Memory of the Heart

Chapter 1: Young Master

The sound of the waves... the distorted laughters... murmurs from a deep, hoarsely voice...

Before Dalena could even figure out the rest of her dream, she was already pulled out of it. Now wide-awake, she rubbed her eyes a little bit before slapping both of her cheeks lightly, in attempt to refocus her back on reality.

That dream was not unusual. Dalena would usually get those kinds of dreams, even though she could not understand them. They were usually vivid scenes of the waves crashing softly in the shore, often with voices that she could not decipher.

But as far as Dalena knew, she has never been to that place shown in her dreams. After all, she was born and raised in a small provincial town in the Philippines. There were no beaches in her town. Rather, there were mountains and endless plains instead.

Also, if it wasn't for a sense of urgency to pay the pile of debts she had since her mother died, she would've never left the country to work overseas.

It is pretty pitiful, but that was the only way so she can earn enough money. Since she did not attend university, Dalena found herself unqualified for most jobs and underpaid for the little jobs that she was qualified for. With that, even if she worked until she was 60 years old, she would never be able to pay all her debts.

That's why, like many Filipinos, she knew she was left with only one choice – to work overseas.

In foreign countries, even if her work was service-based jobs, Dalena would get a higher salary than she would have in the Philippines. But of course, that doesn't mean that she never had to face any hardships. In fact, it seems like she only got herself in a new battlefield instead.

Since her visa was only temporary, Dalena wanted to make the most of her time here. She was paid per hour, so she was not fussy and took any jobs that she could.

Caregiver, childcare worker, waitress, cleaner, gardener, domestic helper... the list could go on and on.

Dalena took a deep breath before she murmured to herself, "Not good... I have to go back to work now."

After tirelessly tying her hair into a ponytail, Dalena started to walk out of the storage room. While arranging boxes and cleaning the area, her body betrayed her as she fell into a short nap.

But then, she could not blame her body for reacting that way. Dalena would not totally admit it, but she knew she was overworking herself.

Just for this day, she barely had 4 hours of sleep. Now that she thought about it, when was the last time that she had a complete 8 hour sleep anyway? For overseas Filipino workers like her, that kind of thing was luxury already.

Before she can even fully exit the area, Dalena saw a little boy sitting idly on the floor near the exit door.

The little boy looked around 5 or 6 years old. He had jet black hair and as one looks closely, he had beautiful pair of green eyes. He was wearing a light blue long-sleeve button-up shirt with black pants, making him look a little dignified.

Usually, boys who were around the same age as the little boy would be considered 'cute'. But no, even at his age, one can already label the little boy as 'handsome'.

If someone told Dalena right now that the boy was a descendant from the heavens or a fairy, she would've believed them. The little boy truly had a magnificent appearance, which automatically sets him apart from the children she used to look after in daycare centres.

How did the little boy end up here? This area was only meant for the workers here.

As Dalena directed her eye at the exit door, she noticed that it was locked. When that is the case, it could only be opened using a key - which thankfully, she has.