The modeling offer came on a Wednesday.
It wasn't glamorous.
It was Tessie's Boutique — a small clothing store squeezed between a pharmacy and a sari-sari shop.
But to Elena's family, it felt like Paris Fashion Week.
"You just have to wear the dresses and smile," Tessie explained, fanning herself dramatically. "We'll post it on Facebook. My niece will take pictures. She has an iPhone."
An iPhone.
Elena nodded nervously.
The first dress was baby blue. Simple. Flowing.
When she stepped out of the fitting room, the tiny store went silent.
Even Tessie gasped.
"Naku… parang artista."
Elena felt heat rush to her cheeks.
The photos were taken outside the shop against a painted wall of fake flowers. Tricycles passed. Dogs barked. Children stared.
It wasn't glamorous.
But when the pictures were posted that evening…
Everything changed.
By midnight, the photos had been shared hundreds of times.
Comments poured in:
"Who is she?"
"New influencer?"
"She's from here? Impossible."
"She should join Miss Province!"
Elena stared at the screen in disbelief.
Liza called her screaming.
"You're viral in three barangays!"
Elena laughed for the first time in days.
It felt unreal.
But the attention wasn't all kind