Chapter Three [Damien]: Under The Roof

=Damien's POV=

"Kailangan niyo ng tumira sa iisang bubong, Damien. Hindi magiging believable ang kasal kung hiwalay pa rin kayo ng tirahan."

'Yun ang sinabi ng ina ni Seraphina, with that calm, almost motherly tone that didn’t leave room for negotiation.

Hindi ko ugaling nagpapadala sa mga demands. Pero in this case, she was right.

Ayokong masira ang plano dahil lang sa simpleng logistics. At kung ang pagiging magkasama sa isang bubong ang kailangan para tuluyang paniwalaan ng media at ng board na seryoso ang kasunduan namin—then so be it.

Hindi ito tungkol sa feelings. This is business.

So I made the calls.

My penthouse in Makati wasn’t designed for sharing.

It was all structure and silence. Walang clutter. Walang kulay. Every piece of furniture was curated to function, not comfort. And that’s exactly how I liked it.

Pero ngayong may “roommate” ako—at hindi basta roommate si Seraphina Elise Navarro—some adjustments had to be made.

“Add soft linens. Warmer lighting. Make the guest room feel lived in. No pink, no florals,” utos ko sa interior team.

“Sir, any preference for her toiletries or kitchen items—”

“She’ll complain if we don’t stock almond milk and strawberry jam. Just add those. And black coffee.”

Hindi ko alam kung paano ko naaalala 'yun. She had been constant drinking black coffee in the morning, almond milk when she just liked it, and having a strawberry jam with her crackers or bread. Maybe I’d been paying more attention than I thought. 

✴✴✴

That night, I stood in the middle of the now slightly softer penthouse, staring at the guest room door. She even complained to me about the spring rolls and California rolls I had curated just for her. She complained that I should make an effort, not just order something. And I completely shrugged it off earlier by telling her our schedule for tomorrow.

It was strange. Normally, the silence here gave me peace. Pero ngayong alam kong may ibang tao sa kabilang kwarto, tahimik pa rin—pero hindi na mapayapa. It felt like a door that I closed was handpicked by someone and then they got into me and messed up my system.

I heard the door open. Footsteps.

Sera. Or that's how I heard her mother called her when she was talking to her through a line.

She didn’t say anything when she passed by the hallway. Just a quick glance and a raised eyebrow, as if she were testing me.

Game face, Damien.

She disappeared into her room, and the hallway went quiet again.

Is she zany?

That's the reason I was hesitant when her mother brought up the living arrangement. Not because I didn’t want her here—but because I wasn’t sure why I wanted her here.

She was messy. Loud. Stubborn.

But she was also magnetic.

And worse? She wasn’t afraid of me.

I’ve seen people stutter in my presence. Sera stares me down like she’s the one holding the upper hand.

And that—that—makes her dangerous.

This arrangement, this fake marriage, was supposed to be straightforward.

But ever since she walked into my office that first day, everything about this deal stopped feeling simple.

The door to her room opened again. She was wearing an oversized shirt, hair tied up. No makeup.

Still beautiful. Still trouble.

“Hindi ka pa matutulog?” she asked, leaning by the kitchen island.

“I don’t sleep early.”

She poured herself water. “Same.”

A beat of silence.

She walked to the glass veranda where I was. She didn't look at me in the eye, but I could feel her presence. Her strong, leading presence.

“This won’t work if you keep looking at me like I’m invading your territory," she said, making me feel like I made her feel that bad. But I cannot feel I did something I am unworthy of, right? 

I am always right. She cannot make me feel this way.

“It’s not about territory,” sagot ko, eyes steady on hers while she kept hers away from me, still looking at the view in front of her. “It’s about control.”

“Then you better learn to lose a little, Mr. Vale.” She grinned and walked away.

And for the first time in years, I felt something unfamiliar in my own home:

Chaos.

And I welcomed it.