MISS PIBOLAR MEET TEN KING

POV: YVONNE “Ring, ring!” My phone rang twice, and I immediately answered it. “Hello? Who is this?” “Is this Miss Yvonne?” someone asked from the other end of the line. “Hmm?” I mumbled, still half-asleep. “Your sister is drunk, Could you please come and pick her up now?” I could hear my sister's voice in the background. She was being so loud, and there were so many other voices around her. They were definitely at a bar. “Okay, but where the f**k is the address?” I asked irritably. Seriously? It was the middle of the night. I was sleeping peacefully, and now someone was calling me because of my drunk sister. The man on the phone sent me the address. “Beep.” My phone made a notification sound. I looked at the message. **Crystal Lounge, City of Dreams Manila.** “What the—?” I stared at my phone in disbelief. Crystal Lounge? One of the luxury bars in the Philippines? What the heck was going on? How did they even get enough money to go there? I was so shocked that I accidentally fell back onto my bed. I quickly changed my clothes and headed to the address. But now I was worried about how much we would have to pay. Ugh. Who was even going to pay for all of this? I could only sigh at how hard life was. And yet, they still managed to go to a bar. Seriously. So annoying. I immediately booked a ride so I could get there faster. The longer they stayed there, the bigger the bill might become. *** CITY OF DREAMS*** “Wow…” I stared around in amazement. This was my first time coming to City of Dreams, and honestly, I had never been to a place like this before. It was so beautiful and huge. I had no idea where the bar was. “Excuse me, sir. Can I ask you something?” I approached one of the security guards. “Where is the Crystal Lounge?” He called someone over and then pointed toward a woman nearby. “Just follow her, ma'am.” “Okay. Thank you, sir.” City of Dreams was so huge. If it was your first time there, like me, you could easily get lost. Okay, I should introduce myself first since you probably don't know anything about me yet. My name is **Yvonne Liao**. I'm 23 years old, and I currently live in Rizal. I'm a college student, and I'm graduating next year. I was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Because of that, there are times when I can become easily annoyed, angry, or tired. My mood and behavior can also change quickly. “Ma'am, we're here.” “Huh?” It seemed like he had already told me several times, but I was too busy introducing myself in my head. “Ah, okay, sir. Thank you.” When I arrived at the entrance, there were two bouncers standing guard. “Ma'am, ID,” one of them said. “Here.” I handed them my ID, and after checking it, they opened the door for me. Good thing I was dressed appropriately for a bar. I was even wearing five-inch heels. As soon as I entered, I was overwhelmed by the number of people inside. There were so many of them. How was I supposed to find my sister? I walked here. Then there. And there again. Walk. Walk. And walk. I'm so tired of squeezing my way through the crowd. Then, someone called me, and I answered. “Hello! Where are they?” I asked loudly because the music around me was so loud that I could barely hear the person on the other end. It was the same person I had spoken to on the phone earlier—the one who had called me to pick up my sister. “Here, ma’am. Just go to the right.” I raised my right hand, and he spotted me immediately. He walked over to me. “Ma’am, look at them. They’re a mess. I’ve been asking them for a while now who was going to pick her up. You never know these days. There are a lot of idiots around here, and since this is a bar, some people aren’t exactly easy to talk to or reason with. Your sister gave them your number, so I’ll leave it to you to deal with them, ma’am.” “Okay. I’m sorry for the trouble.” “You’re always welcome, ma’am. We prioritize our customers and do our best to keep them safe whenever they need assistance. That’s one of our rules here.” “Here. Just a small token of appreciation for helping me.” I handed him ₱500. My heart sank as I watched my last bit of money leave my hand. But he had been kind enough to help me. It was rare to find someone who actually followed the rules and genuinely cared enough to help others. Ugh… never mind. I sighed. “I can still make money somehow,” I whispered to myself. Then I looked toward the group. There were six of them. They were all over the place. Some were lying on the floor, while others were passed out on the sofas surrounding the large table in the middle of the room. I stared at them in disbelief. “What the—?” Six people. How the hell was I supposed to take care of all six of them? Before I could even think of what to do, a waiter approached me. “Ma’am, this is the bill.” He handed me the receipt. I looked down. My eyes widened. ₱100,000. “One hundred thousand?!” I nearly choked. How the hell was I supposed to pay for that? I barely had any money left. “Umm… can I go to the restroom first?” I asked, trying my best not to collapse right there. I needed a moment. A very long moment. Am I seriously supposed to pay for everything they drank? No way. “This way, ma’am,” the waiter said, pointing toward the restroom. I quickly followed him. But when I reached the women's restroom, I stopped. The entrance was blocked by yellow caution tape. A sign was posted across the door. RESTROOM CLOSED. I stared at it for a few seconds. “Seriously?” The waiter told me there was another restroom on the second floor, so I decided to use that one instead. I made my way upstairs. As I walked through the hallway, I passed several private rooms. Then I heard something. Voices. They were low and muffled, almost like people were whispering. I stopped walking. I looked toward one of the doors. Before I could make sense of what I was hearing, the door suddenly opened. A beautiful woman rushed out. She looked terrified. Her face was wet with tears, and she looked like she had just escaped from something horrible. I watched her run down the hallway without even looking back. “Hah…” My curiosity immediately got the better of me. I should have just continued to the restroom. But instead, I slowly walked toward the door she had come out of. I wanted to know what had happened inside. I leaned closer, trying to listen. Then— The door suddenly opened. Before I could react, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. “Ah!” I stumbled forward. My heart immediately began pounding. The room was dark. I couldn't see his face. Then I heard a deep, cold voice behind me. “What are you doing at my door?” I froze. “Why were you standing there and whispering?” My chest tightened. I slowly turned around. “Wh-who are you?” I stammered. He stared directly into my eyes. There was something frightening about his gaze. His expression was completely unreadable. I started trembling. He didn't answer. Instead, he walked past me and sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes still fixed on me. “Tsk. Stupid.” The moment I heard that, my temper flared. “What did you say?!” He didn't even react. That only irritated me more. “Don't you know how pitiful that woman who just came out of this room looked?” I demanded. “What did you do to her? Why was she crying like that?” I kept questioning him. I heard what he said, even though his voice was low. “Because she drugged me, stupid.” He suddenly stood up. At that exact moment— CRACK! Lightning flashed outside the window. I flinched. And when I looked at him again, I finally saw his face. I froze. Oh my God. He was unbelievably handsome. The kind of handsome you rarely saw in real life. His dark hair was slightly messy, and there was a faint sheen of sweat on his skin. He looked exhausted, but somehow, his expression remained cold and unreadable. And his eyes… There was something dark and dangerous about them. Something that made me nervous. He started walking toward me. One step. Then another. Then another. I slowly backed away until my back hit the wall. I swallowed hard. What was I supposed to do? Should I push him away? Before I could decide, he placed one arm against the wall beside my head, trapping me between him and the wall. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I instinctively closed my eyes. Click. The lights suddenly turned on. I slowly opened my eyes. He was still expressionless. Nothing had changed. Then, without saying a word, he stepped away from me and returned to the bed. I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck. Wow, Yvonne. So you're really an assumera, huh? Did you seriously think this handsome guy was going to kiss you? In your dreams. “Why are you here?” His cold voice snapped me back to reality. “I was going to the restroom,” I explained. “But I heard something, so I stopped to listen.” “And?” He waited for my answer. “I didn't hear anything. I swear.” I quickly raised my hand and made a peace sign, hoping it would somehow make me look innocent enough for him to believe me.