Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

=Sera's POV=Setting: Conference room ng Navarro & Co. Legal OfficeTahimik ang paligid, maliban sa mahinang ugong ng aircon sa kisame. Nasa loob kami ni Julian ng maliit na conference room—kami lang. Nakaupo siya sa harap ko, suot ang paborito niyang navy tie at pulidong polo, pero ramdam ko sa mata niya ang mga bagay na hindi niya masabi.Hindi ito 'yung normal naming tahimik.“Are you tired?” tanong niya, habang pinagmamasdan ang mukha ko. “You look… off.”“Just slept late last night,” sagot ko, umiwas ng tingin.“Because of the pitch?" May pagdududa sa boses niya "Or… something else?”Napatingin ako sa kanya—straight,  walang iwas. “Julian…”He exhaled slowly. “Sera, don’t lie to me. I know something have changed.”Tila nanigas ang katawan ko. Hindi ko man aminin, alam niya

=Damien's POV=My phone rang just after I signed off the last call.Yaya Loring.I stepped out of the conference room, already feeling the tension snake through my shoulders. “Hello, Yaya?”[Sir Damien... pasensya na, pero kailangan ko po kayong tawagan kaagad.]I straightened. “What’s going on?”[May dumating po kanina. Si Sir Julian.]My jaw tightened.[Hindi ko po siya pinapasok agad. Sabi ko, bahay ito ng mga Vale. Pero sinabi ni Ma’am Seraphina… na may karapatan siyang papasukin, kasi future Vale siya.]Future Vale.There was a pull in my chest at the sound of those words. A quiet kind of pride. But it wasn’t enough to drown out the fire building in my gut.“What did he want?”[Hindi ko po alam, sir. Inutusan po kasi kami ni Ma'am Seraphina na huwag silang iistor

=Sera's POV=The ringtone cut through the quiet morning like a blade.Groggy and disoriented, I reached for my phone on the nightstand, the soft glow of the screen momentarily blinding my eyes. Ma flashed across the screen. My heart dropped.“Mama?” I answered, voice rough with sleep.[Anak, it’s Mama. Nasa ospital si Julian.]Napaupo ako sa gilid ng kama. “What? Bakit po?”[Nasaktan siya… May—may sugat sa kamay, pasa sa mukha. Galing siya sa presinto bago dinala sa ER. Ayaw sabihin ng pulis yung buong detalye pero... Damien was there. Anak, ano bang nangyayari?]Parang may sumabog sa ulo ko. “Nandun si Damien?”[Oo. Kasama ang magulang niya. Anak, kailangan mo nang pumunta rito.]Nabitawan ko ang phone sandali. Nanginginig ang kamay ko.✴✴✴Pagkarating ko sa ospital, nakita ko agad si Tita Rowena—Julian’s mom—at si Camille, ang kapatid

=Sera’s POV=Pagkatapos sa presinto, dumiretso ako sa pinakamalapit na café. Hindi ko na kinaya umuwi agad. My head was pounding from everything—Julian’s condition, Damien’s silence, and the truth na unti-unting lumilinaw.“Ate Eli!”Lumingon ako. Si Camille. She looked like she hadn’t slept either, wearing an oversized hoodie at may eye bags rin siya. Just like me. She walked toward me habang hawak ang dalawa naming drinks.“Caramel macchiato mo. Medium. Extra shot. Parang ikaw—strong, pero sweet,” she smiled weakly.Napangiti ako kahit papaano. “Salamat, Camille.”Umupo siya sa tapat ko, tahimik muna pareho. Parehong pagod. Parehong may kinikimkim.“Eli,” she started, swirling her coffee cup. Also, not using her callsign with me. "What...What really happened? Sa presinto? Sa CCTV?”Huminga ako nang malalim. “Wala silang nakita na nanakit si Damien. Walang footage inside Julian’s office, pero lumabas si Damien

=Sera's POV=I stared at my reflection sa salamin ng banyo sa kwarto namin ni Damien. Walang make-up, walang pretensions, just my tired eyes and pale lips. For the past few days, I’ve been forcing myself to function like nothing happened.No one knew what Julian said—no one but me. And I intended to keep it that way.Dahan-dahan kong binasa ang kamay ko. The cold water helped me breathe, kahit papaano. Ilang segundo pa ay narinig ko ang pagbukas ng pinto sa kwarto. Damien’s footsteps were soft but certain.“Hey,” he called out from outside the bathroom. “Are you okay?”“Yeah,” sagot ko agad. I took one last look at myself before stepping out. I had to be okay. Or at least, I had to look like it.Nakatayo siya sa gilid ng kama, sleeves rolled up, phone in hand. His eyes immediately scanned my face.“You sure?”I nodded, forcing a small smile. &ldq