It had been a month since that night when she got completely wasted at the bar she used to frequent alone. That was also the night she surrendered her precious pearl to a complete stranger. She was so drunk that she mistook him for someone else—all she could think of was that he was her ex-boyfriend, Janus.
Yna smiled bitterly. She recalled everything that happened with the man she had mistaken for Janus. She wanted to regret it, but she felt nothing in her chest. There was nothing she could do now; she couldn't bring back her virginity lost because of her foolishness.
It's just an adventure, she told herself. I'm twenty-five, so I'm allowed to sleep with whoever I want. It felt weird, but she wanted to explore the things she used to fear.
But as she reminisced, the memory of her stupidity came crashing back, refusing to leave her mind even though she tried to forget. And she hated Janus even more—because it was because of him that she had given herself away thinking it was him.
She shifted in bed. Suddenly, she felt something warm and heavy wrapped around her waist. It felt surprisingly nice, so she slowly opened her eyes to check if she was dreaming or not. She almost screamed when she saw a man sleeping right beside her. They were both naked.
Embarrassment washed over her completely. She quickly picked up her clothes scattered on the floor and dressed in a hurry.
She didn't even dare look back or see the man's face. She quietly opened the door and fled his house immediately, heading straight home.
What she had done was a huge humiliation. This was exactly what her Daddy had warned her about—that her stubbornness would one day get her into trouble. She felt a tinge of regret and guilt. Because of her foolishness and hard-headedness, she had surrendered her "Bataan" (her honor) to the wrong person.
She had even had the nerve to seduce him. And because she had practically thrown herself at him, she couldn't bring herself to go back and demand responsibility from him, even though she knew where he lived.
After scolding herself, she let out a deep sigh and shook her head, trying to erase the memory. She could only blame herself for what happened. She also tried not to worry about getting pregnant, telling herself that she was safe and it only happened once.
She sat up on her bed. She had no motivation to go out or roam around today. She never went back to that bar either; she was disgusted by what happened there. She just wanted to sleep all day, especially since she had gone shopping yesterday, so she had nothing else to do anyway.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her bedroom door. She opened it, clearly not in the mood. "Why?"
It was their maid. "Your parents are calling for you, Miss Yna."
"Okay. Tell them I'll be there in a bit. I'll just take a bath," she replied and closed the door. "Tss. What do they want now?" she whispered, rolling her eyes.
After getting dressed, she went downstairs. She saw her parents sitting in the living room, seemingly discussing something and waiting for her.
"Yna, sit down. We have something important to discuss," her father said, looking at her seriously.
She sat down and listened, willing to cooperate, but her mind couldn't process what they were saying.
"Yna, you are already twenty-five years old. It is the right time for you to be trained to manage our business. We are not getting any younger, and we can't spoon-feed you forever," her father explained, while her mother sat quietly, listening to their conversation.
Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, but I won't force myself to do things I never wanted to do," she protested. Frustrated, she stood up and walked out.
"Yna, just listen! We won't always be here. Yes, we provide everything for you, but we want to see you have a good future."
"Your dad is right, Yna. We are getting older, and soon we will be gone from this world."
She just rolled her eyes. "What will happen to you when we are gone? You don't even know how to stand on your own two feet," her mother added.
She didn't want to hear any of it. Why were they saying those things? She wasn't ready. She shook her head and continued walking upstairs, slamming her door shut.
"Jomari, like I told you, you can't force her or dominate her like that."
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Jomari said. His wife, Marie, smiled in response, hoping they could finally find a solution to their daughter's rebelliousness.
Jomari went to visit his high school friend, Eduardo. Now, Eduardo was a famous business tycoon and one of the richest men in the country.
"Good afternoon, Sir. Please wait for Sir Eduardo," the assistant said, offering him a seat. "Would you like some coffee, Sir?"
"Sure."
Jomari waited, his eyes wandering around the room. They landed on a framed photograph on the wall. It showed a handsome, well-built young man who bore a striking resemblance to Eduardo.
"Is he handsome?" a voice asked from behind him.
He turned around and smiled widely upon seeing Eduardo. "Yes, very. Who is he?"
Eduardo laughed. "That's Alas, my son. Did you forget?"
"Wow, he's all grown up now. Time really flies. The last time you left here twenty years ago, he was just eight years old."
"That's right." Eduardo smirked. "So, how are you? Long time no see, man. Why the visit? Is there something wrong?"
"Well, I'm fine, but I'll be straight with you. I came here to ask for a favor."
"Oh? What is it? Money? You don't look like you're struggling."
Jomari shook his head. Eduardo led him to his library for more privacy.
"Have a seat." Eduardo sat on his swivel chair. "So, what's the problem?"
Jomari sat in front of the desk. "It's about my daughter. She's so stubborn and has no interest at all in inheriting our company."
Eduardo pondered for a moment. "I see. That's Yna, right? Why is she like that?"
"Yes, that's her. I'm having such a hard time with her lately. She wasn't like this before. It all started when she got her heart broken by the Domingos' son."
"Really? I remember her being so thoughtful and such a good daughter before."
"She changed. That's why I need your help. I want her to work in your company. I heard your son is back and has taken over as CEO."
Eduardo thought about it for a moment. "Yes, he is. I will talk to him about it, but I can't promise anything yet."
Even without a guarantee, Jomari was happy. "That's okay. I would be forever grateful if he helps me."
"Don't worry. Once my son hears about this, I'm sure he will help you. Besides, he's been wanting to see Yna Maria again."
"Thank you. Well, I won't stay long. I still have important things to do."
Eduardo smiled and walked him to the gate. He truly wanted to help his friend, but in the end, the decision would still be up to his son.