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.

She suddenly asked me a shocking question.

"How about you, Stella? Where is your father working?"

What she asked me made me sweat. I almost swallowed the rice in my mouth without chewing. It took a few seconds before I stuttered to speak. I need to be very careful otherwise I'll be caught in my own lies.

"My... my... my father left us since I was a kid so my mother raised me alone!" I really tried to cry to bring him to my emotions. Fortunately I really cried in front of her.

She held my hand and looked me in the eyes with pity. It seems I am a best actress as of this moment.

She gave me an apologetic grimace. "Sorry if I brought such painful past. But I'm sure that you and your mother went through a lot and she breathed a sigh of relief when you graduated!"

I agreed with what Hailey told me. "Well, I can't deny that what you told me was true. When she presented me with the award, our stage was almost flooded with tears!"

"Too bad, I am certain that your father regrets leaving you behind. He has no balls at all!"

Before a lie could slipped in my mouth again, I asked her a question to divert the topic. "You, I'm sure your father was proud of you when he attended your graduation!"

Hailey's face seemed to be entwined with heaven and earth at what I said and I was surprised by what he said.

"Actually, my father did not attend my graduation because he was very busy at that time. So I was all by myself. Although I knew that was just an excuse. He was obviously not interested in attending because maybe he regretted that he just adopted me!"

I feel so sorry for Hailey. Who would have thought that her father treated her like that?

"Well, now is the time to prove yourself to sir Joseph!"

Hailey gave me a serious look. "Look, I am doing my best to be a good boss but my father's standards are so high that I don't know if I will resign or what. Especially now, he wants to have to create new products for our big event. Investors will come so we have to prepare!"

"I see, you are launching new sets of brands, is that correct?" I asked her in wonder.

"You know, we need to go with the flow. We have to set a new trends so we can boost our sales!"

"I see. But I'm sure you'll ace this project since you came from a very prestige school!"

Hailey turned pale when I praised her.

"Really sis? Thank you, but I would like to Make me and Nick the models since we are perfectly match, won't you agree!?" she asked, then rested her hand on her chin. "Honestly, I think that guy has a crush on me. Only if he is as rich as I am, he would have a chance to become my boyfriend!"

My eyes widened again at Hailey's words. It seems that I have hope in getting Nick's heart. But the problem is, my sister will be my rival. However, I wasn't going to just agree to let them get closer so I volunteered participating. 

"Sis, I would also like to participate in the event. Maybe it's possible even if I'm not beautiful, right?"

Hailey suddenly smiled. "You can join but I will think of a better way to give you a position!"

I told her about my ability to create business concept. "I don't want to brag or anything of that nature but I have wide knowledge in creating concepts to ace the market. Would you like to try?"

Hailey smiled. "Of course I want. Let us talk about it in the office!" 

"Okay, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed, when is the exact date of the event though?"

"It's still next month but right now, we need are being pressured as it takes lots of preparation for this event. Can I ask you one favor?"

I grinned. "Sure what is that?"

"I'm still a girl so I am too shy to ask Nick about this, can you ask him to do accept it?"

I felt jealous but I know that nothing should be personal when it comes to work.

"Yes Ma'am Hailey, I don't have a problem with that thing. I will chat him later!"

"Thank you sis! When we're out of the office, you don't have to be formal. Just call me sis. After all, we are just like sisters having a nice time together!"

"It's fine with me, but I just want to ask, do you have a boyfriend, sis?"

Hailey leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Believe it or not, I have two boyfriends in the past and my father did not know about them. They are not as handsome as Nick but they have strong sex appeal!"

Now, I realize that Hailey is really a liberated girl despite her beautiful face.

"By the way, tomorrow after work shift, I will go to the gym so I will keep my fit body. Wanna come?"

I agreed immediately. I can definitely hang out with Hailey to learn more about my father.

"Sure, why not! Honestly, I really want to be fit as well but I don't know how to start!"

"Don't worry, the gym instructor will teach us everything to do. You seemed to be inspired to go to the gym. Do you have a boyfriend?"

I grinned, as expected she would return the awkward question to me. I replied quickly. "I'm only focusing on my career first. But in fact, I really want to have a boyfriend since I feel like I am already left behind!"

Suddenly a waiter came by and accidentally spilled the Juice on Stella's clothes and the waiter immediately apologized to her.

"Sorry Ma'am, I didn't mean it!"