Yna was in her room, busy working on the reports Alas had assigned to her. Right after dinner, she had gone straight upstairs and opened her laptop to write the articles. She actually enjoyed writing, and it brought back so many memories of what had happened yesterday in the village. She smiled and reminisced for a while. She thought about Alas; he had been such a gentleman to her. For a moment, she almost forgot about Janus.
"To be fair, Alas is really handsome," she muttered to herself. "Wait, what are you thinking, Yna? He's your boss, besides, you still have so much work to do. What are you daydreaming about? Stop it," she scolded herself, even cursing inwardly. Why did thoughts of him keep creeping into her mind? He just kept popping up unexpectedly.
Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She assumed it was her father, so she stood up and opened it.
"Good evening, Dad. Why are you still up? Is there any problem?" she asked, confirming it was indeed him.
"No. I couldn't sleep. I saw the light reflecting from your window, so I went upstairs to check why you were still awake at this hour?"
"Ah… Come on in. I'm still finishing my report to be submitted tomorrow."
Jomari sat on her bed while Yna returned to her seat at the small table.
"Wow. That's good. You are really changing your attitude now, good girl."
"Yeah, I realized something, Dad. I saw how the villagers live. I don't want them to suffer because of Alas' project. They are such warm and welcoming people, and I love the place. That's why I will make sure to keep my promise."
Yna wasn't just saying this; she meant every word. She truly felt for the villagers. If their land were destroyed or taken advantage of, most of them would be devastated, and worse, it could lead to conflicts and protests against Alas.
They had both promised that no one would suffer once the construction started. No one would lose their homes or their livelihood. A promise is a promise, and it was never meant to be broken.
"Good. That is the best thing to do. You need to help Alas. Show him that you are not just his secretary, but a true friend as well. If you continue being productive like this, I will return your inheritance to you," Jomari said happily.
"Thank you, Dad. I love you." Yna stood up and hugged her father. "Thank you for opening my eyes to reality. I love who I am becoming now. I am more productive compared to before, but I still feel I am not yet capable of managing our company. I feel like I still have so much to learn. Please give me some time."
"Oh? It's okay. Take it slow. One day, you'll realize just how good you already are. For now, just observe and learn how to run the business properly."
"Okay, Dad. I'm not in a rush to get my inheritance back. I can wait. Besides, I really want to visit the village again. I'd love to tour around the place."
"Is the village really that beautiful? Soon, maybe we can even invest in Alas' project. Just make sure to give me a tour too."
"Yes, Dad. Malaya Village is just like Baguio City. The climate is cool and perfect for relaxation and meditation. And their coffee… it tastes so amazing! Too bad I didn't ask Alas to give me some."
"Wow, really? I hope I can go there soon," Jomari said, his eyes sparkling with interest. "So, how did you two get along there? Are you finally getting along well?"
She bit her lower lip and smiled. "Well, we're getting closer to each other. He's actually kind, totally opposite of what I thought he was like."
"Okay, continue treating him nicely. I'm sorry if I forced you to work as Alas' secretary. All I ever wanted was to make you responsible for your own good. I know being a secretary is below your qualifications, but I wanted you to start from the ground up, to be one of them. Learning is like an adventure; you have to discover many things to become truly knowledgeable. Alas promised me that he will help you become worthy of inheriting our company."
"I hope so. Mom would be proud of me too. And I'm sorry for being so hard-headed before." She hugged her father again. It was good that she had finally learned to accept her mistakes.
"Just let the past go. Focus on the present and continue being this new you. Alright, finish what you are doing. Sorry for disturbing you. I'm going to sleep now," Jomari said as he stood up.
"Okay, Dad, thank you so much. Good night. Sweet dreams."
"Good night too. Go to sleep soon, don't stay up too late."
She smiled. "Okay, Dad. I'm almost done, I'll go to sleep right after this."
"Okay." Jomari left her room.
After finishing all the reports, she turned off her laptop. She lay down on her bed, thinking deeply before closing her eyes.
"I hope I can really help the people in the village," she yawned. "Hmmm, good night."