How much would all of this cost?
Angel's father asked plainly, but Angel knew this was not something so simple.
Despite her own ignorance, she may have heard this before on a news outlet or read it in an article—but fixers don't price in official rates.
Of course, anybody knows that when you're dealing in the grey area or straight-up crime, rates for a job get inflated… but you really don't understand how absurd this actually is.
For example, Angel remembered a bit clearly back then.
The Land Transportation Office—or LTO—once had reports about fixer pricing.
Normally:
Official government fees (roughly):
◇ Student Permit: around ₱250
◇ Non-Professional Driver's License: around ₱685
◇ Plus required medical exams and driving courses, which are separate, legitimate expenses.
However, a fixer's rate? Many reports said they charge around ₱3,500–₱6,000. Some as high as 7k PHP!
So with her situation—which required forgery not just in the Philippines but also in Russia? Angel might as well sell her soul to the devil with how high the price might be!
"Hmm… this is hard. I'm afraid the lowest I can give is 12k."
"12k?"
Angel almost felt like she would faint—that's a medium dent on her parents' wages!
"Pwede ko pong malaman kung bakit?"
Angel's father asked calmly, to which the fixer nodded in reply.
"Of course. This matter is very complex if we go with the cover-up story you mentioned. There are many ways, but most would be troublesome—for you and for me. So I've devised a cleaner approach.
First: for the birth certificate—to avoid the lie from becoming too complicated—I will register her as an illegitimate child born in Russia to a single Filipina mother. I simply need to find a deceased citizen to stand as her mother for this.
Second, for the grades: I would need to forge high-quality documents that look close to those from schools in Moscow. This requires premium materials, and of course… research to make it believable."
Hearing the fixer's words, both Angel and her father couldn't help but be convinced.
That's true—this matter is very muddy.
"Can we use my big brother's grades?"
Angel spoke up shyly.
"Your big brother?"
The fixer turned to Angel.
"Mhm. He has grades. Maybe we can copy his? It'd be too suspicious if you make it look like I'm a high-achieving student."
Angel laughed nervously, scratching her cheek.
"Oh… yeah, I got it… okay."
The fixer nodded.
"So what'll it be? Deal?"
The fixer looked at the two people in front of him. The father seemed deep in thought, before sighing.
"Deal."
He shook the fixer's hand.
"What's your name again? And when can we meet for the files?"
Angel's father asked.
"Ah, I'm Alan Dominic. You can expect everything to be done within a week."
Alan smiled as Angel's father stood—and Angel, catching her father's glance—
"Oh, sige. Salamat ha? Paano, aalis na kami."
Angel's father gave a slight bow.
"Ah! Magkain muna po kayo. It's like… 9 a.m.? Have you all eaten yet?"
Alan asked, glancing at his watch. How could he have forgotten! He'd been eating by himself—no, he'd been eating while they were transacting!
"Ah…"
Angel's father looked at Angel, his eyes narrowing, causing her to flinch.
"Erm…?"
Angel looked worried. Usually she would want to eat, but knowing just how much her parents had to spend for her… it made her a little reluctant.
"I guess I—"
gurgle
The two men's eyes widened. They stared at Angel, who kept staring at the ground, her ears slightly red.
"We should eat… here."
Angel's father sighed.
---
[5 minutes have passed.]
Angel's father went to the cashier to order food in her place, while Angel sat across from Alan.
Come to think of it, Angel hasn't talked much to guys beyond Raymundo… plus, this was a guy older than her, so the atmosphere became awkward very fast.
Angel couldn't help but avert her gaze… trying to look busy, while Alan just watched her.
"May I know, miss? What do you usually do?"
Hearing Alan's words, Angel acted like she didn't hear him at first. But then she decided to look at him and open her mouth.
"I… usually just play games and… write…"
Angel replied with an awkward laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Oh? You play games? What do you play?"
"Uhm… usually? League of Legends."
"Oh, lol! Which champ do you usually play?"
"Anything, really. But I like Jhin…"
Before Angel knew it, her discomfort began easing up. She also began opening up to Alan. Unbeknownst to her, she was smiling happily discussing these things with him.
As it turns out, talking can be quite fun!
"Angel, excuse me."
Angel jolted. Both she and Alan looked—her father had come back, tray in hand.
"Woww!"
As her father set down the tray, Angel couldn't help but clap her hands gently, her mouth curving into a happy smile.
Usually, these things would've gotten no reaction from her as Joseph. But as a woman, she had found herself doing this—
part of it was her undeniable beauty and cuteness, and the other was simply that her past shell no longer defined her.
On the tray were two plates: one was fried chicken, the other was Ala King—her favorite. A crispy chicken fillet with that delicious sauce!
It had a bit of spice, and it's something Angel has come to love.
And so, with that, she took the Ala King and began devouring it.
"Haha, she seemed hungry enough."
Alan said, laughing a little.
"Mhm… she's always like this."
Angel's father said.
"Well, sir, and Miss Angel—I'll go na. Please enjoy the meal!"
Alan stood and gave a nod.
"Ah, sige. Paano, next week?"
Angel's father asked, and Alan smiled.
"Next week, sir."
With that, he left. Angel's father looked at Angel and couldn't help but sigh once more. He sat beside her and ate his fried chicken…