Still in the same state, after showering and changing clothes for work, Lily locked herself in her room, staring blankly out the window. She had no idea what kind of surprise God had in store for her that made her endure such endless heartbreak. The only person Lily had ever truly loved was now beyond her reach—his voice, his weary gaze, and the nights when he would always ask about his daughter, who worked tirelessly.
Lily took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Why is my trial so heavy? Is this part of my unresolved past? A karma waiting for me? But why did You give me such a heavy burden, God? You know I am not that strong, and You also know that my father is all I have. But why did You take away the very core of my happiness?"
Lily wiped her tears away harshly when suddenly, her phone rang. A call from Helena made her try to pull herself together.
"Hello, Mom," Lily greeted from the other end of the line.
"Are you doing okay? If your husband is at work, I can come over to cheer you up. Or do you want to come to my house? I can make your favorite food, Ly."
Unintentionally, Lily smiled faintly and shook her head. "I'm leaving for work soon, Mom."
"Alger is unbelievable. You're still grieving. I know you won't be able to focus on work. Let me talk to that boy."
"But, Mom..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Helena had already ended the call. It was obvious that she would call Alger and blame him. But this was Lily's own decision—how could she just stay at home when doing so would only make her even more stressed?
"I wasn't even done talking, and Mom just hung up. Alger is definitely going to blame me again."
Her enthusiasm faded as she reached for her bag on the table and prepared to leave her room. She wasn't in the mood to see her boss—who was also her husband—especially when he was always so unpleasant to deal with. It wasn't that he wasn't handsome, but his personality constantly left Lily feeling hurt.
Just as she closed her bedroom door, Alger was already standing behind her, his gaze filled with irritation.
"Oh my God!" Lily gasped, clutching her chest. "Since when have you been here?"
"What did you say to Mom?" Instead of answering, Alger fired a question back at his wife.
"Are you trying to turn her against me? Did you tell her that I make you work without regard for your time or condition? You're unbelievable." His tone dripped with sarcasm.
"How many times have you accused me, Sir? How many times have you taken out all your anger on me? I haven't even said anything, and you're already making assumptions?"
"You don't need to explain—I already know, Ly. This is what you wanted, isn't it? You forced your way into my life just to ruin everything all over again? Have you not had enough of destroying my life?"
"I…"
"I almost fell for that pathetic act of yours yesterday. I almost felt like the worst person alive for treating you that way. Turns out, I was wrong. You're the manipulative one, making yourself look like the biggest victim in the world."
Lily tightened her grip on her phone, her emotions teetering on the edge. She pulled up the strap of her bag, which had slipped off her shoulder.
Instead of giving him a sarcastic look, Lily simply offered a faint smile.
"You can think of me however you want. Even if I explain myself until I'm out of breath, you still won't care, Sir. Don't think you're the only one who's exhausted. Don't think you're the only one who's hurt and driven insane. Yes, I made a mistake with you in the past. But have you ever considered the consequences I've had to face? Fine, I hurt you. But your words… they hurt me even more."
After saying that, Lily hurried down the stairs, her tears falling again as she realized there was truly no one she could lean on.
"If only I had a choice… I'd rather die and follow you, Dad," she whispered.
Lily immediately got into her car and started the engine. She left the apartment complex without hesitation, choosing to arrive at the office earlier than usual.
From the lobby, Alger could see the storm of emotions on Lily's face, but before he could dwell on it, his phone rang again.
"What?" Alger answered curtly.
"Sorry, Sir. I just wanted to confirm that I've sent the data you requested yesterday, exactly as you wanted. Don't forget my bonus," James added before abruptly hanging up.
"That money-hungry bastard," Alger muttered, letting out a long sigh.
As he was checking his emails, a notification popped up, making him frown.
"I'll be waiting at your office. I have something to discuss with you," read a short message from Genifer.
Without another thought, Alger put his phone away and headed straight to his car, ready to drive to the office.
For some reason, despite the early morning, his mood was already a mess. His mind kept drifting back to Lily and everything she had just said.
"Did I hurt her too much? Was I really that cruel?" he murmured to himself.
A second later, he shook his head. "Why am I even thinking about her?"
His car sped through the streets, leaving the apartment behind. His mind was in complete chaos—why was he even feeling sorry for Lily? That wasn't supposed to be the plan, was it?
If Alger was driving leisurely in his luxury car, Lily, on the other hand, was impatiently speeding to get to the office as quickly as possible. It made sense—Lily was just an employee, while Alger? He was the owner of the company. So, arriving late was never an issue for him. But for Lily, she had built a reputation as a highly disciplined and professional secretary. Even the smallest mistakes were rare for her because of how focused she was on her work.
The moment she stepped into the office, she was met with condolences from her colleagues. Some asked why she was already back at work, while others blamed Alger for being an inconsiderate boss who didn't acknowledge his secretary's situation.
"Lily?" Sony called out as she passed by his department's office.
Not only did Sony stand up and approach her, but the entire team followed suit, walking toward Lily.
"Are you sure you want to work when you're still grieving, Ly?" Eliza asked, gently patting Lily's shoulder. "I know you have to be perfect around Mr. Alger, but that doesn't mean you should ignore your feelings. It might even affect your work later."
"Eliza is right, Ly. I know how you feel because I've also lost my dad. But you need to prioritize your physical and mental health first. Take a couple of days off to recover before coming back to work. Isn't there a company policy that allows emergency leave in situations like this?" LinLin chimed in, offering her advice.
Lily forced a small smile and nodded. "Thank you for your concern. But I'm not working because Mr. Alger forced me to. You guys know that if I stay home, I'll just go crazy and stress myself out even more by thinking about my messy life. And here—" Lily wrapped her arms around her two friends' shoulders.
"I have you guys to make me laugh. I'll do my best to stay focused on my work."
"Stay strong!"
Lily laughed and raised her fist in the air, following Sony's gesture. "Stay strong!"
"You're just chatting away here, Ly. Miss Genifer is here too—I have no idea what she wants this early in the morning," one of the employees returning from the pantry commented.
"Alright, I'll head up now. You guys, keep up the good work."
"You too!" Eliza shouted after her.
Lily simply gave a thumbs-up while waving her hand before the elevator doors fully closed, carrying her up to her office floor.
It would only take a few minutes to reach her floor, and sure enough, as soon as she arrived, Lily spotted Ganifer sitting in the waiting area, fiddling with her phone. Her eyes flickered to the watch on her wrist.
"Does she not understand time? Showing up at someone else's company this early," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head a second later. "How could I forget? She's Mr. Alger's girlfriend. She probably set up the meeting herself since she can't visit the apartment where I live."
Despite her inner thoughts, Lily put on a polite smile as she approached Ganifer.
"Good morning, Jen. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked warmly.
Ganifer, who had been focused on her phone, immediately looked up and placed it on the table. "Your boss isn't here yet? I've been waiting for ten minutes. I wanted to go to his apartment, but I wasn't allowed in earlier."
"He should be here soon, Jen. Why don't you wait in Mr. Alger's office? I'll prepare a drink for you," Lily offered.
"Lily!"
Lily halted mid-step and turned around. "Yes? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Why are you at work? I heard your father passed away yesterday. My condolences. I'm sorry I could only send a wreath and couldn't attend the funeral."
"It's fine, Jen. I really appreciate the flowers you sent," Lily replied.
"I'll ask Alger to grant you leave—at least two or three days—so you can..."
"There's no need, Jen. This is my own decision to come to work. Don't blame Mr. Alger for forcing me," Lily cut in before turning away.
Right behind her, Alger stood, having overheard their conversation.
"So... you weren't trying to manipulate anything, Ly?" Alger murmured.