Chapter 5

Madison was still reeling from the unexpected encounter with Sebastian in the boardroom earlier that morning. Even after hours of paperwork, back-to-back calls, and a tedious client report, she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease—and that stupid, lingering heat that spread over her skin whenever she remembered the way his eyes lingered just a moment too long.

"Earth to Madison," Des’s voice cut through the fog in her head. She was leaning against Madison’s cubicle, one brow raised and a paper cup of coffee in hand. "You’ve been spacing out for like five minutes. Spill."

Madison blinked, cheeks flushing. “Huh? Spacing out? Hindi naman.”

“Oh, come on. I saw you walking out of the executive boardroom kaninang umaga. You looked like you just survived a hurricane.”

“Des, please,” she said in a hushed voice, glancing around. “Lower your voice.”

Des leaned in, eyes gleaming. “Don’t tell me... it was him?”

Madison sighed, slumping into her chair. “It’s him.”

Des’s mouth dropped open dramatically. “Si CEO Sebastian Sanford?! Girl, anong ginawa niyo?!”

Madison shot her a warning glare. “Nothing happened! Well—hindi ngayon. I mean... just... he knows. Na ako ‘yun. From that night.”

Des froze for a second, then took a long sip from her coffee. “Put—okay. So, what now? You’re working for the guy you accidentally slept with, and he turns out to be your new boss. Did I miss anything?”

Madison groaned, covering her face. “That’s everything. And I don’t know what to do. I just want to forget it happened.”

Des sat down on the edge of her desk, her tone suddenly gentler. “Mads, you’re not the type to let things slide. Alam ko, feeling mo parang ikaw ang may kasalanan, pero hello—he’s a grown man. He knew what he was doing.”

“But it was supposed to be one night. Just one night,” Madison muttered. “Tapos na sana ‘yun. I’m not even that kind of girl.”

Des gave her a pointed look. “No one’s judging you. You’re allowed to make mistakes—or to have fun. But now that the past is sitting in a corner office, what’s your plan?”

“I’m just going to do my job,” she said firmly. “Professional. Walang kahit anong drama.”

Des nodded, but the doubt in her eyes was hard to miss.

Later that afternoon, Madison tried to lose herself in the routine. She worked quietly, diligently, but when her inbox pinged with a calendar invite, her stomach dropped.

Meeting Request: One-on-One Review From: Sebastian Sanford Time: 4:30 PM

She stared at it for a solid minute. He hadn’t sent anything else—no email, no memo, no indication of what it was for.

With a deep breath, she accepted the invite.

The office hallway leading to Sebastian’s private floor felt colder than usual, the ambient hum of air conditioning pressing against her already tense shoulders. When she reached the large glass doors of his office, she paused, steeling herself.

She knocked once.

“Come in,” came the familiar deep voice.

Madison stepped inside.

Sebastian was standing by the tall windows, hands in his pockets, gazing at the skyline like he had all the time in the world. He looked too good in that navy suit. Too composed. Too... unaffected.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” she asked, carefully polite.

He turned, and for a moment, his expression softened. “Please, have a seat.”

She obeyed, sitting straight and folding her hands neatly on her lap.

He walked over to his desk, sitting across from her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence buzzed with tension, each breath dragging.

“I wanted to apologize,” he began quietly. “For this morning.”

Her brows lifted. “Apologize?”

“I shouldn’t have surprised you like that. I imagine this is... uncomfortable for you.”

Madison took a steady breath. “It is. But I understand. We’re in a professional setting now. I intend to act accordingly.”

Sebastian’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. “Good. That’s what I want, too.”

But he didn’t sound very convinced.

There was another pause before he leaned forward slightly, his tone lower. “But I need to ask—what happened that night... was it just a mistake to you?”

Madison stiffened. “It was a one-time thing.”

“I know. But did you regret it?”

Her breath hitched. “Why does that matter?”

“Because I haven’t stopped thinking about it,” he said, eyes locking onto hers. “About you.”

Madison looked away, panic creeping into her chest. “Please don’t do this.”

“I’m not trying to complicate your life,” he said gently. “But I want to be honest. It wasn’t just nothing to me.”

She stood up suddenly, the chair scraping softly against the floor. “I think this conversation is crossing a line.”

“You’re right,” he replied, standing as well. “I’m sorry. I won’t bring it up again.”

Madison gave a small nod, heart pounding, and left the room before she could unravel any further.

She managed to avoid Sebastian for the next two days, burying herself in projects and ignoring the way her skin buzzed anytime she passed by the executive floor. But her peace was short-lived.

On Friday, she was assigned to accompany Sebastian to an out-of-town site visit for a proposed expansion project. She stared at the email, horrified.

“Road trip with the CEO,” Des said, reading over her shoulder. “This is a fanfic waiting to happen.”

Madison groaned. “This is a nightmare.”

The drive to Batangas was quiet at first. Madison sat stiffly in the passenger seat of the company SUV, pretending to read through the project proposal. Sebastian, driving with calm ease, glanced at her a few times.

“You don’t have to pretend to read,” he said finally.

“I’m not pretending,” she replied without looking up.

He chuckled softly. “You’ve been on the same page for fifteen minutes.”

She closed the folder with a sigh. “This is inappropriate. All of this.”

“We’re going to a project site,” he said mildly. “Completely appropriate.”

“You know what I mean.”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he turned the radio on—low volume, soft jazz playing in the background.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Madison. I meant what I said. I’ll stay professional.”

Madison glanced sideways. “Then why bring it up again?”

“Because I’m not a robot. And I think you’re worth the risk.”

She swallowed hard, her heart thudding. “This isn’t just about risk. You’re my boss. There’s a power imbalance.”

“I know. And that’s why I won’t act on anything unless you want me to. Unless you're the one who makes the first move.”

That shut her up for the rest of the ride.

At the site, Madison found herself distracted. The sun was hot, the walk around the construction area exhausting, and the engineers’ questions nonstop. But more than that, she couldn’t stop replaying Sebastian’s words in her head.

“Unless you’re the one who makes the first move.”

It was infuriating. And unfair. Because he knew she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

By the time they were heading back to Manila, the sun had dipped low, casting golden hues across the highway. The SUV was filled with silence once again—this time, heavier, more contemplative.

“I used to think I knew exactly what I wanted,” Madison said suddenly. “Before all this. Before you.”

Sebastian glanced at her. “And now?”

“Now I’m not so sure.”

He didn’t respond, but his hand tightened on the steering wheel.

They drove in silence for a few more minutes before he pulled over at a quiet roadside café, dimly lit with string lights and the scent of coffee wafting through the open windows.

“Let’s take a break,” he said.

Madison followed him inside, the cool air a relief after the long day. They sat in a corner booth, far from the few other patrons.

Over coffee, neither of them spoke at first. But then, Sebastian looked at her with something softer in his gaze.

“You don’t have to figure everything out now, Madison,” he said. “I’m not asking for anything. I just want you to know... I see you. I respect you. Whatever happens next, that won’t change.”

And for the first time in days, something inside her unknotted.

Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t a mistake after all.