Residual Heat

Amelia

By Monday, nagsimula na talaga.

Yung mga tingin. Yung bulungan. Yung mga tanong na hindi naman talaga tanong — kung paano raw ako napunta sa ilalim ni Adrian Blackwood mismo.

“Siguro na-impress niya si boss.” sabi ng isa, akala ko hindi ko narinig.

“Or baka may koneksyon siya.” bulong ng isa pa.

Hindi ko na sila pinansin. Bahala silang mag-isip ng gusto nila. The truth was strange enough — isang twenty-four-year-old paralegal, biglang nire-report direkta sa pinaka-ruthless CEO sa buong siyudad.

Hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan tatagal ‘tong setup na ‘to. Pero isang bagay ang sigurado: si Adrian Blackwood hindi gumagawa ng random decisions. Kung pinili niya ako, may dahilan.

Hindi ko lang alam kung professional… o ibang klaseng dahilan.

By mid-afternoon, halos malunod na ako sa Westbridge case files — mergers, acquisitions, environmental compliance, legal chaos na disguised as spreadsheets.

Pag dinala ko na ‘yung report sa office niya, puno ‘yung kwarto — puro department heads. Finance, PR, Legal. Lahat nagsisigawan, nagsasalita nang sabay-sabay. The air was thick with ego.

Pero si Adrian? Tahimik lang. Calm in the middle of the storm. Hindi sumisigaw, hindi nagmura, hindi nagalit. He just waited.

Tapos nung lahat natahimik, he spoke — calm, low, controlled.

“Are you all done?”

Tahimik. Walang gumalaw.

Isa-isa niyang tinitigan lahat, parang hinuhusgahan ng mata pa lang. “Good. Because I’m not paying you to argue. I’m paying you to solve problems.”

Dead silence.

I’d seen powerful men before — judges, professors, even arrogant clients. Pero iba siya. Hindi niya kailangang sumigaw para maramdaman mong may kapangyarihan siya. Parang magnet.

Then his eyes landed on me — and just like that, nakalimutan kong huminga.

“Miss Cruz,” he said, voice calm but sharp. “Your report.”

Lumapit ako, inabot ang folder. “Revised clauses and potential compliance risks for the merger, sir.”

Binasa niya sandali, tapos kumunot ng bahagya ang noo. “You changed the conditional clause?”

“Yes,” I said, steadying my voice. “Yung old version masyadong open sa liability exposure. I revised it para limited ang company obligation to third-party claims.”

Tahimik siya sandali, then —

“Smart.”

Isang salita lang, pero parang may tumama sa hangin sa pagitan namin.

The other executives actually looked shocked. Adrian Blackwood doesn’t hand out compliments.

“Dismissed.” he said abruptly, closing the folder.

Lahat agad nagsi-exit. No one dared look back.

Pagkasara ng pinto, napansin kong kami na lang ulit.

He leaned back in his chair, studying me. “You handled that well.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“But you’re nervous.”

I blinked. “I—what?”

Tumaas bahagya kilay niya. “Your hands. You’re gripping the folder too tightly.”

Tumingin ako — tama siya. Puti na halos ang mga kamao ko. Binitiwan ko agad. “Force of habit.”

May maliit na smirk sa labi niya. “You have many of those.”

Bago ko napigilan sarili ko, I said, “I’m sure you have a few yourself.”

Tumaas ang kilay niya, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Careful, Miss Cruz.”

“Just an observation.” I replied, kahit kumakabog na dibdib ko.

Tumayo siya, lumapit sa window. The city lights reflected behind him, parang apoy sa salamin. “Do you know what the most dangerous kind of person is?”

Umiling ako. “No.”

He turned to face me. “The one who doesn’t realize how much power they have.”

Hindi ko alam kung sarili niya ang tinutukoy niya — o ako.

Kasi sa paraan ng tingin niya, parang nakikita niya lahat ng tinatago ko — ambition, fear, pati ‘yung mga parte ng sarili kong gusto kong itago.

I forced a small smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He nodded once, eyes softening just a bit. “Good. You’ll need it.”

Then casually, like it meant nothing, he said, “You can go.”

Tumayo ako, hesitating at the door. “Goodnight, Mr. Blackwood.”

Tahimik saglit, tapos marahan niyang sinabi,

“Goodnight, Amelia.”

At ewan ko kung bakit — pero nung narinig kong bigkasin niya pangalan ko, mabagal, deliberate — parang may sikreto akong biglang kailangang itago.

---

Adrian

Lahat umalis na. Pero boses pa rin niya ang nasa isip ko.

Amelia Cruz. Sharp mind, sharper tongue. Too clever for her own good.

I’ve had dozens of employees sit across from me — all eager to please, all desperate for approval. Pero siya? Hindi. She didn’t chase validation. She challenged it.

At nung tumingin siya sa akin kanina, hindi takot ang nakita ko sa mga mata niya. It was focus. Calculation.

She reminded me of myself — years ago. Hungry. Restless. Refusing to be small.

Pero may isa pang bagay. Something that stayed long after she left.

Her voice. The way she said my name.

I should’ve ignored it. Attraction and curiosity — both dangerous. I’ve seen men lose everything because they blurred the line between business and desire.

And yet, as I leaned against my desk, staring at the door she’d just walked out of, I realized she’d already disrupted something I’d spent years building.

She didn’t even know it.

She thought I chose her because she was talented. Partly, yes. But not entirely.

It was the way she spoke truth without dressing it up to please me. The way she looked at me — not with fear, but with conviction.

It was… addictive.

I told myself to stop noticing. To keep my distance.

But then I’d catch myself thinking — has she eaten? Is she overworking? Does she know she doesn’t have to fight everything alone?

I don’t care about my employees. Not like that.

But Amelia Cruz…

She’s not just an employee.

And that — I realized, grimly — is exactly the problem.