Chapter 3: The First Encounter
DANA
"Dana!" – my father stood up to give me the hankie he was holding the whole time. He tried to wipe my face but I was wearing three-inched heels, making my face out of his reach. I signaled him to just sit down. He did, Mr. O'Connell grabbed the glass and placed it back to the table, apologizing on behalf of his wife.
I closed my eyes and gathered myself for a few seconds. When I opened my eyes, what welcomed me was the sight of Mrs. O'Connell looking at me with a satisfied grin.
"GET OUT OF MY COMPANY. NOW."
"gladly. .. and anyway, I didn't mean what I said about you being beautiful on that magazine. You looked like a hungry giraffe if you ask me. Hmm, Lady Tycoon my ass.
I bit my cheek inside my mouth and watched the couple get out of the office with Mrs. O'Connell leading the way and her husband still murmuring his apologies. When the door closed, I sat down next to dad and wiped myself clean. That woman was unexplainable. I heard about her attitude from her staffs but I did not expect it to be this pathetic.
"you should go home and change, Dana. You're soaked." – Dad
"maybe later, sir."
We were interrupted with a beep from my phone. I reached for my bag from the nearby chair and saw that there was a message. Excitement flooded me as I saw Mr. O'Connell's name on the screen. I opened it, read it out loud for my dad.
"I'm really sorry about what happened, Miss Russel. As for our deal, yes, I'm investing in your company. I'm impressed by your presentation and the way you handled my wife. Only a few would dare to do that. I'm always a fan of powerful woman. Let's talk about it more soon. Best regards and I'm sorry again."
My dad's eyes said it all. He was happy, and so am I.
It may not have gone according to what I planned but however, the deal's closed.
A little time away from work is healthy, so I said.
Because of my little victory on the O'Connell's investment deal, I was given a three-day break by my dad for a vacation. I have no friends, so as usual, I booked a flight to this small island by myself. It was owned by one of my college classmates, Marlon Guevarra. It's a two-hour drive from my place but the pictures he sent me were too glorious to miss. I did not rent it exclusively but I was told that only one group of friends called for an appointment on the same day. I guess I could work with that. I mean, how terrifying can that be?
I also gave Marvin a day off from me and to render his service to Dad instead. Roderick, his driver, was on a vacation leave because his wife just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. One reason that I did that was because I worry for Dad's health, and also, I'd like to have the next three days for myself. No work, no distractions, just me and my business plans to work on, just for some little spare time and mental exercise. That defines a perfect vacation for me.
Halfway, I stopped over this small convenience store with no name but with a large sign at the door saying, "For Honest People Only." Curious, I parked the car at its limited parking space, beside a white BMW Sedan with black tinted windows. I walked to the store clutching my bag and walking like I own the place.
Inside the small place, there was no cashier, just an open cash drawer and another sign that says, "Pay and get your change. Don't worry, there are no cameras here." Okay? I think I get the concept now. It's like those stores I visited in Batanes, Philippines. An honesty store, as they call it. I looked around and there are varieties of sandwiches, juice pouches, repacked nuts and corn chips. Basically, it has everything you need in a convenience store. I looked at the right side, and it was where the healthy foods were stored: salads, vegetable fries, the fruits on vacuum packs, and smoothies on plastic cups. I got one mango and passion fruit smoothie and an egg salad. It only cost me P50 and I paid with the exact price. There were three sizes of paper bags at the side of the counter. I got the small one and placed my food inside. I went back to the car and ate the salad, drinking the smoothie. It's a nice concept, I had to say. Two minutes after and I was back on the road.
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I had to leave the car to this parking space for the next three days and got into a barge. There was an eld3erly couple who glanced at my direction and nodded. I guess they know me, but I don't know them or maybe I just forgot. That's the thing about being acquainted with a lot of people, you get to run with them on different stores. were also three more people there as of the moment and I guess those are the friends who also asked for the appointment. I sat on the front row, overlooking the ocean. They were just at my back, talking about the corkage fee for the alcoholic drinks they brought with the cooler. I popped my earphones into my ears and listened to music instead.
When we reached the island, our bags were carried separately by men wearing green and white shirts. As we walked, we followed the arrows to the coastline. A man with floral polo and white shorts welcomed us. He has brown round eyes and round face, his face is fatty and square. I guess this is Santos, the island caretaker? He was mentioned by the owner when I called. Aside from being the caretaker, he was also tasked with the overall management of the place.
"Welcome, guests! Please follow me to your hotel rooms. Ah! Miss Dana, it's nice to meet you in person." – he shook my hand. His was sweaty.
"charmed. So where's my room?"
The three friends whispered among one another because they were not given the same approach as I did. Well, perks of being successful and famous.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone