who she was. Still, the woman accompanied Lenie to her boss's office.

"Sir Ramirez, she has some documents for you to sign," the woman said.

"Ah, just leave them there, Celeste. Thank you," Alexis replied while searching for files, his back turned.

Hearing his voice sent an inexplicable jolt through Lenie's body. She couldn't help but smile because her boss's voice was so handsome.

When Celeste left, Lenie placed the papers on Alexis's table. But she was startled when her boss suddenly turned to face her.

"Ah, Celeste, can you-" Alexis started to say, but Lenie interrupted him by yelling.

"You?! You're my boss?!" Lenie exclaimed, feeling a mix of annoyance and shock.

The man she had argued with on the street and the one who had interviewed her turned out to be the same person. She suddenly wanted to back out, frustrated by this revelation. She closed her eyes in irritation.

"What a small world, Miss. You're the woman who got her clothes muddy, right? I didn't notice it was you during the interview. Imagine that-I'm your boss. I guess you won't be sassy with me anymore?" Alexis said smugly.

Realizing that she was talking to her boss, Lenie calmed herself. She knew she couldn't show any annoyance since she was newly hired. Otherwise, her first day might also be her last at RCG.

"Ah, Sir, please sign these papers so I can leave. Miss Bermudez has been waiting for me. Thank you," Lenie said, trying to suppress her irritation but still visibly shocked.

Alexis laughed, sensing Lenie's frustration despite her attempt to hide it. He signed all the papers and handed them back to her.

"Done," Alexis said, placing the papers back on his table.

Lenie quickly grabbed the papers and headed for the door. But Alexis suddenly spoke again.

"From now on, you'll be the one to deliver all the documents that need my signature. Papers from every department," Alexis said authoritatively.

Lenie froze. With her back turned to him, she silently cursed her boss. Internally, she was scolding herself as well. Thinking she might not have heard him clearly, Alexis repeated what he said.

"I said, from now on, you'll be the one to deliver all the documents to my office. Is that clear?"

Lenie closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself before responding.

"Yes, Sir. No problem," Lenie said before leaving Alexis's office.

At that moment, all she could think about was Javi. She knew resigning over this would be too shallow. She resolved to endure her boss and ignore him.