=Sera's POV=
Sa loob ng boardroom ng ValeCorp, malamig ang aircon pero mas malamig ang mga mata ng mga taong kaharap ko.
Damien stood beside me, sharp in his charcoal suit, exuding the calm confidence I envied. Pero ako, kahit anong tibok ng puso ko, pilit kong pinanindigan ang lakas ng loob.
The meeting was about to begin.
“Ready?” bulong ni Damien habang inaayos ang lapel ng blazer ko.
“Hindi,” sagot ko, mahina pero totoo. “Pero kailangan.”
He gave a short nod, then took his seat beside me.
Isa-isang dumating ang mga board members. Some of them familiar, others were new faces—province investors turned political allies, old friends of my father, and two corporate watchdogs we had invited for transparency.
Carlos Fuentebella, however, was noticeably absent.
“Typical,” bulong ni Damien. “He’s ducking accountability.”
Maya-maya
=Sera's POV=Sa loob ng boardroom ng ValeCorp, malamig ang aircon pero mas malamig ang mga mata ng mga taong kaharap ko.Damien stood beside me, sharp in his charcoal suit, exuding the calm confidence I envied. Pero ako, kahit anong tibok ng puso ko, pilit kong pinanindigan ang lakas ng loob.The meeting was about to begin.“Ready?” bulong ni Damien habang inaayos ang lapel ng blazer ko.“Hindi,” sagot ko, mahina pero totoo. “Pero kailangan.”He gave a short nod, then took his seat beside me.Isa-isang dumating ang mga board members. Some of them familiar, others were new faces—province investors turned political allies, old friends of my father, and two corporate watchdogs we had invited for transparency.Carlos Fuentebella, however, was noticeably absent.“Typical,” bulong ni Damien. “He’s ducking accountability.”Maya-maya
=Sera’s POV=Tahimik ang paligid pero mabigat ang hangin. Parang may paparating na hindi ko maipaliwanag.Nasa office ako ng Navarro, nasa conference room na may floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The city outside moved in its usual rhythm—cars honking, people walking, lights flickering—pero sa loob ko, may unti-unting pagkulo.Damien stood across the room, phone to his ear, brow furrowed. I could tell it wasn’t good news. I was learning to read him like that."Alvarez just sent confirmation," he said habang nilapitan ako. "Carlos has a meeting tonight with someone offshore. Dummy company representative."“Another shell company?” tanong ko, kahit alam ko na ang sagot.He nodded. "Yes. And it's not just funds this time—he’s moving assets."“Properties?” Kumunot ang noo ko. “Yung mga nakapangalan sa Navarro Holdings?”“Some. Pero mas malala.” Damien placed a tablet in front of me. “Intellectual property. Patents. Your grandfather’s legacy.”Natahimik ako.Hindi lang ito pera o pangalan. It’s
=Sera's POV=Maaga pa rin akong nagising. Hindi dahil sa alarm, kung 'di dahil sa mga tanong na paulit-ulit na tumatakbo sa isip ko.Ano pa ba ang mga bagay na hindi ko pa alam? Gaano pa ba karami ang tinatago ni Julian? At gaano pa kabigat ang kailangan kong buhatin?Pagbaba ko sa sala, naroon na naman si Damien, nakasuot ng gray na long sleeves at may hawak na folder. Napatingin siya sa’kin nang marinig ang mga hakbang ko.“Morning,” he greeted.“Hindi ka na naman natulog nang maayos,” puna ko, umupo sa kabilang sofa.“I couldn’t,” he admitted. “There’s something new.”Napakunot ang noo ko. “Ano na naman ‘yan?”He handed me the folder. “Alvarez found a log. A record of email exchanges between Carlos and a man named Enrique Lao. He’s a private security consultant—blacklisted sa ilang bansa.”Binuksan ko ang folder at binasa ang mga transcript. May codes, pero malinaw ang pattern—nag-uusap sila tungkol sa secure extraction at target discretion.“Target?” tanong ko, ramdam ko ang lamig
=Sera's POV=Mabigat pa rin ang katawan ko kahit nakahiga na ako sa kama. Ilang oras na ang lumipas mula nang matapos ang meeting with the board, pero parang naririnig ko pa rin ang boses ko habang ine-expose ang lahat. Para akong nilagnat pagkatapos magsalita ng matagal.Tahimik si Damien sa tabi ko. Hindi dahil wala siyang gustong sabihin—alam kong binibigyan niya lang ako ng espasyo. Pero nararamdaman ko ‘yung tension sa balikat niya habang nakasandal siya sa headboard.“Hirap pa rin huminga?” tanong niya, marahang hinaplos ang likod ng kamay ko.Tumango ako. “Parang... hindi pa rin totoo lahat.”“It's real,” he said softly. “You did what most couldn’t.”“Hindi pa tapos, Damien.” Tumingin ako sa kanya. “Carlos left the call. Julian is still out there. And the board—baka hati pa rin ‘yung boto nila.”“Then we keep pushing.” Tumagilid siya para mas kaharap ako. “We prepared for this. One step at a time.”Napapikit ako sandali. Gusto kong maniwala, pero hindi ko maalis ang takot. ‘Yun
=Sera’s POV=Three days after the third USB surfaced, the headlines hadn’t died down.In fact, mas lalo pa silang uminit.CORRUPTION ROOTED IN NAVARRO’S CORE: AUDIO & VIDEO FILES EXPOSEDVALECORP’S DAMIEN VALE CONFIRMS INVESTIGATION SUPPORTBOARD MEMBERS UNDER SCRUTINY; SEC LAUNCHES FORMAL INQUIRYBut with every truth we exposed, another layer of myself peeled back—raw, unfiltered, exhausted.And scared.Not of what we found. But of what I had to become to see it through.✴✴✴I sat alone in the Navarro boardroom that morning. The same mahogany table. The same walls that once held silence like a secret.But now… they echoed back everything we’ve unmasked.“Ma’am,” one of our junior paralegals entered. “SEC sent over their notice. They’re launching a full audit. They’ll need full access.”“Give them everything,” I said. “No filters. No redactions.”She nodded and left, but not before offering me a faint smile. A small kindness I didn’t know I needed.✴✴✴Later that day, Damien arrived.
=Sera's POV=The aftermath was quiet.Too quiet.Akala ko pagkatapos ng board meeting, agad silang gagalaw—mag-iimbestiga, magpapatawag ng emergency hearings, or at least maglalabas ng memo. Pero wala. Walang tugon, walang kilos. Just silence.Damien paced the living room, phone in hand, irritation etched into every movement. “They’re stalling. Buying time.”I leaned on the kitchen counter, arms crossed. “Para saan?”He stopped. “To clean their side of the mess. Maybe cover their tracks—or throw someone under the bus.”“Like me,” I whispered. “They could still pin this on me.”Damien looked up, sharp and certain. “Then we strike first.”✴✴✴That night, Damien arranged a video call with two financial media outlets.“You sure about this?” tanong niya habang inaayos ang laptop at the encrypted connection.I nodded. “If the board wants to pretend they didn’t hear me, then I’ll make sure the rest of the world does.”The journalist on the other end was Celina Ruiz, known for blowing open co