Chapter 2

Five years later..

Jace walked toward her, stopping so close she could smell the sandalwood again. He looked at her resume, then slowly trailed his eyes up her body, his gaze cold and professional.

“You’re late for your interview, Ms. Rodriguez,” he said, his voice flat. “And in this company, time is more valuable than talent. Sit down.”

Sophie’s heart hammered. He doesn't recognize me? To Jace, she was just another applicant. The "Ice King" didn't remember the girl from the garden.

As she sat down, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Isang mensahe mula sa isang di kilalang numero ang nag-notify sa kanyang screen.

Good luck with the interview, Sophie. Don't be nervous. You look beautiful in that silver blouse. — LJV

Sophie’s blood ran cold. She looked around the glass office. The windows were tinted. There was no one else there but Jace.

How did he know what she was wearing?

She looked at Jace, but he was busy reading her files, his face an unreadable mask of corporate stone. If it wasn't him... then who was watching her?

Nanginginig ang kaniyang kamay habang dahan-dahang ibinubulsa ang telepono. She tried to steady her breathing, but the air in the room felt thin. If the message came from Jace, he wasn't showing it. He was currently flipping through the pages of her resume with a bored, clinical expression, as if he were reading a grocery list and not the life story of the woman he had once pinned against a gazebo wall.

“Ms. Rodriguez,” Jace said, his voice slicing through her thoughts. He didn't look up. “Your credentials are… adequate. But you have a five-year gap here. No work history. No references. Anong ginawa mo sa loob ng limang taon? Nagbakasyon ka ba o sadyang tamad ka lang?”

The insult stung, but it also grounded her. This was the Jace Velez the world knew. The Ice King. He wasn't the man who whispered her name against her hair.

“I was attending to personal matters, Mr. Velez,” she replied, her voice surprisingly stable despite the chaos in her chest. “Family matters that require my full attention.”

“Family,” Jace repeated, finally looking up. His eyes were like dark, frozen lakes. “In this company, results matter more than 'matters.' I don't hire people who disappear when things get difficult. What makes you think you can handle the pressure of being my executive assistant?”

“Because I’ve survived things much harder than a hectic schedule, Sir,” she said, looking him straight in the eye.

For a split second, something flickered in Jace’s gaze. A shadow of a memory? Or just the instinct of a predator recognizing a challenge? He leaned forward, his broad shoulders blocking out the light from the window. The scent of sandalwood—that cursed, beautiful scent—drifted toward her.

“You have spirit. I’ll give you that,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. He stood up and walked around the desk, stopping just inches from her chair. “But spirit doesn't pay the bills. Loyalty does. Silence does.”

He leaned down, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair, effectively trapping her. The proximity was suffocating. Sophie could see the fine lines at the corners of his eyes and the way his jaw tightened.

“Bakit parang mukha kang tatakbo, Sophie?” he whispered. “Are you afraid of me? Or are you afraid of what you might do if I get any closer?”

Sophie’s breath hitched.

He called me Sophie. Hindi 'Ms. Rodriguez.'

Before she could analyze the slip, her phone buzzed again in her pocket.

Bzzzt.

Isang mensahe na naman mula sa isang taong di niya kakilala, galing sa isang ninong ni Xavi.

Jace straightened up, his eyes narrowing as he noticed her distraction. “Is someone waiting for you? Or is that the 'family matter' calling?”

“It’s nothing, Sir. Just a notification,” she lied, her heart racing.

“In my office, your attention belongs to me. Put the phone on the desk. Now.”

It wasn't a request. It was a command. Elara’s mind raced. If she put the phone down and the Ninong messaged again, Jace would see it. But if she refused, she’d lose the job. And without this job, Xavi’s hospital bills would remain unpaid.

With trembling fingers, she took the phone out and placed it face down on the obsidian surface.

“Good,” Jace said, his voice turning cold again. “You’re hired on a probationary basis. My previous assistant was… incompetent. You start today. We have a gala to attend tonight, and you need to look the part.”

He walked back to his desk and pulled out a checkbook, scribbling a figure that made Sophie’s eyes widen. It was more money than she had seen in the last three years combined.

“Go to the boutique downstairs. Buy a dress. Something silver,” he said, his eyes finally meeting hers with an intensity that felt like a brand. “It reminds me of something I lost a long time ago.”

Sophie stood up, her legs feeling like jelly. She took her phone and the check, her head spinning. As she reached the door, Jace’s voice stopped her one last time.

“And Ms. Rodriguez?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Make sure you’re not followed. I don't like uninvited guests.”

Sophie stepped out into the hallway, her heart hammering against her ribs. As soon as the elevator doors closed, she checked her phone. There was one new message.

Silver is a good choice, but don't let him own you, Sophie. I’m the one who provided for Xavi’s first steps. I’m the one who will provide for yours. Wear the blue earrings I sent to your apartment. I’ll be watching tonight. - LJV

Sophie leaned against the elevator wall, a sob catching in her throat. She was caught between the father of her child—a man who treated her like a stranger—and a ghost who knew every secret she possessed.

The game had officially begun.