All Chapters of In the Shadow of Power: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

CASSANDRA'S POVAkala ko, pagkatapos ng lahat ng pinagdaanan namin ni Damien, tapos na ang pinakamasakit na parte ng laban. Pero habang nakatitig ako sa phone ko at pinapakinggan ang boses ng head ng audit team, ramdam kong may isa pang bagyo ang paparating.“Ma’am, we found something during the internal investigation. I suggest you see this in person.”“Okay. Bring it up. Now.”Nanginginig ang daliri ko nang ibinaba ko ang tawag. Sa gitna ng war room na puno ng screens at charts, parang ako lang ang biglang nag-freeze.Please, huwag sana ito ang iniisip ko.Ilang minuto lang, pumasok si Damien, may dalang tablet at folder ang head ng audit. Ramdam ko ang bigat ng atmosphere habang ibinubukas ng auditor ang folder.“Ma’am,” he started, halatang may kaba rin, “we traced multiple leaks. The intel that Wesson used to file their suits… someone from inside gave it to them.”Parang may bumagsak na pader sa dibdib ko.“Who?” halos pabulong kong tanong, nanginginig ang boses ko.Tahimik na pi

CASSANDRA’S POVTahimik ang umaga sa cityscape sa labas ng floor-to-ceiling windows ng opisina ko. Pero sa loob ko, ang katahimikan ay may halong pagod, takot, at pag-asa.We survived the storm. For now.The war room’s lights were off. The monitors that once flashed with headlines and stock crashes were dark. Para bang kahit ang building namin, humihinga rin ng malalim matapos ang unos na pinakawalan namin.Now what, Cassandra?---DAMIEN’S POVNasa pinto lang ako, pinagmamasdan siya. She looked smaller somehow, standing against the city skyline. Pero alam kong hindi ito kahinaan. Ito yung sandali na ibinaba niya ang espada, kahit saglit.“Hindi ka pa ba uuwi?” tanong ko, bitbit ang dalawang tasa ng kape.Tumango lang siya, pero hindi tumingin.“I don’t know how to leave this room, Damien. Parang kapag lumabas ako, ang bigat babalik ulit.”Nilapag ko ang kape sa table niya.“Then don’t leave yet. Let the world wait a little longer.”---CASSANDRA’S POVNakangiti siya, pero seryoso ang

CASSANDRA’S POVAkala ko handa na ako sa kahit anong pagsubok. Na pagkatapos ng pagkakanulo, pagkatapos ng pagligpit sa mga traydor, wala nang mas matindi pang haharapin.But I was wrong.A message arrived on my private line. No greeting, no sender ID — just two words:“We’re back.”---SCENE: THE GHOST FROM THE PASTThe message shook me more than I wanted to admit.Damien found me in my office, staring at the screen.“Cassandra?”I showed him the message.His jaw tightened.“Who?”“The shadows I thought I buried. People who nearly destroyed my father’s legacy.”---DAMIEN’S POVI could see the storm building in her again. But this was different. This was personal.“Tell me everything,” I said.She hesitated, but then the walls came down.---CASSANDRA’S POV“When my father was sick, years ago... there was a group. Former allies. They saw his weakness as opportunity. They tried to take Vale from us. Blackmail, sabotage, financial traps. I fought them off. Barely.”“And now they’re bac

CASSANDRA’S POV Tahimik ang buong lungsod sa unang liwanag ng araw, pero sa loob ko, may bagyo na namumuong handa nang sumabog. Nakatayo ako sa harap ng glass window ng opisina ko, coffee untouched, habang pinagmamasdan ang gising na syudad. Damdam ko ang bigat ng bawat hakbang na gagawin ngayong araw. Pumasok si Damien, dala ang dalawang tasa ng kape. “Cass, today’s the day,” mahina niyang sabi, inilapag ang tasa sa table. “Today, matatapos na ang laro nila.” Hindi nanginginig ang boses ko, pero sa dibdib ko, parang may drum ng gera na tumutugtog. --- FINAL WAR ROOM BRIEFING Maaga pa lang, nasa war room na kami. Ang conference room na ito, transformed na parang command center — may live feeds, charts, at confidential data sa bawat screen. “This is it,” panimula ko, tinitigan ang team na pinaka pinagkakatiwalaan namin. “We’ve been on the defensive for too long. Tonight, babagsak ang mga anino. Lucien and his team will believe they’re about to win. Pero bawat galaw n

DAMIEN’S POVAfter the night in Cassandra’s officeNakahiga siya sa couch, balot sa throw blanket na para bang hindi CEO ng isang empire kundi isang babaeng sa wakas ay piniling magpahinga.Her hair was slightly messy, lips swollen from our kisses, blouse half-buttoned.At ako? Wala akong balak umalis kahit pa sabihin niyang office ito at hindi kama.Tahimik lang kami. Wala nang music. Wala nang wine. Pero ramdam ko pa rin ang init ng balat niya sa akin. Yung damdaming parang hindi lang katawan ang naibigay, kundi pati kaluluwa.I brushed a strand of hair off her cheek.She didn’t flinch. She didn’t pull away.It was the smallest thing, but to me, it meant everything.---Nakahawak ako sa kamay niya, habang yung isa kong braso nakasalo sa likod niya. She had curled up slightly against me, the way people do when they’re safe.And that was the word I kept coming back to:Safe.Not just her, but me too.I’ve spent years trying to be what people expected — a businessman, a strategist, a s