EPISODE 1 – PART 2: “The Cold King of the Tower”

EPISODE 1 – PART 2: “The Cold King of the Tower”

Clara

Second day.

Same heels, same ID, same anxiety.

Pero this time, mas maaga ako ng trenta minutos.

Lesson learned: sa mundo ng mga tulad ni Mr. Alexander Steele, walang lugar para sa pagkakamali—lalo na kung ikaw lang ang “ordinary” sa isang dagat ng mga taong may designer suits at English accent.

“Good morning, Ms. Villanueva!” bati ni Mara nang makita akong maagang dumating.

“Good morning! Ready na ako sa lahat ng posibleng kalamidad,” biro ko habang inaayos ang lamesa ko. “May tissue, may extra kape, at may dasal.”

She laughed. “Iba ka talaga! Pero seryoso, ingat ka kay Mr. Steele. Kanina pa raw siya dumating.”

Of course. The man probably doesn’t even sleep.

At exactly 8:00 a.m., bumukas ang elevator ng executive floor. Tumahimik ang lahat.

May kasabihan daw sa building na kapag bumaba si Alexander Steele, pati aircon titigil sa paghinga.

He walked past the admin section—tahimik, nakasuit na kulay navy blue, may aura ng isang hari na sanay utus-utusan ang mundo. Lahat ng empleyado ay napayuko o nagpanggap na busy.

Ako lang ang hindi naka-react agad dahil nakatingin ako sa file na hawak ko.

At sa maling timing na ‘yun, bumangga ulit ako sa kanya.

“Ah! Sir—sorry po—hindi ko po nakita—”

Napatigil siya. For a split second, nakita ko ‘yung bahagyang pagkagulat sa mukha niya—halos hindi halata, pero andun.

“I see you’re consistent,” sabi niya, dry tone, pero may kakaibang lambing sa dulo ng tinig.

Napayuko ako. “Sorry, sir. Hindi na mauulit.”

“See that it doesn’t.” Then he walked away, leaving me frozen in place.

Pero habang papalayo siya, napansin kong bumagal ang hakbang niya—parang napangiti nang bahagya.

Baka guni-guni ko lang ‘yun.

⸻

Alexander

There was something strange about Clara Villanueva.

In a world where people bowed to him, she tripped in front of him—twice.

In a place where everyone spoke to please him, she apologized with sincerity that didn’t sound rehearsed.

He sat behind his desk, opening a report, but his mind was elsewhere.

Why do I remember the way she looked up? Those eyes… too honest.

He shook his head.

Emotions were distractions. And distractions cost billions.

“Sir?”

It was Joanna again, standing by the door. “The finance department reports are ready. The new assistant compiled them for you personally.”

“She did?”

“Yes, sir. She stayed an hour late last night.”

For the first time that morning, Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Send them in.”

Joanna placed the folder on his desk, then quietly left.

He skimmed through the papers—organized, detailed, no typos. Even the footnotes were properly formatted.

A small smile tugged at his lips. “Interesting.”

⸻

Clara

“Clara, si Sir Steele daw gusto ka raw makita sa office niya,” sabi ni Mara habang sumisilip sa cubicle ko.

Napahinto ako. “Ha?! Ako? Anong ginawa ko?”

“Hindi ko alam, pero mukha siyang… kalmado? Which is weird. Usually mukha siyang galit sa mundo.”

Huminga ako nang malalim. Okay, Clara. Kalma lang. Hindi lahat ng meeting ay kamatayan.

Pagpasok ko sa office ni Mr. Steele, naroon na naman ‘yung parehong tahimik na bigat sa paligid.

He was sitting behind his sleek black desk, eyes fixed on his monitor.

“Sir, you called for me?” tanong ko, halos pabulong.

“Sit.”

Sumunod ako, habang pilit pinipigilan ang tinitibok ng puso ko.

He tapped his pen twice on the table, then looked at me. “I reviewed the finance documents you organized.”

“Ah… if there’s something wrong po, I’ll fix it right away.”

“There’s nothing wrong,” he interrupted. “In fact, they’re better than the last set my team submitted.”

I blinked. “Oh. Thank you, sir.”

“That’s not a compliment,” sabi niya. “It’s an expectation. Maintain that quality.”

Medyo na-off guard ako. Compliment ba ‘yon o warning? Pero kahit ganon, may kakaibang kilig sa tono niya—parang nakatagong pag-amin na hindi niya alam kung paano sabihin.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”

He studied me for a moment. “Do you always apologize for everything?”

“Po?”

“You’ve said sorry five times since you entered the room.”

Napakamot ako ng ulo. “Habit na po siguro. Hirap na mawala.”

“Well,” he said, leaning back on his chair, “try replacing it with confidence.”

Napatingin ako sa kanya. “Confidence?”

“Yes. People who are truly good at what they do don’t need to apologize for existing.”

Hindi ko alam kung bakit biglang may init sa dibdib ko. Sa unang pagkakataon, parang hindi ako pinagsasabihan bilang empleyado—parang tinuturuan akong lumaban.

“Thank you, sir,” mahina kong sabi.

He nodded once. “You may go.”

Paglabas ko ng office, hindi ko mapigilang mapangiti.

Siguro nga, kahit ang pinaka-malamig na tao, may kakayahan pa ring magbigay ng liwanag—kahit sandali lang.

⸻

Alexander

After she left, Alexander found himself… distracted.

He stared at the door where Clara exited. There was a lightness in the air—something unfamiliar.

He pressed a hand against his temple. “Get it together,” he muttered. “She’s just an employee.”

Pero nang bumalik siya sa trabaho, he caught himself glancing at the glass window separating his office from the admin section.

Clara was there—focused, biting her lip as she typed. Every now and then, she tucked her hair behind her ear, the movement small but oddly… grounding.

He didn’t notice Joanna standing beside him.

“Sir?”

He blinked. “What is it?”

“You’ve been staring out there for two minutes.”

He frowned. “I was thinking about quarterly reports.”

Joanna smiled knowingly. “Of course, sir.”

⸻

Clara

By lunchtime, halos mabaliw ako sa dami ng work. Pero masaya ako. Parang unti-unti na akong nasasanay sa rhythm ng building—yung tunog ng printers, tawag sa telepono, at mga paanas na chismis ng mga empleyado tungkol sa kanilang “cold but hot” boss.

“Clara!” tawag ni Mara. “Lunch tayo, girl! Baka maubusan ng spot sa cafeteria.”

“Wait, susunod ako! Magpiprint lang ako ng report.”

Naiwan ako mag-isa sa admin room. Tahimik.

Habang pinapainit ko ‘yung kape sa pantry, napatingin ako sa glass wall na naghihiwalay sa office ni Mr. Steele.

And there he was—nakaupo, seryoso, pero ang mga mata niya ay parang may tinitingnang malayo.

He looked… tired. Hindi lang physically, pero emotionally. Parang may dala siyang bigat na hindi niya sinasabi kahit kanino.

For a second, our eyes met. Through the glass.

Agad akong umatras, kunwari busy.

Pero ramdam ko—he saw me.

At ramdam ko rin ang kakaibang kuryenteng dumaan sa pagitan namin.

⸻

Alexander

He saw her looking.

Hindi niya alam kung bakit hindi niya agad ibinaling ang tingin. He should’ve.

But instead, he just sat there, letting the moment linger.

Those eyes—warm, curious, unguarded—met his cold gray ones through the barrier of glass. And for the first time in years, Alexander felt something move inside him.

Not annoyance.

Not anger.

Something softer. Dangerous.

He clenched his jaw and forced himself to stand. “Focus, Alexander,” he muttered. “She’s just a staff.”

But even as he said it, he knew it was already too late.

⸻

Clara

Pagkatapos ng trabaho, habang naglalakad ako papunta sa elevator, narinig kong tinawag ang pangalan ko.

“Ms. Villanueva?”

Paglingon ko, si Mr. Steele pala. Lumapit siya, may hawak na maliit na USB.

“Sir?”

“This contains the upcoming project files. Deliver it to the finance team first thing tomorrow.”

Kinuha ko agad. “Yes, sir.”

He nodded. Then, after a beat, he added, “Be careful going home. It’s raining outside.”

Napatigil ako.

Did he just… care?

“Thank you, sir,” mahina kong sabi.

At habang lumalabas ako ng building, naririnig ko pa rin sa isip ko ang boses niya—malamig, pero may bahid ng lambing.

Be careful.

Para bang iyon na ang pinaka-warm na bagay na narinig ko buong araw.

⸻

Alexander

As the elevator doors closed, Alexander caught a glimpse of Clara running through the rain outside—her hands over her head, laughing as she tried to shield herself.

He didn’t realize he was smiling until Joanna spoke behind him.

“Something amusing, sir?”

“Nothing,” sagot niya, mabilis. Pero hindi niya maitago ang bahagyang pag-angat ng sulok ng labi niya.

He turned toward the window again, watching the rain blur the lights of the city.

For the first time in years, the world outside his glass tower didn’t look so lonely.

Part 3 of episode 1 will be posted later.

Stay tune and enjoy eeading everyone!