Chapter 1: A pair of Shoes

"JACOB!" Delma yelled as she chased after her grandson, who had gotten away from her. On the opposite side of the street, Jacob waved at her while grinning.

A little while later, a cab pulled up not far from them, and he jumped inside right away. Delma was unable to do anything but pout and paint while glancing at the car. A bodyguard from someplace then showed up, searching for Jacob, the grandson of one of the most well-known and wealthy families in the nation.

Calvin, one of Delma's dependable bodyguards, asked, "Shall we continue chasing him, Ma'am?"

A woman with angry face said, "No, let him do what he wants, I'll take care of finding a means to get him home."

—

"DAPHNE, when are you joining us for the outing?" Mae-ann enquired of her while eating at the store's canteen, where they both worked. Having finished her meal, Daphne glared a little at her friend.

"Since I work a part-time job, maybe on our department's next outing, I'll try to join." She knelt to complete her meal.

"You didn't accompany us on even one of our outings, Daphne, how many have you gone on, huh? You know, listen, huh? We only get to live once, so let's make the most of it" Her friend was disappointed by what she said, but she was focused on going to work rather than going for an outing. She needs a job to earn more money and that's her priority.

She and Mae-ann left their meal to head to the office. Daphne afterward noticed a man as she was working. She appeared to recognize a famous person in her front. His physique is well-developed, and he is tall. Moreover, he bears a resemblance to actor Ruru Madrid. He looks pretty good in his lovely dress.

Daphne approached to help him as he was choosing his first-class sneakers. He was wealthy, which made her feel ashamed.

She greeted him with a smile and said, "Hello, Sir, have you made your choice of shoes yet?"

He picks out a pair of costly white shoes and says, "Don't you have another size of these shoes?"

Daphne gave the man a smile "Yes, sir, there is a different size available for you to select from, so you have more options, sir" She led the man to the area of shoes he needed to find in various sizes. It has already been selected in a moment based on the size he requires. She didn't realize the shoe that the man chose was distinct from the other shoes.

The young man decided to buy the shoes. "I'll buy this." She immediately placed it in a presentable container right away and gave it to the man in the bag. He then turned around and approached the cashier before leaving the store. She was left observing the appealing young man.

Mae-ann hurried towards her, shouting breathlessly, "Daphne! Daphne!"

She was a little alarmed by his friend's appearance, as if something horrible had happened, and asked, "Oh! Why are you so pale?"

"Where are the white shoes?" She said with a frightened look on her face.

"Is it the one on side B? It's already sold, which is incredibly incredible considering that it's practically completely sold out and the cost is high," She said with pride and joy.

Mae-ann exclaimed in disbelief, "Huh?!" as though she should be worried. She sighed and touched her forehead. Mae-ann asked anxiously, "What are we going to do now? You shouldn't sell it, it doesn't belong to those shoes that we need to sell."

She bragged. "How can you be sad, it's already sold and at a great price."

"Did you realize that is not a part of the sale? It is a possession of Mr. Jacob Salcedo, and given how significant it is to him, it has been received." Mae-ann said.

She almost cried out in amazement and terror because she knew who Mae-ann was speaking of. The man she's talking about is the son of the mall's owner, and she has heard that he is unkind to others, possibly as a result of being a pampered child.

She'll undoubtedly find herself in a dire scenario once more given how she is right now. Daphne was so anxious that she was unsure of what to do. This mistake may lead to her being fired from her job. She specifically does not want that to occur because she needs the money for both her grandmother, her heart surgery, and medical maintenance. That is not possible.

Their manager arrived as they were dejectedly sitting there and appeared to be very angry, judging by her face.

"Mrs. Orilio, follow me," a manager said seriously and without hesitation.

Immediately, Daphne began to worry that she might lose her job. She turned to face her friend, who shared her anxiety. She can see the concern for her on her friend's face. Mae-ann gave her a shoulder pat and a nod.

Daphne got up from her seat despite her frail frame. Despite her anxiety and nervousness, he made himself walk straight to the store's headquarters. She becomes more anxious and terrified when she's almost in the room. She sighed repeatedly before entering the room. She was confronted with Mrs. Odeth's scrutinizing gaze, which made her feel even more uneasy.

Mrs. Odeth instructed her to take a seat. She is the store's manager. "Ms. Orilio, don't you know that the shoes on side B have already been received for Mr. Jacob Salcedo? I informed you about those shoes since the orientation. Those same shoes have been there for a year since they meant so much to him. It was only for a display," she said.

Because she had forgotten that it wasn't for sale, she was unable to respond. When it's not for sale, why is that even there in the first place?

She was unable to see straight and remained silent until her manager finished preaching to her. She acknowledged her mistake and was prepared to accept everything the management told her.

Mrs. Odeth takes a big breath and asks, "How is that now, Daphne? The owner of the shoes is the owner of the firm we work for. The whole department may also be affected." She looks at her seriously. "Okay, Ms. Orilio, what is the best that we can do to solve your mistake? a thing that we— "A knock cut short her sentence. 

A saleswoman came in. "Good morning, Ma'am! Mr. Salcedo is here, he wants to talk to you."

Daphne grew drab and appeared riveted to her seat. She hardly managed to move. One after another, she simply gulped. Is she going to die now?

"Let him in." Mrs. Odeth said.

They watched as the salesperson went out after nodding. Later, she was on the verge of bleeding when the dashing man walked in. Even more scary is his aura. She simply wanted to vanish from her chair. A man had on sunglasses. He's wearing a business suit.

He took off his sunglasses and asked, calmly but emphatically, "What happened to my shoes?"

The first to speak was Mrs. Odeth. She apologized, her anxiousness visible, "Sir, I'm sorry but...because something...unexpected happened. I'm sorry, Sir, but one of our sales ladies accidentally sold your shoes since Ms. Orilio thought they were included in the item that the store will sell."

Who wouldn't feel anxious in the presence of Jacob Salcedo? He is reputed to be sourpuss and

has a negative attitude, possibly as a result of being a spoilt and wealthy child.

The young man gave the manager a harsh look that caused his eyes to widen. His mouth almost clenched in anger. "Are you kidding me?"

As Daphne remained mute and dropped her head, the manager remarked, "Sorry, Sir, we were the ones to blame for this."

He snapped. "I don't need your apology, I just want my shoes back or you're out of a job," he said angrily.

Daphne remained seated during the conversation, but when Mr. Salcedo announced that they would lose their job, she jumped up and bowed in fear in his face.

"Please don't fire me and Mrs. Odeth. I'm sorry, Sir, I made a mistake, I sold your shoes. I shouldn't have given them away. I'll work hard at my job and do everything, Sir please just don't take me away from my job. I truly need this, Sir, so please let me stay with my job." Daphne knelt and pleaded with the boy.

Her gaze was fixed on Jacob, who appeared to want to handle her like a piece of paper. On his face, there is not the slightest sign of sympathy. He shouted back, "I don't care about your bitch excuses, I just want my shoes back!"

She felt shaking. "I-I don't know how I can return your shoes, Sir but let's look for some that are similar. Don't worry, I'll just get you the same style."

"Shut up, I want those shoes, and I don't care how you get them back, but you have to. Return it to me, no matter what," he angrily said and emphasized his words. She couldn't say anything because it was clear that he was upset with her. Even her words were lost on her. Jacob gives her a stern gaze. "Tomorrow, I want you to bring it back to me and if you don't, this is your end." He turned his back and left them astonished.

Dejectedly, Daphne sat down in the chair. She still worries about the potential of losing her work as a result of what happened today. What will happen to her if that occurs? She was unable to control the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She saw his breathing becoming more constricted for a while, but he didn't pay little attention to it.