Chapter 1: Of Accidents and Almosts

"Sabi ko na nga ba eh, may something talaga sa pagitan n'yong dalawa," tili ni Jessa habang hawak-hawak ang braso ko. She was smiling from ear to ear like she just uncovered the biggest secret of the year. "You’re blushing, Moon! Ano ba ‘yan! Spill the tea, girl."

"Wala nga! Huwag kang assuming d’yan, Jessa," I laughed, trying to shake her off, kahit halatang nahihiya ako. Pero totoo naman, wala namang something… or at least, wala pang something.

I looked away and tried to compose myself, but deep inside, I was panicking. Kasi totoo naman eh, hindi ako usually affected ng mga lalaking pogi or mayaman, but with Lucas Madrigal... iba. May dating. May kurot. May kilig na hindi ko maipaliwanag.

We first met during our company business week event, where I volunteered as part of the organizing committee. He was a guest speaker, CEO ng Madrigal International. And let me tell you, when he walked on that stage with that sharp black suit and eyes that screamed authority, para akong natunaw sa kinatatayuan ko. And I hate that feeling.

After his talk, may incident sa event. Nagka-problem with one of the sponsors and I was assigned to fix it. He saw me trying to explain to a furious manager, and surprisingly, he stepped in to help me. With one call, he fixed everything.

After nun, nagpasalamat ako sa kanya and he said something like, "You owe me coffee." Akala ko joke lang. But the next day, nag-message siya sa email na binigay ko sa feedback form. And ayun na nga, we ended up meeting for coffee. And again. And again.

Until one day, sinabi niya sa akin,

"Moon, I need a favor."

"Uhm… what kind of favor?"

"Pretend to be my girlfriend. Just for a few months."

Nalaglag halos ‘yung kaluluwa ko sa upuan. I blinked. "Excuse me, what?"

"I know it sounds crazy. Pero I need a date sa mga events ng investors ko, and my dad’s kind of... pushing me to settle down or whatever. It’s complicated. I’ll pay you. And I promise, walang romantic anything kung ayaw mo. This is purely business."

Napanganga ako. Is this real life? Am I being pranked? But when I looked into his eyes, hindi siya nagbibiro. He looked serious… and desperate.

"Bakit ako? Bakit hindi ‘yung mga models na kilala mo?"

He shrugged. "Because you’re real. You’re simple. You’re not after anything. Alam ko you won’t use me. And you’re the only person I trust right now."

Sa totoo lang, I didn’t know what to say.

I needed the money. My brother was graduating soon, and I promised kay Mama na ako muna magpapaaral sa kanya. Gusto ko na ring makaalis sa bahay para makahanap ng sarili kong path. And okay, fine. Maybe a tiny part of me wanted to know what it’s like to be in his world. With him.

So I said yes.

And that started everything.

Fake dates. Fancy dinners. Holding hands in front of business tycoons. Smiling at flashing cameras. Whispering into each other’s ears even if we were just talking about what time matatapos ‘yung event. Playing pretend.

Pero in between those moments, something shifted. Something changed.

One night, while we were walking sa parking lot after a gala, he suddenly said, "You looked beautiful tonight."

"Of course I did," I joked, trying to brush it off. "You paid for the dress."

But he stopped walking. "No. You looked beautiful because you were you. Not because of the dress."

I didn’t know what to say.

Hindi ko alam kung paano ko uuwi that night without overthinking everything. He wasn’t supposed to say things like that. That wasn’t part of the agreement.

But the truth is… I liked it.

I liked the stolen glances. The way he would open doors for me. The late night drives with no destination. The way he would remember how I like my coffee and how I always wore mismatched socks when nervous.

Until one day, he stopped.

He stopped texting. Stopped showing up. No explanation. No call. No nothing.

He ghosted me.

And just like that, my fake boyfriend who turned into something more vanished. Like the entire thing was just a beautiful dream I was stupid enough to believe.

I cried for days. Weeks. But eventually, I moved on. Or at least, I tried.

Until today.

Seven years later.

I walked into the interview room for a secretary position at Madrigal International, thinking this was just another job. But when the CEO walked in, and our eyes met...

It was him.

Lucas Madrigal

The man who ghosted me.

The man I swore I’d never fall for again.

And he looked at me like he just saw a ghost.

He cleared his throat, composed himself, and said, "Moon De Vera... you got the job."

And just like that, everything came crashing back.

This time, we’re not pretending.

But I’m not the same girl he left behind.

Let the real game begin.

--------

"You’re back early, boss."

Napalingon ako kay Lucas na biglang dumating sa office habang abala ako sa pag-aayos ng folders para sa board presentation niya next week. Mahigit dalawang linggo na simula nang maging official na ako sa secretary position. I thought I would just be fetching coffee and taking down notes pero girl, mali ako. Every day felt like a corporate survival game. Pero eto ako, buhay pa rin, kahit halos mamatay sa pressure.

"Hindi natuloy 'yung meeting with the Shanghai investors. They had to reschedule," Lucas said habang binababa ang suitcase niya. Nakasuot pa rin siya ng black suit na parang freshly ironed kahit obviously galing siya sa biyahe.

"I see. Should I move it to next week then?"

"Yes. Rebook everything. And make sure to follow up on their documents."

"Got it."

He loosened his tie habang nakatitig lang sa laptop screen ko. I tried my best not to look at him kasi girl, imagine mo na lang 'yung ex mo, okay, hindi naman naging kami officially but the guy you once faked a relationship with, ghosted you, and now is your boss. How pathetic

"Are you okay?" tanong niya out of nowhere.

"Huh? Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?"

"You look... tired."

Well, you’re exhausting, I wanted to say. Pero syempre, profesional tayong secretary ngayon. Kaya ang sabi ko lang, "It’s called being productive. You should try it."

Napangiti siya ng bahagya, pero hindi ko alam kung natatawa ba siya o naiinis. "That’s cute, Moon."

"It’s Ms. De Vera not Moon, Mr. Madrigal."

"I hired you, remember? I can call you by your first name."

"But I work for the company, not for your personal entertainment."

That earned a low chuckle from him. He sat on the chair across my desk and leaned back like he owned the entire world. Well, technically he does own half of it, kung net worth lang pag-uusapan.

"You haven’t changed," he said, eyes trained on me.

"Unlike you."

"How so?"

"You ghosted me. That counts as a major personality flaw, don’t you think?"

Natahimik siya. And I took that chance to shift my eyes back to the laptop and pretend na sobrang importante ng ginagawa ko. Truth is, sinisilip ko lang 'yung mga scheduled tasks for the rest of the week. Pero kailangan kong ipakitang unaffected ako kahit nagsisigawan na 'yung memories sa utak ko.

SEVEN YEARS AGO

"So what’s our story again?" tanong ko habang sabay kaming naglalakad ni Lucas palabas ng cafe.

"We met at a conference in UP. We bonded over the lack of food and our shared hatred for long lines," sagot niya habang nagsusuot ng shades.

"Nice. Tapos?"

"Tapos we started dating, casually at first. But we clicked. My parents found out and they were furious, so I told them you’re someone I want to take seriously."

"Grabe, scripted much."

"That’s the point, Moon. Fake nga ‘to, ‘di ba? We need to be believable."

Pumayag ako sa agreement na ito kasi Lucas was desperate to keep his family off his back about an arranged engagement. He offered to pay me, pero I declined. I wasn’t doing this for money. Siguro part ng reason ay thrill—na for once, I was doing something reckless.

"Just act natural when we’re around people, lalo na sa mga party ng pamilya ko. They’re traditional. Ayaw nila ng independent women, ironically."

"Then they’re gonna hate me."

"Exactly. That’s the fun part."

BACK TO PRESENT

"Moon?"

Napabalik ako sa present nang tinawag ulit ni Lucas ang pangalan ko.

"Sorry, napaisip lang," I muttered, trying to focus again.

"Are you still mad at me?"

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say I hated him for disappearing just when I was starting to believe the fake feelings we pretended to have were becoming real.

But all I said was, "I'm not mad. Just... indifferent."

His jaw clenched for a second. "You don’t mean that."

"You don’t get to decide what I mean."

Tumayo siya at lumapit sa desk ko. The space between us was barely an arm’s length now. I could smell his perfume, still the same scent he used to wear.

"Kung babalikan natin lahat, you knew from the start na it was just pretend, Moon. Don’t act like I betrayed you."

"You didn’t betray me," I said, voice low. "You just reminded me that I should never let myself hope."

Tahimik.

That silence stretched like a knife between us. Then he turned around and walked out of the office without another word.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing.

"Professional. Be professional," I whispered to myself.

But the problem was, how do you stay professional when the man who broke your heart now signs your paychecks?

End of Flashback