Chapter 13

• Because Simmy wasn't allowed to touch Dad's money, I had to call him myself. Simmy was persistent. She wouldn't stop asking me until she talked to Dad. Seriously, she should just get a cellphone if she's going to pester me like this!
• "Why don't you calm down and put that away?" I asked Simmy while searching for Dad's number in my contacts. "I'm sure it can wait, right?" I said to her.
• Simmy pouted, and I rolled my eyes at her. Simmy was still in her late 20s but acted like a teenager. Especially when she had her period. Every month, she'd pester me so much that I would escape to entertainment hubs and only come home when I was sure she was asleep.
• Dad understood why I came home late seven days every month. I knew Simmy didn't bother Dad like she did me, which drove me up the wall whenever I saw her face. She was such a crybaby! But because Dad and I trusted her, we let her act like a child for those seven days each month. Well, Dad, the other staff, and I were always prepared for Simmy's period.
• "I broke it, Azora," she said, swallowing hard as her eyes welled up. "I want to tell your dad to deduct the price of this vacuum cleaner from my salary."
• I looked at the vacuum cleaner she was holding. It was an imported automatic vacuum cleaner from the States. Just by looking at it, I guessed it cost around five hundred dollars. Deducting that from Simmy's salary?
• I shook my head and laughed. She'd be without a salary for two months if that happened.
• "Just throw it away," I said, putting my cellphone back in my pocket. "I'm sure Dad won't mind."
• "Azora..." she cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks. I frowned. "Azora... call your dad, please. I'll tell him to deduct it from my salary. Please, Azora..."
• My eyebrows knitted even more at what Simmy said. Something felt off.
• Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed some of the household staff signaling. They were making an "X" sign. I didn't understand.
• But when one of the maids in front of me bent down as if changing a pad, I finally got it. Simmy was currently on her period!
• I silently cursed. How could I have been so careless? I should have checked before coming home!
• "Simmy," I called her seriously.
• She looked up at me, blinking her eyes like she was trying to be cute. My stomach churned. She was hilarious!
• I ran a hand through my hair and turned to face Japen. I was sure he knew how hard it was to entertain Simmy during her period. It was like having a child to take care of!
• "Well..." I trailed off, narrowing my eyes at Japen, who was just staring at me in confusion. Didn't he get the maids' signals earlier?
• "Azora?" he asked.
• Another one. I sighed and nodded at him. "Let's go," I said, stepping out of the kitchen.
• But Simmy blocked my way. She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Call him first, Azora."
• My eyebrows furrowed in frustration. If she hadn't taken care of me all these years, I would have pushed her aside. But I held my tongue. Simmy was still Simmy after all. Maybe she acted this way due to hormonal imbalance, but sometimes I thought it wasn't quite right. I mean, Simmy was in her late 20s, so it didn't seem normal for her to have such hormonal imbalances. But I chalked it up to genetics. When we had her checked by a doctor, she screamed and cried, so we didn't force her. And that incident was years ago, when Mom was still around. We got used to Simmy's tantrums every week, one week every month. Thankfully, she didn't pester Dad.
• "No," I refused, crossing my arms. "Step aside," I told her.
• She shook her head and pouted again. "I'll call your dad myself, Azora."
• I raised an eyebrow at her suggestion and smiled as an idea came to mind. I took my cellphone out of my pocket and handed it to her. "Go ahead, open my phone and call him," I said, watching her every move with impatience.
• Simmy tried to open the cellphone, but with the password and PIN as security, she couldn't unlock it. Instead, she accidentally opened the dialer and pressed the emergency number. Her face registered shock, and she quickly showed it to me.
• My eyes widened, and I swiftly grabbed the phone. Before the dispatcher could answer, I pressed the end call button.
• "That was close," I whispered, breathing a sigh of relief.
• Calling the emergency number when there wasn't an emergency was not good. They might think it was a prank call. Emergency numbers were for people who needed help, not for pranks. The consequences could be severe.
• "Simmy," I called her in a serious tone.
• She snapped to attention, standing up straight. "Azora..."
• "Don't mess around. Move. Don't block the door," I said. Simmy complied, probably because she was still shaken. Even though she wasn't familiar with using cellphones, she knew what kind of number she had dialed.
• All our staff were told to memorize local and national emergency numbers. It was to ensure they could call for help if something bad happened. Also, it was for their safety and ours too. So I knew Simmy understood what she had dialed, which probably scared her.
• I grabbed Japen's hand, who had been quietly standing by my side, and pulled him out of the kitchen. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I really didn't like coming home when Simmy was on her period. It was exhausting to watch over her.
• "Simmy hasn't changed," Japen remarked.
• We left the mansion and headed to the garage where the car was parked. I wanted to get away from the mansion while it was still early. Maybe we could visit the Naga Boardwalk. I heard it was nice at night.
• "Let's get some fresh air at the boardwalk," I suggested to Japen.
• To my surprise, he suddenly laughed. "Are you asking me out, Azora?"
• I frowned and looked at Japen. He had a big grin on his face. I scoffed.
• Naga Boardwalk was known in our place as a dating site since most of the visitors were couples. Maybe Japen's head was in the clouds, saying all sorts of things.
• Nonetheless, I urged him to drive me there... to have some "dating" time with Japen. Tsk.