Semua Bab Veil of Vows: Play The Billionaire's Game: Bab 41 - Bab 50

=Sera's POV=The board went quiet.For hours after the virtual session, there was no response. No calls. No follow-up emails. As if the weight of truth I had just dropped into their laps left them stunned into paralysis.Or maybe they were strategizing.I sat by the window of Damien’s condo, phone in hand, eyes on the street below. Manila was its usual chaos—honking cars, rushing people, glowing signs. But in my chest, the stillness was deafening.“What if they bury it?” I asked aloud, not turning to look at Damien, who stood behind me, reading the same report for the fifth time.“They won’t,” he replied. “Not with the media packet Alvarez sent out.”Napalingon ako. “You actually did it?”He nodded. “Scheduled distribution. Embargoed until the board finishes their vote. But if they stall, we light the match.”A strange mixture of relief and dread coursed through me. “So we’re really doing this.”“We already did.”I pressed my palm flat on the glass. “I keep hearing Julian’s voice in m

=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=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=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=The next morning, magulo pa rin ang isip ko. Hindi pa ako tuluyang nakatulog kagabi—ang daming iniisip, ang daming kailangang ayusin. The press statement was ready, the USB was with Damien for final encryption, and Atty. Lim was working on legal protections for both of us.Pero ang hindi ko maalis sa isip ko ay ang tanong—how deep did the rot really go?Nasa conference room ako ng ValeCorp kasama si Damien, Alvarez, at dalawa pang analysts. Naka-flash sa screen ang isang spreadsheet—rows and rows of figures. Financial trails. Dozens of entities. Ang iba pamilyar, ang iba bagong pangalan lang pero obvious—front companies.“Start from column E,” sabi ni Damien kay Alvarez. “What’s that trail?”“Those are linked to procurement from 2019 to 2021,” sagot ni Alvarez habang nagta-type. “At least eight shell companies na affiliated by Carlos directly or through proxies. Sila rin ang tumanggap ng largest shares ng Navarro export contracts during that time.”My stomach dropped. “So