Right now, Daphne was in a hot potato.

After moving with her friend Clara for a few days, both her mother and her ex-boyfriend had been pestering her with calls. Linda kept on pestering her for money, while Maverick was constantly calling and texting her to come back to him. More so, on the same weekend she had just settled down in Clara’s apartment, her mother called her again, asking Daphne with her most pitiful voice about getting back with Maverick. Linda explicated Maverick was the only way they could, or more likely, Linda could pay for her debts.

She tried to reason it out on her mom that she didn’t want to go back with Maverick and that she was done with him. However, since Daphne was a woman who had a golden heart, she obliged her mother and finally texted Maverick back. Daphne asked him if he could meet her and Maverick pleasantly agreed that they could meet in a hotel.

With that, Daphne came to the hotel and found Maverick by the café, surrounded by a bunch of women. She approached him without hesitation, pushing off each woman who was blocking her way in Maverick’s direction. As soon as she met him eye to eye, Daphne crossed her arms against her chest and lifted her eyebrow.

“I’m breaking our engagement, Maverick,” Daphne greeted him with indignation.

Although Maverick was a bit surprised, he held it back and looked at her impassively. He just laughed at her like Daphne was a complete joke. “I don’t really care, Daphne. Besides, I have never loved you in the first place.”

Daphne’s lips pressed into a thin line. Her heart sank to his cold, mercurial tone. Even if Daphne already knew that Maverick fooled her, his words of affirmation hurt like her. Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fingers and balled them into a fist.

“Then you should pay for every single cent I’ve used just to purchase everything we needed for our wedding, which, by the way, should be your responsibility as the groom!” She pointed her index fingers at him and added, “And also for the emotional damages you have caused me throughout the years that you deceived, used, and humiliated me!” Daphne seethed with anger.

Maverick chuckled so loud enough to be noticed by everyone near them. “This is the reason you’ve always been fooled, Daphne. You’re so stupid!”

Daphne’s tears instantly shed not because she found Maverick’s statement insulting, but because she knew that what he had said was true. She was stupid enough to believe him and she was a fool to love him.

“Yeah, you’re right, Maverick. I was an idiot to believe all your lies, and I was stupid enough to love you, despite your shit narcissistic attitude. Yes, I’m that fucking stupid!” She slapped him on his cheeks as she tilted her chin to meet his gaze.

“This is for hurting me!” Daphne hit his other cheeks. “This is for humiliating me!” She slapped him back again on the right side of his face. “And this is for lying to me, you piece-of-shit!” One more time, she hit him with full force to let him know how angry she was.

“Ann—” Daphne heard his voice. However, before she could fully hear his reply, she dashed out of his way, while her tears incessantly fell down her cheeks.

By the time she reached the hotel’s entrance, her feet halted when she suddenly bumped into another person. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up and was daunted by a familiar face.

It was Nathan Kelly, the man who offered her a job, wearing a black slim-fitted suit. His hair was tousled back in perfection, as though it took an hour to look as fine as hell. Daphne immediately stepped back, hunching her head down.

“Sorry,” the woman stingily replied.

Nathan’s eyebrow twitched a little. Before she could move away from him, he yanked her arms, placing his palms on her shoulder. “Miss Collins, are you okay? Did something happen?”

She shoved his hands away from her while trying her best to look away. “Yes, I’m fine.” Daphne cleared her throat and then was about to walk out when Nathan persisted in asking another question of her.

“Are you sure?” He blocked her way, staring directly into her eyes. She looked at him as though all the barriers on her eyes were almost naked. Her cheeks were scarlet red, her eyes were glinting with tears that he found so appealing and mesmerizing.

She softly nodded. “Yes. Thanks.”

Daphne was about to go to the entrance door when he turned around to ask her another question. “Uh, Miss Collins?”

She stopped walking and pivoted to her back. “Yes?”

Nathan gulped as he felt his heart skip a beat at the moment their gazes collided. Inserting his hands in his pants pockets, he asked again, “It’s the last day for you to decide, Miss Collins. Are you still up for it?”

“Yes, I accept the job offer,” Daphne quickly answered, with no hesitations.

He was dawned by her answer. Nathan didn’t expect that she would quickly accept it without asking for the specification of the job responsibilities. “Great! Finally, you’ve come to your decision.”

She bit her lips in contemplation, and after that, lifted her chin to answer him. “And thanks—really — for the offer.” His Job offer was a God-sent to Daphne, surmising that this might be her way to move on from Maverick and get her life back.

“No worries, Miss Collins. Glad I could be of help,” He replied.

Daphne pointed her finger at the back. “Well, I guess, I got to go, Nathan . . .” she said it with slight disinclination.

“My driver can take you home.” He fished out his phone and called his secretary. “Jonathan, please tell Isaac to drive Miss Jenning home.”

However, she waved her arms at Nathan, rejecting his gracious offer. “No! No—You don’t have to do that! I can just get a cab, sir!”

“I insist,” he retorted back while dropping his smartphone back into his pockets.

“Really, it’s alright, sir. My apartment is just two blocks away from here,” Daphne lied. It actually took her forty-five minutes to get to the hotel and a fifty bucks cab fee. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to owe the guy more until it would get to where she could hardly repay him.

“I told you, just call me Nathan.” He rubbed his palms against his scruff. “Besides, it might be actually weird for my nephew to hear you calling me, sir.”

“Then I suppose you also have to call me by my name, Nathan. Since you said your nephew will get awkward about it,” Daphne rebutted.

Nathan couldn’t help but smile at her remark. “Touché, Daphne.”

Daphne’s eyes glittered with delight. “And you really don’t have to let your driver drive me home.”

“It’s fine, Daphne. Besides, Isaac must know where you live, so he knows where he could drop you off after your tutoring sessions with Chuck,” Nathan explained.

Her eyes widened. “I assume that’s your nephew’s name. Isn’t it?”

Nathan looked back at her and answered, “Yes, it is. Chuck for Chester.”

“I’m excited to meet him,” Daphne commented.

He didn’t know what to reply to her, that it rendered him mute. It was fortunate for him that his car arrived soon before Daphne could ask him another question.

“He’s here,” he informed her, and they walked to the entrance door and were welcomed by Isaac, Nathan’s driver.

“Take her to her flat, Isaac,” Nathan replied thriftily.

Isaac nodded at her and asked Daphne for her address. She was reluctant at first, but she then gave it away to the driver. As soon as both of them got inside the car, Nathan watched them as his gaze trailed to where the car was.

When it disappeared from his view, he turned away, walking back inside of the hotel to meet with his dear-old friend Maverick while the smile on his face was still etched unwittingly.

Nathan went to the private room where he was going to meet his long-time friend, Maverick. As soon as he reached the location, he was overwhelmed by a crowd of prostitutes settling in the room. He cut into the mob and was greeted by lascivious and thirsty comments from the women who were surrounding Maverick.

“Hey, handsome!” A slut in a skimpy body-con suit squeaked wantonly.

“Oh, who do we have here? Another daddy!” Another woman came forward, circling her arm to his.

Immediately, he gave her an alarming gaze. “Get off me.”

The woman obediently untangled her arms to him, stepping away from Nathan as he approached Maverick. By the time Maverick had noticed his friend coming forward, he stood from his seat and welcomed him with a partial bear hug. Nathan accepted his gesture and patted his back.

“Good to see you, bro!” Maverick said when he parted. “It’s been a long time! What’s up?!” He asked, giving him a bottle of beer.

Nathan sat across from Maverick. He took a swig of the beer and replied, “I’m good! Been better—” Then he paused for a while as he peered around the room. He felt unsettled with a horde of girls watching them like they were feasts to be gobbled in. With his cold mercurial gaze, his lips clenched into a straight line. “Can all of you get out of the room? You circling around us feels so unsettling.”

Maverick laughed at his comment. “Chill up, Nathan. These ladies just want to have some fun with us.” He then grabbed a piece of food from the table and ate it. While chewing, he smacked one of the woman’s asses lewdly. “Sweet pea, get out with your friends for a minute outside. I’ll be back with you later.”

The red-haired woman gave her a saccharine smile. “Okay, sure, babe.” She pecked Maverick’s lips first before heading out of the room with his ladies.

Maverick and Nathan were left inside the area as soon as all of Maverick’s sluts went out to get the two boys some privacy. Chugging his beer, Nathan was the first one to crack the silence between them.

“So, how have you been doing? The last time I heard from you was that you were getting married. Finally decided to settle down?”

Maverick leaned his arms on the back of the seat and gave him a wolfish smirk. “You know I don’t do that shit, bro.” He lifted his feet up on the ground and propped them onto his other legs. “Didn’t happen. I bailed out on the ceremony.”

Nathan wasn’t that shocked to know about it. Since their university days, Maverick had been the asshole in their group. He had been in and out of the jail for petty violations and was in numerous fights because he had hurt some brother’s or friend’s girl. His friend hadn’t changed a bit even after six years of being away here and going to the States to take over his brother’s failing business.

It was Nathan’s idea to take hold of the management of their offshore businesses since their global sales and accounts had been drastically down after that shocking incident. The stock market plummeted significantly and Nathan’s only choice was to manage their international accounts after what happened.

“You’re still a pussy, Maverick.” Nathan chuckled and swashed the cold beer in his hand. “Goddamn dude, you’ve broken again another poor girl’s heart,” he stated lightly, but with a slight intention of shoving the truth down on him.

Maverick raised his arms in the mid-air. “You know me, Nathan. I’m a fucking too exceptional for that shit.” He deeply laughed as he dropped his arms back to the armchair and continued, “Anyway, enough about me. I haven't heard anything about you since you left, man. How’s it going?”

“It’s alright. After our accounts internationally became stable, I decided to return here and focus on expanding a new product line to a new market,” Nathan replied with his usual business and acumen tone.

Maverick rolled his eyes as he grumbled. “Ugh, that’s boring, dude. Haven’t you had any fun for the last six years you're away?”

“You know I can’t afford to have that Maverick after what happened…” Maverick placed his empty beer bottle on the glass table and reclined his arms on the elbow chair. Crumpling his fingers into a clench, he added. “I have to fix my own shit.”

“Nah, bro, it isn’t. It was an accident, alright?” He threw him another beer bottle and lightly cheered him up. “Don’t beat yourself innit, wimp.”

Nathan just gave him a smirk as he opened the beer with his teeth, throwing the cap to the side. As the alcohol seeped down into his system, he couldn’t shrug out what happened six years ago when his life turned considerably at three-sixty degrees. It was in his last days in college when he heard the devastating news about his brother and his wife from an employee in their offshore division. His brother, along with his wife, was involved in a drunk-driving accident that took their lives instantly. With Nathan being their only relative, he was informed by the hospital regarding this appalling, unfortunate event.

Having no choice and extremely worried about his brother, Nathan hastily drove to the airport when suddenly an accident clashed with him. He ran over to a woman crossing the bridge and was gotten injured by the impact that she had passed out on the road. However, since he didn’t have enough time to heed her, he kept driving along with the conscience he bore until he reached the airport. Because of this, Nathan called Maverick to ask for his help and told his friend that he would give the woman a part of his shares in the corporation for the awful thing he did.

In response, Maverick agreed to him and took care of everything else as Nathan boarded the plane. To his dismay, the moment he reached the hospital, his brother and his wife succumbed to the blow of the incident and were declared dead on arrival. Since that day, everything that he had ignored in life came down to him, whacking him with an enormous responsibility to his brother’s son, the company, and the debt that he inherited from his brother.

“So, how’s your nephew? He’s what? Already six or seven?” Maverick abruptly asked.

Nathan’s perusing was interrupted when he heard Maverick’s question. He chugged his beer first before reverting to him. “He’s going seven. The boy’s a damn clone of my brother.”

After her brother died, Chuck, his brother’s son, was left in his care. He didn't know how to approach or get along with Chuck at first. The boy had had enough trauma at an early age that it was too hard for Nathan to form a bond with him.

“Is he with you when you came back?”

Nathan nodded. “Yeah, I just actually got him a tutor a while ago. I don’t want him to end up like you, dickhead.” He chuckled, throwing him jokingly into a piece of nuts.

Maverick just shrugged his friendly chides like good-old times. Nathan had been his long-time friend, and they had been through the worst of times. He knew that Nathan blamed himself for his brother's accident, that he had been too distant from the grandeur and beauty of life and had been buried with his responsibilities and work.

“Your nephew must have been spoiled then,” Maverick commented, deviating him from his insults.

Nathan sighed heavily. “I guess so? Shit, I don’t know. I hadn’t babysat a child in my life, lest to take care of one.”

In fact, Chuck Kelly, his nephew, had been spoiled so much that he didn’t know how to tell it to the kid or scold him for his appalling behavior. Nathan had stayed with Chuck for six years and managed the entire business by himself with no help from others. It was then when he became so invested with their off-shore accounts and transactions that he discovered the cause of his brother’s accident.

Nathan had learned that it was not really an accident, but an intended murder by their closest competitor. Hence, when Chuck turned four years old, he sent him to an elite school two years ago for safety, while Nathan stayed abroad to fix the business affairs and find out who was the perpetrator of the crash.

“Can’t disagree with you on that, bro.” He chortled and added, “You can't even handle a woman!”

Nathan just shook his head casually. He then shifted the topic to the woman Nathan had run over six years ago. “Speaking of the devil, do you have any news about the woman I’ve run into six years ago?”

Maverick’s face relaxed expression changed immediately to a galling sneer. “Don’t worry about it, bro. She’s doing fine.”

However, Maverick didn’t tell him it was his ex-fiancée, Daphne, who would be the tutor to Nathan’s nephew, Chuck Kelly.

The cordial greeting of the sunrise approached the translucent window by the room when he and Maverick had already caught up on each other’s lives for the past six years that Nathan had been away. With empty bottles and plates that were scattered around the glass table, Nathan, who was almost but not quite drunk, stood from his seat and tapped Maverick beside him. His friend was already snoozing with his neck craned to the headboard of the chair.

Cracking his neck, Nathan kicked his shins, startling him with a shout, “Dude, get up. It’s already morning.”

Maverick, who just dozed out from his seat, reclined his back away. “Shit, fuck . . .” He fumbled on the couch, searching for his phone. “What time is it?”

Nathan lifted his forearms and replied, “It’s six in the morning.” He slapped his knees and added, “Come on, let’s go. I need a lift.”

The man grumbled in protest. “Fuck, dude, don’t you have a car for that?” He staggered as he stood on the ground, to which Nathan had noticed quickly that he helped Maverick by supporting his unsteady walk.

“Yeah, I do have. But I can’t call Isaac. It’s too early,” Nathan explained to him as they both walked out of the room, trotting toward the parking lot.

By the time they got to the parking area, Maverick unhinged his arms on Nathan’s shoulder and fished out his keys inside his pockets. “You owe me a lot, Nathan.”

Nathan shook his head as he lightheartedly disagreed with it. “Not as much as you do.”

Maverick didn’t respond and just chuckled it off as they got inside the car and drove to Maverick’s place.

***

As the night greeted Clara’s apartment, Daphne was shocked to see her mother in the lounge with an unkempt and distraught face. Linda’s eyes were red as scarlet when she stood from the upholstered chair and stepped forward toward her daughter.

Combing her curly hair, she batted her messy eyelashes at her daughter. “Hey sweetheart, how are you?”

Awkwardly, Linda reluctantly hugged her, which Daphne found a little strange and sketchy. Usually, her mom only did it if she needed money from her.

“What are you doing here, mom?” Daphne tried not to grunt as she dropped the bag on the couch.

Meanwhile, Clara came to the picture with a ladle in her hand as she went toward them. “Finally, you’re here, Daphne! I kept calling you a while ago to tell you your mom is here.”

Daphne turned her gaze to Clara, smiling at her softly. “Sorry. I didn’t notice. Thanks, Clara.”

“Sure, and no worries about it,” Clara answered as she looked at Daphne and Linda back and forth. She then recognized the tension between the two of them that made her move backward. “Okay, I’ll just be in the kitchen, if you need something, Daphne…”

Daphne nodded at her friend and then, in a couple of seconds, grabbed her bag from the couch, neglecting her mom to go into her room. Linda, however, followed her behind, looking quite jittery and nervous.

When Daphne got inside, she placed her back on the table and removed her shoes to change into her slippers. Without looking at Linda, Daphne finally resigned to the thought of ignoring her by asking her mother straight away.

“Do you need the money right now?” She then walked to her closet and yanked on some shirt and pajamas.

Linda bit her lips for a moment and then plummeted her arms to the side. “Yeah. The guys needed the money, Daphne. I have to pay them immediately, baby.”

“Can’t it wait?” Daphne threw her clothes onto the bed and then raised her arms to prop them on her waist. “I don’t have any cash with me now, mom.”

Her mother’s face instantly became more anxious. Linda’s finger fidgeted relentlessly as she walked toward Daphne’s bed, sitting uncomfortably on it. Rubbing her palms onto her knees, she muttered, “I have to give them the money right away, Daphne.”

Linda tilted her chin and with trepidation in her expression, she added, “They’re going to kill me, if I don’t pay them back.” She buried her face into her palms and wailed.

Daphne couldn’t help but be worried about her mom. The shield she was fortifying against Linda soon crumbled down as soon as she heard her mother’s cry. She wasn’t merciless and certainly, she wasn’t a monster to not feel any empathy and compassion for Linda.

Linda was and is still her mom, and that would never change despite her flaws of being a wonderful mother like other moms.

She walked forward to her bed, brushed her mom's arms, and sat on her feet to tell her, “Didn’t I say I’ll help you with it, mom?” Daphne then pulled her forearms out of her eyes and looked directly at Linda’s face. “I just got a part-time today and I will start tomorrow. Also, I already applied to be a full-time teacher at a private school.”

Her mom’s eye blinked. Then she wiped her tears off as though her distressed expression a while ago diminished in an instant. “You did, baby?” Linda smiled sweetly at her daughter, hugging her tightly. “I’m so proud of you! Mommy is so proud of you, sweetheart.” Kissing her temples, she added, “I love you so much, and thank you!”

“Just—I just need time, mom to pay for it. That’s the last thing I could ask you.” Daphne sighed, parting away from their hug.

Sniffing her nose, Linda coaxed her daughter by tucking the falling strands of her hair into her ear. “Of course, I understand, Daphne…”

Daphne couldn’t find the exact words to say to her, which became the reason for her giving Linda a robotic smile. After that exchange of reassuring words, her mother left Daphne in a devastating state. As she went back to the kitchen where the food was already ready at the table, she slumped her back on the chair, exhaling massive frustration.

At that moment, Clara noticed that after she placed a glass of wine by her side, she asked her, “Did she ask you again for another money?”

Daphne didn’t speak and just nodded to her with dejection.

“You can borrow from me for a while, if she badly needs it right now, Daphne.” Clara sat beside her, holding her hand.

“No, Clara. It’s fine. Besides, you’ve already done a great deal for me.” She forced her lips to curve upward. “I can handle it, don’t worry,” Daphne reassured her friend.

Clara pursed her lips. “Alright, but please do tell me quickly if you find yourself in a tight spot, Daphne. You know I always got your back.”

Daphne gave her a nod. “Yes, I will.” She then lifted her hand away beneath hers and then patted Clara’s hand with hers. Clearing her throat, she changed their subject as she grabbed the spoon by her side and scooped the risotto from the plate. “Great, I’m starving! Let’s eat!”

Clara didn’t push the topic through as she also picked up her spoon from the table and took a portion of the rice.

***

The next morning came by so rapidly that Daphne felt the strain of pressure on her nerves. She woke up so early to prepare all the things she would need for the first day of work. Wearing the most formal and professional clothes she had, she went to Nathan’s place even before the start of her work.

By the time she reached the place, Daphne was not surprised to be accosted by a thirty-foot tall mansion in front of her. The house, or so she said, the manor was so commodious that it would fit more than a thousand people. It looked more like a commercial area with an aristocratic and expensive design, rather than a warm and comfy residential space.

She then fixed the creases on the hem of her blazer and pushed the bell button on the ten-foot tall column that was barricading the entire mansion. After a minute, an old lady came to open the gate in a formal black-and-white uniform. The lady must be one of Nathan’s maids and caretakers of this house, along with other employees who live with Nathan and Chuck Kelly.

“Good morning. Um, I’m Daphne Collins, the new tutor,” Daphne greeted the lady.

“Ah yes, Mr. Kelly had already informed us. I’ll take you to Chuck’s room, Miss Collins,” the white-haired woman replied to her while she pushed the front door open.

They walked to the massive space of the room and, as Daphne followed her to the stairs, her eyes couldn’t stop roaming around as though she struggled with the thought of comparing Nathan’s over-the-top home to Maverick’s trifling mansion.

And by the time they got to the second floor, the old woman added a reminder, “You can tell me if you need anything, Miss Collins.”

“Sure. Will do,” Daphne politely replied. “Also, may I know if I need to know anything about Chuck, in case…” She paused for a while and then jerked up her shoulders briefly. “In case just something happens?”

She turned around to take a glimpse of her. “Not so much, Miss Collins. The kid will have to take his vitamins in the afternoon and need to eat lunch at the exact time. Also, we’ll directly bring the meals here so you two won’t get disturbed.”

“Ah, got it. Thank you so much, miss—?”

“You can just call me Mrs. Willis, Miss Collins,” the old woman casually answered.

“Just Daphne, by the way. I’m not comfortable with people calling me by my surname,” Daphne explained to Mrs. Willis.

The woman didn’t bother asking her about it and just shrugged it off. After a couple of minutes of walking down the hallway, they finally stopped at a white door. Mrs. Willis opened the door and upon entering the room, Daphne met a freckled young man on his bed.

“Chuck, your tutor is already here, buddy,” Mrs. Willis informed the kid.

Daphne stepped forward to the kindness and introduced herself to him with joy. “Hi, Chuck! Good morning! I’m Miss Collins, your new tutor.”

However, instead of being greeted pleasantly, Chuck jumped out of his blue rocket ship bed and threw his stuff at her. “I don’t like you.” Before Daphne could even reply, she was already strewn with water from the kid’s cup.

“And I don’t want you here!” Chuck stomped his feet so loud that made Mrs. Willis scolded him.

“Oh, come on now, young man, that is not how you treat your teacher, buddy. “

The boy snouted and shouted, “I don’t care! Leave my room! I hate you and I don’t like you in my room!”

“I’m sorry about this, Miss Collins. I’ll talk it out with him,” Mrs. Willis said to her as she approached the young man.

Daphne nodded at her, watching her appeasing the grumpy boy. The white-haired woman sat beside Chuck and brushed the boy’s dark-brown wavy hair. “How about this, buddy? I’ll cook your favorite mac and cheese later, while you wait here with Miss Collins. Does that sound alright with you?”

The boy pressed his lips into a thin line. “But uncle doesn’t want me to eat that! He says it’s not healthy, Mrs. Willis!”

She raised her index fingers and then pressed them to her mouth, winking mischievously at the boy. “It’ll be just between us.”

Chuck thought it over for a moment. He lifted her head in Daphne’s direction and asked, “What about her? She’ll tell him about it…”

Daphne quickly answered Chuck, “I won’t tell your uncle. I promise!” She put her hand on her chest and added, “Scout's honor, Chuck.”

Chuck just grimaced at her as he rubbed his eyes. “Whatever.”

Mrs. Willis then stood from her seat. “Good boy, bud.” She approached Daphne and told her, “I’ll get back to the kitchen, Miss Collins. Do inform me if you need something.”

She bowed her head to the old woman and watched her leave the room to single-handedly handle Nathan’s pompous and spoiled nephew.

Clasping her fingers, she pivoted her gaze back to Chuck, who looked completely uninterested. “So how about we do something fun and interesting while we wait for Mrs. Willis? Is that okay with you, Chuck?”

“You’re stupid. Studying is not fun.” He gritted his teeth, clenching his fist tightly.

She sat on her heel and responded enthusiastically, “We’ll make it fun, then.”

Chuck ignored her, crossing his arms to his chest as Daphne started to bring out her teaching materials.

Hours had passed, and the teaching session was a disaster. Chuck didn’t listen to her and kept on complaining. More so, Daphne endured the long-hour session of patiently comprehending the problematic attitude of the child that when it ended, she never felt so damn tired in her life as now.

After they were finished, Daphne was about to go home when suddenly the spoiled brat’s uncle just arrived.