Her Obsession

Chapter 5

Each step toward her felt heavier, my heartbeat quickening, my chest tightening as though the air itself resisted me. By the time I reached her desk, my hands trembled as I extended my resume.

“H-Here is my resume and personal information,” I stammered, my voice betraying the nerves clawing at me.

She looked at me—really looked—and her gaze didn’t waver. The intensity of her eyes made my pulse race even faster.

“Ma’am?” I asked, my voice cracking. “Are you… are you alright?”

She shook her head slowly, then spoke with startling finality.

“You’re hired.”

I froze. Hired? Did I hear that right?

Joy surged through me like lightning. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I shouted, unable to contain myself, even dancing a little in my excitement.

But reality struck me like a slap—I was still in her office. My face burned red.

“I-I'm sorry,” I muttered, bowing my head.

I bolted out the door, clutching my papers, only to stop short in the hallway. Shame washed over me. What am I doing? I turned back, reentered, and called softly, “Ma’am?”

Her eyes found me again, sharp and unyielding. “What is it?”

God, I’m embarrassing myself, I thought, my stomach twisting.

“Ma’am… do I need to sign anything?” I asked.

She chuckled, the sound low and amused. I lifted my head, catching her smile—radiant, almost mocking—before she cleared her throat and masked it with seriousness. She stood before the tall glass window behind her desk, her silhouette framed by the city

lights.

“There is,” she said. “Sit.”

I obeyed, gripping my papers tightly, her gaze pressing down on me like a weight. She pulled out a folder and handed it over.

“That will be your contract. You’ll stay in. And aside from being my secretary… you’ll be my personal slave.”

Her last words struck me like ice. Personal slave? What did that even mean?

She leaned back in her swivel chair, fingers steepled.

“Fifty thousand every month. Free housing, free meals. If you follow my wishes, I’ll add more to your salary. It depends on me.”

I opened the folder, scanning the pages. Without thinking, I signed. She smiled, the corner of her lips curling upward, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

“Great,” she said brightly, standing with a grace that made her seem untouchable. She sat again, crossing her legs in a way that made her beauty even more disarming.

“We’ll have rules, Mr. Ventura. You’ll make yours, and I’ll make mine.” She slid a sheet of bond paper and a pen toward me.

“Rules? For what, Ma’am?” I asked, confused.

“For comfort. Yours with me, and mine with you,” she replied, already writing. I hesitated, then began scribbling my own.

When we exchanged papers, my eyes widened at hers.

“Why… why are these like this?” I asked, disbelief in my voice.

“What’s wrong?” she said innocently. “They’re just rules, Ashuel.” She skimmed mine and smirked. “Basic.”

She signed mine without hesitation. I, however, stared at hers, my chest tightening. But in the end, I signed too, even though every fiber of me resisted.

“Every rule you break, you’ll face punishment,” she said calmly. I nodded, powerless.

She printed the rules, slid them into the folder with the contract, and closed it with a snap.

“Your contract is here. Always remember my rules, Ashuel. You start tomorrow.”

I left the office, my steps heavy. The line of applicants outside was gone. If one of them had been accepted, they would have celebrated. But me? It felt less like victory and more like a cage.

As I walked, her rules echoed in my mind:

No smoking, no alcohol.

No other girls. No girlfriend, no side chick. You’re mine.

If I order something, do it. No buts.

Obey me, and you’ll be free.

Don’t make me jealous.

Don’t deny me.

Accept what I give you.

Let me know what you’re doing.

Don’t fall in love with other girls.

Don’t fall in love with me.

Every broken rule means punishment. This is business. No love.

My own rule looked pathetic in comparison:

One and only rule: There must be food and shelter.

I sighed. Her rules sound like a relationship, not a job. No love, she said. But what if… what if I do fall for her? What happens to my

heart then? Will it be crushed beyond repair?

I hadn’t realized I’d already reached Auntie’s house. It was quiet, empty. I slipped inside, went straight to my room, and collapsed onto the bed.

“I can’t believe I got the job this quickly,” I whispered to myself, the words trembling between relief and disbelief.

The thought echoed in my chest, but instead of pure joy, it carried a strange heaviness. I remembered the long line of applicants outside—men in crisp suits, folders clutched like weapons, their confidence radiating in the heat of the sun. Compared to them, I had walked in with nothing but a plain shirt, trembling hands, and a heart full of uncertainty. And yet, here I was, accepted.

It should have felt like victory. It should have felt like the answer to my prayers. But as I replayed the moment in my mind—the woman’s piercing gaze, the way she said “You’re hired” without hesitation—I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Her rules, her conditions, the strange contract that bound me not just as a secretary but as something more… something I didn’t fully understand.

I thought of Inay. If she were here, would she be proud of me? Or would she warn me to be careful, to walk away from something that felt too good, too fast? My chest tightened at the memory of her voice, her gentle reminders to trust myself but never to lose myself.

Fifty thousand pesos a month. Free housing. Free food. On paper, it was everything I needed to survive in Manila, everything I had hoped for when I left Aklan. But beneath the numbers was a shadow—a sense that I had stepped into a cage disguised as opportunity.

I sighed, clutching the folder tighter. This is business, she said. No love. But what if my heart betrays me? What if I fall for her despite the rules?

The thought lingered, sharp and dangerous. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe. For now, I told myself, I should be grateful. For now, I should focus on survival. Tomorrow would be my first day, and whatever awaited me inside Nick Corp, I had no choice but to face it.