Chapter 6 Five

• **Miguel's P.O.V**
• "You look beautiful," I thought to myself as I faced her.
• "Huh?" she replied, catching me off guard.
• "H-huh? Oh, nothing. I meant to say it's a beautiful day today. Doesn't look like it's going to rain," I said, trying to cover my embarrassment.
• I blurted it out in front of her, feeling awkward.
• It's been two weeks since I started working here at her boutique as a sales supervisor. I handle visiting suppliers, making lists, purchasing materials, and managing inventory. She's given me a thorough introduction to everything and I just need to finish a few more paperwork.
• She personally trained me on what I needed to know. She's kind, soft-spoken, and, above all, incredibly beautiful. Her refined appearance suggests she's from a wealthy background. Despite her social demeanor, she finds joy in simple things—like my lame jokes that seem to amuse her.
• "Since I've started working with you, you haven't thrown me a welcome party yet. Now would be a good time to celebrate," I joked, trying to connect with my earlier comment.
• She chuckled, "Raven and I have plans for tonight."
• "Maybe we could join you?" I persisted, though I knew I couldn't leave home for long since I didn't want to leave Mom alone. All our employees live above the office, so if they all go out together, Mom would be alone upstairs.
• "If you can convince Raven," she replied.
• "It was just a joke. You know I can't leave Mom," I chuckled nervously, organizing some papers.
• "You believed me so easily. You're too trusting," I teased, looking at her playfully.
• "Don't tease me," she scolded with a playful smile.
• "You and Raven hit the bars every day. Aren't your livers tired yet?" I asked curiously.
• "We don't drink hard, just enough to unwind. It's not always alcohol that we're after," she casually explained.
• "What is it then?" I prodded.
• "The vibes, the music, the company, you know," she replied with a smirk.
• "You're just wasting money on cover charges then. You must be pretty well-off," I remarked with a shrug.
• "We're investors there, so we have our own room," she revealed.
• "You have quite the business acumen. Impressive!" I complimented her.
• She didn't confirm whether they were wealthy or if they had worked hard to achieve success. I knew she was smart and capable of achieving anything with dedication.
• "Do you want some coffee?" I offered when I noticed her yawning.
• "No thanks. I'll save the coffee for later. Coffee and alcohol don't mix well," she declined.
• "Why don't you come over instead? Skip the bar scene for once. We could do something different," I suggested.
• In my time here, all I've heard about from these two women is their nights out at bars.
• "What did you have in mind?" she asked curiously.
• "Just dinner? My mom can cook. Don't worry," I offered again.
• "I'll check with Raven first," she said, typing a message on her phone.
• "Don't worry about convincing her. Just bring her along so she won't refuse. We're laid-back here, and we get along with them fine, Mc included. We can be quite rowdy too, you know," I explained.
• "Okay. Let's see," she said, focusing on her phone.
• I didn't press further.
• I texted Mom to prepare something special, and she cooked up a storm. I called Mc, but he didn't pick up, so I texted Mom again to set up a table outside on the rooftop garden, which sits atop this building that houses three rooms and a relatively large garden. It looks more like an office rooftop from the outside.
• Mom has been tending to the garden since we moved here. Two boutique employees also reside here, except for our HR manager, who already has a family. We all get along well, so I'm confident they'll hit it off with Aira and Raven, not as bosses but as friends.
• "Hey there, Ma'am Raven and Ma'am Aira. What brings you here all of a sudden? Is something wrong?" Mc asked.
• "Haha, they're not here as our bosses today. They're here as our friends. I called you, but you didn't answer," I explained.
• They were taken care of by the two women. Aira reminded them not to see them as superiors but as peers, since they were all around the same age. They chatted happily.
• "It's a good thing you didn't end up in pharmacy," Kaila commented.
• "Why? What's wrong with pharmacies?" Raven asked.
• "Oh, nothing much. If you're not patient enough, it's not the place for you. Did you know I once worked at one, and someone kept buying that Johnson's Baby Powder? Famous brand, right?" Kaila said, pausing to take a bite of her crackers.
• "And what happened?" Raven inquired innocently.
• "Because he kept buying it, and every time, his friend insisted on opening it first to check the contents. They thought maybe it was filled with something else, like cornstarch instead of talc," Kaila continued.
• "Isn't it true that it's sometimes cornstarch instead of talc in those powders?" Raven interjected with curiosity.
• "This girl is sharp, even without a drink in her hand," Kaila remarked.
• "Exactly, Ma'am. So every time they bought it, I'd remind them that once it's opened, it can't be returned. His friend was fine with it because he really liked that powder. But then one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I asked them, 'Haven't you studied this yet? Look it up first, don't just go by trends. Just because it's trending doesn't mean it's true.' They left, and as they were leaving, his friend muttered something, but as soon as they were out of earshot, he yelled back at me," Kaila recounted with laughter.
• We all laughed, imagining Mc choking from laughing too hard.
• Hours passed, and we chatted about everything—nonsense, silliness, and memories from our school days. Even without alcohol, the atmosphere was lively, and we enjoyed each other's company. We agreed to start work late the next day to catch up on rest. Aira and Raven stayed over since there was a spare room ready for use.
• I'm glad someone like her finds happiness in simple things. Getting to know her better, I've grown to like her even more.