Alle Kapitel von Rejected Daughter, Reclaimed by my Trillionaire Husband: Kapitel 21 – Kapitel 30

Pagkapasok ko pa lang sa lobby ay agad akong natigilan. Sebastian stood there — tall, calm, collected — pero ramdam ko agad ang tensyon sa pagitan namin. His jaw clenched slightly when our eyes met, but it wasn’t him that made my lips curl into a half-smirk.It was the woman beside him.Long legs, a neat silk dress, and that perfectly polite smile that screamed, “I belong here.” That’s the same woman at the bar. Sigurado akong ito rin ang babaeng tinutukoy nina Matthew at Sergio noong gabing iyon.“Oh,” I said lightly, letting my voice drip with faux sweetness. “So, hindi ka pala makakapunta sa suite ko kasi… occupied ka ngayong gabi?”The woman blinked, confused. Sebastian’s face hardened in an instant. “Celeste,” he said warningly, voice low.I raised a brow, feigning innocence. “What? Joke lang, Sebastian. You really need to loosen up.”I watched his expression closely — the faint tick in his jaw, the glare he tried to hide. He looked pikon. Good.He exhaled sharply and turned towa

The next morning, I went straight to the office without even waiting for Sebastian to wake up. Hindi ko rin naman alam kung saan siya natulog dahil wala siya sa silid namin nang magising ako. Maybe in that guest room… with Tania.Hindi pa rin maalis sa isip ko ang nakita ko kagabi. Paulit-ulit lang—like a broken clip playing inside my head.Iniisip ko na marahil lasing lang ako at namalik-mata lang ako. Maybe I imagined everything. But then again, I don’t usually hallucinate—especially not when it comes to him.Pagdating ko sa Astra Designs, sinalubong ako ng malamig na amoy ng kape at mga clicking sound ng keyboard. Everything looked perfectly normal, except for the way my chest felt tight, like something inside me refused to calm down.Kino was already there, sitting in front of my desk with his laptop. “Good morning, Ma’am Celeste. I already printed the drafts for the Blanc project.”“Thanks.”I placed my bag down and took a sip from my coffee cup before I looked at him again. “Hey

Mas naging abala ako mula nang tanggapin ko ang posisyon bilang Creative Director sa kumpanya ni Uriel Santivores. Halos araw-araw, punô ng meetings, drafts, at revisions ang schedule ko. Pero kahit pagod, may kakaibang satisfaction sa bawat ginagawa ko—siguro dahil sa wakas, ito ‘yung desisyon na ako mismo ang gumawa.Hindi ko na sinabi kay Sebastian. Wala naman siyang karapatang malaman lahat ng ginagawa ko dahil wala rin naman akong pakialam sa mga ginagawa niya.That afternoon, nasa office ako, reviewing the latest campaign drafts. Uriel was there, standing beside my desk, quietly observing. Minsan napapaisip ako kung saan siya kumukuha ng pasensya, dahil kahit may mga mali sa presentation, hindi siya agad nagrereact. Kalmado lang palagi ang aura nito.“Too much red,” sabi ko, pointing at the layout on the screen. “It feels heavy. We’re selling a brand, not anger.”Uriel nodded. “You’re right. Let’s soften it. Something elegant, understated.”I looked at him and smirked a little.

Naramdaman kong humigpit ang yakap niya, and for a split second, I almost let him. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Or the way his voice cracked like he was barely holding it together.Pero bago pa ako tuluyang mahulog sa moment na ‘yon, I pulled away. Dahan-dahan.“Get some sleep,” sabi ko, pilit na kalmado. “Before you say something you can’t take back.”He looked at me, eyes red, lost.“Celeste…”I turned my back before he could say anything more. At habang paakyat ako sa hagdan, ramdam ko ang bigat sa dibdib ko—hindi galit, hindi awa, pero yung uri ng lungkot na ayaw mong aminin na meron ka pa rin.“Damn it,” I whispered to myself. “You’re not supposed to feel this anymore.”Pero kahit ilang beses kong sabihin ‘yon, hindi ko rin kayang tanggihan na sa likod ng sarcasm, may isang maliit na bahagi pa rin sa akin na humihinga para sa kanya.**Pagmulat ko kinabukasan, sumalubong sa akin ang liwanag na tumatama sa kurtina at ang sakit sa sentido ko. I barely slept. Hindi dahil sa alak—dah

The rain was relentless, drumming against the black asphalt like it was trying to warn me. Kumakalampag ang takong ko sa basang kalsada habang nagmamadaling papunta sa kotse, ang mga ilaw ng gala ay unti-unting nawawala sa likuran ko. My emerald gown was soaked at the hem, but I didn’t care. I needed air. I needed distance.I thought I was alone. I was wrong.May gumalaw na anino malapit sa isang maitim at makintab na sedan na nakaparada ilang metro lang ang layo. Parang kumurot ang tiyan ko. Ang hulma’y sobrang pamilyar, mga tauhan ni Jaxon.Mas pinabilis ko ang lakad ko. Pabilis din nang pabilis ang tibok ng puso ko. Pero bago pa man ako makalapit sa kotse, biglang may humablot sa pulso ko.“Celeste—stop!”Lumiko ako, akala ko ay isang karaniwang nakatambay lang, pero doon ko nakita si Sebastian na nakatayo. Tall, dark, eyes burning with something I couldn’t quite name. The smell of alcohol hit me instantly, but it didn’t matter. The intensity in his gaze made my pulse spike.“What