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.

Hailey gave me an appreciative grin. "Is that so? Then welcome to this company! I hope we can be friends, Stella!" 

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the blushing cheeks of Nick who was right next to me. It made me think that maybe he has a secret crush on Hailey even though in our chats, he blatantly tarnished her reputation.

I stood up and went with Hailey. Damn! It's a painful feeling when your crush has another crush. I can see the attention that Hailey gets from the people around her, maybe if we are always together, I have to get used to this kind of situation.

After we arrived in front of the elevator, two women came out and took a picture of Hailey. They don't wear uniforms the same with us so I thought they were working on another company. The worst part is, I took the picture of them with Hailey and I heard no thank you. When they left, I praised my half-sister while we waited for the elevator to go down to the ground floor.

"Wow. Your charisma is so strong, Ma'am. It's good that you have a fan base, if only I am as beautiful as you, I'd probably be famous too!"

The elevator opened on the left side and we both entered before she answered my question. Fortunately, the elevator was empty so we can have a heart to heart talk.

"It seems like you accidentally overheard my conversation with my father earlier?" Hailey let out a frustrated sigh before continuing to speak. "That old man has never been so proud of me ever since. All I want is to make him proud!"

It's hard to lie and I probably have nothing to lose if I admit the truth. "Y-yes Ma'am Hailey... I'm sorry, I had no intention of interfering in your personal matters."

"I know that. I'm sorry too, I am a failure so I deserved to be yelled like that!"

"Not that I'm interrupting, but does sir Joseph yell at you every day?" I bravely asked.

"Well, that only happens when he is in a bad mood. Usually, I'm the one he gets angry at. Although, I admit that I tend to fail most of the time but it does not mean I am nit doing my best!"

"Don't worry, Ma'am. The time will come when your father will be proud of you. No one starts being good right away," I advised her. This is also what my mother advised me before, so I became a strong person. Of course, sharing is carrying. 

"By the way, Stella, are you a fresh graduate?" she asked, disregarding my advice to her.

"Yes Ma'am Hailey, this is my first work!" I answered right away.

"Congratulations. Are you an honored student?"

"I don't want to brag or anything of that nature but yes I am! I was cum laude before and the moment HR and sir Michael saw my credentials, they accepted me right away!"

The elevator opened and we got out. It seems that she forgot what I told her so she changed the topic again.

"We'll go to the restaurant near here, we'll both eat there!"

My stomach almost lurched at what she said. Because in my whole life, I have never eaten at that kind of restaurant. But I am not a picky eater.

"Actually Ma'am, it's okay with me if we're just next to the cafeterias. I'm not picky about food."

"Okay, I know a restaurant near here, we just need to walk a little bit. I'm not picky about food either, so it's okay. Besides, I'd like eating foods of poor as well!"

I guess I did something wrong, I should have just said yes to her. Now, I have no choice. When we got out, we went to the left side of our building and stopped in front of a kiosk stand with a silver roof but this kiosk is filled with many customers.

"Looks like we won't be able to eat right away with so many people, Ma'am!" I complained to her.

"Alright, let's go to the most underrated restaurant in this place!"

"Sure!" I replied shortly.

We just kept walking until we got to the very end of the kiosks where there was an old man selling by himself. My heart was suddenly filled with compassion because nobody was dining in front of his shop. When he turned to Hailey, he happily greeted him.

"Hey, how are you Hailey? It seems like we haven't seen each other in a while?" he asked. His excitement was plain to see in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm fine Dad Elmo. Can we eat here?" Hailey asked.

"Well, yes!! In fact, you are my first customers today!"

"Is that so? Don't worry, we will be eating here often," Hailey put her arm around my shoulder and introduced me to Elmo. "By the way, I would like you to meet Stella. Our new employee! She saved Daddy Joseph earlier so I will treat her."

"Really? I am glad that your father is doing okay! They said that your father is really kind!"

I just looked at Hailey while she was talking to the old man. I don't know but I can see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Dad is really kind, just to other people!" Hailey said with a frown. "Sometimes, I ask myself if I'm really his daughter!"

"Didn't I tell you before that you should work hard? Like it or not, I know your father is very proud of you!"

Hailey's face remained sad and she changed the topic again. "Alright Stella and I have two rice!" she turned to me and asked. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm fine with the vegetable dish. I am actually a vegetarian!"

Hailey turned back to father Elmo. "Alright, mine is the same!" She took her branded wallet that I dreamed of having. She took 50 dollars and gave it to Elmo.