Chapter 2

CRYSTAL

"No!"

I felt like I ran a marathon when I suddenly rose from the bed. But although I was already awake, my heart was racing. I even groaned when my temples started throbbing as I touched my head.

'What kind of dream is that?' It looked very real, yet creepy. Terror remained stuck in my nerves. There were even tears staining my cheeks when I checked my face in the washroom. I wanted to continue crying, but I controlled it. I couldn't leave my eyes sore because my work would be affected.

I examined myself in the mirror while taking off my sleeping dress. Fortunately, I didn't look bad even though I didn't get enough sleep. As a service crew, I had to be pleasing in terms of appearance. And although I'm petite, my hazel eyes, golden blonde hair, and generous smile were my best features according to the HR officer who hired me for this job a few months ago.

After getting dressed, I went straight to the kitchen. But then I froze at the door when I spotted a cake and a large plate of spaghetti on the table. My stomach groaned as soon as I smelled the food. But then I was startled when a hand landed on my shoulder, making me squeak and spin around.

"Happy birthday, sweetie!"

"M-Mama?" I raised an eyebrow and shifted my gaze to the calendar on the wall. "Seriously? Today is my birthday?"

She was still wearing an apron, but I couldn't tell whether she wanted to frown or laugh as she looked at me in confusion. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, holding my face. When I didn't respond, she motioned for me to take a seat at the table beside her. "You're too preoccupied with your work to notice what's going on around you. Now, you've even forgotten your birthday."

"At the very least, I know I'll never forget your birthday," I grinned, and returned my attention to the pasta which I swirled with a fork. As I chewed it, I noticed that she was still staring at me. "What's wrong?"

"Are you planning to go to work?" she asked, her brows furrowed which made her look more intimidating. Regardless, she appeared to be younger than her actual age even though she was close to forty.

"I need to, Mama."

"Why don't you file for a leave of absence just for now so we can celebrate?" Mama suggested, rubbing her hand on my back. "Crystal, I even closed our store because this is your day."

Mama's words pressed against my heart. She sacrificed today's sales to celebrate my birthday. However, that was not enough reason to skip work. Our company needed more workers since this month was the most hectic season of the year.

"All right, I'll finish my shift at five o'clock this afternoon. If the manager refuses, I'll make up an emergency. What do you think?"

"And what kind of emergency will you excuse?" she asked.

"That you were rushed to the hospital."

She locked her gaze on me as if I had just delivered bad news. "What?"

"Okay, I'm sorry." I buried my face in my hands. "It's just that I can't think of any valid reasons. I just thought that was the most plausible alibi because you go to the hospital for regular checkups."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course, she had no choice but to agree with me. "Fine! You can use me as an alibi. What matters is that my sacrifice of closing my store for the day will be repaid. All I hope is that my customers will not dare to visit our competitor's store."

"Is it just because of your sales that you don't want your day to be wasted, Mama?" I looked at her like a pleading cat.

She patted my cheek gently and began to laugh again. "You just turned eighteen and you've become dramatic."

I pouted even more and blinked a few times. "Say I'm the most important thing in your life, that's why you skipped your store."

"Oh, Crystal. You never fail to make me smile." She hugged me so tightly that I couldn't breathe. "You are my life—keep that in mind. I love you so much that I'm doing everything I can just to raise you properly. But I know I'm not that perfect and I have many flaws, including failing to send you to college."

"Mama, I was trying to make you laugh, and yet we're having a drama," I said, pulling away from her embrace and raising her hands to my cheek. "Please don't be sad. For me, you are the ideal parent, and I am happy just to be with you."

Her face was brightened by a warm smile. "You're such a wonderful daughter."

"You just know I am."

We both laughed as we finished our breakfast.

Mama and I were absolutely best friends. I got some coworker friends, but I was closer to my mother. Nobody could ever break us apart. And even though she couldn't afford to pay for my education, I still love and appreciate her.

But of course, being a high school graduate wasn't enough. Like other students, I was dreaming to finish college too, and possibly earn a master's degree. That's the reason why I accepted a part-time job—I wanted to save money so that I could cover my tuition for the following school year. And although I was an irregular student, the important thing was that I could have the opportunity to graduate and earn a bachelor's degree.

It was my dream to work in a corporate setting. I wanted to experience wearing a formal dress and high heels. I wanted to work in front of a computer in an office where the beautiful scenery of New York city was visible through my window.

Most importantly, I wanted to have employees who would address me as the CEO. I was well aware that achieving my objectives would be difficult. Though I still believed it was possible. That's probably why I had a dream last night about working in an office. But I couldn't understand why my father had to be hurt in it.

"Can you tell me what's bothering you, sweetie?" Mama's question jolted me awake from my trance. We were already rinsing the plates together in front of the sink.

I slowly shook my head while wiping a dry towel on the large plate in my hands. I placed it carefully in the rack before I asked the question that had been bugging me for years. "Mama, what really happened to Papa?"

Her face gradually became darker. "What made you suddenly bring him up?"

Her sudden change in tone alarmed the living daylights out of me. However, it was too late to take back my question. "I'm only curious because you've never spoken about him in detail. What I do know is that he left us. But, don't you think there's a reason for it? What if he didn't want to leave us at all? What if—"

"He left us because he's irresponsible!" she yelled, pounding her hand against the counter which left me aghast.