The First Glimpse

Amelia

May mga sandali talagang hindi mo nakakalimutan—‘yung tipong alam mong habang nangyayari pa lang, tatatak na siya sa’yo.

Ang pagkikita namin ni Adrian Blackwood… isa ‘yon.

The morning light filtered through the boardroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows, tumatama sa glass table at nagre-reflect sa mga pader. Lahat kumikintab—chrome, glass, power. Kahit ‘yung hangin, parang may presyo.

Nakatayo ako sa dulo ng mesa, hawak nang mahigpit ‘yung folder ko na parang iyon lang ang kakampi ko. The partners were already seated, talking in low, rehearsed voices. Halatang tense lahat. Kasi hindi lang basta meeting ‘to. This was the meeting—the kind that could make or break careers.

And for some reason, pakiramdam ko, kasama doon ang career ko.

Then the door opened.

And he walked in.

Tahimik bigla ang lahat—so quiet na rinig mo pa ‘yung mahinang ugong ng aircon.

Adrian Blackwood didn’t just enter the room. He owned it. Every step was calculated—calm, confident, commanding. Hindi siya nagmamadali. Hindi rin siya nag-e-effort magpa-impress. He didn’t have to. The world already revolved around him.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit—yung tipong halatang custom-made. Charcoal tie, silver cufflinks. Minimalist pero obvious na mamahalin. Wala siyang dalang laptop o folder. Just his phone… and an aura that demanded attention without a single word.

My first thought? Damn, intimidating.

My second? He knows it.

Everything he did—how he adjusted his cuffs, how his gaze moved around the table—spoke one thing: control. Cold, calm, absolute control.

Tapos tumingin siya sa’kin.

Isang segundo lang. Pero sapat para mapigil ang hinga ko.

Dark gray eyes. Almost black. Sharp. Observant. Parang bawat tingin niya, binubuksan ka, ini-scan lahat ng nasa loob mo. And in that moment, I felt… exposed.

Agad akong umiwas ng tingin, kunyaring inaayos ‘yung papers ko. Pero ramdam ko pa rin ‘yung tibok ng puso ko—malakas, mabilis.

He sat at the head of the table. Perfect posture. Magnetic presence. May dalawang assistants sa likod niya, tahimik, alerto. Isang galaw lang niya, alam mo na kung sino ang may control.

“Let’s begin.” he said.

Dalawang salita lang. Pero parang may command sa hangin. Lahat agad tumuwid sa upuan nila.

Nag-umpisa ang presentation. Charts, graphs, promises. Narinig ko na lahat ng ganyang pitch noon, pero iba ‘to. Hindi ito simpleng meeting. It was a test.

And Adrian Blackwood wasn’t a participant. He was the judge.

Tahimik lang siya. Walang smile, walang reaction. Pero ramdam mo ‘yung tension. Every flick of his gaze, parang laser—analyzing, calculating.

Tapos nagkamali ‘yung senior partner namin. Mali ang number sa graph. Alam ko agad. Gusto kong i-correct pero nagdalawang-isip ako.

Bago pa ako makapagsalita, napatingin si Adrian sa screen.

Tahimik.

Walang sigaw. Walang galit. Pero ‘yung tingin niya? Mas nakakatakot kaysa sa sigaw.

Doon ko na-realize—hindi niya kailangang sumigaw para magpasunod. Isa lang na tingin, tahimik na utos, sapat na.

Pinilit kong huminga nang steady. Pero nanginginig pa rin ‘yung kamay ko habang nagsusulat.

That was my first glimpse of him—not just the CEO, but the man. The force.

At doon ko naintindihan kung bakit tinatawag siyang ruthless. Hindi dahil gusto niya ng power.

Pero dahil siya mismo ang power.

At kahit alam kong dapat umiwas, hindi ko magawang tumigil sa pagtingin sa kanya.

At nung tumingin ulit siya sa’kin—isang mabilis, matalim na tingin—para siyang babala at hamon sa iisang sandali.

---

Adrian

Meetings were always predictable.

The same smiles. The same pitches. The same empty flattery. Lahat gusto ng pabor, ng attention, ng “yes” mula sa’kin.

Pero that morning, something felt different.

Maybe it was the air. Too still. O baka ‘yung kaba sa boses ng partner na nag-iintroduce ng team niya.

Either way, I was already losing patience.

Then I saw her.

A woman sitting near the end of the table. Tahimik. Focused. Hindi trying hard. She wasn’t one of the usual people trying to impress me.

Posture—professional. Eyes—sharp.

Our eyes met for a second. Most people looked away agad.

She didn’t. Not right away.

There was hesitation, yes—but also intelligence. Awareness.

Interesting.

The presentation dragged on. I listened. Half bored, half evaluating. Then one of them slipped—wrong figure, wrong label. Sloppy.

I was about to call it out when she moved.

She caught it.

Leaning forward slightly, like she was weighing if she should speak up.

Then she did.

Calm voice. No panic. No flattery. Just facts.

The room went silent.

I turned to her, intrigued. Terrified eyes, but steady tone.

A contradiction I didn’t expect.

I checked the numbers in my head. She was right.

“Correct.” I said.

Everyone froze. Waiting for my reaction. But I gave none. I didn’t reward competence. Competence was the minimum.

Still… I remembered her name.

Amelia Cruz.

After the meeting, I shook hands and left. Pero sa isip ko, nanatili siya.

She unsettled me. Not because she spoke—but because of how she spoke. Calm. Sure. No fear.

No agenda.

It’s been a long time since anyone in that room surprised me.

And Amelia Cruz did it—with one sentence.

---

Amelia

Pagkatapos ng meeting, parang nanghina ‘yung tuhod ko. Lahat busy—nagbubulungan, nagre-relax—but my mind was somewhere else.

Kay Adrian Blackwood.

Cold. Commanding. Composed.

That was my first real glimpse of him.

At kahit ilang beses kong sabihin sa sarili ko na kalimutan ko na siya, alam kong hindi ko magagawa.

Hindi mo basta nakakalimutan ang lalaking gaya ni Adrian Blackwood.

Ang kaya mo lang gawin… ay hintayin kung kailan ulit siya titingin sa’yo.