Chapter 6-The morning after

Nagising si Cassandra sa liwanag ng araw na unti-unting pumapasok sa opisina. Sa ilang segundo, naguluhan ang isip niya—hindi agad alam kung nasaan siya. Pero nang maramdaman ang mainit na bisig na nakayakap sa kanya, bumalik ang lahat.

Damien.

Nakahiga pa rin sila sa sofa, magkadikit, magkahalo ang init ng kanilang mga katawan. Ramdam niya ang mabagal at steady na tibok ng puso ni Damien sa ilalim ng kanyang pisngi. Napapikit si Cassandra, ninanamnam ang sandali—bago pumasok ang bigat ng katotohanan.

What have I done?

Dahan-dahan siyang gumalaw, pilit na bumangon nang hindi siya magigising. Pero bago pa man siya makalayo, naramdaman niya ang kamay ni Damien sa baywang niya, marahang humigpit.

“Where are you going?” mahina niyang tanong, paos pa ang boses mula sa kagabi.

Huminto si Cassandra sa paggalaw. Nilingon niya ang lalaki, kita sa mga mata nito ang pag-aalala at isang uri ng lambing na hindi niya inaasahan.

“I thought… baka mas mabuti kung… mag-ayos na ako,” mahina niyang sagot.

Damien sat up, hinila ang coat niya mula sa sahig at ibinalot iyon sa balikat ni Cassandra. “Don’t,” bulong niya. “Don’t run away from this.”

Tahimik. Ramdam nila ang bigat ng mga salitang iyon.

“Damien… kagabi… we were both tired, stressed, confused. Maybe it shouldn’t have happened.”

But Damien shook his head, his eyes steady on hers. “Don’t reduce it to that. It wasn’t a mistake. You know that as well as I do.”

Napayuko si Cassandra, pilit na kinakalma ang sarili. Sa totoo lang, tama si Damien. Hindi iyon isang bagay na nangyari lang dahil sa pagod o takot. It was real.

Pero paano na ngayon?

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CASSANDRA’S POV

Umaga na, pero ang liwanag na pumapasok sa floor-to-ceiling windows ng opisina ko ay parang masakit sa mata.

I sat behind my massive glass desk, pero halos hindi ko makita ang mga reports sa harap ko. The numbers blurred, replaced by flashes of last night.

The gala.

The deal.

The glances across the room.

And the moment when the tension snapped.

At ngayong umaga, nandito ako, nagkukubli sa likod ng trabaho para kalimutan ang bigat ng nangyari.

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DAMIEN’S POV

I stood at the doorway of her office, watching her. The woman who could command boardrooms and face down empires—but right now, she looked... tired.

“Cassandra,” I said quietly.

She didn’t look up.

“I’m busy, Damien.”

But I stepped inside anyway, closing the door behind me.

---

CASSANDRA’S POV

Narinig ko ang pag-click ng lock. Ramdam ko ang presensya niya kahit hindi ko siya tinitingnan.

“About last night—” he began.

“No.” I raised a hand, finally meeting his gaze. “Let’s not. Let’s just pretend we’re two executives who made it through a gala and now have work to do.”

Pero kahit sabihin ko ‘yon, the memory was fresh — his breath against my ear, his hand on the small of my back, the way we gave in to something we’d tried so hard to ignore.

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DAMIEN’S POV

I walked closer, hands in my pockets, keeping my tone calm.

“You really think we can pretend nothing happened?”

She leaned back, crossing her arms like armor.

“We have to. We can’t afford distractions.”

But I saw it—the flicker in her eyes. The truth she wouldn’t let herself say.

---

CASSANDRA’S POV

“You think this is easy for me?” I snapped, voice low but sharp. “We can’t mix this with work. Not with everything at stake.”

Damien didn’t flinch. He stayed steady, as always.

“I’m not asking for declarations, Cassandra. I’m asking you to stop punishing yourself for feeling something real.”

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DAMIEN’S POV

I wanted to cross the space between us. To take her hand, to make her see we could fight the world together.

But I stayed where I was. Because I knew — she needed to win this battle inside herself first.

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CASSANDRA’S POV

I stood, walking to the window, looking down at the city that we both were fighting to protect.

“You don’t know what it’s like. The weight of this inheritance. The expectations. The eyes waiting for me to slip so they can tear this company apart.”

“I do know,” he said softly. “Because I’ve been right beside you. Every step.”

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DAMIEN’S POV

I moved beside her, careful not to touch.

“Cassandra, last night wasn’t a mistake. But if you need to bury it right now so we can win this war—then fine. I’ll follow your lead. But don’t pretend it didn’t mean something.”

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CASSANDRA’S POV

I closed my eyes, letting his words settle in my heart.

“It did,” I whispered. “It does. But right now, we have a company to save.”

I turned to face him, stronger now.

“So let’s do that. Together.”

And in his eyes, I saw the silent promise: No matter what storm comes next, we’ll face it side by side.

---

📌 Later that morning...

Nagpunta sila sa main office ng Vale para harapin ang team. Wala sa kanila ang nagpahalata sa nangyari. Propesyonal ang kilos, matatag ang mga boses. Pero sa bawat sulyap na nagtatama, sa bawat galaw na magkadikit ang balikat, alam nilang may nagbago.

At sa gitna ng lahat ng iyon, may bagong apoy sa mga mata nila—isang panibagong lakas na ipaglalaban hindi lang ang kumpanya, kundi ang isa’t isa.