Two

Back inside another lecture hall, medyo dim ang ilaw at malamig ang aircon—pero mas malamig ang expression ni Maxine.

Nakasandal siya sa upuan, one leg crossed over the other, parang hindi siya estudyante kundi board member na nakikinig sa presentation. Sa harap, tuloy ang lecture tungkol sa textile structures and visual identity—but her mind was elsewhere.

Dahan-dahan niyang binuksan ang phone niya sa ilalim ng mesa.

Isang lumang larawan ang bumungad.

Her father.

Her mother.

Her.

Complete.

Before the silence.

Before the betrayal.

Before Montenegro.

Mas bata siya roon. Mas maliwanag ang ngiti. Mas buo ang pamilya.

Her thumb slowly traced her mother’s smile.

“You look happy,” she whispered under her breath.

Then her father’s serious expression.

“You look proud.”

Her jaw tightened.

Ang bilis magbago ng mga bagay.

Isang desisyon lang. Isang pag-alis lang. Boom—nagbago bigla ang lahat sa kanya.

“Montenegro,” she murmured.

Hindi niya pa alam ang buong koneksyon. Hindi pa malinaw ang lahat ng piraso. Pero alam niya—

This university isn’t random.

This surname isn’t coincidence.

Kael Alessio Montenegro.

Heir.

Power.

Influence.

Connection.

Chess piece.

Her lips curved slowly—but this time, walang sweetness.

Pure calculation.

“Game on.”

“Maxine, are you listening?”

Napakurap-kurap siya at mabilis na pinatay ang screen ng phone. Tumabi sa kanya si Sierra Medina, ang tanging taong matatawag niyang kaibigan sa buong unibersidad.

Sierra—two years younger than her, glasses slightly sliding down her nose, notebook filled with color-coded annotations. Typical nerd girl. Pure. Transparent. Safe.

“Sorry, Sie,” Maxine said, turning to her with a small apologetic smile. “Pakiulit ng tanong mo?”

Natawa si Sierra.

“Ikaw talaga. Nawawala ka na naman sa sarili mo.”

“I was just thinking.”

“About Kael.” Tukso pa nito.

Sumimangot si Maxine.

“Excuse me? Hindi ko siya iniisip.”

“Oh please,” Sierra teased softly. “Tuwing nandito siya sa building, parang may invisible radar ka. Bigla kang tatahimik. Tapos tititig ka sa kawalan.”

“I don’t like him, okay,” Maxine replied calmly. “Mas gwapo pa si Sean O’Pry kaysa sa kanya.”

Namilog ang mata ni Sierra.

“Wait—so you have a male model crush?”

Maxine rolled her eyes slightly but smiled.

“Obviously. At least he looks expensive.”

“Kael doesn’t look expensive? Hoy, girl, heredero kaya 'yan. Don't you know he's the owner of this university?” Sierra shot back.

Alam iyon ni Maxine, she was just pretending.

“He looks… dangerous, okay.”

“Isn’t that your type?”

Maxine paused.

“Hindi, ah” she said flatly. “Mas type ko ang mga mestiso kaysa moreno, gentleman at saka gwapo.”

She said it casually—but the intention was sharp.

Kael was moreno. Deep tan skin. Strong features. Ayaw man niyang aminin pero mas para itong modelo sa tindig. Striking. Commanding. Hindi lang basta gwapo pero ruggedly handsome ito. Pwede na nga itong itapat kay Sean O'Pry, pero hindi niya aaminin iyon sa kaibigan.

Saka, nagsinungaling siya na hindi niya ito type. Mas gusto niya kaya ang sun-kissed skin nito kaysa sa mga mestisong madalas niyang ma encounter sa Manhattan.

Hindi siya attracted sa mapuputi, kabaliktaran nga.

Or maybe she just doesn’t want to admit that Kael unsettles her.

“Oh well,” Sierra lifted both hands in surrender. “Wala na akong masabi. Pero kahit anong sabihin mo, iba ang tingin mo sa kanya.”

“I don’t look at him.” Kaila pa niya sa kaibigan.

“That’s the problem. You avoid looking at the most sought-after bachelor in our university. Wala ka ng hahanapin pa sa kanya, Max.”

Maxine’s eyes sharpened slightly.

“You’re overthinking.”

Sierra studied her face carefully.

“Max… careful ka.”

“About what?”

“Kael Alessio Montenegro isn’t like the boys you’ve handled before.”

“Handled?” Maxine raised a brow.

“You know what I mean,” Sierra muttered. “He’s not insecure. He’s not desperate. He’s not trying to prove anything.”

“And?” Nakataas kilay siya.

“And men like that don’t fall easily.”

Maxine leaned back again, expression unreadable.

“Good,” she said quietly. “I don’t like easy to get.”

Sierra blinked.

“You’re playing something.”

“I’m studying.”

“That’s not what that look means.”

Maxine turned to her fully now, eyes calm but piercing.

“What look?” Painosenteng tanong niya rito.

“The one you get when you’re about to move a piece on the board.”

Silence.

Maxine’s lips curved faintly.

“You watch me too much.”

“I’m your friend.”

“Exactly.”

Sierra lowered her voice.

“Max… if this is about your family—”

“It’s not,” she cut in smoothly.

But her fingers tightened around her phone.

She told her her story pero hindi ang mga plano niya. Ngunit matalino talaga ang kaibigan niya dahil natumbok nito ang iniisip niya.

Across campus—

Sa kabilang building, Kael was in the middle of a discussion with a visiting investor. Hindi na ito makapaghintay na makausap siya, kaya dinayo na siya nito sa university.

This is something about expansion plans and joint ventures.

“…we expect the second quarter growth to—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

For no reason at all.

His gaze shifted toward the direction of the Fashion wing.

He couldn’t see her.

Not from here.

But something felt—

Different.

A shift in the air. A pull.

“You good Mr. Montenegro?” tanong ng kausap niya.

“Yes,” Kael replied automatically, though his focus was elsewhere.

He adjusted his sleeve slowly.

Why now?

Why does it feel like something just started?

Back in the lecture hall, Maxine slowly locked her phone.

Her reflection stared back at her from the dark screen.

You’re not here to make friends.

You’re not here for romance.

You’re here for answers.

And if Kael Montenegro happens to be connected to those answers—

Then he’s not a man.

He’s leverage.

“Max,” Sierra whispered again, softer this time. “Just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t lose yourself trying to win.”

Maxine held her gaze for a moment.

Lose herself?

She already did.

A long time ago.

“I don’t lose, babe” she said quietly.

Across campus, Kael finally looked away from the Fashion wing.

But the feeling remained.

The awareness.

The challenge.

Hindi pa sila nag-uusap.

Hindi pa sila nagtatagpo nang harapan.

Pero sa hindi maipaliwanag na paraan—

Parang may silent war silang dalawa.

Parang may unfinished business na hindi matapos-tapos.

Pero wala siyang balak na magpatalo rito.

🍁🍁🍁

Masaya at maingay ang rooftop ng campus party. Kumukutitap ang fairy lights sa railings, parang mga bituin na bumaba para makisaya. The bass from the speakers thumped against everyone’s chest, may mga nagtatawanan, may nagchi-cheers ng champagne, may sumasayaw na parang walang bukas.

At sa gitna ng lahat ng iyon walang pakialam ang dalaga. She just stood there minding her own business. Hindi niya kasama si Sierra dahil hindi ito sanay maki-party. Kaya hinayaan niya na lang ito.

Nakatayo siya malapit sa edge ng rooftop, with wine glass in her hand. The wind toyed with her auburn hair, hinahaplos ang balat niya na parang may sariling intensyon. Suot niya ang isang backless red dress—minimal, elegant, pero lethal ang dating. Her red lips curved slightly, parang siya ang may-ari ng gabing ‘to.

Because technically, she is.

She doesn’t chase.

The world comes to her.

Siya ang pasimuno ng party na ‘to. Hindi engrande at hindi halatang sponsored niya. Wala ring nakakaalam na anak siya ng isang bilyonaryo sa New York. Ang alam lang ng campus? May sugar daddy siya.

She never denied it.

She never confirmed it.

She simply smiled.

Ang kaibigang si Sierra lang ang may alam ng totoo.

Narinig niya ang yapak sa likod niya. Mabagal. Hindi nagmamadali. Confident. Parang alam ng taong ‘yon na hindi ito kailangang magpakilala.

“You planned this.”

Deep. Calm. Controlled. Pero batid niyang may kasamang inis iyon.

Hindi siya agad lumingon. She took a slow sip of her wine first, savoring the silence. Let him wait. Let him feel that he came to her.

“Planned what?” she asked sweetly, innocence lacing her tone.

Pagharap niya—

Nagtagpo ang mga mata nila ng lalaki.

Up close, mas delikado si Maxine kaysa sa inaakala ni Kael Alessio Montenegro. Her gray eyes weren’t just pretty—they were sharp. Observing. Calculating.

Kael’s gaze swept over her unapologetically. Hindi bastos. Hindi rin puro pagnanasa.

Kundi assessment.

A scheming angel, he thought.

Napakaganda. Angelic ang mukha. Sculpted collarbones. Lips too sinful for someone pretending to be sweet. And she smelled expensive—clean, intoxicating, distracting. Matangkad din ito, hanggang baba niya ang taas ng dalaga including her four inch heels and he's 6'5.

“This party,” he continued, stepping closer. “The rumors. The chaos this week.”

His eyes locked with hers, as if trying to peel away every layer of her carefully crafted persona.

Maxine didn’t look away.

She let him look.

“Do I look that powerful to you?” she whispered, tilting her head slightly. Her voice dropped just enough to feel intimate.

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“You look like someone who doesn’t do anything without a reason.” Pinipigilang hilahin ito at basta nalang halikan sa labi bilang kaparusahan.

Her lips curved, amused.

“Careful, Montenegro. You sound impressed.”

“I don’t get impressed,” he replied evenly, stepping closer again. Ngayon, halos isang hakbang na lang ang pagitan nila.

She could feel his warmth.

Nakakainis na nararamdaman niya ang sariling tibok ng puso.

“Everyone does,” she murmured softly, her gaze briefly flickering to his lips before meeting his eyes again. “Eventually.”

His eyes darkened.

Parang biglang nawala ang ingay sa paligid nila. The music faded. The laughter blurred. It felt like the entire rooftop shifted into the background.

“Why me?” Kael asked quietly.

Hindi na teasing ang tono niya. May bigat.

Humigpit ang hawak ni Maxine sa wine glass. For a second—just a second—may kumirot sa dibdib niya.

“What makes you think it’s about you?” she shot back, light ang tono pero matalim ang mata.

“Because you’ve been circling me for weeks,” he said calmly.

Her breath hitched—barely noticeable.

Of course he noticed.

“And what if I just like powerful men?” she stepped closer this time, invading his space. “Men like you, Kael Alessio Montenegro.”

She said his full name slowly. Intimately.

Napadiin ang panga niya.

“You don’t like anything,” he said in a low voice. “You calculate it. You analyze it. Then you decide if it’s worth your time.”

Tama naman ito, iyon talaga ang plano niya, pero nunkang aamin siya rito.

A soft laugh escaped her lips. Musical. Dangerous.

“Good,” she whispered. “You’re not stupid after all.”

For the first time in a long while, Kael felt something unfamiliar.

Not just attraction.

Challenge.

He leaned slightly closer.

“You think you’re playing me.”

Her pulse betrayed her again.

“And you think you’re not being played?” she replied, voice steady despite the war inside her chest.

Halos magdikit na ang mukha nila. If either of them leaned an inch forward—

Pero wala.

Because this wasn’t just desire.

This was strategy.

“This university runs on power,” Kael Alessio continued quietly. “Influence. Legacy. You walked in like you owned it.”

“I don’t need to own it,” she answered softly. “I just need to understand it.”

“And what do you understand about me?”

For a split second—

Nag-flash sa isip niya ang pamilya niya. Her father’s silence. Her mother’s tears. The name Montenegro spoken with anger years ago.

She swallowed it down.

“You’re careful,” she said instead. “You don’t trust easily. You don’t lose control.”

“And you?” he asked.

Her smile sharpened.

“I make men think they’re in control.”

That made him smirk faintly.

“You won’t win with me, Maxine Blaire Kensington.”

She stepped back slightly, pretending to look amused.

“Win? Who said this was a competition?”

“You did,” he said calmly. “The moment you stepped into my world.”

Her eyes flickered.

“You assume too much.”

“And you hide too much.”

The wind blew stronger, lifting strands of her hair between them. For a second, he almost reached out to fix it.

He stopped himself.

She noticed.

A quiet triumph glinted in her eyes.

“You’re curious,” she whispered.

He didn’t deny it.

“And you’re dangerous,” he answered.

“Good.”

He held her gaze for a few more seconds.

“Be careful, Kensington.”

“Of what?”

“Of starting something you can’t finish.”

Her lips curved slowly.

“Oh, Montenegro,” she said softly, leaning just enough to make him feel her presence. “I always finish what I start.”

Three long seconds.

Then he stepped away.

Walked back into the crowd like nothing happened.

Maxine finally exhaled.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

She hated that.

Because for the first time—

This didn’t feel like a one-sided game.

Sa loob niya, may bumubulong na alaala. A broken family. A ruined name. A man named Constantine Montenegro.

Tonight wasn’t about revenge.

Not yet.

But the board was set.

At ngayong gabi—

The king just made his first move.

And she wasn’t the only one planning to win.