Chapter 1

She is currently fixing her hair in front of the mirror while she can see the reflection from behind is her mother preparing for breakfast. Her lips widened in happiness as she was done with her hair, then she turned around to face her mother and give her a tight hug.

"Thank you, Mama!" Vira said enthusiastically for the appreciation of her mother's effort.

Her mother smiled at her warmly and kissed her forehead.

"For my dear, Vira, I will prepare anything you want. But-" Her mother flicked her forehead that made her groan in vain.

"Mama! Stop doing that!" She resisted her mother by putting some distance in between them.

"Why are you going to school today? The higher authority announced that the class was online. Are you really going to school to study?" Her mother suspiciously asks her while preparing the plates on the table.

Vira winked at her mother while smoothly grabbing a spoon and fork then putting them on the side of the plate.

"Mama, it was our principal who invited me to visit her office today. Perhaps, she has something important to announce." She said. Vira clapped her hands cheerfully as she found out that their breakfast was all her favorite, such as egg, ham, and bacon!

She gasped in excitement, "Wow! We have an excellent breakfast for this morning! Can I give you a kiss, Mama?" And right there and then, Vira stole a kiss on her mother's cheeks before she took a seat in front of the table and started eating her food.

Vira took a mouthful of food when her mother asked her, "Why does your principal summon you to her office? Tell me, Vira, have you done something wrong this time?"

Vira choked as the mouthful of egg got stuck on her throat. She gasped for air as she grabbed one glass of water and swallowed it all at once.

"Mama!" She was panting heavily, and her heart beat erratically.

"What? You told me earlier that your principal invited you to her office. Somehow, students who in the principal office received punishments." Her mother opposed it.

Vira facepalmed. "Mind you; we're under quarantine, Mama! How am I supposed to violate the school rules? Through leaving the class meeting without permission or not wearing a complete uniform online? You kidding me, right, Mama?" She explained and continued eating her food.

Her mother nodded in response while letting her finish her breakfast. "Alright, but make sure to take care of yourself. The COVID-19 virus is spreading around the Philippines and killing thousands of people a week."

"Yeah, I know, Mama." She speaks while chewing the bacon on her mouth. The salty and savory sweetness melted on her tongue felt a sweet haven.

She glanced at her watch to find out that it was precisely seven in the morning and she needed to arrive at her University at eight.

'Oh, fuck' she thought.

She promptly ate her food for five minutes only, and a minute after, she was done preparing everything and ready to go. She was done wearing her rubber shoes when her mother lent her the face mask and shield.

"Here, don't forget to have this with you. And-" Vira's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when her mother grabbed something out of her pocket and put it on her right hand. "There, your allowance for today, Anak. Don't forget to eat your lunch, alright?" (The term 'Anak' refers to a child in the Philippines)

She shakes her head in disagreement and gives the money back to her mother. "Mama, you don't need to provide me with an allowance. I told you, I already received my income yesterday from writing on webnovel. Also, I transferred money to your bank account so we can now pay our debt."

Her mother's eyes widened in shock. "Anak, why did you do that? It was your money. Come on, accept this. I'm afraid that you didn't save some for yourself."

Her mother insisted on letting her accept the money, but she backed away so her mother wouldn't force her anymore about receiving it. I smiled at my mother's beautiful face. "Bye-bye, Mama. Don't forget to withdraw the money to buy a Jollibee for my two younger sisters and of course; it's for you to decide what you want to do with it. Just don't forget to buy for yourself and father."

"But, anak-"

"Bye, Mama! Take care always!" She cut off her persistent mother and now took her leave.

***

She was sweating all over her body as she strode to the end part of the bus. The handsome young man signaled Vira to the seat beside him, and she nodded in response.

"Thank you." She mumbled as she finally took her seat. The young man stares at her for a moment as if familiarizing every corner of her face.

Vira got confused about how the young man looked at her, so she asked him boldly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The young man the same age as her converted his sight to the front. "Nothing, you just looked familiar." He responded.

She nodded calmly and grabbed her phone on the backpack to have a chat with her best friend.

'Hey, where are you now?' then click sent to her friend. She looked outside the bus window but got distracted as her phone rang.

'I'm already at the University. Where are you?' Drake replied visibly on her screen.

'I'm on my way.' She replied as she waited for Drake's text.

'You better be, lady. It's almost eight in the morning, and you're still not here.' She smiled as she knew that her best friend, Drake, was already irritated with her.

'Miss me, bro?' She teased him. But Drake did not let her wait for three seconds to receive a response that states, 'Fuck off.' That shut her mouth as she tried to conceal her laugh.

Drake was her best friend since senior high, and they were still together until now that they were on their second-year college major in Science.

Vira was about to tease Drake again when she noticed a man with a tattoo-covered his whole chest and arms suspiciously had something in his pocket. Something associated with the sharp object. Adrenaline runs through her body as she expertly puts her phone under the bus seat where she is seated. Then after such action, Vira sat up straight while tilting her head slightly upward. She calmly looked straight in front of her while her hands were creeping on her backpack to grab her keypad.

There, everything was calculated.

As Vira finally had her keypad in her both hands, she saw the man with a tattoo stand up and shout to everyone to stay still while threatening them with the knife hidden in his pocket for a long time.

"This is a holdup!" The man with a tattoo shouted.

Everyone was confused for a second but panicked rushed to each individual when the robber stabbed a random man on its chest when it tried to fight back. "I'm warning, everyone! Try to fight back, and I will kill you in an instant! Now, kindly follow my instructions if you don't want to die. Give me your phone and your wallet. Don't try to fool me, or you're gonna die to where you are sitting at this moment."

She could witness children and older women sobbing because of fear. While the others are begging the robber, saying that they need the money to pay for their debt and support their family. However, the robber has no mercy and forces everyone to give their property. Indeed, everyone was afraid of their lives and the danger that they might face, so there was no other choice but to give up everything to the thieve. Everyone was crying in fear and anger. But despite the intense situation, Vira remained calm and collected. Good thing she forgot to have her ATM with her but the coins in her pocket.

"Your phone and wallet, give me those right away."

Vira woke up from her thought when she felt a sharp object pierce her neck. Her body stiffens as her eyes roam around, but her gaze stops at the man standing in front of her.

"You deaf? Give me those things!" The robber commanded.

She sighed heavily as she showed him her keypad and thirty pesos coins left in her backpack pocket.

"Are you treating me as a fool? What am I gonna do with that keypad and thirty pesos of yours? That wouldn't make me a rich person on earth or even let me buy one kilo of rice for a meal!" Vira can feel that the knife piercing on her neck sharpens.

"Well, does robbing makes you an affluent person? You are stealing money from the poor; expect that you can only gather not beyond your imagination. And mind you, I am wearing a student ID, referring that I am still dependent on my parent's financial support. And do you have a daughter?" Vira asks out of nowhere. She needs to get his sympathy to let her go and the others.

The man with a tattoo only gave her stern and cold looks before he decided to let her go and brought his attention to the others. Vira sighed with relief and caressed her neck unconsciously.

'That was a close call.' She thought.

After a few minutes that felt like an hour, the robber decided to leave the bus and left everyone in shock. Everyone doesn't know what to do any more on how to get to their location as they don't have enough cash to pay the bus driver. Fortunately, the driver was a good samaritan and offered everyone a free ride this time.

A small smile appeared on Vira's lips as she bent over to grab her phone under her seat. Then, she finally leaned her posterior against the stool to relax a little while placing her keypad inside her backpack.

"How could you-"

Vira looked beside her to see the handsome young man staring at her in surprise and amazement.

"What?" She asks him.

"How did you do that?" He asks in awe.

"I did what?" She was confused as hell but nodded in realization anyway after remembering what just happened. She waved her touch screen to the young man while smiling warmly.

"This one? Well, it's just purely an instinct." She said nonchalantly.

"Wow," he mumbled. He was staring at her with amazement visible in his eyes and was about to say something when the bus driver announced her place of arrival.

Vira glanced outside the bus window quickly to find out that her friends were already waiting for her at the gate of the University. Her friends, namely Ivan and Anna, waved their hands at her while wearing a very excited smile on their lips.

She stood up from her seat excitedly, but before the bus stopped in the terminal, Vira brought her attention to the young man and said, "It was nice meeting you. Have a good day ahead!"

The young man watches Vira until she gets off the bus and meets her friends happily.

"Omg! How are you?" Vira warmly greeted her friends and gave both of them a tight hug.

"We are absolutely fine. How are you, Vira? We miss you." Anna responded after they let go of each other's arms.

She winked at her friends and confessed something to them. "I won the science competition against the sci-high!" Sci-high is a University where most aspiring scientists were attending.

"Yeah, it was all over the University. Congrats, little lady!" Ivan cheerfully congratulated her.

"Congrats, best!" Anna seconded.

Her heart flutters, seeing her friends appreciate her effort. But her eyebrow furrowed as she wasn't able to see Drake.

"Wait, where is Drake? Is he still not here?" She was confused.

"Drake is at the principal office. Mrs. Monaco also invites him. I didn't expect to see you here today, not until Drake informed us." Ivan stated.

"And so do I. I didn't expect to see both of you here." Vira announced.

"Well, were athletes, remember? Our coach invited Ivan and me to participate in today's webinar and meeting. We don't have another choice but to approve his invitation." Anna explained.

She nodded in understanding when someone called her name from behind. She grinned.

"Vira." A baritone voice is calling her name a second time.

A small smile carved into Vira's lips as she turned around to see her best friend, Drake, approaching them while looking so handsome and tall.

"Drake! Nice seeing you again, bro!" She greeted him playfully.

"What time is it already?" Drake glanced at his watch for a second, then stared at her in irritation. "Five minutes before eight. You're wasting our time."

Instead of getting offended, Vira just gave Drake a friendly nudge on his shoulder as she was getting used to this kind of complaint from him. They were together for years, and every single morning, Drake would always rant at her because of getting late every day.

"Just this morning." She teased him.

"Over my ass." Drake ignored her and brought his all attention to their two friends. "We are now taking our leave. The both of you should go as well; your coach is asking for the two of you earlier."

Everyone nodded in accord and bid their goodbyes as Drake dragged Vira away to the principal office.

"Drake, let go of my hand!" She pouted. He's too fast that Vira can't keep up with Drake's pace.

"We're almost there, Vira." Drake opposed. Vira just let Drake drag her as she didn't have other options but to follow until they finally arrived in front of the principal office. Finally, Drake let go of her hands, causing her to halt her movement.

"What do you think Mrs. Monaco's purpose in inviting us, Drake?" She asks him.

"I haven't asked her myself. Might as well ask her personally since we're here." Drake told her sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes at him in irritation and knocked on the door.

"You still haven't changed—just a boring Drake as ever." She stated.

"Changed your attitude, and we'll be good," Drake said nonchalantly.

'She was just late. What is his problem?' She thought. Vira pushes the door herself so they can come in.

As they entered the cold office, she was curious to see Mrs. Monaco and a man they didn't recognize for once sitting in front of her. The man was older; perhaps he was in his 50s while wearing a formal white suit. Mrs. Monaco smiled warmly at them and led them to sit on the sofa beside the man.

"Please take a seat, both of you." Mrs. Monako said.

Drake casually took a seat beside the man while Vira followed Drake and seated next to him.

The man with a formal suit smiled at them warmly, but there was something on his smile. Something that Vira can't point out.

"Good morning, Mrs. Monaco." Drake and Vira greeted together.

Mrs. Monaco glanced at them and formally switched her aura into a business manner. 'I would like to introduce to both of you our prominent scientist, Doctor Gagarin. He's originally from Houston, Texas, working as a scientist, and as of the moment, offering us a quality service to help you with your upcoming international science competition. It might be best to give him some respect."

Vira nodded in understanding and bowed her head slightly to the Doctor. "We are pleased to meet you, Doctor Gagarin. Hope you'll enjoy your stay here in the Philippines."

"Nice meeting you, Sir." Drake seconded but brought his attention to the most respected woman in the room. "But I beg your pardon; we were not informed of this competition. Do you mind elaborating on this with us, Ma'am?"

Mrs. Monaco clasps both her hands together on the table while unconsciously licking her lips in preparation. "As I've said, both of you will be joining an international science competition. You will collaborate with Miss Mahusay, Mister Naval. And Doctor Gagarin would help you with your innovation."

Vira's emotions went upside down with this unexpected announcement. Little did they know, it would also turn their lives upside down.