Chapter 4

Nakaputing blouse at fitted slacks ang suot ni Madison habang papasok siya ng opisina. Nakalugay ang buhok niya, at kahit may bahid pa ng pagod sa mukha, hindi maitatanggi ang natural niyang ganda. Pero habang naglalakad siya sa hallway, parang lahat ng mata ay nakatingin sa kanya.

"Good morning, Ma'am Madison," bati ng receptionist, pero may ngiting parang may alam.

"Good morning," tipid niyang sagot habang nagtataka. Bakit ganito mga tao?

Pagdating niya sa desk niya, andun si Jane — nakapamewang, at halatang hindi pa rin over sa shock.

"Girl!" bulong ni Jane habang nauupo si Madison. "Bakit mo hindi sinabi na si Sebastian freaking Sanford ang naka-one night stand mo kagabi?!"

"Shh! Jane, please..." sabi ni Madison habang pinipilit ayusin ang mga papeles sa mesa niya. "Hindi ko nga alam na siya 'yon!"

"Well, buong opisina alam na! Trending na ang mukha ni Sebastian sa mga business site kanina pa, may paparazzi shot pa kayong dalawa habang sumasakay sa SUV niya!"

Madison froze. "What?"

Jane showed her phone. Nandun nga — blurred pero obvious na silang dalawa ‘yon. "Mysterious girl spotted with billionaire Sebastian Sanford outside an upscale bar."

Napalunok si Madison. "Shit."

And just when she thought hindi na lalala pa ang araw niya…

DING! Nagbukas ang elevator.

At mula rito, lumabas si Sebastian — nakaitim na suit, confident, at may hawak na kape sa kamay. Diretso itong naglakad… papunta sa direksyon niya.

Parang gusto na lang ni Madison mag-disappear.

"Good morning, ladies," sabi ni Sebastian, at tinapunan siya ng matagal na tingin na parang sila lang ang tao sa buong opisina.

"Sebastian...?" mahina niyang sabi, halos hindi siya makatingin sa mga mata nito.

Ngumiti ito ng bahagya. "Can we talk?"

Napatingin siya kay Jane, na halos mamatay na sa kilig sa tabi niya.

"Tara sa office ko," dagdag ni Sebastian.

Madison swallowed hard. This is bad. This is very, very bad...

Pero tumayo siya. "Okay."

Madison’s hands trembled as she tried to focus on her screen, but the words swam. The office buzzed quietly around her, but all she could hear was her own pulse pounding in her ears.

Sebastian Sanford.

She’d slept with Sebastian freaking Sanford.

Her stomach twisted. Hindi niya alam kung matatawa siya o maiiyak. Of all the men in New York… it had to be her boss. Or technically, the CEO of the conglomerate that just absorbed their company. It felt like a twisted plot straight out of a soap opera.

Nag-walk in na lang siya sa bar that night dahil stressed siya sa dami ng work. She never did things like that. Hindi siya impulsive. She was the responsible one. Pero that night, after working overtime for three consecutive weeks and dealing with a micromanaging department head, she just… snapped.

One drink turned into two, and then three, and then there he was. Tall, charismatic, magnetic. Sa dim lighting ng bar, hindi niya agad namukhaan. No corporate armor, no tailored suit. Just a charming stranger who made her feel seen.

And she fell for it.

Madison dropped her head into her hands.

"Hey," a voice came from her left. It was Kara, her officemate and closest thing to a work bestie. “You okay?”

Madison sat up straight and forced a smile. “Yeah. Just… pagod lang.”

Kara raised an eyebrow. “Pagod o hangover?”

"Both," Madison muttered.

Kara laughed, thankfully not pushing. “Girl, you deserve a raise. I heard si Mr. CEO daw, papasok ulit sa floor today for another round of meetings.”

Madison's throat went dry. She stared at Kara, trying to mask the panic in her eyes. "He's… here again?"

"Yup. May presentation daw si Ms. Ortiz later. And I think he's doing a floor walk. Baka mapadaan siya dito." Kara wiggled her brows. “Gusto mo bang mag-retouch?”

"Hayop ka," Madison muttered under her breath, earning a chuckle.

She turned her gaze back to her screen, her heart pounding even faster now.

He might walk past her desk.

He might recognize her.

Or worse—he might pretend not to.

By noon, the tension in her chest had coiled so tightly it was hard to breathe. She’d tried to bury herself in her tasks, pero bawat maliit na tunog ng elevator, bawat yabag sa hallway, napapalingon siya.

And then, it happened.

She heard the soft click of polished shoes, the low murmur of polite greetings. And when she glanced up, there he was.

Sebastian Sanford.

Tall, poised, the very picture of composed power in his navy suit. But his eyes—his eyes flicked across the room until they found her.

She froze.

And for a moment, so did he.

It was a split second. A flicker. But it was there. Recognition.

Madison gripped the edge of her desk. He gave a brief, professional nod to the group. Then, his gaze lingered on her one heartbeat longer—cool, unreadable—before he turned and walked past.

She exhaled shakily the moment he was gone.

Hindi niya alam kung maa-offend siya o magpapasalamat.

Later that day, she stayed late again, finishing a last-minute request from their manager. The office was quieter now. Lights dimmed, voices gone. She was just about to shut down her computer when a voice broke the silence.

“You work late.”

She jerked in her seat and turned.

Sebastian stood near the doorway, holding a takeaway coffee cup.

Madison scrambled to her feet. “Sir—I mean, Mr. Sanford—I didn’t know—”

“Relax,” he said quietly. “I’m not here in any official capacity.” His voice was calm, measured, but she could see the tension in his jaw. “I asked the receptionist if anyone was still here. She said you were.”

Madison's palms grew clammy. “If this is about… what happened that night—”

“I didn’t know,” he said, voice lower now. “I didn’t know who you were. I wouldn’t have—”

“I know,” she cut in. “Neither did I.”

Silence stretched between them. Awkward. Raw. Heavy with things unspoken.

“I didn’t plan it,” she added, her voice softer now. “I don’t usually… do things like that.”

He nodded. “Neither do I.”

They stood there for a moment, two strangers bound by a mistake neither of them anticipated.

“You’re not in trouble,” he said finally. “I’m not that kind of man.”

Her chest tightened. “Thank you.”

“I just… I needed to say it. That I didn’t know. That I didn’t plan to put you in this position.”

She nodded. “Same here.”

Another pause. He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, he just gave her a small nod before turning to leave.

But before he could step out, she found herself speaking again.

“Was it… just a mistake for you?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

He froze at the doorway.

Then he turned his head, slowly, and met her eyes.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it,” he said. “But it’s complicated now. You work for me.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know.”

He gave her a long, searching look before finally walking away.

The next few days passed in a haze.

Sebastian didn’t show up on the floor again, but Madison was acutely aware of his presence—every email from corporate, every mention in meetings. Her nights were restless, mind looping over everything he said. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

Neither had she.

And she hated it.

She hated that one night—one mistake—had so thoroughly shaken the carefully built order of her life. She hated that despite everything, part of her wanted to see him again. To talk. To ask what he meant by “complicated.”

But she didn’t reach out.

And neither did he.

Until one Friday evening, as she exited the building after another overtime session, she found him waiting near the street.

Her breath caught.

He wasn’t in his suit this time. Just a navy sweater, slacks, and that same quiet intensity in his eyes.

“Hi,” he said.

She hesitated. “Hi.”

“I was hoping I’d catch you.”

She crossed her arms. “Why?”

He exhaled slowly. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you. About that night. About how wrong the timing was… and how I still want to know you.”

Her heart skipped.

“I know it’s messy,” he continued. “I know you work under the company. I’m not asking for anything reckless. But if I take a step back—remove myself from your chain of command—would you even consider having dinner with me? Not as Madison the employee. Not as Sebastian the CEO. Just us.”

She stared at him, stunned.

He stepped closer, voice soft. “One dinner. If you say no, I’ll respect it. I’ll make sure there’s no fallout for you. I just… I needed to ask.”

Madison’s heart pounded.

This was dangerous. Messy. Complicated.

But something in his eyes—something real, something unguarded—cut through the noise.

She didn’t say yes.

But she didn’t say no either.

She just whispered, “Let me think about it.”

And for the first time in days, she saw Sebastian smile. A small, hopeful curve of his lips.

“I’ll wait.”

To be continued…