The Boss's Ruthless Claim

Prologue

Claire’s POV

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Naranasan niyo na bang pagmalupitan ng tadhana? Iyong tipong kukunin lahat sa’yo—love, family and job. Ako kasi, oo. Minsan na din akong pagmalupitan ng tadhana at dumating pa ako sa puntong gusto ko na lang tapusin ang paghihirap ko na iyon, in a way of killing myself.

They say rock bottom has a floor.

They say when it rains, it pours.

But for me? It felt like a goddamn storm ripped through my life, tearing everything apart in one cruel sweep.

In just a single day, I lost everything.

My boyfriend  . . . he’s gone, with nothing but a pathetic excuse and a coward’s silence. He just ended our long fcking years of relationship via voice mail, without further explinations and just an excuse of not ready to take full responsibility of me. As if, ang hinihingi ko ay ikasal kami at buhayin niya kami ng mother ko. I only ask him to lend me a hand! Fck him.

My job . . . was stripped away from me after years of dedication, leaving me with no income, no security. At dahil lang iyon sa walanghiya kong Head Manager na natakot maagawan ng puwesto. Fck him too.

And the worst blow of all? My mom. Ang tanging taong kayang umintindi sa akin at kaisa-isa kong pamilya. Clinging to life in a hospital bed, needing emergency surgery we couldn't afford.

I stood outside that hospital, numb, with my phone clutched tightly in my hand. Trying to reach out again to him.

One missed call becomes ten missed calls.

Three sent text messages become ten sent messages.

But still no reply from the one person I thought would be there for me. Carlo, my boyfriend. Ex, I guess. Gusto kong matawa sa nangyayaring kamalasan sa akin ng mga oras na iyon.

Do I deserve this? Hell no! Wala akong naagrabyadong tao o malaking kasalanan para pagdusahan ang ganito.

My legs trembled. My chest ached. The kind of ache that goes deeper than heartbreak, because it’s fear. The type of fear you feel when your world is crumbling and no one’s coming to save you. No one’s gonna help you. I was helpless, stressed, and anxiety swallowed me. I want to end everything . . . I just want to die.

And when I was contemplating ending my life, he appeared. Calyx Cervantes. My former boss. Ruthless. Cold. Untouchable. The man who once made my stomach turn from stress now stood in front of me, offering something I never imagined I’d ever hear.

“Sign the contract, and I’ll handle your financial problems, " he coldly said as he handed me a marriage contract.

A damn marriage contract!

No love. No promises. Just money, for my mom’s surgery, for survival. I should’ve walked away. I should’ve said no. But desperation doesn’t give you choices, lalo na kung pakiramdom mo’y inabandona ka na ng mundo at tinalikuran ng lahat.

So I signed the damn papers… sealing my fate with a man I barely knew. I told myself I could survive it. Pretend. Play my part and guard my heart. Kailangan kong protektahan ang sarili ko sa mga posibleng mangyari, lalo pa’t minsan na akong naloko at nagtiwala. But I never expected the lies, the secrets, the passion that would blur every line we drew.

And I definitely didn’t expect to fall for the one man who had every reason to break me. And I realize one thing, this wasn’t love. This was war. A war of my heart and mind, and I had no idea if I’d come out of it whole o tuluyang magupo ng pag-ibig at makulong sa isang relasyong wala akong kasiguruhan kong makakaya kong ipanalo.

***

Calyx’s POV

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I used to believe in love. I was once in love before the boardrooms, before the billion-dollar empire, and the icy glare that people now fear. Ngunit ang pag-ibig na inakala kong hahantong sa magandang kuwento ay nag-iwan sa akin ng malaking sugat at masamang alaala na nagpabago sa buong pagkatao ko’t paniniwala sa pag-ibig.

They say you’ll never forget the moment your world shatters. Mine happened on a warm Saturday afternoon, in a glass cathedral, filled with roses Eleanor liked and lies I hadn’t yet uncovered. It happened a long time ago, at sa sobrang tagal na niyon ay ayoko na ring balikan pa dahil sa sakit na idinulot ng babaeng una kong minahal at pinag-alayan ng aking tapat at tunay na pagmamahal.

I wasn’t born with power. I came into this world with nothing but my mother’s name and a heart that beat far too loudly when it came to Eleanor Valencia.

Ginawa ko ang lahat para sa kanya, para sa mga pangarap namin na magkasama hanggang sa pagtanda namin. Sumugal ako sa pagnenegosyo at ginamit ang kaunting pamana sa akin ng namayapa kong ina, nagsumikap ako’t nagtiis ng mahabang panahon para lumago ang negosyong inumpisahan ko. I did it all with her in mind. I was building our future, one brick at a time. At sa munting tagumpay na nakamit ko ay inaya ko siyang pakasalan ako.

I was the happiest man when she said yes. But that illusion shattered on our wedding day. I stood at the altar, heart steady, daydreaming about our future until everything crumbled. The guests was there. The string quartet played a soft melody. My hands trembling slightly, my eyes locked on those chapel doors, waiting to see her walk through them in white. But they never opened, sa halip ay isang liham ang natanggap ko, galing sa wedding organizer na siyang nagbukas ng pinto at nahihiyang lumapit sa akin. May inabot siya sa aking isang liham, liham na siyang tanging sagot mo sa pag-iwan mo sa akin sa harap ng napakarami nating kakilala at kaibigan.

 Eleanor never showed up. There were no calls, no explanations, just a simple fcking letter saying,  “I'm sorry. I can't do this. You deserve someone who fits your world, not someone who’s always doubting it.”

I remember the whispers, the camera flashes, the stares. The humiliation sank in like venom. It wasn’t just that she left me, it was why she did. Betrayal. Rage. Shame. I felt all of it, then buried it so deep that nothing could reach it again.

That day, something inside me broke. I left that church hollow, humiliated, and with a heart turned to ice. Ngunit isang bagay ang tumimo sa isip at puso ko, that heartbreak  didn’t destroy me. It becomes my strength and motivation to continue proving myself to others. I told myself that if I weren’t enough for her, I’d become someone no one would dare walk away from again.

For years, I built my empire, Cervantes Global, with bloodied knuckles and sleepless nights. I turned my name into something feared and revered. I worked like a man possessed—no distractions, no attachments, just work. I stopped sleeping. I stopped feeling. Emotions were weaknesses. If love were weakness, then power would be my shield.

But everything changed after I met Claire . . .

Sa umpisa ay hindi ko maintindihan ang nararamdaman ko para sa kanya. Every time I saw her at the company doing her best for everyone to acknowledge her effort, her smile, and her jolly personality, I found myself enjoying watching her secretly. Hanggang sa hindi ko namalayan na unti-unti nang nagliliwanag ang mundo ko and I was falling for her. Ang buong akala ko ay hindi ko na mararanasan ang ganitong uri ng damdamin and that my heart was already turned stonecold ngunit parang iba ang plano ng tadhana sa akin.

Kaya naman ganoon na lang ang naramdaman kong galit nang makita ko siya sa labas ng hospital, tulala, nanginginig ang buong katawan at tigmak sa luha.

Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyari but I invited and take her with me, gusto kong malaman ang dahilan nang pag-iyak niya and when she start telling me everything, she was, broken in ways I understood too well—her boyfriend had left her. Her job is gone. Her mother needs an urgent operation to survive and live longer. She had nothing—and yet she stood tall.

Nang sandaling iyon ay nakita ko ang mapait kong nakaraan, I was once on her plate ngunit ang pagkakaiba lang naming dalawa ay mas ginusto niyang isakripisyo ang sarili niya kaysa ang maghiganti. She chose sacrifice. Even when the world spat on her, she still had kindness in her eyes.

So I did something I had never done before—I made a reckless decision. All I wanted was to be with her, to help her, and to offer her everything I possessed.

I offered her a deal—a marriage of convenience. A contract. Financial security in exchange for playing the role of my wife. On paper, it made sense. I needed stability to keep the board in check, especially with my father trying to sabotage me from within. She needed money—urgently. I used her desperation. I used my father’s schemes. I made her mine.

I know it was wrong but if this is the only way I can protect and make her mine, then I won’t regret it. As long as she stays with me, that’s all that matters. I love her and I do everything for her to make her love me.