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…
The early morning light filtered through the blinds, casting soft shadows across Madison's office. She sat behind her desk, fingers hesitating over the keyboard. The quiet of the office was a welcome contrast to the storm of emotions she had been wrestling with the past few days. The photos had circulated like wildfire, and the whispers, even in the supposedly professional atmosphere, were unavoidable. Some employees had been kind enough to avoid bringing up the topic directly, but others weren’t so subtle. She could feel the eyes, the curiosity, the judgment.It had been days since the gossip broke out, but the weight of it still lingered.She’d tried to bury herself in work, focusing on the spreadsheets and the meetings, pretending everything was fine. But it wasn’t. And it certainly didn’t help that Sebastian, her boss, had been unusually distant. His once warm, piercing gaze now felt more guarded whenever he passed by her office. The warmth between them had turned into an unspoken
The week flew by in a flurry of emotions, with Madison grappling with the knowledge that meeting Sebastian’s family was now unavoidable. It was one of those moments she had both anticipated and dreaded. She had heard Sebastian talk about them on numerous occasions, his love for them unmistakable in his words. But she had also heard the underlying tension in his voice at times—his desire to break free from their expectations, the weight of their influence over his life.She knew the stakes were high. Family was everything to Sebastian, and although he had never pressured her to meet them, the timing felt significant. This was a new chapter in their relationship. No longer was she just the woman he spent time with in secret or at casual coffee shops. Now, she was about to step into the world that had shaped him, a world she could never fully understand but wanted to try to be a part of.Madison stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her dress for the fourth time that evening. It was a
The days following their heart-to-heart conversation at the café passed in a blur of emotions and uncertainty for Madison. Despite the calmness that seemed to settle between her and Sebastian, there were still many unanswered questions, lingering doubts, and insecurities she couldn’t shake. She had agreed to take the chance with him, but the weight of her decision was heavier than she had anticipated.She was still unsure of how she fit into his world. It wasn’t just about Sebastian—it was the world he came from, his family, the expectations, the glitz, and glamour of it all. Madison had always been grounded, simple, and she had always kept a steady distance from the excesses that came with wealth and privilege. But Sebastian wasn’t asking her to dive into that world; he was simply asking her to be with him, to be part of his life in the most intimate way possible.It was the intimacy, the vulnerability, that scared her. The thought of letting someone so deeply into her life, allowing
The next few days passed in a haze of emotions for Madison. The conversation at the restaurant with Sebastian had left her feeling both lighter and heavier at the same time. She had spoken her truth, confessed her fears, and yet, somehow, it didn’t feel like it had changed anything. They were still caught in the same cycle of uncertainty, both hesitant but yearning for something more. Despite her resolve to take it slow, Madison knew that avoiding the situation was no longer an option.She could feel herself being drawn closer to him with every passing day, and it both thrilled and terrified her. What Sebastian was offering her—his sincerity, his commitment—was something Madison had always longed for but had never thought she’d find, especially not in a man like him. The question that plagued her, though, was simple: Could she really allow herself to fall for him, given all the complications that came with his world?Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of her phone, the screen l
The following days felt like a blur to Madison. She had avoided Sebastian’s calls at first, giving herself the time and space she had so desperately needed. The emotions from that night at the Sanford family dinner had left her in a state of chaos, and she didn’t trust herself to respond in a way that felt right. She could still hear his words from the phone call echoing in her mind: “Take your time. I’m not asking for anything more than what you’re willing to give. I just want you in my life, Madison.”But what did that mean? What exactly did Sebastian want from her? And more importantly, what did she want from him?Her days were filled with long hours at work, keeping her mind distracted with the steady hum of office life. But when the workday ended, and she found herself alone in the quiet of her apartment, the questions always came rushing back. Her mind wandered to the quiet moments they had shared—those stolen glances, the heated kisses, the gentle conversations—and the more she
Madison’s fingers brushed against the cool surface of the doorknob as she quietly exited the grand estate, a sense of relief washing over her as the weight of the Sanford family’s scrutinizing gaze finally faded into the distance. The sound of the door clicking shut behind her felt like a small victory, though the anxiety that had settled in her chest throughout the evening remained. Her heels clicked sharply against the stone walkway as she made her way to the car, the night air cool against her flushed skin.She had never felt more out of place. The expansive, opulent mansion, the eyes of Sebastian’s family on her—it had all felt like a test. She wasn’t sure she had passed, but it was clear from the moment they sat down to dinner that she had failed in some way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She had tried to smile, to answer their questions with the politeness expected of a guest, but underneath it all, she felt like an outsider in a world she could never truly belong to.Wha