I simply exhausted my head by thinking about a variety of topics till I fell asleep. But I never expected to see my father in my nightmares. Although my mouth wouldn't open to say anything, the only thing I remembered was when he addressed me as daughter and came to ask forgiveness for all the sins he had perpetrated against me and my mother.

I only noticed I was crying when he wiped the tears from my cheek with his palm. But why wasn't I outraged when he smiled and greeted me as his daughter?

I was overjoyed to feel the warm embrace of a father who had been separated from me for a long time. I sprang awake from my trance and grimaced. I was awakened by the alarm clock on my phone, which I had hidden behind my pillow.

I became enraged and unintentionally dropped my phone on the floor. Then I heard footsteps enter my room. So my spirit awoke, and I instantly grabbed my cellphone. It's nice that it comes with a case and is free of scratches.

My mother, as expected, knocked on the door. That lady has a fantastic ear. I spilled our plastic glass the other day by accident, but Mom was in my room whining at me in less than five minutes, which is extremely typical.

I was too sluggish to walk to the door, even though it was only a few steps away from my mattress, so I yelled back at her. I'm sure she'll just inquire what that noise was.

"NOTHING! I JUST DROPPED MY CELLPHONE!"

The spirit of rest escaped my body when she yelled at me. I feel like even our neighbors heard her loud voice.

"IT'S 6:00 A.M.! Aren't you in a hurry? Isn't your office in Makati?"

I looked at my cellphone, and it was true. I opened the door, put my mother aside. I immediately ate my breakfast. I was lucky because we already had marinated chicken for breakfast and had some bread and coffee. While I was eating, she continued yelling at me, and my ears hurt so much.

"See? That's what happened when you were using your cellphone in the middle of the evening! FYI, I've been waking you up for a while now, but you're not responding, so I thought you were gone. Be thankful that I am your mother and that I am taking care of you!"

I rushed through my meal so I could get dressed and leave right away. Fortunately, my body is already awake because of my mother's irritating voice. Dang, I dressed in less than 20 minutes.

My mother complimented me on my corporate attire, which we bought at a cheap price. I didn't have time to talk to her, so I just gave her a goodbye after she gave me 10 dollars.

I was very well dressed and feeling fresh when I left the house, but as soon as I got on the motorcycle, the smoke of different vehicles got into my clothes. Not only that, my clothes crumpled on the motorcycle, and when I arrived at the building where I was working, I looked like a mess in the eyes of different people.

The comfort room in this building is actually way better than the dining area of our house. Not to mention that it was also equipped with high technology, as the toilets and sinks flushed without touching them.

After filling out my name in the lobby, I went up to the 20th floor where the office of Asia Brewery and Cocktails, my father's multibillion-dollar company, is located.

As expected, there was a nice boy who assisted me. I was too shy to ask his name, so I just stole a glance at his small name tag on his body.

He walked me inside Sir Michael's office, and I gave her an appreciative grin afterwards as a way to say thank you. I didn't hear anything from his mouth, but his only response was a smile before he left me in the department of Sir Michael, who was the one who accepted me.

He gently curled his mouth into a smile and stood up. "Good morning Stella! It's nice to see you in person again!"

I was so amazed to hear his manly voice accent again.

"Thank you so much sir! I highly appreciate you for accepting me for this job. I promised to do my best!" My English is not as good as his, but I guess he understood what I just said.

Sir Michael fixed his eyes on me and went in front of me. "You should have confidence in yourself. Let me introduce you to the people you will work with!"

We went outside, and in his office, the employees of his department stood up. I feel that I am too important to interrupt them in what they are doing. Sir Michael put his arm around my shoulder and spoke in a loud voice.

"I would like you to welcome the new part of our family, Ms. Stella!"

"Welcome!" said the boy with the name tag Bryant on his uniform. His mouth pulled up with a broad smile.

I've got to admit, he is the most attractive employee I've ever seen in this building. His body is fit and has very deep dimples. I shoved away the negative thoughts in my mind and just focused on what was happening at the moment.

A very hot girl corporate attire walked by the hallway, stealing attention from me. Her hair is in an Shaggy Bob Haircut with Bangs and I can smell her perfume even though she is far away from me.

Almost all the guys in our department were thrilled and all the attention of the employees was focused on her. I exhaled an irritated sigh. I am a real lady and I got really jealous when I saw Bryant's eyes sparkled the moment he saw the girl.

The lady gazed at our department and smiled. I raised an eyebrow at her, but luckily I was only on the edge of her sight. The moment she left, I blurted out a question to Sir Michael.

"Who is she, Sir Michael?" I asked with a frown.

He gleamingly smiled and responded. "Her name is Hailey. Actually, she is the only daughter of Sir Joseph and heiress of this company. So please, once you see her anywhere, try to greet her."

My hair stood up, and my eyes widened in shock. I had no idea that my father had another daughter who I think is similar to my age. I never saw her in all the articles I read, so my mind was disturbed.

Hailey or my half sister's office is just a few steps away from our department. I'm not worried or feeling awkward with Hailey since she has no idea that she has a poor sister like me. What I want to see is my father, Joseph. I want to know if I feel comfortable with him like in my dream because I am confused.

Perhaps I was swayed by my mother's endless stories about him. This day passed, but I was disappointed. When I got home, I informed my mother that I had not seen my father. At first I was scared to tell her that but her reaction was different.

"That is fine, the important thing here is that you have entered his company. The right time will come for our plan. For now, you need to rest!" She did not realize that her smile was turning into a bitter one.

I followed my mother, I immediately entered my room and laid down. Although my earthly body is tired and wants to rest, my mind is different and it is forcing me to wake up because I didn't tell her about my half sister. I know that my mother knows my father has a family. So I am under the impression that she doesn't care about Hailey, let alone include her in our revenge plot.

It started raining heavily outside so I immediately closed the window of my room and turned on the electric fan. All I thought was that I would be able to sleep in the cold weather. Damn, I still want to sip hot coffee even though my shift is early again the next day. I nodded, giving my phone a quick glance and was surprised when someone unexpectedly sent me a friend request. I immediately clicked on his picture, and after confirming that it was Nick, I clicked the accept friend request button. I could not hold back the small smile that played on my lips.

Sh*t! Who would have thought that a handsome heartthrob like him would send a friend request to someone as ugly as me? I am just a typical nerd girl with brain to match. I'm not bragging, but I am a consistent honor in my school and probably, I inherited that intelligence from my father.

I scrolled down his profile picture and I am glad that he is a single and very family-oriented man. In fact, I only saw family-related posts from his timeline, which really turned me on! This is the kind of man I want to be with the rest of my life. Hot and responsible man who always prioritize his family. I was even more surprised when he chatted with me.

"HI STELLA!! HOW WAS YOUR DAY?" his all caps lock chat with two heart emojis at the end.

I'm just thrilled, especially with the heart emoji. I don't know but I seem to be giving a different interpretation to Nick's heart emoji. My dirty brain is working again! Every time I blinked my eyes I imagined hugging his warm naked body which sends chill to my body. It's embarrassing because the statue of Saint Peter is just across from my bed. Please forgive me, I am committing a sin because of my f*cking brain.

I resisted the temptation and shove away the malice thoughts that keep popping into my head.

"I'm fine. Thank you very much for teaching me earlier! I learned in just a few hours!" I replied with two hearts emoji at the end of my chat. I admitted that I like him and my heart emoji is for real.

"That is good to hear. Anyway, you still have a lot to learn at work. But I have heard from Sir that you are a cum laude?"

There is no longer a heart emoji in his reply and yet the excitement I feel is still the same. Perhaps he really is the one I've been searching for to complete my life. Of course I reacted with a heart emoji to his message while smiling out of excitement.

"Yes! Actually, I just graduated last month and this company is my dream company, so I was beyond happy when I got hired!"

"Don't worry! Our department is full of energetic people, you won't feel alone with us. Anyway, I know it's late, but congratulations! If you haven't asked, I am also a cum laude in our school and not only that, the course I took was also Business Management and this is my dream company as well!" Nick's long reply.

For some reason, I thought of changing our topic as I wanted to know more about Hailey since I just met him today.

"I see... so I was just curious... I mean, is Ma'am Hailey's office just near our department?" I asked, even though I already got the answer from some of the janitors I talked to earlier.

"Yup! And she is the Vice President already! But I'd like to share something with you. Please don't screenshot this conversation so that none of us will be harmed! Hailey is not a smart person and her performance is poor. I have gathered gossip that Sir Joseph is very disappointed with her, he is the president of our company and the father father of Hailey!"

I was happy to hear the news from him. Who would have thought that this guy I am having a crush on was also updated with gossip? Now that I know a little bit about Hailey, things are getting more interesting!

"Ah, is that so? If I were Sir Joseph's child, I would make sure to do my best so my father wouldn't be humiliated by putting me in a higher position. And if I were Sir Joseph, I would have given that position to somebody else!"

"Blood is thicker than water," Nick replied quickly. "Even for us employees, we are not in favor of her as well! Sometimes she just yelled at the janitors or other maintenance. So I find it odd when she was in such a good mood earlier!"

I defended Hailey. "He looks kind though!"

"She has a good front but she is miserable! She's drop dead beauty but brainless!" Nick said bluntly, as if he had a hidden resentment towards Hailey.

"That's so mean! Why do you seem to have a personal grudge against Hailey? Do you hold a grudge against her?" I asked her in shock.

"I do... I despise how she treated her employees; her behavior is nothing like that of Sir Joseph!" he exclaimed quickly. "I despised a brat and spoiled rich kid who grew up having no compassion to those less fortunate than her!"

I'm curious if I was the only one Nick was chatting with, or if I was one of his top priorities among all of his chatmates.

"I swear, Sir Joseph is kind!" he added.

My blood ran cold even more when he mentioned Sir Joseph. It seems they have an interaction or he has a hobby of eavesdropping. "I don't want you to misinterpret this, but how did you know Sir Joseph is kind?"

"Actually, our company has many benefits for employees and it's because of Sir Joseph! Trust me, he treats all of his employees with fairness. But when I was new, the rumors circulated in the office that he used to be a womanizer!"

Despite the good things Nick told me, I know that this is contrary to my mother's hellish experience with him. If only I could tell Nick about my true identity, I would have done it! But of course, for my mother's sake, it's not really possible, especially since we've been contemplating to revenge my father for a long time.

I just put a heart emoji on his last message and went to sleep. Maybe he won't sulk at me and when I wake up I'll just reply. I put my cellphone underneath my pillow and ignored the sound indicating my new messages.

But sh*t! Why every time I close my eyes, I imagine Nick's charming smile at me? I wanted to get rid of him so I could sleep but I could not help but to admire him. Out of the hot many men I encountered, only him makes me crazy. I turned the radio on my phone and got sleep.

The next day, I woke up early and replied to Nick's chats while I was taking my breakfast. I even apologized to him for not answering his chats yesterday evening. Fortunately, he is understandable to me. 30 minutes ago I left our house. And today, my goal is to see my father in person, so I need to know where his office is.

I arrived at the office at exactly 5 a.m. in the morning. I wandered my eyes and the light from Hailey's office caught my attention, and through the transparent door, I could hear an old man's angry voice. I couldn't see his face because he was talking while facing Hailey.

So, it appears that I arrived at the wrong time today. I turned on the light on the side of Sir Michael's office and, of course, eavesdropped to hear what was going on with my half sister.

"YOU ARE SUCH A FAILURE, HAILEY!! YOU ARE JUST A FAILURE! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THIS POSITION BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF INTELLIGENCE! THERE ARE MORE DESERVING PEOPLE THAN YOU! HONESTLY, I WISH I SHOULDN'T LET YOU STUDY AT HARVARD. THE RESULT OF YOUR WORK DOES NOT SEEM LIKE YOU ARE A GRADUATE OF THAT PRESTIGE SCHOOL AT ALL. YOU BROUGHT SO MUCH SHAME TO MY COMPANY!"

That was the old man's loud shout to Hailey. I don't know but I also feel hurt by what this mysterious old man said. Maybe his position is higher than Hailey's.

"Dad... sorry... I promised to do my best! Just give me another chance!" Hailey begged.

My whole body almost trembled and a mixture of joy and anger was the dominant emotions in me. I turned on the light and immediately sat on my seat. I'm afraid that I might be caught eavesdropping. 

"WE HAVE FIVE INVESTORS COMING AND THEY ARE ALL VIP'S. ONCE YOU FAILED TO PRESENT OUR OBJECTIVES TO THEM, THE DOOR IS WIDE OPEN! YOU KNOW FOR SURE WHAT IS NEXT!"

I heard the door of Hailey's office slam and I saw my father come out. He was also dressed in black corporate attire and had white hair, indicating that he was too old to be stressed out. My hair is standing up and my blood is boiling. I've confirmed that the emotion I'm experiencing is anger. I want to confront him and express all the hate and anger I've kept hidden for nearly 21 years. But I was taken aback when he abruptly grabbed his chest and collapsed in front of Hailey's office.

I didn't hesitate to stand up to help him. I thought he had a heart attack. I was on the verge of panic, but luckily Hailey came out and helped. Tension filled the air

"Dad!! What happened?" Hailey said while facing our father.

I felt a frantic bubble of fear rise up inside him.

"I think it's a heart attack!" I answered Hailey with a shaky voice. Breathing and relaxing was the only way I knew to control the panic.

Her eyes landed on me. "Please help me bring my father to the clinic!" she said with an American accent.

We carried our father to the clinic in our arms. Fortunately, there was a nurse inside who quickly treated my father. Hailey wanted to ensure the safety of our father, so she even ordered me to call the ambulance using her cellphone while she and the nurse attended to our father's condition.

After I called the ambulance, I helped Hailey carry my father until we put him in the ambulance. When I returned to the office, Sir Michael called me immediately.

"What happened to Sir Joseph?" he asked in wonder.

I took a deep breath before I spoke and I filtered the words I would say to him.

"Sir, I came in early today and accidentally overheard Sir Joseph yelling at Sir Gerald and he was screaming at the top of his lungs; I could feel his rage, and I believe that triggered his heart attack!"

Sir Michael leaned back in his chair before asking a question. "Where did he collapse?"

"Just outside your office!"

A proud half smile tilted his mouth. "I see..." Sir Michael grinned. "On behalf of Mr. Joseph and his family, thank you very much for what you did! I'm sure you have a reward waiting for his family!"

Sir Michael's words made me pale, but I realized that this was a good opportunity for me to be close to my father, and he would soon see my true colors.

"Sir, I am a shy type of person and I think even other people won't hesitate to save Sir Joseph's life. It's just that if I can receive something from their family, I will accept it wholeheartedly!"

"Mr. Joseph's family is extremely generous, and I'm confident he will personally deliver that reward to you!"

I lowered my voice first because I gossiped to him what I had heard earlier. It's dangerous and maybe someone will hear me. "I'm excited to meet him in person, but I just can't figure out why he was so angry with his daughter!"

Sir Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you'll get used to it! I don't know why he treats his daughter like that either. I'm sure that the janitors and guards will be in a miserable situation. Ma'am Hailey usually vents her frustrations to them because she can't hurt anyone!"

I brought my face closer to Michael to make sure that no one else would hear what I had to say but him. "But how about you, sir? Do you experience being scolded by Hailey?"

"I'm just a senior manager, and fortunately, I'm not submitting any reports to her, so we have no business with each other!" Sir Michael stated emphatically.

I have no further questions and I want to go back to my place. "Okay... okay sir! I'm going back to my seat!"

Sir stood up and came to me while his two hands were in his pockets. "Wait a minute... why do you seem so interested in the Montreal family? I can sense from the tone of your speech that you want to know more about them!"

I bravely made eye to eye contact with Sir Michael and just laughed at what he said even though I was turning pale.

"Sir... I just asked questions and I guarantee you that I have no other intention. Besides, I really thought that once you became as rich as them, there would be no more issues between family members. I thought I was wrong!"

Sir Michael sat in the unoccupied chair in front of me. It was as if he had doubts about what I was telling him. "I know you're a smart person, Stella! You know I'm so impressed with your observation skills. That's why I accepted you into my department. I'm not pulling a joke here, but I can see that you will be a successful person one day. And it's only right that you made Sir Joseph a role model!"

Sir Michael couldn't take his gaze away from me. He was clearly reading me deep down in his head.

"S-alright sir... I'm going back to my place!"

He just nodded, so I stood up and went out. Of course, this is not the end of my story, so I'm just like a broken radio and repeating my stories to my colleagues at work. 11 a.m. in the morning when Hailey suddenly appeared in front of our department, she was still wearing her broad smile even though he was scolded by my secret father earlier. I can still smell her expensive perfume.

Her eyes landed on me. "Hey, I haven't said thank you yet! Are you new here?" she asked.

I stood up and tried to imitate her way of speaking in front of everyone. "You are very welcome Ma'am. My name is Stella!" 

Damn! I looked like a social climber with my terrible American accent.

Some of my co-workers laughed a bit but I just flinched.

"As a token of appreciation, I'd like to invite you to lunch today!" She said with a cheerful smile.

She spoke English so fast that I only heard a few words of what he was saying and had to use my common sense to understand the context.

"I accept your offer Ma'am," I said without a second thought. "Let me ask my manager about this!" I don't want Sir Michael to be bypassed. I have a lot of respect for him so he needs to know about this!"

"It's fine!" said Sir Michael, who had just left his office. He dragged his feet towards Hailey and they exchanged smiles.

"So how is Sir Joseph's condition?" Sir Michael asked.

Hailey let out a slow breath of relief. "He had a heart attack but miraculously, his condition is stable at the hospital!"

"That's good to hear! Anyway, you can borrow Stella for a while. She told me that Sir Joseph is her idol and her dream job is to work in this company!"

I don't know what went through Sir Michael's mind when he slipped his mouth and said that. Damn it, I ain't ready to tag along with my half-sister and I was drenched in sweat even for no apparent reason.