The Other Daughter

Chapter 1: The Chance Encounter with the Other Rich Man's Daughter

"May mali ba saakin," she whispered to herself.

The profile flickered in front of her asking for something very vital.

Interested in?

"Both men and women," she typed.

She knew she was different but she also knew she had a very challenging time connecting with anyone.

She hears her phone beep.  Someone messaged her from her dating app.

A photo of a certain Kenneth, 24 matched with her. He looked harmless enough. He had an awkward Confucius mustache he was trying to grow. He wore skinny jeans and floral shirts. He liked cooking, she looked at a photo of him posing with a piece of ribeye and a cast iron pan.

Kenneth to Patricia: Hi! how are you? ano gawa mo?

Pat felt it was pleasant enough so she replied back. The conversation seemed easy enough.

"Hello, hello lang naman," she said to herself.

As she focused on her phone, the rest of her office crew started barging in. The noise blaring and overpowering her soft music.

"Patpat! Nasan na yung pinabili kong pichi-pichi," a burly gay man shouted to her direction.

"Sir Earl, nandyan na sa desk mo," Patricia smiled.

"Aaaaaayyyyy!!! Saya! May pichi pichi na akooo!" another gay man blurted out.

"Sabihin mo sa Mama mo, thank you, ah... ang sarap talaga ng pichi pichi niya," Earl said as he chomped on the kakanin.

"Oo. Salamat din," she said quietly.

Her office was filled with loud, boisterous chatter. A mix of chain smoking middle aged women and bombastic gay men filled the floor of their office.

Pat stuck out like a sore thumb on the floor of the Ortigas office, she was the youngest out of all of them and also the most quiet.

"O nasulat na ninyo yung announcement ng paglipat ni Bea Alonzo sa GMA diba?" Earl Bautista was her boss and the Chief Editor of ChikaLogy - the number 1 tabloid and online portal on anything chismis in the Philippines.

The country was such a fodder for chismis, Chikalogy was number 3 only to two national newspapers for sales and online viewership.

Chismis and Rumors---- a moneymaker in the country.

"Ang galing talaga ni Patpat, siya naka scoop na lilipat si Bea. Good job ka diyan," Tita Baby, a veteran showbiz reporter in a mullet said as she gave Pat a thumbs up.

Pat pressed enter on her keyboard and her old laptop screen flashed, "Bea Alonzo - Kapuso Na!"

The main headline for her and her biggest story of the month.

Pat always thought she was going to be an investigative reporter. The only thing she is investigating now is the most salacious scandals and exciting rumors she can find.

"Nasa scoop at chismis ang pera," she muttered under her breath, somewhat disappointed.

The office suddenly turned quiet as a woman in an all black business suit and Louboutin heels walked in.

It was Lorna Gomez, the owner of Chikalogy. She took off her black mask and immediately grabbed her cigarette. She looked tensed and peeved.

"Hello po, Ma'am Lorna," everyone exclaimed in unison.

"Emergency meeting!!!!" an assistant yelled.

Everyone bunched into Lorna's spacious all white conference room. Her voice shaking and echoing in anger throughout the room.