They were both surprised when they were suddenly summoned to the principal's office. Mariely glanced at her, and the two of them decided to go together.
They began walking toward the principal's office.
"I wonder what Ma'am Becca needs from us?" she asked her companion.
"I have no idea," Mariely replied, shaking her head.
When they arrived at the door of the principal's office, they went straight in.
"Good morning, Ma'am Becca," they greeted the woman seated at the principal's desk.
"Good morning, and Happy New Year," she greeted them back.
"Happy New Year to you too, Ma'am," Veron replied.
Ma'am, Becca nodded with a smile. "I know you're both really busy now with your upcoming oath-taking and in securing your certificates and licenses," she began.
They listened quietly.
"But this is also an important matter for our school. I'm sending you both to a three-day seminar for language representatives at a nearby private school. Don't worry, it won't interfere too much with your other tasks. Right after your oath-taking, you'll proceed with the seminar," she explained.
The two exchanged glances. "Alright, Ma'am. What should we bring? Will there be a workshop after the meeting?" Veron asked.
"Just bring your laptop and, of course, your third-quarter competencies based on your curriculum guide," Ma'am Becca replied.
"Okay, Ma'am," Faith agreed with a nod.
"Don't worry about your expenses. The school will cover everything. Just give your students activities for those three days while you're away," Ma'am Becca added.
The two nodded again.
"Alright, Ma'am, we'll be going now," Veron said politely.
Ma'am Becca nodded, and they left the office. Veron couldn't help but remark, "Out of all the language teachers here, why us?"
Mariely, holding her phone, replied, "No, there's no mistake. There's already a memo listing who will attend the seminar." She showed it to Veron.
Reading it, Veron sighed. "No choice, we'll just do our best."
Mariely nodded in agreement. Time passed quickly—soon their oath-taking was over, and they were heading to face the seminar.
They arrived together at the venue, the hosting school being quite large.
There, they unexpectedly encountered the man who had often stared at Faith before. His smile widened when he saw her.
"Good morning, teachers. I think we meet again," he said.
Veron looked at Faith, noticing she was still processing the recognition.
"I see, so you teach here," Faith replied with a small smile.
"I guess if you're looking for the venue, please follow me," he offered. With no better choice, they followed him to avoid getting lost.
"I'm Edward Carl. I've been teaching here for almost two years. Please excuse me for a moment," he said before stepping away.
Veron raised an eyebrow.
"Let's go," Mariely said, and they proceeded to get their name tags, carrying their laptops.
They waited several minutes until the seminar began.
***
Damn. Edward shook his head as he walked away after escorting the two young women to the seminar venue. He never expected their paths to cross again.
Hmm… What should I do? He thought to himself, already scheming.
He decided he would simply observe the two young teachers for now—after all, he knew the ins and outs of his school.
Her friend is wealthy, I see. That could come in handy if she became my girlfriend. I'll make sure she falls for me, he thought with a sly grin.
The school was busy with various private schools arriving for the seminar. Classes continued as usual, and Edward's job was to escort visitors through the hallways to the event venue.
When his assigned task was done, he returned to the faculty room.
"Hey, what are you planning this time, Edward?" Anthony asked, already sensing mischief.
"Huh? I just escorted them. I'm doing my job," Edward replied casually.
"Job, my ass! Are you actually serious about your stupid plan?" Anthony pressed.
"Yes. Her friends look generous and well-off," Edward answered plainly.
Anthony shook his head. "I'm staying out of your mess. I've warned you over and over, Edward." He gave him a serious look.
"Karma will hit you hard when it catches up to you." With that, Anthony left.
Edward merely shook his head and ignored him. He had to prepare for his next class anyway. Already, he was thinking of ways to tame his target like a sheep—and use her to his full advantage.
A smirk spread across his face. He forced himself to calm down as his first period began.
"Good morning," he greeted his students.
"Good morning, Sir Edward Carl Geronima," they replied in unison, complete with his full name.
"Take your seats. Where did we leave off in our discussion?" he asked.
His eyes once again caught sight of fair-skinned legs—he knew some female students were deliberately teasing him. He smirked to himself, unseen.
Class went on. Afterward, he summoned one of the female students to the faculty room. She followed willingly, and Edward already knew exactly what he wanted: to satisfy his lust.
I know I'm the worst teacher here, but these students… They never refuse me. They want it. I'm just giving them what they want, he told himself.
Once he was done, he sent the student back to class and gathered his things.
By then, participants from the seminar were stepping out for a break. He didn't see the two women he had escorted earlier—perhaps they were still inside, he thought.
With a free period, he spent his time playing on his phone before teaching again until late afternoon.
On his way out, he ended up walking alongside the two women.
"How's your seminar?" he asked.
"It was fine," Mariely replied.
"By the way, what's your name?" he asked.
"Faith Mariely, and she's my colleague and friend Veron Camille," Faith introduced them both.
"What a nice name. Nice to meet you, both of you," Edward said warmly.
"Nice to meet you too—" Veron began, but he cut in with, "Edward is fine."
"Ah, Sir Edward," Veron replied with a smile.
"Faith, let's go," Veron urged.
Mariely nodded. "We need to head home now. Nice to meet you, Edward. See you tomorrow," she said with a smile.
"Yeah, take care," he replied.
Once they were gone, Edward couldn't hold back a laugh at what he had set in motion.
I'm sure I'm going to enjoy this, he thought to himself.