KAYLA'S POV:
The next day, I stood in front of the café, my gaze fixed on the glass door like it was a threshold to something irreversible.
I was unrecognizable.
A brown wig with thick bangs framed my face, hiding my real hair completely. I wore no makeup at all, my skin bare, plain, stripped of anything that could give me away. Braces pressed against my teeth, oversized glasses sat on my nose, and loose jeans paired with an oversized hoodie swallowed my frame, the kind every so-called normal teenage girl would wear.
Normal.
I hated that word.
I hated casual even more.
I wasn't normal. I wasn't casual. I was different, special, sharp, dangerous in ways no one ever noticed and so beautiful than someone could ever be. But today, I had to disappear into the crowd. I had to look forgettable. Invisible. Ugly.
Because if anyone recognized me, especially Hari. everything would fall apart.
I stood there for a moment longer, steadying my breath, forcing my heartbeat into submission. Then I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The smell of coffee and warm sugar filled the air. The café buzzed with quiet conversations and clinking cups. I walked up to the counter and cleared my throat.
"Hello… I'm here for the job interview. I applied a few days ago."
The man behind the counter barely looked up.
"Name?"
"Ciara Lorren Rosewood."
Of course, I would never use anything real. Not my name. Not my identity. Not a single piece of me. One careless mistake could turn everything into chaos.
"Age?"
"Seventeen."
"Are you a student?"
"Yes… a high school student."
"Which high school?"
"Manila High School."
He nodded, typing something into the system.
"Oh. Okay. You can start from today."
Just like that.
He turned around and called out to someone who was serving drinks.
"Liam! Come here!"
A man nodded and walked toward us.
The manager said to him, " Guide her, she's new, working from today"
He nods and after the manager left, he finally spoke.
"Hi. I'm Liam.....Liam Michael Barren."
He stretched out his hand, waiting for me to shake it. I hesitated for half a second before placing my hand in his.
"I'm Ciara… Ciara Lorren Rosewood."
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
"Let me guide you," he said. "This way, to the kitchen."
I followed him, my eyes scanning everything, the counters, the staff, the reflections in the glass.