All Chapters of Entangled: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The woman stayed at the bar, swirling her drink with a casual elegance that made it clear she was used to drawing attention without trying. She didn’t look at Sofia directly, but her presence lingered like static in the air, close enough to touch, close enough to feel, yet far enough that no polite introductions would ever be exchanged. The resemblance gnawed at Sofia, an echo of the scandal that had once consumed her life. Same silhouette, same length of hair, same general frame. Close enough that the universe felt like it was taunting her, reminding her that her nightmare had started with nothing more than a blurry photo.Tristan had crossed the room to join David, his back now turned to her. Without him standing nearby, the tension didn’t disappear. It simply reshaped itself, slipping into the space he left behind. The woman’s laughter filled it, low and deliberate, the kind of sound that carried even over music and chatter, drawing a ripple of glances from people who didn’t even k

Back in Manila, the familiar hum of Echelon returned like a soundtrack she had grown up with. The clack of keyboards, the soft shuffle of layouts being rearranged, the faint smell of coffee that lingered in the walls like a permanent tenant. It was almost comforting, almost enough to make her believe her life was normal again. Almost. Because tucked beneath that comfort was the reality that Sofia was still knee-deep in the Tristan Jacinto feature, still dragging the weight of Hong Kong around with her like an invisible suitcase.Her notebook, thick with scribbled quotes and half-legible shorthand, lay open on her desk. Every line carried a trace of that interview room, the sharp light, the sound of his voice. Her laptop screen glowed with her current headline draft: “Tristan Jacinto: Building the Invisible Empire.” The blinking cursor felt like it was judging her.Across the bullpen, Joan swept in dramatically, her heels clicking like punctuation marks. Her energy shifted the air arou

After a whirlwind week at Echelon, Sofia’s roommates decided she needed air, sunlight, company, anything that didn’t involve her laptop glaring judgment at her from the desk. The pressure of the new issue’s success had been exhilarating, sure, but it had also wound her nerves tight enough to hum.“You’ve been staring at that laptop like it owes you money,” Pia said, tugging at Sofia’s arm while she tried to finish one last paragraph. “We’re taking you out. Dinner in BGC. No arguments.”Marco, Pia’s boyfriend, was already jingling his car keys like a kid shaking a toy. “I’ve made a reservation. You’ll thank me when you see the steak.”Sofia sighed, the kind of sigh that came from a mix of exhaustion and surrender, but she let them drag her away from the glowing screen. A night away from deadlines and Tristan Jacinto’s face haunting every magazine stand didn’t sound so terrible. Maybe she could breathe for once without her lungs catching on ambition and anxiety.The restaurant buzzed wi

Damien was already fanning himself with a glittering invite card when he cornered Sofia at Echelon.“Darling,” he purred, “my condo’s flooded. Don’t ask. So this Friday, Elysium. No excuses. The mirrors on the ceiling alone are worth the trip.”Joan, perched elegantly at the edge of Carrie’s desk, smirked. “It’s true, Sofie. It’s like stepping into a music video. You need to come.”Sofia shook her head immediately. “Absolutely not. That’s not my scene.”Carrie, flipping through layouts, glanced up. “You should go. Relax a little. You’ve been under enough stress.”Damien clasped his hands dramatically. “See? Even Queen Carrie commands it. And honestly, Sofie, don’t you think it’s time you actually set foot in Elysium? You’re practically famous for a place you’ve never been.”Joan laughed and pointed out teasingly. “He’s got a point. You might as well see where it all started.”Sofia groaned. “I’ll only go if my roommates can come. I am not stepping into that club alone.”“Perfect,” Joa

The silence at the table stretched, the weight of Tristan’s words lingering.Andrew’s smile didn’t falter. He returned to the couch and sat beside Carrie, leaning back casually, one arm draped along the velvet sofa, her hand still tucked in his. “I’d invite you to join us,” he said smoothly, “but I believe you already have your own suite.”The words landed like velvet-covered steel. A courtesy on the surface, a dismissal underneath.Tristan’s eyes held Andrew’s for a beat longer, unreadable, then flicked back to Sofia briefly before he straightened. “Enjoy your evening.”And just like that, he turned away.Her roommates craned their necks to watch as he strode back down the landing, this time not to his suite but toward the dance floor below. Within moments, he was surrounded — women leaning in, men eager to shake his hand, the crowd parting as if gravity itself bent toward him.Rina exhaled. “Well. That was terrifying and sexy at the same time.”Lani shook her head. “I’d say it was l