Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game

=Sera's POV="Hindi na natin kaya, anak."Yung mga salitang ‘yon, para bang tinaga sa batok ko. Nakatulala lang ako habang nakaupo sa harap ng mahogany desk sa opisina ko. Once the pride of Navarro Real Estate. Ngayon? Isa na lang siyang tahimik na paalala kung gaano kataas ang bagsak namin.Tumingin ako kay Mama—kay Celeste Navarro. Matapang pa rin ang postura niya, pero ramdam ko na, pagod na siya. Wala na ‘yung usual sharpness sa mata niya. Pinalitan na ito ng kaba. Lungkot. Pagsuko.“Anong ibig mong sabihin, Mama?” pilit kong kinalma ang boses ko, pero nanginginig pa rin ang loob ko.“Wala na tayong choice, anak. Nalimas ng scam artists ang accounts natin. Iniwan tayong basang-basa sa utang. Lahat ng investors umatras. No one wants to touch us now—not even with a ten-foot pole.”Ramdam kong nanlamig ang kamay ko. Hinaplos ko ang ilalim ng mesa, hoping to ground myself. Pero wala. Wala 'yung nagawa. “Pero… may mga backup tayo, 'di ba? Di ba may offshore funds? Emergency reserves?”

=Sera's POV=“Miss Navarro, Mr. Vale is waiting in his office. He said it’s urgent.”'Yun agad ang salubong sa akin ng assistant ni Damien pagkapasok ko pa lang sa VALECORP para sa planning session with the PR team. Naglakad ako papunta ro’n, tumigil sa harap ng glass door, at kumatok.“Come in.”Pagpasok ko, nakita ko siyang nakaupo, may kape sa kamay, while reading something on his tablet.Hindi siya tumingin agad. Mahangin as always.“Your mom texted me.”Napataas ang kilay ko. Agad-agad?“What did she say? ‘Pakisundo ang anak kong stubborn’?”Finally, he looked up with his serious face. As usual. “She wants us to move in together. Before the wedding.”Alam ko naman na ang magiging topic namin pero natahimik pa rin ako.He leaned back. “It makes sense. For the press, for appearances. We’ll set boundaries, of course.”“And whose place? Yours?” I confidently asked.“I don’t do roommates,” he said casually. “But I suppose I can make an exception. There’s a guest room. You’ll be comfor

=Sera's POV=9:23 a.m.Pre-shoot“Hindi na ba pwedeng mag-back out?” tanong ko habang sinusuklay ng stylist ang buhok ko into effortless waves—na ironically took forty minutes and three products.Celeste, my ever-graceful mother-in-law by contract, smiled from the hallway.“Sweetheart, just smile and sparkle. This is good press. Mas madali ang business deals kapag mahal kayo ng publiko.”Right. Because nothing screams business merger like pretending to be in love in front of a lifestyle magazine.Damien walked in just then, fresh from a quick suit change, sleeves rolled, smile manufactured.“Ready to play house, Mrs. Vale?”“Only if you promise not to burn it down, Mr. Vale.”We shared a smirk.Fake it 'til you make it.✴✴✴10:02 a.m.Living Area – Scene 1: The InterviewCameras. Lights. Overpriced flowers. And us—posing like we were born to be the cover of PH Luxe Living’s Power Couple Edition.“So, Seraphina, what’s one thing you learned about Damien after getting married?”I glance

=Damien's POV=Cooking was never supposed to mean anything.It was just grilled cheese.But when Seraphina looked at me like that—like I’d done something that mattered—it felt like the ground shifted beneath us.She was still sitting on the counter, fingers curled lightly around the edge, her lips pink and slightly parted from the kiss we shared just minutes ago. Her hair was still tousled from sleep, and she wore my hoodie like it was hers—like she belonged in my space.Something about that burned slowly in my chest.And I couldn’t walk away from it.“Hindi tayo ‘to, ‘di ba?” she whispered, her voice barely audible between us.“Then tell me who we are,” I murmured back, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.She stared at me, torn between trust and hesitation.“Hindi ko alam,” she admitted, eyes flickering to the side. “Lahat ng ‘to... parang may script pa rin.”I stepped closer, resting one hand on the counter beside her, the other tracing light patterns on her thigh—innocent, gr

=Sera's POV=The gala was in full swing—the kind of high-profile event that made me want to hide in a corner and pretend I wasn’t the center of attention. But tonight was different. Kasi kahit gaano kami nag-effort na maging mag-asawa sa harap ng mga camera, ramdam ko ang pagbabago. Parang may something between us na hindi na natin kayang itago.“Seraphina,” Damien’s voice broke through the noise, calm and steady as always. His hand found the small of my back, warm and reassuring. “You’re tense.”“Tense? Me? Never,” sagot ko, dahan-dahang ngumiti, pero ramdam ko talaga ang kaba sa dibdib ko.He chuckled softly. “Come on, you’re gripping my arm like I’m your lifeline.”“Oo nga eh,” I whispered. “You’re so calm dito, parang nasa boardroom lang.”“That’s because I’m used to it,” he said, brushing a stray hair from my face. “You? Not so much.”I rolled my eyes playfully. “That obvious?”“Like a neon sign.”K