Aliyah Yajaira Liwanag has been struggling with life ever since their family fell apart, kaya naman nang makatanggap siya ng offer mula sa isa sa pinakamayaman sa bansa na si Benedict Amadeo ay agad-agad niya itong tinanggap. Sino ba ang makakatangg...
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Humanay ang mga modelong nagdadala ng bags na bumubuhat sa pangalan ng Yaji at Liwanag, my two brands under Her Era.
Nagpalakpakan ang mga tao at iyon ang nagsilbing hudyat ko para lumabas at humanay kasama sila. I was suddenly embraced by the coldness when they suddenly handed me a microphone.
Hindi naman ako naghanda ng speech. Ang sinabi lang sa akin ay tatayo lang ako sa gitna ng mga modelo at tatango sa lahat ng direksyon bilang pasasalamat.
Isang taon. Isang taon na ang nakalipas mula nang unang beses naming matanggap ang samples. Nang makumpirma namin ang kalidad ay nagsimula na ang production ng mga bags na siyang aming ikinalat sa mga social media influencers. Sa tulong nila ay naging matunog ang Yaji, at kadikit na rin no'n ang Liwanag.
People patronized Yaji's products because of its affordability and quality. Salamat sa aming magaling na marketing team, naging matagumpay ito.
Here we are, holding some sort of a runway to showcase Liwanag and Yaji's second collection.
We are now slowly building our name. We are gradually getting featured, and I know this year will be the perfect chance for my plans as we are being slowly recognized.
"What do I say?" I awkwardly started as I tried to look at everyone.
Isang munting ngiti ang aking ipinakita bago ko ipinagpatuloy ang pagsasalita. "Sometime in the previous years, I almost wished for death. I stopped believing that things would fall into place. I just wanted to give up because of an unfortunate thing."
The silence felt kind of eerie. Ramdam ko ang titig nila at kanilang antisipasyon sa mga susunod kong sasabihin. Why am I even sharing things?
"I never imagined that I would survive that phase of my life. I never thought I'd be standing in a place like this, showcasing Her Era's second collection."
I tried to search for Conrad as I scanned through the crowd, and when our eyes met, he gave me an encouraging smile.
"This? This is all because of the people who supported our brand, and the people who testified and told the world about the quality of our products. This is for every woman who survived life's struggles. Para ito sa lahat ng kakababaihang patuloy na lumalaban para maitaguyod nila ang kanilang sarili o ang kanilang pamilya. One day, ladies, you are going to get everything you want in life. With grit and perseverance, all of your wishes will come true, kaya kapit lang. Kakayanin natin ito dahil ipinanganak tayong palaban."
"So thank you, everyone. Please enjoy the rest of the night," huli kong sinabi bago kami um-exit sa runway.
Maraming bumati sa akin habang ako ay papunta sa puwesto ni Conrad. Some shook my hand, and all I did was smile and say thank you.
It was slowly getting overwhelming, and thankfully, I was able to reach Conrad.
