=Sera’s POV=The light that filtered through the sheer white curtains wasn’t harsh—it was soft, almost like it was being gentle with us. Parang alam niyang, after everything we’ve gone through, we finally deserved mornings like this.I stirred beneath the sheets, the linen warm against my skin, and reached out instinctively. Damien’s side was already empty, but not cold. His warmth still lingered, as if he had just stepped out.Narinig ko ang mahina’t pamilyar na tunog ng brewing coffee mula sa kitchen nook ng villa. The scent of roasted beans mixed with sea breeze, calming my nerves in a way I never knew I needed.For a moment, I just laid there. Eyes open, staring at the ceiling, feeling my own breath move in and out of my chest. Walang paparazzi. Walang board meeting. Walang tanong na kailangang sagutin.Just this. A quiet morning. A life unburdened.I finally got up, wrapped myself in one of Damien’s shirts, and padded barefoot toward the veranda.And there he was.Sitting with a
=Sera’s POV=Love used to feel like a battlefield—sharp, breathless, uncertain.Ngayon, ibang-iba na. It no longer roared with urgency. It whispered. It lingered. And it stayed.✴✴✴One Month Later in ValeCorp Private Retreat, Nasugbu....“May mga bagay talagang hindi mo makikita kapag puro takbo ang ginagawa mo,” I said habang nakaupo sa hammock, a mug of warm cacao in hand.Damien glanced up from his book, his feet stretched out on the wooden deck. “Like peace?”“Exactly,” I smiled. “And… you. Or maybe me—yung totoong ako.”He set his book down. “You’ve always been that version of yourself, Sera. Even when you didn’t see it.”Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa mug. “Do you remember that night in the war room? When we first saw the files? The photos?”He nodded, his expression darkening slightly.“I thought it would break us,” I whispered.“But it didn’t.”“No,” I said, placing the mug down and walking toward him slowly. “Because we fought for something bigger than pride. Bigger than anger.”
=Sera’s POV=There was no press, no podium, no flashing lights.Just silence, sunlight, and the scent of earth in the garden we were slowly reclaiming.Months ago, I lived in shadows—fighting ghosts, answering questions about a marriage I barely understood. Now, I stood in the middle of the old Navarro estate, barefoot on damp grass, and for the first time in so long…I was just Seraphina.No legacy to outrun. No mask to wear.Just me. And the man who never let go.✴✴✴Two weeks after the restoration started in the Navarro Estate, the new pavilion stood where a crumbling greenhouse used to be. Open air, soft wood, surrounded by wildflowers that hadn’t bloomed in years. We kept most of them as they were—raw, untamed. Alive.We gathered today not for a business launch, nor a gala. But for something softer. Quieter.“Simple lang, Sera,” Julianne—one of our lead architects—had said earlier. “You don’t need anything loud to mark something that means everything.”At hindi ko na kailangang p
=Sera’s POV=Some inherit gold.Others, power.Ako? I inherited ruin. And from that ruin—I forged fire.✴✴✴Two weeks later in Navarro Ancestral Estate, Batangas...Nasa harap ako ngayon ng lumang bahay na matagal ko nang hindi binalikan. Matayog pa rin ito, pero halatang niluma na ng panahon—ang mga kahoy na sahig, ang kupas na pintura, at ang mga alaala ng kahapon na nakatago sa bawat sulok.“This used to be the heart of Navarro,” I said softly, running my hand along the gate. “Before everything fell apart.”Damien stood beside me, quietly surveying the structure. “It can still be the heart. If you’re ready.”“I am.” Huminga ako nang malalim. “Hindi na ako natatakot sa mga multo ng nakaraan.”Binuksan namin ang lumang tarangkahan. As we stepped in, the floor creaked under our feet— na para bang ginising 'nun ang mga alaala ng pamilya kong minsang buo.There were old portraits still hanging—Lolo’s eyes, sharp and full of pride. Lola’s grace etched into her smile. My father, young and
=Sera’s POV=May mga pangalan na binura ng kahapon.At may mga pangalang kailangang itayo muli—mas matatag, mas totoo.✴✴✴One week later in Navarro Headquarters... “Ma’am Sera, the new signage has arrived,” sabi ng receptionist habang inaabot sa akin ang mga design drafts ng bagong company logo.I studied the page closely. It wasn’t just an aesthetic update—it was symbolic. Clean lines, bolder typeface, a rising phoenix etched subtly behind the Navarro name.“It’s simple,” I murmured. “But strong.”“Like the woman running it now,” Damien said from behind me.Napatingin ako sa kaniya. He was in full ValeCorp mode—crisp suit, composed expression—but the moment our eyes met, I saw it. The softness he reserved only for me.“Sa totoo lang,” I replied in a low voice, “hindi ko akalaing mararating natin ’to.”“You fought for it,” he said, approaching slowly. “You gave Navarro a new pulse.”I smiled faintly. “Not alone.”We proceeded in the boardroom where the Navarro and ValeCorp will held
=Sera’s POV=Paglapag pa lang ng eroplano sa Maynila, ramdam ko na ang bigat ng lahat ng naiwan naming gulo. The air was thick with headlines, press inquiries, and company noise waiting to explode. Pero iba na ngayon—this time, we held the match.Kasama ko si Damien habang bumababa kami ng private jet. May nakapila ng convoy to escort us straight to ValeCorp, where both boards—Navarro and Vale—would be waiting. The media was also just a few steps behind, sniffing for a statement.Pero hindi pa ngayon. Hindi pa tapos ang laban. Marami pa kaming kailangang linisin.“Are you ready?” Damien asked, sliding on his sunglasses as he glanced at me.“Hindi ko alam kung ready ako… pero sigurado akong handa na akong harapin lahat.”He reached for my hand and held it tightly. “Then that’s more than enough.”✴✴✴We arrived at ValeCorp for a closed door meeting.Inside the main boardroom, silence met us.Twelve directors from both Navarro and ValeCorp sat in tension. Some anxious. Others relieved. A