Five years ago…
Narrator
It was a few minutes past 9 p.m. Natasha was already fast asleep, her soft breaths rising and falling in peaceful rhythm. Bianca, however, remained awake, her eyes glued to her laptop as she worked on some pending projects.
Elizabeth sat poised at her study desk, preparing for an evening podcast session. She adjusted her headset, fine-tuned her microphone, and plugged the speaker cable into her phone's Spotify app.
Her hands rubbed together briskly—partly from habit, partly to chase away the nerves that came before every episode.
"One... two... three..." she whispered under her breath, counting down. "Go."
She flicked on the mic, watching the frequency bars move steadily with her voice.
"What's up, people? It's your girl, Lizzy Bizzy, and you're tuned in to the Lizzy Bible Talks Show! Tonight, we're diving into a powerful topic: Freedom in Christ Jesus. Our memory verse is taken from Galatians 4:7. So, turn your Bibles with me to Galatians… I'll be reading from the NIV version…"
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Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes later, she was wrapping up, unplugging her gear and clearing her space.
From across the room, Bianca—now under the duvet, her laptop closed—murmured, "That preaching was really powerful, you know."
"You think?" Elizabeth asked, facing the mirror as she began tying her long, dark, toe-length hair into a bun.
"Girl, I don't think. I know," Bianca replied, nestling deeper into the covers and shifting to make space. The girls all shared one massive, king-sized mattress.
Elizabeth placed a hand over her chest, grinning. "Aww, that was so sweet of you, Cici."
"You should invite me onto one of your Bible talk shows. If your fans ever want a guest, I'm game."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Wait, are you seriously offering to be on my show? I thought I'd have to fill out an appointment form or beg you for a slot."
"Please, girl." Bianca rolled her eyes. "I'm not my boss."
Elizabeth chuckled. "No, you're definitely not the almighty Antoni Jan Mikolaj Jakub." Her Brazilian accent came through thick as she exaggerated his name in a mock-masculine tone.
"Speaking of that idiot," Bianca sat up with a sigh. "Ever since he traveled to Czech Republic, the office has actually been peaceful. Especially for me. I wish he had a one-way ticket to hell and never came back."
"Jesus Christ, Bia," Elizabeth frowned. "How could you say something like that?"
Bianca groaned, flopping back onto the mattress. "What do you want me to say? When he's pissed at one person, he takes it out on me—like I'm his emotional punching bag."
Elizabeth nodded with a knowing smile. She understood the type. Back in Brazil, her family had once supplied fruits to a major juice company. The CEO used to take his bad moods out on the fruit, complaining about citrus acidity when things didn't go his way.
"You better get used to it," Elizabeth said, slipping off her flip-flops and crawling into bed.
Bianca laid back beside her. The two friends stared at each other through the dim light.
"I'm trying," Bianca whispered. "Especially now that he moved me into the office right next to his."
Elizabeth arched a brow. "He what? Wait, why? You didn't ask?"
"I thought I was hired as a cashier, not his damn P.A.," Bianca muttered.
Their voices were hushed, careful not to wake Natasha.
Elizabeth was quiet for a second, like she was processing something. Then softly, she said, "I think he likes you."
"Likes—?!" Bianca clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she'd shouted. Natasha stirred but didn't wake. "That's totally out of line, Lizzy."
Elizabeth smirked. "Out of over two hundred employees, he picks you to be next door? Girl, he's got a plan. Soon he'll try switching you with his actual P.A."
"Never." Bianca sat up dramatically. "I swear, if he ever dares it, I'll quit on the spot. Ugh—who wants to be around that womanizer?"
Elizabeth burst into laughter. Bianca's fiery expression was unintentionally hilarious.
"So, he really flirts around?" Elizabeth asked, amused.
"You of all people should know, Miss Vision Bearer," Bianca said, narrowing her eyes. "You can see through people with a name alone. The man has no control. He probably has sex twenty times a day if his schedule allows it."
Elizabeth crossed her arms. "And how do you know that?"
"Because, I've walked into his office enough times without knocking—and let's just say, I've seen more than I ever wanted. Every time, some random woman's either straddling him or adjusting her skirt. I swear, I can't even touch his desk anymore without cringing."
Elizabeth was about to respond when her phone rang from the bedside table.
"Oh—it's my boss," she said, reading the caller ID.
Bianca glanced at the wall clock. "It's almost 11 p.m. Can't she wait till morning?"
Elizabeth answered the call, signaling Bianca to hush. "Good evening, ma."
"Evening, Rodriguez." Sharon's voice was slurred with sleep. "Sorry to call this late. Tomorrow, you'll be dropping my mom off at the spa by 8 a.m. I'll send the address. Then at 10:30, pick up my elder brother from the airport. Don't worry about driving me to work—my second chauffeur will handle it."
"No problem, ma. Anything else?"
There was a pause. Then Sharon said quietly, "Nothing else, Rodriguez. Goodnight." The line went dead.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and tossed the phone back onto the table. "Bunch of spoiled kids."
"What'd she say?" Bianca asked.
"She wants me to chauffeur her mommy to the spa and play airport taxi for her brother."
Bianca groaned. "I swear, your job is still better than mine."
"Says who?" Elizabeth scoffed. "I just started and she's already using me like her personal assistant. Who knows—maybe next time she'll ask me to fly her to Australia."
Bianca laughed. "You're insane."
"Whatever. I have to be up early to run her errands. She hates lateness."
Elizabeth reached over and switched off the table lamp.
"Goodnight, Bia."
"Goodnight, Lizzy Bizzy."