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Lahat ng Kabanata ng THEIR COLD AND CONFUSED HEARTS : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

139 Kabanata

Chapter 1 BLIND DATES

"Kiel, son, take a look at these..." Amira Mortel, a woman whose elegance was only surpassed by her determination, swept into her son's office and scattered a collection of photographs across his expansive mahogany desk.The photos were glossy and vibrant and depicted a parade of young women. Each seemingly vying for the title of "Most Eligible Bachelorette."Thud!The sound of the photos hitting the polished surface was sharp. It was cutting through the quiet hum of Zadkiel Mortel's office. He'd been immersed in a complex spreadsheet detailing a potential merger and his brow furrowed in concentration.This interruption was… unwelcome."Mom? What are these?" Kiel raised his head. His dark eyes which appeared the same shade of deep brown as his mother's turned questioning and slightly irritated. He was a man of sharp angles and controlled movements and his tailored suit emphasized his lean and powerful build."Haven't you even looked at them, Zadkiel?" Amira's voice was laced with a mi

Chapter 2 TEN MINUTE SEDUCTION

Zadkiel slowly straightened in his high-backed leather chair, the subtle creak of the expensive material a counterpoint to the silence of his office.He idly rolled a Montblanc pen between his fingers – a gift from his father, a constant reminder of the legacy he was now responsible for. His sharp and assessing gaze was fixed on his secretary, Micha.He was fully aware of her blatant attempts at seduction, but he chose to remain outwardly impassive, a mask of cool indifference firmly in place.She was leaning across his expansive desk, her posture deliberately provocative, offering him an unobstructed view of her cleavage.Most men would have been flustered, perhaps even tempted. But Zadkiel felt nothing. A flicker of annoyance, perhaps, but nothing more. He was, to his quiet confusion, remarkably unaffected. He maintained a calm exterior, observing her as he might a misbehaving employee – which, in his mind, she certainly was.Micha was the fifth female secretary he'd hired since taki

Chapter 3 DROWNED IN CONFUSION

Zadkiel exhaled, a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding, the tension only easing after the thunk of the office door signaled Micha's exit. But her words – "Are you a man?" – lingered, a poisonous barb lodged deep, stirring a disquiet he'd never experienced.It wasn't the insult; it was the question. He'd always defined himself by his ambition, his control, his detachment from emotional entanglements. Romance, relationships… they were distractions. Micha's utter failure to elicit any physical response, his internal void where desire should have been, was terrifyingly new. He'd never questioned his sexuality. It had simply been a non-issue. Until now.'Nonsense,' he thought, the word a desperate denial rather than a conviction. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the unsettling thought. 'She's just a bitter, rejected employee.' He was Zadkiel Axton Mortel, CEO. He didn't have identity crises.He was a man. And he had a date. A blind date, orchestrated by his mother, but a dat

Chapter 4 THEIR FIRST MET

Arkael leaned against the cool, polished wall near his private elevator. A deliberate distance from the bustling activity of the hotel lobby yet close enough to keep an eye on the main entrance.He wasn't planning on going to the sixth floor. Not yet. He needed time to think, to process the emotional earthquake that had just struck him. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the ambient noise.The polite chatter of guests, the clinking of glasses, and the soft murmur of music – and focus on the image that had seared itself into his mind: Zadkiel Axton Mortel. His brother.How many years had he spent yearning for this? How many nights had he prayed for a sign, a clue, anything that would lead him back to the little boy he'd lost? How many tears had he shed, silently, privately, mourning a bond broken too soon?The ache of that loss had been a constant companion, a dull throb beneath the surface of his carefully constructed life.Two decades. Two decades since their lives had been ripped

Chapter 5 LACK OF EYESIGHT

'When did the good-looking kid turn ugly in those kids' eyes? Had they gone blind? What's wrong with them?'This had been eight-year-old Arkael's bewildered, indignant reaction to little Zadkiel's claim of being bullied for his appearance. It was a thought that echoed, with bitter irony, in the present-day Arkael's mind."Why are you still frowning?" Arkael had asked, his childish curiosity piqued by the persistent downturn of his new little brother's mouth.Zadkiel had been staring off into the distance, his expression clouded with a sadness that seemed far too heavy for such a young child.'What was troubling him? Did he owe someone money?' Arkael's young mind, unfamiliar with the complexities of adult worries, could only come up with such simplistic explanations."I...I can't even see you," the little boy mumbled, his voice barely audible and his head drooping in shame.The words were like a punch to Arkael's gut. A revelation that shattered his innocent assumptions.Arkael had been

Chapter 6 WOMAN WITH A MAN’S HEART

Zadkiel couldn't bring himself to follow Arkael to the private elevator.The other man's presence and his unexpected persistence triggered a storm of confusing emotions. So, when Arkael turned, Zadkiel instinctively sought refuge, slipping into a shadowed alcove near the main lobby. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic, erratic beat that echoed the chaos in his mind."What the hell!" he muttered, clutching his chest, as if he could physically still the turbulent organ.The encounter with Arkael had been… unsettling. It wasn't just the man's good looks, though those were undeniable. It was something more.A pull, an almost magnetic force that had drawn him in, sparking a strange mix of excitement, anxiety, and… something else. Something he couldn't, wouldn't, name. He'd felt a connection, a spark, that had nothing to do with business and everything to do with… attraction. A male attraction. An attraction to the man who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar to him. The thought wa

Chapter 7 RAW HATRED

A cruel smile twisted Arkael's lips as he locked the cubicle door.The woman, all eager anticipation just moments before, now seemed to shrink under his gaze.He unbuckled his leather belt with deliberate slowness, the metallic click echoing in the small, confined space.He let the belt dangle from his hand, his eyes never leaving hers. He wasn't interested in pleasantries, or even in seduction. This was…punishment. And, perhaps, a twisted form of release.He sat down on the closed toilet lid, lowering his trousers and underwear in one swift motion. His erection, a physical manifestation of his anger and frustration more than genuine desire, sprang free.The woman's eyes widened, her gaze fixed on his exposed flesh. She swallowed hard, a mixture of fear and blatant hunger in her expression. She licked her lips, a gesture that, under different circumstances, might have been alluring. Now, it just fueled his disgust. She looked, he thought with a sneer, like a predator salivating over it

Chapter 8 BUMP INTO EACH OTHER

Zadkiel approached the men's room slowly, his pace a deliberate contrast to the frantic beating of his heart. He rubbed his forehead, a slight throbbing starting behind his eyes. He'd drunk half a bottle of wine – more than he'd consumed in…well, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd had that much alcohol. He'd lost track of time, of pleasure, and of anything beyond the relentless demands of his work.Real happiness felt like a distant, almost forgotten luxury, something he couldn't afford, no matter how much money he possessed. It was harder to attain than any business deal, any award, any accolade. He'd graduated top of his class from a prestigious university, and achieved every professional milestone he'd set for himself, and yet…he felt empty. A hollow shell of a man, going through the motions, driven by ambition, but lacking…something. Something essential he couldn't point out.He didn't understand this emptiness. His childhood memories were fragmented, and incomplete, leav

Chapter 9 MAKING FRIENDS

Arkael leaned against the wall near his private elevator, his outward calm a carefully constructed facade. Inside, he was a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Nervousness, yes, but beneath that, a deeper, more unsettling turmoil.The encounter in the restroom had, as always, left him feeling empty and disgusted, not with the woman, but with himself. The brief, violent act had been a release, a desperate attempt to regain control, but it had, as always, failed.He felt a tremor run through him that had little to do with the aftermath of his encounter, and more to do with who was nearby.His heart was hammering against his ribs, but not entirely from the physical exertion. It was the anticipation. The unexpected, unwanted, and yet undeniably thrilling prospect of seeing Zadkiel again. Seeing the man who, with a single look, a single word, had managed to crack the icy shell he'd built around himself.For the second time in his adult life, he felt a surge of… what? He couldn't name it. It

Chapter 10 RARE TRUST

Zadkiel was lost in thought. Consumed by the whirlwind of emotions Arkael had stirred up. He barely registered Mariella calling his name. The sharp snap of her fingers near his face finally broke through his internal chaos."What?!" he snapped. His irritation flared in an instant. He hadn't meant to be rude, but the sudden intrusion into his private thoughts felt violated.Mariella pointed behind him. Her expression was a mixture of amusement and something else—something that looked almost like… understanding. "Dude, there's a situation developing behind you," she said in a low voice.Zadkiel turned and followed her gaze. His breath caught in his throat. Standing just a few feet away, with a posture radiating a strange mix of tension and concern was Arkael Casimiro.The man's musky scent, which had inexplicably captivated Zadkiel earlier, wafted towards him in a potent, almost overwhelming wave. He instinctively inhaled, his body reacting before his mind could censor the response. He f

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