Guilty as Sin

Yuri Santos hated mornings—but today wasn’t just any morning. The alarm blared at 6:00 AM sharp, dragging her out of the warmth of a dream she couldn't even remember. Her hand shot out from under the blanket, instinctively slapping the snooze button with a groan. The soft pillow begged her to sink back in, to forget about the day ahead, but even the comfort couldn't drown out the persistent ache of routine. Coffee. Class. Study. Repeat. Her life was predictable, boxed into neat schedules and academic deadlines. And she liked it that way—most days. There was a certain comfort in knowing what was coming next, even if it was just another lecture, another assignment, another dull meeting with the career counselor who kept asking about her "future plans." Yuri wasn’t the type to make waves. She didn’t want to stand out. She didn’t care about fame, fortune, or anything remotely close to it. She just wanted to finish college without drawing too much attention to herself, get a decent job, and then disappear into the sea of ordinary people. There was comfort in routine. It was safe. With a long sigh, she dragged herself out of bed and pulled on the first hoodie she could find. A messy bun followed, hair escaping the elastic band in rebellious strands. The only thing she really cared about that morning was her coffee—black, strong, and enough to make her feel at least somewhat human. She grabbed her cup and left her dorm room, stepping into the familiar, too-bright fluorescent hallway of the business school dormitory. The campus was alive with the usual early-morning bustle—students chatting in groups, some hunched over their phones, others running late to class. Yuri was moving through the crowd on autopilot, heading for the lecture hall without looking up, without really seeing anyone. Inside, the lecture hall was already half-filled with students who had their lives together—or at least appeared to. Yuri slid into her usual seat in the back, the perfect spot for slipping under the radar. She set her coffee on the desk, cracked open her laptop, and tried to focus on the lecture slides that had already been projected. She couldn't help but zone out. Her thoughts drifted, as they always did. She wasn't bored—at least, not exactly. It was just that everything about college felt so… distant. Schoolwork came easily to her. She passed exams with little effort, but she didn’t feel the thrill that other students seemed to get from it. They were all driven, all reaching for something. Yuri? She was just here because she had to be. She had no grand aspirations. No clear idea of where her life was going. It wasn’t that she didn’t care—it was just that she didn’t see herself in a cubicle, in a boardroom, or in any other high-pressure corporate setting that everyone around her seemed to dream about. "Yuri, you're zoning out again," Bea's voice cut through her thoughts. Yuri blinked and turned to see her best friend sitting next to her, a playful grin on her face. Bea always knew when Yuri wasn’t paying attention, even when she tried to hide it. "Sorry," Yuri muttered, straightening up in her seat and pretending to pay attention to the slides. Bea rolled her eyes but said nothing, instead leaning in closer. "Seriously though," Bea said in a tone that was a mix of excitement and annoyance, "have you thought about applying for that internship yet? You can't just coast through this semester like you always do." Yuri sighed. Bea had been nagging her about internships ever since the semester started. “I’m not interested in any of that,” she replied, her voice low, glancing at the lecture to avoid making eye contact. Internships felt like extra weight she didn’t want to carry. She didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else's expectations. Bea wasn’t the type to give up easily. “You’re almost done with college, Yuri," she said, her voice soft but insistent. "You need to think about what happens next. That internship could open doors for you. It’s not just about the résumé— it’s about you. You could learn something new. And if not, at least you get to try it.” Yuri gave a non-committal grunt, wishing Bea would drop the subject. "Maybe," she said, her mind already drifting to other, less stressful things. Bea didn’t back down, though. “What if I told you there’s an internship at Delgado Group?” she added, her tone becoming a little more casual, but there was a glint in her eye. Yuri blinked. "Delgado Group? As in, Faye Delgado’s company?" She knew the name—who didn’t? Faye Delgado, the youngest CEO in the country, the woman who practically radiated power and grace. The kind of woman everyone admired from a distance but was too afraid to get close to. Yuri didn’t pay much attention to the corporate world, but the name always carried weight. “Yeah, her company. She’s got this huge talk tomorrow at the university forum. It’s a chance for anyone interested in applying for an internship,” Bea said, her excitement practically jumping out of her. Yuri felt a flicker of something in her stomach—curiosity, maybe. She didn’t care much for internships, but hearing Faye Delgado’s name again made her pause. There was something about the way the media always spoke of her that made Faye seem almost untouchable, like a person who existed in a different world. “You’ve met her, right?” Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow. Bea nodded enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up. “Oh my God, yes! My family and I went to this charity dinner last year, and she was there. I swear, Yuri, she’s like a goddess. No, scratch that—she’s beyond that. She was so beautiful in person. I thought my heart was gonna stop. She’s even more stunning than she looks in photos. And the way she talks? Confidence like you wouldn't believe. I couldn’t even breathe for a second.” Yuri let out an exaggerated groan. "Okay, okay, I get it. She's your ultimate crush, Bea. No need to go on like a love-struck teenager.” Bea shot her a look, feigning offense, before laughing. “You’re the one who’s gonna be jealous when you see her tomorrow.” Bea teasingly says to Yuri. Yuri rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knows that Bea was just convincing her to join her in internship of Delgado's group. “Jealous?” Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Not likely. I mean, come on, she's probably just another corporate machine.” But Bea wasn’t listening anymore. “She’s so hot, Yuri. So, so hot. And it’s not just her looks, you know. It’s the whole package. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. She’s my ultimate crush. I don’t care what anyone says.” Yuri rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. “Gay alert!” she teased, wiggling her fingers in the air like she was casting some kind of spell. Bea couldn’t help but laugh, playfully swatting at Yuri’s arm. “You’re impossible.” Just then, their professor, Mr. Santos, paused in his lecture and turned toward the back of the room, where Yuri and Bea were sitting. The sudden silence felt like an earthquake. All eyes seemed to land on Yuri, and she stiffened in her seat. "Yuri," Mr. Santos said, his tone flat and unamused. “You seem unusually distracted today. Do you have any plans for this semester? Are you just going to float through until graduation?” Yuri blinked, suddenly aware of the entire class looking her way. The pressure was immediate, and she felt her patience snap. She forced a smile, a polite, neutral smile that barely masked her irritation. "I’m just… taking things one day at a time, sir," Yuri said, her voice calm, but she felt like she was suffocating. "No big plans yet." Mr. Santos gave her a pointed look. “Well, maybe it’s time you started making some plans, Yuri. You’re in your final semester. Don’t waste it." Yuri couldn’t suppress a sigh. “Understood, sir.” As the attention turned back to the professor, Bea leaned in and whispered, “I swear, you look like you want to strangle him right now.” Yuri smiled sarcastically. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m fine.” She glanced at Bea, giving her a tired look. “Just another day in paradise.” The rest of the class felt like a blur to Yuri. She was still replaying the conversation with Bea in her head. Faye Delgado, the youngest CEO in the country. The woman who practically lived on magazine covers, whose name everyone in the business world whispered about with awe and fear. Yuri could feel a flicker of something inside her—something that pulled her away from the humdrum of her typical days. Faye wasn’t just some CEO in a suit. From what Bea said, she was a force of nature. She was the kind of person that made everyone else around her feel small just by stepping into the room. The way she carried herself, confident and untouchable, was exactly what Yuri didn’t want to be. And yet, she couldn’t shake the thought that maybe… just maybe… meeting her would change something. The bell rang, and the students began to shuffle out of the lecture hall. Bea was already bouncing in her seat, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “Come on, Yuri!” she urged. “Don’t just sit there. You need to at least check out the forum tomorrow. I’ll even go with you if you want! It’s a chance to see Faye Delgado in person!” Yuri hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go. Sure, the idea of hearing Faye speak was tempting—if only to confirm whether the woman really lived up to the hype—but the thought of another packed event where she had to pretend to care about corporate jargon was… well, tiring. But then again, there was something else stirring inside her. A curiosity that she couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was the allure of someone so out of her league, someone who was the epitome of everything Yuri wasn’t. Maybe it was just the pull of the unknown. “Fine, fine,” Yuri finally said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll go. But only because you’re being so persistent.” Bea grinned triumphantly, and as they walked out of the lecture hall together, she continued to gush about Faye, her voice practically vibrating with enthusiasm. Yuri tuned her out, her mind now fully focused on the possibility of seeing Faye Delgado in person. Would she look just as perfect as the photos? Would she speak the way everyone said she did—calm, cool, and utterly confident? Yuri had no idea, but the thought gnawed at her. And so, like it or not, she found herself agreeing to the university forum the next day. By the time Yuri made it back to her apartment, the weight of the day’s events was starting to sink in. The forum, Bea’s endless chatter about Faye, and the way the CEO had captivated the entire room—it all swirled around in her mind like a persistent hum. She threw her bag onto the couch, kicked off her shoes, and slumped onto the chair by her desk, staring blankly at her laptop. Should I look for it? Or will it just be a waste of time? Unsure of what to do, Yuri found herself stalking Faye on her social media accounts. She was indeed pretty... with class. The elegance and all. You can see that she was smart just by the way she stood. What makes her intrigued is it feels like she was drawn by Faye. So this is you Faye Delgado?