Chapter Five: Burn Toast and Mixed Signals

Pinakabagong kabanata

• Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game   Chapter Sixty-Five: The Softest Tomorrows

  =Sera’s POV=There was no press, no podium, no flashing lights.Just silence, sunlight, and the scent of earth in the garden we were slowly reclaiming.Months ago, I lived in shadows—fighting ghosts, answering questions about a marriage I barely understood. Now, I stood in the middle of the old Navarro estate, barefoot on damp grass, and for the first time in so long…I was just Seraphina.No legacy to outrun. No mask to wear.Just me. And the man who never let go.✴✴✴Two weeks after the restoration started in the Navarro Estate, the new pavilion stood where a crumbling greenhouse used to be. Open air, soft wood, surrounded by wildflowers that hadn’t bloomed in years. We kept most of them as they were—raw, untamed. Alive.We gathered today not for a business launch, nor a gala. But for something softer. Quieter.“Simple lang, Sera,” Julianne—one of our lead architects—had said earlier. “You don’t need anything loud to mark something that means everything.”At hindi ko na kailangang p

• Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game   Chapter Sixty-Four: Inheritance of Fire

  =Sera’s POV=Some inherit gold.Others, power.Ako? I inherited ruin. And from that ruin—I forged fire.✴✴✴Two weeks later in Navarro Ancestral Estate, Batangas...Nasa harap ako ngayon ng lumang bahay na matagal ko nang hindi binalikan. Matayog pa rin ito, pero halatang niluma na ng panahon—ang mga kahoy na sahig, ang kupas na pintura, at ang mga alaala ng kahapon na nakatago sa bawat sulok.“This used to be the heart of Navarro,” I said softly, running my hand along the gate. “Before everything fell apart.”Damien stood beside me, quietly surveying the structure. “It can still be the heart. If you’re ready.”“I am.” Huminga ako nang malalim. “Hindi na ako natatakot sa mga multo ng nakaraan.”Binuksan namin ang lumang tarangkahan. As we stepped in, the floor creaked under our feet— na para bang ginising 'nun ang mga alaala ng pamilya kong minsang buo.There were old portraits still hanging—Lolo’s eyes, sharp and full of pride. Lola’s grace etched into her smile. My father, young and

• Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game   Chapter Sixty-Three: A Name Worth Rebuilding

  =Sera’s POV=May mga pangalan na binura ng kahapon.At may mga pangalang kailangang itayo muli—mas matatag, mas totoo.✴✴✴One week later in Navarro Headquarters... “Ma’am Sera, the new signage has arrived,” sabi ng receptionist habang inaabot sa akin ang mga design drafts ng bagong company logo.I studied the page closely. It wasn’t just an aesthetic update—it was symbolic. Clean lines, bolder typeface, a rising phoenix etched subtly behind the Navarro name.“It’s simple,” I murmured. “But strong.”“Like the woman running it now,” Damien said from behind me.Napatingin ako sa kaniya. He was in full ValeCorp mode—crisp suit, composed expression—but the moment our eyes met, I saw it. The softness he reserved only for me.“Sa totoo lang,” I replied in a low voice, “hindi ko akalaing mararating natin ’to.”“You fought for it,” he said, approaching slowly. “You gave Navarro a new pulse.”I smiled faintly. “Not alone.”We proceeded in the boardroom where the Navarro and ValeCorp will held

• Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game   Chapter Sixty-Two: Return

  =Sera’s POV=Paglapag pa lang ng eroplano sa Maynila, ramdam ko na ang bigat ng lahat ng naiwan naming gulo. The air was thick with headlines, press inquiries, and company noise waiting to explode. Pero iba na ngayon—this time, we held the match.Kasama ko si Damien habang bumababa kami ng private jet. May nakapila ng convoy to escort us straight to ValeCorp, where both boards—Navarro and Vale—would be waiting. The media was also just a few steps behind, sniffing for a statement.Pero hindi pa ngayon. Hindi pa tapos ang laban. Marami pa kaming kailangang linisin.“Are you ready?” Damien asked, sliding on his sunglasses as he glanced at me.“Hindi ko alam kung ready ako… pero sigurado akong handa na akong harapin lahat.”He reached for my hand and held it tightly. “Then that’s more than enough.”✴✴✴We arrived at ValeCorp for a closed door meeting.Inside the main boardroom, silence met us.Twelve directors from both Navarro and ValeCorp sat in tension. Some anxious. Others relieved. A

• Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game   Chapter Sixty-One: Ghost Nest

  =Sera’s POV=Croatia greeted us with gray skies and a biting chill that clung to the air like suspicion. Nasa loob kami ng isang black SUV, speeding through the winding roads outside Dubrovnik, papunta sa lokasyon ng safehouse. I held the dossier tighter in my lap—Julian’s travel history, the property deed under an alias, plus photos of him entering the country two days ago.“Tama ang hinala mo,” Alvarez said from the passenger seat. “The safehouse is under the name J.L. Reyes, pero it’s paid in full by a Luxembourg-based shell company. Julian’s been planning this retreat for years.”Damien was beside me, focused, hands on the wheel. “Once we’re there, I want eyes on every possible exit. Sera, you stay close.”“Malamang. Pag nakita ko naman si Julian, diretsong suntok sa mukha ang matatanggap niya!”He chuckled a bit and kissed me on my temple. "Okay baby. But we go in silent, okay? If he runs, we cut off all exits.”I nodded.Alvarez’s phone buzzed. “Local contact just confirmed—Juli

• Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game   Chapter Sixty: Justice Carved in Ashes

  =Sera's POV=They always say the truth sets you free.Pero sa totoo lang, minsan... the truth destroys before it rebuilds.✴✴✴Earlier That Morning – Operation Unmask Renzo“Alvarez, simulan na natin,” sabi ko habang nasa surveillance van kami malapit sa isa sa mga kilalang financial offices ni Renzo sa Makati. Damien stood beside me, his arms crossed, eyes cold as steel.Alvarez nodded, tapping rapidly on his laptop. “Two minutes and we’ll have the mirrored servers decrypted.”“Lahat ng bank records?” I asked, leaning closer.He nodded again. “Swiss accounts, dummy corporations, offshore funds routed through shell companies in the Caymans. Classic laundering scheme.”Damien’s eyes narrowed. “And the connection to Navarro?”“Here.” Alvarez pulled up a screen.A flowchart lit up—line after line, names linked with wire transfers, fake legal fees, and dummy consultancies.At the center of it all? Renzo Montalban.“Grabe... hindi lang ito panggugulo,” I breathed. “This is theft. Sabotage.