All Chapters of The Afterburn of Tempation: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Nasa loob kami ngayon ng malaking conference room ng Finance Department para sa final approval ng goods import budget. Katabi ko si Alexis habang seryosong nakatutok ang lahat sa presentation screen. Sa kabilang dulo ng table nakaupo si Zhean, wearing his usual authoritative, unreadable poker face, surrounded by senior board members and our department lead, Mr. Mendoza."Good morning, everyone. Today, Mr. Sandoval and I will present the allocated budget and financial updates for the upcoming goods import," panimula ko habang binubuksan ang slide.I walked the board through the figures with complete confidence, carefully detailing the cost allocations and projected returns. Sumalo rin si Alexis para ipaliwanag ang supply chain breakdown and logistics updates."As you can see on slide eight, we managed to negotiate a lower tariff rate, which brought our total import expenditure down by eight percent," pagtatapos ni Alexis.Zhean slowly leaned back in his leather chair, his intense gaze b

Dahan-dahan kaming pumunta sa dulo ng fire exit kung saan walang taong makakarinig sa amin. Habang nakasandal si Dave sa malamig na pader, unti-unti siyang nag-confess, as the weight of his secret finally broke him down."We started hooking up just for fun lang," panimula niya, staring blankly at the floor while collecting his thoughts."It was purely physical at first. But then we made a pact na keep it hidden.""Bakit daw? Ano daw dahilan?" curious kong tanong, trying to read his expression."Kasi ayaw niyang ipagsabi sa iba," sagot ni Dave, the pain evident in his voice. "Iyon ang secret naming dalawa na dapat walang makakaalam.""At pumayag ka doon? Bakit ka pumayag sa ganong set-up?" agad kong tanong sa kaniya.Napatawa ako nang bahagya nang patago, a bitter, ironic chuckle, because I realized I was asking the exact same question na sumasalamin sa sitwasyon namin ni Zhean. I was literally calling him out for the same foolish mistake I was making."I had to... just to keep her besi

Mabilis lang ang biyahe pauwi. Pagkarating ko agad sa penthouse, nag-message ako agad kay Zhean bago dumeretso sa banyo para maligo. Habang naliligo ay hindi tumitigil sa pag-replay sa utak ko ang lahat ng natuklasan ko kay Dave.Pilit kong ipinIpikit ang mga mata ko trying to push all the dark thoughts away.Masakit na ang ulo ko at pakiramdam ko ay sasabog na ang utak ko sa kakaisip ng mga tanong na hindi masagot sagot. After 30 minutes of showering, I got my phone and saw a notification from Zhean.Nag-reply na siya: "Sleep already. Don't wait for me."Whole day akong nagcrave ng sweets, kaya pumunta muna ako sa kitchen para maghanap sa ref. But since sobrang health-conscious si Zhean, wala siya stocks ng chocolates, kaya nahiga na lang ako ulit to sleep.After a while, nagising ako sa biglang kirot ng puson ko. I walked straight to the bathroom and was totally shocked nang makitang dinatnan pala ako. Medyo delayed kasi ako, so I really didn't expect na dadatnan ako today."Shocks wa

What did I ever do to her para umabot siya sa ganitong point na pati bahay ko ay handa niyang sunugin? Tiningnan ko ulit 'yung hawak kong litrato. Even with the grainy quality and the dim lighting, it was completely undeniable na siya nga talaga ito.It was Karen.Napahawk ako sa labi habang nakatitig sa larawan. That was why when she approached me the day before she died, para siyang may tinataguan at balisang-balisa. She was utterly consumed by guilt.I had forgiven her back then, assuming her guilt stemmed from setting me up at the port. I let it go, completely blind to the fact that she was capable of something far worse. She literally tried to end my life if hindi ako maswerteng naligtas.Tuluyan akong nawalan ng boses, my mind heavily processing everything. Si Karen ang sanhi ng pagsunog sa apartment ko."Nagbabakasakali lang ako na baka nakikilala mo siya," patuloy ni Luz bago uminom ng kape."I showed this to Zhean yesterday and asked for his input, but he didn't have much to s

Nang kami na lang dalawa ang naiwan ay walang kibong naglakad ako nang una patungo sa elevator. Sinundan niya ako nang mabilis hanggang sa makapasok kami sa penthouse. The moment the door clicked shut, the heavy silence exploded into pure tension."Alessa, talk to me! Bakit kayo magkasama ni Brion?!" galit at may halong selos niyang tanong, his jaw tightly clenched."Ano ba, Zhean? Pagod ako," malamig kong sagot habang tinatanggal ang sapatos ko. "Birthday lang ni Vince kaya kami magkakasama. Hinatid niya ako kasi nahihilo na ako at hindi ako makadrive.""I tried calling you kanina pa! You weren't picking up!" sigaw niya, his frustration evident in his strained voice.Kinuha ko ang phone ko sa bag at ipinakita sa kaniya. "My phone battery is dead. 'Yun lang ba kinakagalit mo at bakit kailangan mong maging aggressive nang ganoon kay Brion?"Zhean let out a dry, bitter laugh, stepping closer to me. "Aggressive? Anyone who saw that scene would react the same way I did especially na magkas