Semua Bab Byline of My Heart: Bab 11 - Bab 16

Sebastian’s POVMidnight came and went. The city didn’t explode the way people imagine it does when a name like mine hits the page. No sirens. No fires in the streets. Just a quiet shift like tectonic plates grinding beneath polished marble floors.That’s how real damage starts.By 12:07 a.m., my phone was already ringing.By 12:12, three alliances were reconsidering their loyalties.By 12:19, one man who used to call me brother stopped answering altogether.I let it all happen.Because the first thing I did before calls, before damage control, before blood was checked on Isla.“Boss,” Matteo said as he entered my office, face tight. “Sumabog na.”“I know,” I replied, eyes still on the screen.Isla’s apartment.Lights on.Curtains open.She was pacing.“She published,” Matteo continued. “Buong pangalan. Buong koneksyon.”“Yes.”He hesitated. “Anong gagawin natin?”I stood, slipped on my jacket. “I court her.”Matteo blinked. “Boss… inexpose ka na sa mundo. Hindi ba dapat—”“I didn’t s

Isla’s POV I didn’t trust the calm. After everything, after the article, the fallout, the way Sebastian chose to stay instead of disappear and the quiet felt suspicious. Parang bago ang bagyo. Parang may hinihintay na sumabog. Still, there he was. Consistent. Predictable in the most unsettling way. Hindi na siya basta anino sa gilid ng paningin ko. Hindi na rin siya panakot sa inbox ko. Sebastian Romano had become a presence, steady, unavoidable, irritatingly respectful. That scared me more than the threats ever did. We were sitting in the café again. Same place. Same hour. Different air between us. “You’re thinking too loudly,” he said, eyes on his coffee. “Occupational hazard,” sagot ko. “Journalists think for a living.” “And yet you’re here,” he replied. I raised an eyebrow. “You invited yourself into my routine. Don’t rewrite it.” A ghost of a smile tugged at his mouth. “Fair.” I watched him for a moment, really watched. No suits today. Just a dark shirt, sleeves ro

Isla’s POVI woke up annoyed. Not because something bad happened, but because nothing did.Same ceiling.Same apartment. Same city noise outside my window. Pero may something off, like my chest hadn’t caught up with my brain yet. I kept replaying last night, and no matter how I framed it, the same thing stood out.He stopped.Sebastian Romano could’ve taken more. He didn’t. And somehow, that stuck with me more than if he had. I reached for my phone without thinking.No message.I told myself that was good.Healthy.Responsible.Still, my grip tightened a little before I put it down.I went through my morning routine on autopilot. Coffee I barely drank, headlines I skimmed instead of read. My own article stared back at me on the screen, his name bold and unbothered.Sebastian Romano.Mafia boss.Man I should be dissecting, not remembering.At the newsroom, people were careful around me. Not suspicious or curious. Like they were waiting for me to either double down or disappear. My ed