CHAPTER 1

Buenavista Hotel, Makati

Duke stood quietly on the balcony, the cold breeze of the night brushing against his skin. Below him, the grand courtyard of the Buenavista Mansion was alive with lights, laughter, and the steady beat of music. Dozens of elegantly dressed young people mingled and danced beneath strings of fairy lights, their faces glowing with the innocence and excitement of youth.

It was Adeline’s eighteenth birthday—his youngest cousin, the third and last daughter of his Aunt Danica. The celebration was extravagant, as expected of the Sandoval clan. Nothing less would do for the youngest debutante of one of the most powerful families in Zambales.

The clock had already struck ten, but the party showed no signs of slowing down. The guests, mostly students from an elite university in Zambales, continued to revel in the night, completely immersed in the luxury that surrounded them.

Duke took a slow sip from the whiskey glass in his hand, his sharp eyes observing the crowd below. Five years ago, this life had been unthinkable to him. A fantasy. A mirage that existed only in movies or dreams.

Back then, he was just another struggling college student—working long shifts at a fast-food chain, scraping coins to pay tuition, sacrificing sleep, dreams, and time for love. Back then, he believed life was simple. Cruel, but simple.

That was before their family was summoned back to Zambales. Before a heart attack brought his grandfather, Don Davidson Sandoval, to the brink of death. He was seventy-five then and barely clinging to life.

It was also then that the Duke’s father, Douglas—his grandfather’s eldest son and only male heir—was called back from exile.

For decades, Duke didn’t know why his father chose to live in poverty, why he never spoke of his family, and why they lived in a cramped apartment in Tondo when he clearly had the intellect and skills to build more. It turned out, the past was far more complicated than he imagined.

The Sandoval legacy was vast. The family-owned seventy percent of business establishments in Zambales. When Duke finally stepped foot in Hacienda Sandoval, he realized the weight of the blood that ran in his veins.

His father had been the chosen one. Don Davidson’s successor. The rightful family-owned empire.

Douglas was given control over the Sandoval Enterprise, the hotel and resort chain, the security agency, the mining corporation, and the vast lands of Hacienda Sandoval. Aunt Danica, the ever-shrewd businesswoman, was entrusted with their manpower agencies, travel companies, a chain of malls, and the booming clothing line.

In the blink of an eye, Duke was no longer just a working student. He became the billionaire’s son. A name. A symbol. An heir.

Some people even started calling him The Billionaire’s Heir—not just for his lineage, but because of his looks, charm, and ease with people. He was every bit the prince in the spotlight—yet the shadows of his past never quite left him.

“The night is still young, Duke,” a voice called from behind him. “Why aren’t you down there, dancing with the girls?”

He turned slightly and saw Addison, his cousin—twenty-six years old, the eldest daughter of Aunt Danica. She leaned casually against the doorframe, a glass of wine in hand, her dark red dress hugging her curves elegantly.

“They’re too young for me,” he replied, not bothering to hide the boredom in his voice. “I don’t play with little girls.”

“Oh?” Addison raised an eyebrow. “And who are you playing with? Ingrid?” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I don’t like her for you, by the way. She’s… I don’t know. She’s not it.”

“Why not?” Duke smirked. “She’s sexy, smart, independent. And we have a lot in common.”

“Yeah? Like what? Sex and sarcasm?” Addison said, clearly unimpressed. “She's too liberated and too unpredictable.”

“That’s why we work. No strings, no drama. We’re not pretending it's love or anything.”

“So what? You’re just her... what? Fling buddy?” Addison said bluntly, eyeing him carefully. “That’s sad, Duke. You used to believe in love.”

"That was a long time ago,” he said, his voice turning colder. “I’ve grown up.”

She studied him for a beat. “Have you, though? Or are you just protecting yourself from getting hurt again?”

His jaw tightened.

“You’re twenty-nine. That’s not old, but come on… don’t you think it’s time you tried again? A real relationship? Someone who doesn’t treat love like a transaction?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, his gaze drifted once more to the party below, but his mind was already far away.

Back to the girl with fire in her eyes and sunshine in her smile.

Selene Arguelles.

The name still haunted him. No matter how far he’d come. No matter how rich or powerful he became.

He had loved her. Foolishly. Completely.

She had been his first serious relationship. The only girl who made him believe that love was worth the risk.

And she had betrayed him.

He could still see the image like it was yesterday. Connor on top of her. Her skirt hiked up. Her lips slightly parted. She didn’t even scream when he walked in. Didn’t even fight back. Just stared at him like a deer caught in headlights.

Selene had claimed she was shocked. She didn’t know how to react. That Connor took advantage of her.

But what he saw that night had burned into his soul.

If she really had been innocent, why didn’t she struggle? Why didn’t she scream?

Why didn’t she fight?

“Duke?” Addison’s voice snapped him back to the present.

He blinked and turned to her.

“You okay?”

He nodded stiffly. “Just tired.”

She narrowed her eyes.

"You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you? You still love her?" Addison asked, referring to Natalie Coleman — her friend, and once, a fling. Maybe she thought Natalie was the one haunting his thoughts. If Natalie hadn’t left for Paris to chase her dream of becoming a model, maybe… just maybe, he would’ve taken her seriously.

But that was a long time ago. And truthfully, she never came close to the kind of love he gave Selene — his ex. The one who truly broke him.

He didn’t answer.

And he didn’t correct her either.

Addison took his silence as agreement. She sighed, stepped forward, and wrapped one arm around his shoulder in a quiet embrace.

“Don’t let the ghosts of your past ruin what’s in front of you. Not every woman is like her.”

“I’m not looking for anyone,” he murmured.

“Maybe not. But sometimes, the right one finds you anyway.”

He gave her a faint, tired smile. “Go to bed, Addie. I’ll try to sleep too.”

She kissed his cheek softly. “Goodnight, billionaire heir. Don’t drown in memories.”

He watched her walk away, her heels clicking softly on the floor until the door closed behind her.

Duke stood there for a moment longer, finishing the last of his drink in silence before finally turning toward his room.

Inside the suite that now belonged to him, he took a deep breath and tried to shake off the weight of the past.

But even in the plush, quiet luxury of the Buenavista Hotel, the ghost of Selene Arguelles stayed with him.

And deep down, he knew—

He never truly let her go.

He took off his tuxedo and carefully hung it on the rack.

His body felt heavy, worn from the endless string of meetings in Makati earlier that day. At least his cousin’s debut was held in the same city, sparing him another long drive.

If he didn’t genuinely care about his cousin, he wouldn’t have come at all. Events like these didn’t excite him anymore. The noise, the shallow conversations, the blinding lights—they all felt meaningless now.

He stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run down his back, hoping it would somehow wash away the weight on his chest. But even after drying off and sinking into the softness of the bed, his thoughts drifted to the same place they always did.

Selene.

When they returned to Zambales years ago, he had cut her off completely—changed his number, deleted every photo, buried the memories. He never even tried to reach out.

The change of scenery helped. The chaos of family revelations, the sudden inheritance, the pressure of running an empire—all of it kept him busy, distracted, and numb.

But some memories are like shadows. No matter how far you run, they follow.

He never loved anyone else while they were together.

Never even looked at anyone else.

That’s how deep it was.

How sure he was.

Which is why it shattered him.

He thought that with time, he would heal. That he’d moved on.

But he was wrong.

No one ever really took her place.

Not in his mind.

Not in his heart.

He remembered that night two years ago—staying in a hotel room in Cebu when her shampoo commercial aired on TV.

And there she was.

Smiling like nothing ever happened.

Like she hadn’t torn him apart.

Then came the toothpaste ad.

Then the perfume.

Then the magazine covers.

Now, she was everywhere.

Selene Arguelles.

The woman who once loved him—or at least, pretended to—was now a full-blown celebrity. He couldn’t walk along Guadalupe or EDSA without seeing her face. It was like the entire metro had become a shrine to her success.

He let out a bitter laugh.

So she really did chase her dream.

The fame. The spotlight. The need to be seen.

And she got it.

But no amount of beauty on a billboard could erase what she did. No number of magazine spreads could undo what he saw with his own eyes.

He would never fall for her again.

The world might adore her now.

But he knew the truth behind that perfect smile.

The lies. The betrayal.

The night he found her in someone else’s arms—a moment burned into his memory forever.

It wasn’t just pain that lived inside him now.

It was rage.

Rage at her.

Rage at himself.

Rage at how completely he had loved someone who never truly loved him back.

She broke something in him.

Something sacred.

And no—he wasn’t the same man she left behind.

He wasn’t that struggling boy from Tondo anymore.

He was Duke Sandoval.

The billionaire heir.

And if fate ever dared to cross their paths again…

He’d make damn sure she realized—

she wasn’t the one who got away.

She was the one who threw everything away.