Her Fall From Queendom

Chapter 9: Blast From The Past

❤ Jessica’s POV ❤

I helped my son in cleaning up and prepared dinner afterward. I let him lie in his bed while I did. I sauteed a can of corned beef in onion while I steamed some rice. I felt so tired and my headaches a bit, so I chose to prepare something simple. I didn’t even care if my son would see me eat meat. I could just tell him that I am a part-time vegetarian and could still eat meat sometimes.

I woke Jericho up when the food was ready. I had to feed him since he was too sleepy. When he was done eating, I helped him brush his teeth before tucking him into sleep. I took a few bites myself before cleaning up and getting ready for bed. I only ate a few bites since I didn’t have an appetite.

I slept in the bed right next to my son tonight. I was too exhausted to sleep on a lumpy sofa.

The following day, I woke up with a fever and struggled to get up. I took a fever medicine and made my way to Leticia’s house. There’s still no one there, and when her next-door neighbor heard my knocking, she opened the door and said, “There’s no one there anymore.”

Jessica: “Oh. What do you mean there’s no one there anymore?”

Neighbor: “The landlord kicked them out because they couldn’t pay rent. They left abruptly yesterday.”

Jessica: “Oh.”

I ended up asking the same neighbor if my son could stay with him after he got out of school and before I got home from work. I assured her it was just for today, and I would find a more permanent arrangement the next day. She said okay, and declined when I offered to pay her.

I thanked the neighbor and headed back home. I woke Jericho up, and we had breakfast together before getting ready to leave. I passed by the neighbor’s house to show Jericho where to go later after coming home from school.

Jessica: “Thank you for this. I’m sorry for the short notice.”

Neighbor: “It’s fine. I’m sorry I can’t take him on permanently.”

I found out that the neighbor’s name was Teresita. She’s 40 years old, and she works every day too, but today happens to be her day off from work. She was married but separated from her husband, and their kids are living with her in-laws.

It seemed like a hard story for her to tell, so I didn’t pry any further anymore and thanked her again before walking my son to school.

When we got to school, I met Jericho’s teacher outside the school, who had been walking my son home. I made the arrangement with her since she passed by our neighborhood on her way home anyway. I asked her how Jericho is doing in class, and she said that he’s doing fine, but most of the time, he’s too quiet and doesn’t participate in class. I promised her I would talk to my son about it, and I made my way to work after my son had gone inside the classroom.

As I was walking to the bus terminal, I felt dizzy a few times. I had to lean a few times but eventually got on the bus anyway. Thankfully, someone gave up their seat for me, so I didn’t have to stand on the bus a few times.

When I got to the hotel, Melanie was surprised to see me there.

Melanie: “What are you doing here? Didn’t you just get discharged from the hospital last night?”

Jessica: “Yeah. I’m okay now.”

Melanie: “Are you sure? You don’t look so good.”

I forced a smile and said, “Of course I’m okay. Don’t be silly.”

The truth is, I don’t feel a hundred percent fine, but I had to force myself to get up and go to work because I was scared I’d get fired if I did. Besides, I can’t afford not to get paid today.

When Elaine saw me as she was briefing the other maids, she just sneered at me and didn’t even ask how I was. I felt like my getting hospitalized was an inconvenience for her. I could only imagine how she’d react if I didn’t make it to work today.

Nerissa was equally surprised to see me at work. While we were filling up our carts, I said, “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

Nerissa: “You never told me what happened. How did you hit your head so hard?”

As I remembered what happened yesterday, I felt sad. Ashley actually kicked me so hard that my head hit the ground so hard. I just smiled as I looked at my friends and said, “I slipped and fell. I was really clumsy.”

Melanie: “Well, thankfully, the boss was there, so he called the ambulance. I heard that he kicked his girlfriend out of the penthouse suite after you got sent to the hospital though.”

Jessica: “What? Why?”

Melanie: “I don’t know. But Elvie, the housekeeper who came to clean the penthouse suite after you got sent to the hospital, said that she heard them arguing. The boss didn’t even let his girlfriend pack, and she heard him say that he’ll have her belongings sent over to her.”

Jessica: “Oh.”

I thought about whether Ashley getting sent home by the boss had something to do with me getting hurt. I got scared that the boss might be mad at me too.

Jessica: “Uhm, do you know if the boss is in his suite?”

Melanie: “He left the hotel last night after you got sent to the hospital. No one has seen him come back.”

I felt relieved as I headed to the penthouse suite. I hope the boss won’t be there when I clean because I was scared that he might get annoyed when he saw me. I realize that what happened yesterday was really inconvenient, and he even asked Ashley to leave his suite because of the incident.

When I got to the site, it looked empty. I started cleaning, and I was wiping the dining table when I felt dizzy. I leaned on the table for a bit, and I almost jumped when I heard someone say, “What are you doing here?”

I turned around and saw the boss. For the first time, I got to see the boss’ face clearly. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I knew him from. Maybe I’ve seen his face in a magazine somewhere. Melanie did say he’s one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, so I imagined that he was featured in a magazine somewhere.

Jessica: “Uhm, good morning, sir. I’m here to work.”

The Boss: “You should have taken the day off. You hit your head pretty hard yesterday.”

I forced a smile and said, “It’s okay, sir. I’m feeling fine.”

The Boss froze for a bit and looked at my face. He was looking at me so intensely that I got uncomfortable.

The Boss: “You’re still very beautiful.”

I looked at the boss and was surprised at what he said. What does he mean? Has he seen me before and knew what I used to look like? I couldn’t say anything, though.

I looked back down because I felt uncomfortable once more. Besides, it’s disrespectful to stare, especially since he’s my boss.

The Boss: “Look at me, Jessica. Don’t you recognize me?”

I got curious and looked at the boss once more. I squinted my eyes but still couldn’t recognize the good-looking man in front of me.

The Boss: “It’s Paul. Paul Santillan. You might remember me being skinny and wearing thick glasses in high school.”

I gasped as I realized that the man I am working for now was the same person I ridiculed and bullied when he invited me to prom in high school. He has changed so much physically, but as I looked at him further, I realized that he definitely is the Paul I used to go to high school with.

I was petrified and didn’t know what to say.