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Prologue
公開日:
2026-02-09 18:06:37Ang unang beses na nakita ko si Sebastian Romano, hindi ko alam kung headline na ba iyon o simula ng pagkawasak ko. Jackpot ba na natagpuan ko sya dahil isa itong malaki at maingay na balitang isisiwalat ko. Ngunit buhay ko ang nakataya rito.
Nasa loob ako ng lumang bar sa dulo ng Pier 9. Isang lugar na amoy alak, usok, at mga sikreto na hindi kailanman isusulat sa dyaryo. Hindi dapat ako nandoon. Pero iyon ang problema sa trabaho ko bilang isang journalist reporter, lagi akong napupunta sa mga lugar na bawal, delikado, at puno ng kasinungalingan. Kabado man, natatakot, kailangan kong maging matapang because this is the field and nature of work I chose. Ito yung pinag-aralan ko ng ilang taon and this is my dream. My passion. Ang magbalita, magpalaganap ng katotohanan. “Isla Carter,” bulong ko sa sarili ko, mahigpit na hawak ang maliit kong notebook. Isang tanong lang. Isang quote lang. Tapos lumabas ka na. Pero hindi iyon ang nangyari. Tahimik ang bar, parang huminto ang oras, nang pumasok siya. Hindi siya sumigaw. Hindi rin siya nag-utos. Pero ramdam ko—lahat ng mata ay sa kanya napunta. Matangkad, naka-itim na suit na parang hinabi para sa katawan niya, at may presensyang kayang patahimikin ang isang buong silid. Sebastian Romano. Ang lalaking pangalan pa lang ay sapat na para matakot ang buong lungsod. Crime boss. Shadow ruler. Isang pangalan na paulit-ulit kong nakikita sa mga anonymous tips, police whispers, at mga kaso na biglang nawawala. At ngayon, nasa iisang kwarto kami. Nagtagpo ang mga mata namin, sandali lang, pero sapat para mawalan ako ng hininga. Hindi malamig ang tingin niya. Hindi rin galit. Para bang… sinusukat niya ako. Tinitimbang kung worth it ba akong pansinin, o kung isa lang akong pagkakamaling madaling burahin. Lumapit siya. Isa. Dalawang hakbang. Tumigil sa harap ko. “You’re not supposed to be here,” malamig niyang sabi. Mababa ang boses niya, kalmado pero may babalang nakatago sa bawat salita. Pinilit kong huwag manginig. “I’m a journalist,” sagot ko. “I go where the truth is.” Umangat ang isang sulok ng labi niya, parang ngiti—pero walang init. “The truth,” ulit niya. “Is a dangerous thing to chase, cara. I suggest to be more careful, specially around me. Around the Romanos." I just smiled and nods at him. Doon ko unang naramdaman ang kakaibang kabog sa dibdib ko. Hindi dahil sa takot lang pkundi dahil may bahagi sa akin na gustong manatili. Gustong intindihin ang lalaking ito na puno ng dilim at kapangyarihan. Hindi ko pa alam noon na ang bawat salitang isusulat ko, bawat hakbang na gagawin ko, ay papalapit sa kanya. I am not sure about what I am doing or kung ano itong pinasok ko. Hindi ko pa alam na ang lalaking dapat kong ilantad ay siya ring lalaking magnanakaw ng puso ko. At sa mundong pinaghaharian ng kasinungalingan at dugo, iisa lang ang tanong: Kapag dumating ang araw na kailangan kong pumili—pipiliin ko ba ang byline… o ang puso ko? —Isla Carter
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Byline of My Heart Chapter 30: The Empire Unraveling
The second article went live at exactly 7:00 AM. I didn’t watch the countdown. I didn’t celebrate. I just sat in front of my laptop in the quiet corner of the newsroom, staring at the screen while the city outside slowly woke up.My hands felt cold.Even though I had spent the last two days writing it, editing it, double-checking every document and every claim, the moment it was published still felt… final.There was no taking it back now. My editor rushed toward my desk fifteen minutes later, holding his tablet.“Isla,” he said breathlessly. “This is huge.”I already knew.The headline filled every major news site.“Inside the Hidden Empire of Sebastian Romano: Offshore Money, Luxury Clubs, and the Power Behind the Curtain.”My chest tightened when I saw his name written so boldly. Not hinted at. Not implied. Exposed.My editor kept talking. “You connected the shell corporations. The club networks in three countries. Even the financial transfers through private investment funds.”He
Byline of My Heart Chapter 29: What I Saw
I didn’t expect to see him again so soon. After the breakup, I tried to convince myself that it was the right decision. That choosing the story over Sebastian Romano was the only path I could take.But knowing something is right doesn’t make it hurt less.Three days had passed.Three very long days.The newsroom had been my refuge. Long hours, endless research, drowning myself in documents and financial records so I wouldn’t think about him.And for a while, it worked.Until that afternoon.I pushed open the glass door of a small café a few blocks from the newsroom. The smell of roasted coffee beans and warm pastries wrapped around me instantly.“Hi, ma’am,” the barista greeted.“Just an iced latte,” I said, forcing a small smile.It was supposed to be a quick break.Nothing more.I stepped further inside, already reaching for my wallet when something, no, someone caught my attention.My body froze.Sebastian.He was sitting at a corner table near the window. Of course he looked exact
Byline of My Heart Chapter 28: The Breaking Point
Isla’s POVThe newsroom was louder than usual.Phones ringing. Keyboards clacking nonstop. Editors talking over each other. Television screens flashing the same headline again and again.My article.My investigation.I stared at the monitor in front of me, the glow of the screen reflecting in my tired eyes.“Isla,” my editor called from across the room. “The numbers are insane.”I barely reacted.“International outlets are picking it up,” he continued, walking toward my desk. “Singapore authorities confirmed the raid. The financial crimes division is investigating the club.”I nodded slowly. “That’s good,” I said quietly.But it didn’t feel good. Not completely. Because I knew who would be affected the most.Sebastian.I hadn’t heard from him since that morning.Not one message.Not one call.Which somehow felt worse than if he had shouted at me.My editor leaned against my desk. “Do you have more?”I blinked. “What?”“More evidence,” he said. “Your article hinted the club is linked t
Byline of My Heart Chapter 27: The Cost of Truth
The first call came at 5:12 in the morning.I woke before the second ring. Years of running an empire built on shadows had trained my instincts well, no one calls at dawn unless something is wrong.Very wrong.Isla stirred slightly beside me when I reached for the phone on the nightstand. The morning light barely touched the room, soft grey filtering through the curtains of the rest house.For a moment, I almost ignored the call.But the screen told me everything.Matteo.I answered immediately.“What happened?”No greeting. No small talk.On the other end, Matteo sounded tense. “Sir… you need to see the news.”My eyes narrowed. “What news?”A short pause.Then the words that made my chest tighten. “It’s Isla.”My gaze moved slowly toward the woman sleeping beside me. Her hair was slightly messy against the pillow, her breathing calm and steady.She had no idea the storm had already arrived.“What about her?” I asked quietly.“She published the article.”The words landed like a gunsh
Byline of My Heart Chapter 26: The Quiet Place
The city pulsed with life. Cars, lights, people moving through the streets like currents in a river. It was beautiful, efficient, and alive.But sometimes even I needed silence.And tonight, I needed Isla away from the noise.“Where are we going now?” she asked from the passenger seat.She had asked that question three times already. I smirked slightly as I turned the wheel onto a quieter road.“Patience.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one you’re getting.”She sighed dramatically and leaned back in her seat.“You know, normal people explain things.”“I’m not a normal person.”“That much is obvious.”I glanced at her briefly. The city lights slipped across her face through the windshield, and for a moment she looked softer than usual. Less like the sharp reporter who could dismantle a lie in seconds.Just Isla.And that thought alone made my chest tighten.We drove farther away from the city center. The skyscrapers slowly gave way to quieter neighborhoods, then private roads
Byline of My Heart Chapter 25: A Pause in the Storm
Sebastian’s POVSingapore looked different at night.From the balcony of the hotel suite, the city glittered like something carefully designed, every light deliberate, every building placed with precision. It reminded me of a chessboard.Controlled. Strategic. Predictable.But Isla Carter was none of those things.And right now, she was the only thing on my mind.Inside the suite, she was sitting quietly on the couch, scrolling through something on her phone. Her brows were slightly furrowed, probably still thinking about Velour Noir.About what she saw.About what it meant.About me.I loosened the cuffs of my shirt and watched her for a moment longer before speaking.“Put the phone down.”She didn’t even look up. “Bossy.”“It’s a date. Not a board meeting.”That made her pause. Her eyes slowly lifted to meet mine.“A date?” she repeated.“Yes.”She crossed her arms slightly. “Sebastian Romano asking someone on a normal date? That’s new.”“I’m capable of normal things.”She raised a
Byline of My Heart Chapter 24: Control Is Not the Same As Clean
He arrived the next afternoon.No warning text.No dramatic message.Just a single line sent at 2:14 PM.‘I’m here.’That was it. My chest tightened. Part of me wanted to run to him. The other part remembered Velour Noir’s restricted floor.I replied after thirty seconds.‘Where?’‘Lobby.’Of cours
Byline of My Heart Chapter 23: Vanished
She wasn’t there. I knew it the second I walked in. Velour Noir was alive like always, soft gold lighting, low jazz humming in the background, expensive laughter floating between tables.But she wasn’t near the corridor anymore.No thin bracelet. No guarded eyes scanning exits.I tried not to look
Byline of My Heart Chapter 22: What Profit Really Means
I didn’t tell Marcus. Not yet. I couldn’t.Because once I officially disclosed the ownership link, it would no longer just be an investigation. It would be a war.And I needed proof before I started one.Three days after confronting Sebastian, I went back to Velour Noir.Not as a journalist.As a c
Byline of My Heart Chapter 18: Between Leaving and Staying
The email came at 6:12 AM and I almost ignored it. No one sends good news that early. Usually it’s deadlines. Or corrections. Or trouble. But when I saw the subject line, my chest tightened.CONFIDENTIAL – Senior Correspondent OfferI sat up slowly.Senior correspondent. International desk. Six-mo
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