Semua Bab Echelon: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Carrie Tuazon adjusted the strap of her leather bag as she darted across Ayala Avenue, nearly colliding with a motorcycle weaving through traffic. Horns blared, sirens wailed, and the humid Manila air clung to her skin. It was barely eight in the morning and already the city was alive with its usual chaos."Excuse me!" she snapped at a cab that brushed too close to her heels. The driver didn't hear her, his windows rolled up, music thumping inside.Her condo in Salcedo Village was supposed to give her walking-distance access to the office, but walking in Makati felt more like an obstacle course. Jeepneys swerved, sidewalks cracked under her heels, and every pedestrian crossing was a gamble.Her phone buzzed again. Sofia, her assistant.Carrie answered, panting slightly. "Sofia, I'm crossing Makati Avenue right now. What's the emergency?"Sofia's voice was tight. "Ma'am Carrie, it's Anita Sandoval. She pulled out of the feature."Carrie stopped on the pedestrian island as horns screame

By ten that night, Carrie finally surrendered to exhaustion. She shut down her laptop, the orchids on her desk sagging like they too had fought the day and lost. Ayala Avenue shimmered with headlights and brake lights, the city's arteries still clogged with late commuters. She crossed the street, her heels clicking against the pavement, the air thick with the perfume of exhaust and the comforting tang of fried chicken drifting from Jollibee.Salcedo Village greeted her with the familiar rhythm of its streets. Security guards chatted softly on the corners. A few stragglers loitered outside convenience stores. Her condo rose ahead, tall and sleek, its glass catching the last hints of neon from the avenue.The building's ground floor spread like a miniature city. The organic grocer had already gone dark, its refrigerators humming like a low heartbeat. Clothing and shoe boutiques sat shuttered behind iron grills, mannequins staring blankly into nothing. Jollibee, Greenwich, and J.Co still

Carrie descended into the lobby of her condo, her leather pants whispering with every step, her black crop top tucked neatly beneath a fitted blazer. The security guard by the desk gave her a polite nod, and for a moment she felt almost confident in her choice.That confidence shattered the second Joan spotted her by the doors."You have got to be kidding me," Joan said, striding over with a smirk that was equal parts amused and horrified. "You look like you're about to fire someone, not storm Elysium."Carrie frowned. "What's wrong with this? It's sleek, modern, professional—""It's giving HR orientation," Joan cut her off. "Not midnight power play. We're going up. What floor is your unit again?"Carrie sighed. "Twentieth."Joan looped her arm through hers, already marching her toward the elevators. "Perfect. Let's fix this crime against nightlife."Inside her condo, Joan wasted no time. She flung open Carrie's closet, tossing clothes around like a tornado with an agenda. "Blazers ar

Carrie's heels clicked unevenly against the marble as she moved toward the staircase. Her body swayed with the music, her head hazy from the rum, but determination pushed her forward. She barely noticed that the velvet rope that usually blocked the way upstairs had been pulled aside. Security was gone, pulled away by the chaos of another VIP's entourage, some politician with too many bodyguards, all demanding attention. For the first time that night, the way up was clear.She climbed, clutching the railing as the bass softened behind her, replaced by the muffled throb of music seeping through the walls. The second floor was quieter, darker, a world away from the chaos below.Seven golden doors lined the hallway, each one marked not with numbers but with glowing LED logos. Strange designs, abstract shapes, almost like coats of arms, each claiming territory for Manila's untouchable elite. Carrie squinted, her vision swimming. One had a dragon. Another, a pair of crossed swords. One look

Andrew stepped in closer, his gaze locked on hers, and Carrie instinctively backed away. Each step made her breath falter, her pulse racing until the back of her leg brushed the velvet couch. Her skin tingled, every nerve standing on edge, while he looked utterly calm, as if the entire night had been building to this moment and he was savoring every second.Just when she thought he would kiss her, his hand slipped past her hip. His fingers pressed into the wall, and with a muted click the lighting shifted. The suite plunged into a deep red glow, intimate and dangerous, shadows curling in the corners while the couch sat bathed in low, molten light.Then his eyes found hers again, burning, and before she could draw her next breath, his mouth was on her.The kiss hit like a storm. His lips claimed hers hard, his tongue driving into her mouth, tasting her, taking her. She gasped against him, then melted, clutching his shoulders to steady herself as he pressed his body into hers. Heat flar