5. Blacklisted

A/N: The chapter ahead is raw, which means it has not yet been proofread or edited.

***

"For table number 13!" The chef pressed the bell to call the attention of the servers.

Kalonice went to the counter to take the tray and serve it on the customer who's still wearing sunglasses inside the restaurant.

"Here's your order, Sir---"

The boy beside her grabbed and squeezed her derriere when she bent over to serve the dishes. It made her jump, but because of that, the food fell on the million-dollar suit of Mr. Yzaguirre's son.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

Kalonice jumped in fright from that strong bellow.

"S-Sir... Sir, I'm sorry! I'm sorry please, I'm sorry!"

She panicked and pulled the napkin. Her hand accidentally hit the glass. The wine splashed on his shirt and dripped down his pants.

"What the---are you fucking kidding me, peasant!?"

Mr. Yzaguirre's son pushed her back when she tried to wipe him.

"Sir, I'm sorry! It was an accident! Sir---"

He pulled his shades off to look at himself. He stand up, towering over her who fell on the floor when he pushed her, now down on her knees to ask for mercy.

The Ally students instantly recognized him.

They can't be wrong.

It's him!

The notorious Midas, the eldest son and heir of Larry Zeno Yzaguirre!

"What's going on!?" The Manager came running. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she recognized him, what's more when she saw what became of his clothes!

She angrily twisted her head to glare at Kalonice.

"What did you do!? What have you done!?"

Kalonice's eyes welled on tears.

"Ma'am, I-I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean..." She looked at the Ally students' side and they're all feigning ignorance.

They can't smirk nor giggle. They're oddly silent and frozen with their heads down low.

Midas Yzaguirre.

The Midas Yzaguirre is standing beside them. Of all people, why Midas Yzaguirre?

Their families will cast them out once they got dragged into this. They must do something! They must silence Kalonice!

"Oh, fuck it! Stop apologizing, peasant! Do you know how much this costs!? This is my favorite pair! Where's the manager!?"

Will his day get any uglier? First, his father surprised him with a sudden flight to the Philippines. He didn't want to go, but he gave him no choice but to obey. He said he will stand as his proxy as a panel for the thesis defense of graduating students of ALY-IC. Exhausting work, so much work! And then now, a stupid girl ruined his clothes!? Oh, he's so pissed!

"Sir, I am very sorry for what transpired. Please let us---"

"Don't touch me, you stupid manager! Don't you know who I am!?"

The manager touched her hand that he slapped.

"Sir, please, allow us to make amends. I am sure that this is an accident. Please---"

"ENOUGH!"

The manager jolted in fright.

"Who's the owner of this restaurant?" He picked up his phone and turned the airplane mode off.

"Sir, please! I'm begging you, please!"

"I SAID!" He seethe, "Who's the owner of this stupid restaurant!?"

But the manager and Kalonice persisted on asking for his forgiveness. Both are now on their knees. They know what he will do! He's done it before! He will shut the restaurant down within the next minute!

"What your name?"

"K-Kalonice Montecristo, Sir. Please, forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry, Sir! Please, please, let me explain. Just let me explain, Sir!" Kalonice sobbed and tried to touch her feet but he kicked her hands aside.

Midas Yzaguirre called his father's secretary, "Blacklist the name Kalonice Montecristo. I don't want her to ever work anywhere! This girl is so fucking stupid! And close this stupid, fucking restaurant as well!"

He turned his back on the, leaving. Kalonice and the restaurant's manager followed him. When they tried to touch him, he glared at them. It pierced through their souls. He didn't say anything and left with the ugliest mood.

"You idiot!"

"Ahh!"

Kalonice lost her balance after receiving a strong from the furious manager.

"Come here!" She grabbed her by the arm tightly and dragged her to the locker room. There, she beat Kalonice. Because of her, because of her---!

Kalonice tried to defend herself and told her truth.

"And!? Didn't you see their uniforms, Montecristo!? They're from ALY-IC, too! Elites! They're fucking elites! You should've let it slide! They only touched you! Did they rape you!? No, right!? That's Midas Yzaguirre! THE MIDAS YZAGUIRRE! YOU IDIOT!"

All that Kalonice could do was cry.

"I'm s-sorry, Ma'am---"

"Shut up and pack your things! You're fired! Goddammit! How am I going to explain this to the owner!?"

The manager angrily slammed the door shut. Kalonice covered her face to cry her heart out.

It's over.

The man had the same name with Larry Zeno Yzaguirre. He must be his son. Her life is over. He blacklisted her name.

Her dreams, her plans, her future...are burning right before her eyes.

It's over.

When she got home, she gave her best to pretend that everything is okay and smiled at her siblings. Before they go to bed, they watched an animated movie. She carried them to their beds when they have fallen asleep while watching.

"Mommy," Candice talked in her sleep and searched for her.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here," she said and kissed Candice's head. There, her tears poured.

She's not okay.

"Mommy, don't cry. I'm gonna cry, too," Candice murmured with a shaky voice and hugged her tight.

Kalonice kept her sobs to her throat.

What will become of them now? She must find a way. Should she seek Cardmon's help? Then, she will be a hypocrite. If Caedmon asked her what brought her back to him, and she told him, maybe things will be different. His impression about her will change and refuse her. Caedmon Alterio gets bored easily. If you're not interesting, you're out. He's done. And Kalonice, she doesn't know what part of her was interesting.

What about her is interesting enough to make the Caedmon Alterio obsessed with her?

Her face? Her brains? Maybe, her body.

Well, their relationship was entirely 'physical' after all. Caedmon Alterio is a womanizer and Kalonice Montecristo is one of his girls.

"Love love, Mommy."

"I love you too, baby. I love you very much."

She kissed Candice's head again. She stopped from crying. She won't give up yet. Maybe, there's still a way. There's a way. There will be a way.

For a week, Kalonice didn't go to school. She spent the whole week looking for a good paying job, but none of them, big or small, would take her. That's how fast the order of Midas Yzaguirre got out. Crazy it may seem, but it reached even the media. The hashtag #TyrantMidasDidItAgain is still trending to this day. The public opinion was divided, one in favor of Midas, blaming Kalonice for her poor service, and the rest were against Midas. He's got a reputation of ruining other people's lives, it's not new, but oh lord, how pitiful those people are.

Larry Zeno Yzaguirre bit his clenched knuckles. His grumpy son is in front of him, refusing to be held accountable for what had happened.

"You still don't know the shit you've done?"

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"OF COURSE, YOU DID!"

Finally, he snapped.

"I will tell my Mom you raised your voice at me!" Midas talked back, and his father spin his chair around. He's going crazy! He doesn't know what to do to his wicked child!

"She's an ace, Larzen! Ace! And we lost her because of YOU! Did you know how great her credentials are? Better than yours! We NEED her, and your Uncles are after her, too! Can't you see that we're on a race here!? Because of you, she's gone!"

Midas snorted and crossed his arms.

Secretary Sean knocked on the door.

"Have you found her?"

Secretary Sean shook his head, "Our team has retrieved the deleted CCTV footage of the establishment."

Secretary Sean placed the tablet on the table for the both of them to see. And there, they saw what truly happened.

Midas was speechless.

"Miss Montecristo was sexually assaulted, Sir. By the students from our institution."

"Fucking hell."

Larry Zeno grabbed the tablet just to throw it against the wall.

"Did you see that, Midas? A woman, sexually assaulted within your presence, and you didn't even know? You disappoint me! Your mother will be very, very disappointed as well! Get out of my office and go there to see if she's coming to school. If not, FIND HER YOURSELF! LEAVE!"

Midas stomped his feet and heavily marched away from his father. He even slammed the door shut. And once he's outside and alone...

"Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

He stomped his foot again before going on his way. He drove to ALY-IC and asked the President of Kalonice Montecristo had returned, but she only shook her head.

"Goddammit! Where in hell did that woman go to!? So annoying!"

He cursed after leaving the President's Office. He kicked the pot of plant near him before storming off without a destination, nowhere to go. As if Kalonice Montecristo is hiding somewhere in the campus.

He was about to leave when his eyes caught wind of the bastards who escaped their fates of getting in prison because of their names.

"Bro, I swear, I can still feel it in my hand! I'd let her sit on my face all day, all night!"

"Really? How about THIS!"

Midas didn't think twice and delivered his fist to that little boy's face.

"M-MIDAS!"

His friends backed off.

"Go on! Run away, I dare you! I have your stupid, worthless faces memorized!"

"ON YOUR KNEES!"

They all went down to their knees at once, begging for Midas Yzaguirre's mercy.

"Please, please! We will do anything! Please, don't let this get to our parents' ears! Please, bro!"

He punched the man who talk, breaking his nose.

"I'm not your fucking 'bro'. Fucking assholes. How did you get in here, huh? I should tell my Dad to change the system of this fucking institution. Dickheads like you got in? You lowest scums!"

The acting leader of the group stand up and spit on his clothes.

"You fucking Daddy's boy! You're a pussy! You're no different from us, aight!? No, you're worse! You're only brave because your rich Daddy is backing you up! Without him, you're nothing!"

Midas didn't let that slide and laughed, "And? Jealous much? It's not my fault if my father is the Larry Zeno Yzaguirre. And I'm better than you because not only I'm his son, I am Midas. You're sad because your Daddy doesn't love you. He doesn't give you attention, I suppose? Or is he dead?"

"FUCKER!"

Midas dodged his fist and kicked him effortlessly aside.

This time, Midas wore his hand gloves before getting on business. He beat the shit out of him and ordered the rest to punch themselves. There are witnesses, but nobody could dare record the event and call for help. They're watching the show and when Kalonice's block mates heard of it, they went to the scene to join and beat them up, too. Especially the boys. They're going all out.

Kalonice didn't deserve what they did. No woman in this world deserved to be sexually assaulted. And they're mad because Kalonice is their classmate, a model figure to everyone in that school, and an acquaintance.

Midas watch them handle it, though he's confused as to why unknown extra characters jumped in from the sidelines to join his exercise routine. He couldn't care less about his reputation. At the end of the day, he's still Larry Zeno Yzaguirre's eldest son and heir. And he's still Midas.

On the same day, when the President received the footage, she expelled the boys. Their names will forever be tainted and their families will suffer greatly.

But isn't it sad to think that abuse on women happens everywhere in the world, but nobody could defend, protect, and stand by them the way the institution and it's powerful figures defended, protected, and stood by Kalonice?

Safety, nowadays, is becoming a privilege.

"And that's how we get the..."

Midas did not pay attention to his professor on the screen. He's taking online classes. He's graduating soon, too, like Kalonice. He's enrolled at the main campus of ALY-IC in USA. And just like Kalonice, he's running for the Summa Cum Laude, too. A soon-to-be engineer.

His mind is occupied. He's bothered. It's late, but he's reflecting on what had happened. Wild thoughts are running in his head like, what if she killed herself because of depression? Because of what he did to her? She was sexually assault and to make things worse, he blacklisted her name. Oh, the guilt is eating him. He never felt guilty about the others who crossed his way since he knew that they deserved it. He was so fixated on hating his father and choking him in his mind that he didn't realize what's going on around him. He feels truly sorry.

"Argh, just go back to school, will you!?" He yelled due to frustration, shocking the professor and his classmates in the meet.

[Is there something wrong, Sir Midas?]

He rolled his eyes on them, "Just go on."

He already know what the professor is teaching him anyway. He's been studying since his passion for engineering was ignited. His father taught him, too.

Tsk. If Kalonice Montecristo won't show up, he will make her.