His Personal Secretary

FOR the rest of the day, Ashley couldn’t help but stare at her phone, hoping and praying na tatawag na sila. Ngunit wala. Hanggang sa kinabukasan, yung konting pag-asa na mababayaran niya ang kanilang utang at overdue rent, unti-unting naglaho.'Huwag kang umasa,' she scolded herself. 'Akala mo talaga, magkakachance ka sa ganitong kalaking kumpanya? Nakakatawa.'She spent the morning sulking around their small apartment, wondering how she could keep going. Then, bigla nalang tumunog ang kanyang cellphone, and her heart jumped.“Hello?” she answered, almost breathless, hope flickering back to life. “Sino 'to?”“May I speak to Ms. Fernandez?”“Speaking,” she replied, trying to keep her voice calm.“This is Jimenez Corporations calling. We are pleased to inform you that you’ve been selected for the position of personal secretary to the CEO, Mr. Danielle Jimenez. We would like to confirm your salary expectations.”Halos malaglag ang phone ni Ashley sa sobrang tuwa. “Oh my god! Totoo ba 't

Pagkatapos ng mahabang araw, Ashley finally finished preparing everything she needed. Napatingin siya sa wall clock sa tapat ng cubicle niya—5:55 PM. Isang mahabang buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan niya habang tinatapos ang huling adjustments sa report summary na ipinasa sa kanya kaninang hapon.She stretched her arms, cracking her knuckles out of habit. Pagod na pagod na siya, pero hindi pa rin tapos ang responsibilities niya. Maya-maya pa, narinig niyang lumapit si Des, hawak ang bag nito at may bitbit pang bubble tea.“O, o! Para sa’yo!” Des said, smiling, as she placed the cold drink beside Ashley’s keyboard.Ashley blinked, surprised. “Ha? Sa’kin ‘to?”“Yep. Para kahit papaano, may energy ka pa mamaya sa walwal session natin,” Des winked.Napatawa si Ashley, and for the first time that day, she felt a bit of relief. “Grabe ka. Ang bait mo. Salamat, ha?”Des plopped down on the chair beside her, ang expression nito ay seryosong-seryoso. “Ashley, totoo lang ha—wala ka nang dapat pat

Ashley watched Danielle from across the conference room table the next afternoon.They were waiting for a call to connect with a potential client, but the Zoom link was delayed. An awkward stillness hung between them, filled only by the quiet hum of the aircon and the occasional clicks of Danielle’s pen tapping lightly against her notepad.Ashley glanced up, expecting the usual impatient sighs or aggressive tapping on the desk. But instead, Danielle looked… far away. Her posture wasn’t tense like before. She wasn’t furrowing her brows or typing furiously on her phone. Her gaze had drifted out the window, unfocused, like she was somewhere else entirely.Something in Ashley’s chest pulled. For a moment, she wasn’t looking at “The Boss.” She was looking at a woman. Tired. Maybe even haunted.Ashley wasn’t sure why, but her instinct told her—this version of Danielle mattered. So she said nothing, just observed in silence.And Danielle, still gazing into the past, seemed to unravel.Twelve

Ashley watched the chaos unfold from her corner of the room. The marketing team was scrambling. People were tense, voices hushed but urgent. A huge client had rejected their campaign draft and demanded a full revamp—three working days before launch. Sa corporate world, equivalent ‘yun sa apocalypse.Danielle—Sir Danielle, she corrected herself—was back to barking orders.“Where’s the revised layout? Sino ‘yung nagsabi na okay na ang V3? I want that fixed in one hour, no excuses.”He stalked through the open floor like a general in a battlefield, intense and unreadable. His voice, sharp as a blade, sliced through the uneasy atmosphere. Isa-isa nang napapailing ang mga empleyado, some looking stressed, others quietly disappointed.Ashley couldn’t help but feel a familiar sting.She thought they were past this.She thought he was past this.“Grabe,” Des whispered, leaning closer. “Balik na naman sa dating ugali. Kala ko nagbago na siya.”Ashley didn’t respond right away. Her gaze stayed

A few days had passed since the high-stakes project presentation. The office atmosphere had shifted slightly; there was a lingering sense of accomplishment, but also a quiet tension that only those in positions of authority truly understood. The project had been saved—thanks to the quick thinking of Ashley and the rare trust that Danielle had shown in her ability. Still, life at Jimenez Corporation continued to demand its attention, and while everything appeared calm on the surface, the undercurrent between Ashley and Danielle was becoming more palpable.That afternoon, as the sun dipped lower in the sky, the office buzzed with the usual Friday energy. People were wrapping up tasks, readying themselves for the weekend, and some were already making plans to head out. Ashley, though, had no intention of leaving anytime soon. She had a stack of reports to review before her upcoming meeting with a client, but her thoughts kept drifting to Danielle and the tension that had been building be