Chapter 51 CHAPTER 50

Chapter 51 CHAPTER 50
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After Six Years...
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm the frantic pounding of my heart as I waited for my interview. Cold sweat dampened my palms.
I had applied for a position as a Human Resources staff member at a company near the house where we lived. I needed this job. Desperately.
“Lilith Falcon!”
A staff member holding my résumé called my name.
My tongue seemed to freeze. I stood up and forced a smile despite the overwhelming anxiety threatening to drown me. The résumé in his hand was one of the last remaining pieces of evidence of the luxurious life I once had, a life that now existed only in memories.
“T-That’s me,” I replied, almost in a whisper.
He looked at me, perhaps noticing my trembling.
“You may go inside now,” he said politely.
“Thank you.”
I gathered what little courage I had left.
Six years.
Six years had passed since I abandoned the chaotic and painful life I had in Manila and disappeared into the province to start over. During those years, my daughter, Amethyst, had been the only light in my world. No matter how difficult life became, I endured every hardship, every sleepless night, every hunger pang, just to protect her and give her a better future.
I worked myself to the bone.
I sold products online during the day and stayed awake at night working as a virtual assistant. And now, here I was, taking another chance in the corporate world to save more money for my daughter’s education.
I was no longer the wealthy Lilith who could have anything she wanted.
But I never allowed my daughter to feel that we lacked anything.
I took another deep breath, squeezed my eyes shut, and gently pushed the door open.
“Hello... Good morning,” I greeted as I stepped inside, struggling to keep my voice steady.
The woman conducting the interview looked up at me. For a moment, she seemed surprised before offering a warm smile.
“Hi, Miss Falcon. Please, take a seat.”
I approached and sat down carefully across from her desk, clasping my hands tightly in my lap.
“For a second there, I thought a movie star had come to visit me,” she joked, perhaps trying to ease the tension in the room.
I offered a small smile, feeling slightly more at ease.
“Anyway,” she continued, glancing at my résumé, “I noticed that all of your work experience comes from the same company FAVL Corporation. What surprises me is that you've worked in nearly every position, from entry-level roles all the way to management. That's a very rare profile.”
The question pierced my heart like a blade.
A bitter smile touched my lips.
“My parents used to own FAVL Corporation,” I began, feeling my chest tighten. “The reason I have experience in almost every department is because of my father. He wanted me to understand the hardships of working from the ground up before eventually passing the position of CEO to me.”
I paused.
“But before that could happen... he died. And when he passed away, the company collapsed and disappeared along with him.”
A tear escaped before I could stop it.
I quickly wiped it away.
The pain was still there.
The memories of my father’s final months came rushing back. Back then, I had been furious with him. I thought he was making my life difficult on purpose by forcing me to work exhausting jobs throughout the company.
What I never knew was that he had already been dying for work.
While I was busy resenting him, he was desperately preparing me for a future I would have to face alone.
That regret was the heaviest burden I carried every night.
The room fell silent.
Sympathy filled the interviewer’s eyes.
“I see...” she said softly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
She continued asking questions about the technical aspects of the job. Because of everything I had experienced in life, every answer came naturally and honestly. My nervousness gradually faded, replaced by a fierce determination to survive.
“Alright, that’s everything,” she said with a smile as she closed my folder. “We’ll see you next week for your first day of work.”
My eyes widened.
“You mean... I got the job?”
She nodded and extended her hand.
“Welcome to the company, Lilith.”
I immediately stood, my hands trembling with gratitude.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The moment I stepped out of the room, I leaned against the wall.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to cry.
It felt as though a giant thorn had finally been pulled from my chest. The crushing weight I had carried for weeks was suddenly replaced by warm, radiant hope.
I had a job.
My daughter and I finally had a new beginning.
Before heading home, I stopped by the market and bought a hot pizza for Amethyst and some treats for Auntie Hilda.
As soon as I stepped through the old gate of our yard, I heard the familiar, sweet voice that instantly erased all my exhaustion.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
Amethyst ran toward me at full speed.
I nearly dropped everything I was carrying.
Dropping to my knees, I opened my arms wide.
“My baby girl!”
She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and buried her face against my shoulder.
“Mommy, I missed you so much!”
I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair.
In that moment, all the pain of the past disappeared.
“I missed you more, sweetheart. Were you a good girl while Mommy was away?”
She pulled back proudly and nodded.
“The teacher gave me a star today because she said my answer was very good!”
Tears filled my eyes again.
But this time, they were tears of pride and gratitude.
“Wow... My princess is so smart. And because of that, you and Grandma Hilda have a reward.”
I lifted the pizza bag as though it were the greatest treasure in the world.
“Wow! Pizza! Yay!”
She jumped excitedly.
I took her small, soft hand in mine, feeling the warmth that gave me strength every single day.
“Come on. Let’s go inside.”
“Yes, Mommy!”
Hand in hand, we walked toward the door of our humble little home.
“Lilith! Thank God you’re finally home,” Manang Hilda greeted as she opened the door.
Long ago, she had stopped calling me “Ma’am.” Ever since Amethyst was born, she had treated me like her own daughter.
“How have things been here, Manang Hilda? Has your granddaughter given you any trouble?” I asked with a smile.
She shook her head and lovingly stroked Amethyst’s hair.
“She’s such a good child. She even helped me hand goods to customers at my little store earlier.”
I glanced at Amethyst and gently pinched her cheek.
I was lucky.
So incredibly lucky.
“That’s wonderful. Come join us. Let’s celebrate because I got the job.”
“Lilith, can you really handle another job? You barely get any rest as it is.”
“My virtual assistant work is only eight hours. The corporate job will take another eight during the day. I’ll still have time to sleep and manage my online sales.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Your online business already earns well enough.”
A bitter smile crossed my face.
“I still haven’t given up on our mansion. I want to save enough money to buy it back.”
Her expression softened.
“Do you mean you'll eventually have to meet Aeros?”
I smiled faintly.
“After all this time, Aeros may have already sold the mansion. For now... I’m still not ready to see him.”
“And if you do meet him someday?” she asked quietly. “Will you finally tell him the truth?”
My gaze shifted to Amethyst, who was happily eating her pizza.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“He must never know the truth. Everything we’ve endured in hiding would be meaningless if he found out and his family was destroyed because of it.”
Auntie Hilda sighed.
“Alright. It’s your decision.”
I smiled and reached for another slice.
“Come on. Let’s finish our food.”