Kabanata 3

Ang bawat hakbang ko papasok sa bar ay tila isang pagpunit sa kontratang pinirmahan ni Papa. The music was a heavy, thumping bass that vibrated in my chest, a stark contrast to the classical sonatas that usually filled our mansion. It was dark, save for the flickering neon lights—purple, deep blue, and a dangerous shade of red—that bathed the crowd in a surreal glow.

“Two shots of tequila. Now,” utos ko sa bartender pagkaupo ko sa isang stool.

The bartender looked at me, his eyes scanning my silk dress and the way I gripped the counter. Siguro ay halata niyang hindi ako sanay sa ganitong lugar, but he didn't ask. He just slid the glasses toward me.

I downed the first shot. It burned. Lumiyab ang lalamunan ko hanggang sa sikmura, pero masarap sa pakiramdam. It was a different kind of pain—a pain that I chose. Hindi gaya ng sampal ni Papa o ng mga salita ni Julian na tila unti-unting pumapatay sa pagkatao ko.

“This is for the boardroom,” bulong ko bago ininom ang pangalawang shot.

I looked around the room. The place was filled with people lost in the music, lost in each other. Dito, walang nag-uusap tungkol sa shipping logistics o mergers. Dito, walang nagbabantay kung diretso ba ang upo ko o kung tama ba ang paghawak ko sa tinidor.

I felt a strange sense of power. For the first time in twenty-three years, I was invisible. I wasn't Elena Dela Vega, the heiress. I was just a girl in a black dress, and I had a mission.

“One night,” I whispered to my reflection in the mirrored wall behind the bar. “Isang gabi para burahin ang lahat ng plano nila.”

In my mind, I could still see the white wedding dress hanging in my room. It felt like a ghost haunting me. Julian wanted a pure, obedient bride? My father wanted a perfect daughter to sell to the Monteverdes? Tonight, I would give them exactly the opposite.

I wanted to find someone. Someone who didn't know my name. Someone who wouldn't care about my father's bank account. I wanted a stranger to take the one thing that was being traded like a commodity.

I stood up, feeling a bit lightheaded from the alcohol and the adrenaline. I began to weave through the crowd, my hips swaying to the rhythm of the music. I could feel men’s eyes on me—lingering on the bare skin of my back, tracing the curve of my legs. Dati, mahihiya ako. Dati, bibilisan ko ang lakad ko at titingin sa malayo.

But tonight? I looked back. I smirked. I let them see the defiance in my eyes.

Pero sa kabila ng dami ng mga lalaking lumalapit at nagtatangkang kuhanin ang atensyon ko, wala ni isa sa kanila ang tumatama sa hinahanap ko. Most of them smelled like desperation or too much cheap cologne. They looked like the boys Julian hung out with—privileged, arrogant, and shallow.

I wanted someone different. I wanted someone who looked like he could handle the storm inside me.

“Miss, you look like you’re searching for trouble,” isang lalaki ang humarang sa daan ko. He was handsome in a generic way, wearing a suit that probably cost a few thousand pesos. He reached out to touch my arm. “Want to go somewhere quieter?”

I looked at his hand, then at his face. He reminded me of a younger version of my father’s business associates. The same smug smile, the same entitlement.

“You’re not the kind of trouble I’m looking for,” I said, my voice cold as ice. I brushed past him without a second glance.

I headed toward the VIP lounge at the back, where the lights were dimmer and the shadows were thicker. There was a velvet curtain separating the chaos of the dance floor from a more secluded area. My heart hammered against my ribs.

This was the part where I should be scared. This was the part where the

"Good Elena" should turn around and call Sophia to take her home. But that girl was gone. She died the moment my father's hand hit my face.

I pushed the curtain aside.

The air here was cooler, smelling of premium bourbon and expensive cigars. Only a few people were in this section. My eyes scanned the booths, looking for a sign, a feeling—anything.

And then, I saw him.

He was sitting alone in the farthest booth, partially hidden by the darkness. He wasn't dancing, he wasn't talking, and he wasn't looking at his phone. He was just... there. Like a predator waiting in the tall grass.

He was wearing a black dress shirt with the top buttons undone, sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular forearms covered in intricate, dark tattoos. His hand was wrapped around a glass of neat whiskey, his fingers long and steady. Even from the distance, I could feel the sheer weight of his presence. It was heavy, dark, and suffocatingly masculine.

He didn't look like a businessman. He didn't look like a playboy.

He looked like the Shadow.

He slowly raised his head, and our eyes locked.

His gaze was like a physical touch—cold, sharp, and incredibly intense. It wasn't the look of a man who wanted to buy me. It was the look of a man who could destroy me.

And in that moment, I knew.

“Found you,” my mind whispered.

Ang galit ko, ang sakit, at ang pagnanais kong magrebelde ay tila nag-aapoy nang mas maliwanag sa ilalim ng kanyang titig. This man was the personification of everything my father warned me about.

He was the danger. He was the mistake.

And he was exactly who I wanted to give my innocence to.

I didn't think about the consequences. I didn't think about the wedding next month. I only thought about the heat blooming in my stomach as I started to walk toward him, my heels clicking a steady rhythm of surrender and defiance.

Tonight, I was destroying the girl I used to be. And I was going to let this shadow help me do it.