“Who brought you here?” I asked Anya as we strolled through the front yard, heading towards the closed gate ahead.
“My aunt, Miss. She said I should work here at the mansion before returning to Mantalongon.”
“Why?”
I heard her sigh. “My grandmother is ill. My aunt gets sick easily, so she sent me to work here.”
“Your parents?”
“Ah, they passed away a long time ago, Miss. I was still young when they left.”
I nodded and fell silent for a few minutes. I understood the challenges of life without parents.
After a while, we reached the front gate. The guards immediately recognized me. “Good morning, Miss.”
I looked outside through the railings of the closed gate. “Open the gate. I want to go outside.”
“Miss, are you leaving?” one of the guards asked.
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”
He shook his head. “The highway is quite far, Miss. It’s better if we arrange transportation for you.”
I huffed. “There are no cars in the garage.”
“There’s a golf cart at the back, Miss. I can drive you to the highway.”
I blinked and nodded. I hadn’t known Dad bought a golf cart. Anya and I waited at the guardhouse for a few minutes until I saw a medium-sized golf cart approaching. I smiled to myself. I appreciated their initiative.
I climbed into the golf cart with Anya sitting behind me. The guard started the cart.
“Miss, have you ridden a tricycle?” the guard asked.
I furrowed my brow. “No.”
“I’ll arrange for a taxi at the highway, Miss. There are taxis passing by, though they’re rare. Let’s hope we catch one.”
I shrugged. I didn’t object. A taxi would be most convenient for me, similar to a regular car.
A few minutes later, the golf cart stopped, and I saw the bustling street ahead. Private cars and tricycles filled the road. The guard suggested we remain in the golf cart while he hailed a taxi. I agreed.
“Anya,” I called to the girl sitting behind me.
“Miss?”
“Have you had breakfast?”
“Uh… not yet, Miss.”
I furrowed my brow. Hadn’t they already eaten breakfast? “Why?” I asked.
“Uh… I just woke up recently, Miss.”
My eyebrow raised at her response. She had just woken up? At almost nine in the morning?
A smile tugged at my lips. If Anya hadn’t approached me before running into Simmy, Simmy would have scolded her for hours. Simmy didn’t tolerate late mornings from the maids since they were paid to clean and cook before the master of the house woke up.
Anya was fortunate she had met me first. But I felt even luckier to have her, someone I could use to my advantage. Simmy couldn’t touch her if I intended to make her my trusted ally in the mansion. I hoped Anya was worth the risk.
After a while, a taxi pulled up beside the golf cart. The guard got out from the passenger side and smiled as he approached me.
“Miss,” he called, still smiling. “You can get into the taxi now. Don’t worry, I know the driver, so he won’t cheat you.”
I smiled back at him. Anya came over to help me out of the golf cart.
“I’ll give you a raise next month,” I assured the guard before getting into the backseat of the taxi. The door closed behind me. I furrowed my brow and opened the back door. I looked at Anya, who was staring at the passenger seat. “Anya,” I called. “Get in.”
She blinked and hurried to the other door. Opening it, she climbed in. I closed the door on my side, and the taxi drove away.
The sun was rising in the sky. Its rays streamed through the taxi window, warming my face gently. I didn’t bother to shield myself from the sunlight; its mild heat felt pleasant.
“Ma’am, where are we going?” the driver asked.
I smiled. “Badian. But pull over at a drive-thru along the way.”
“Okay, Ma’am.”
The driver stopped at a drive-thru shortly afterward. I placed my order and insisted Anya and the driver order as well, despite their protests.
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
I smiled at them and gazed out the window. After a few minutes, our orders arrived. The aroma of chicken filled the car. I grinned.
“Have you had breakfast?” I asked the driver.
I saw him smile sheepishly in the rearview mirror. “Just eat, Ma’am.”
“Then pull over at a vacant lot. Let’s eat.”
The driver pulled over beside a busy supermarket. We ate in silence, and I didn’t feel the need to break it. After finishing, the driver offered to dispose of the trash. I allowed him.
A few seconds later, he returned to his seat, thanked me, and started the engine. I nodded to him, and the car headed towards southern Cebu.
“Ma’am, Badian is still quite a distance away, but I know a shortcut to make it faster.”
“Go ahead. I don’t mind,” I said, leaning back in the seat.
I looked out the window. The beautiful scenery brought a small smile to my lips. As we traveled along the coastal road, I glimpsed the vast sea outside the window.
The sea sparkled under the sun, reminiscent of how it looked in Badian. I couldn’t contain my excitement. After my experience in Badian, I had promised myself to return. It would be worth it.
“It seems like someone is following us, Ma’am.”
My eyes returned to the rearview mirror, spotting several black cars. The driver changed lanes, and I squinted as the black cars followed suit. They were tailing the taxi I was in.
Who could they be? Were they Dad’s people?
“Just keep driving,” I told the taxi driver.