All Chapters of The CEO's Calamity : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Mariana closed the heavy oak doors, the soft click sounding like a cell door locking into place. The air inside Alejandro’s private executive suite was freezing—far colder than the conference room downstairs. She swallowed hard, pressing her back against the door for a brief moment to anchor herself. "What did he do, Alex?" She didn't bother with corporate formalities. In this empty room, stripped of observers, the fragile veneer of professional decorum dissolved. "Tell me what Inigo did." Alejandro turned around slowly. The city lights from the glass wall behind him cast long, sharp shadows across his angular face. He didn't look angry; he looked entirely, terrifyingly composed. He took a slow sip from his crystal glass before setting it down on his obsidian desk. "Your brother is ambitious, Mariana," Alex said smoothly, walking toward her with measured, deliberate steps. "A trait I normally respect. But ambition without caution is just reckless stupidity. He forged a guarantor s

Saturday morning arrived far too quickly. By eight sharp, a pristine black Mercedes-Maybach pulled up along the dusty, flower-lined alley of Mariana’s family home in Project 4, Quezon City. Neighbours peeked through their wrought-iron gates, whispering excitedly as the uniformed driver, Kuya Bert, stepped out and politely loaded Mariana’s two worn suitcases into the trunk. Her mother, Aling Rosa, stood on the porch, wiping her hands on her apron while looking at Mariana with a mixture of awe and deep suspicion. "Maria, anak," Aling Rosa said, pulling her into a warm, tight hug that smelled of sampaguita and laundry soap. "Are you sure about this? A Montenegro? It feels like a fairytale... or a movie where the girl gets consumed by the rich folk." Mariana swallowed the lump forming in her throat, plastering on the most convincing smile she could muster. "Nay, don't worry. Alex... he's different when it's just the two of us. He really cares about me." The lie tasted like ash on her

Monday morning arrived with the relentless efficiency of a freight train. By eight o'clock, Mariana was back at her desk on the 28th floor of Arcadia Design Group, nursing a cup of instant black coffee that tasted suspiciously like burnt rubber compared to the artisanal brew in the BGC penthouse. "Maria! Omg, girl!" Leo slid his ergonomic chair across the linoleum floor, nearly crashing into her partition. His eyes were wide, and his phone was clutched in his hand like a winning lotto ticket. "What?" Mariana muttered, rubbing her temples as she stared at her CAD software open on her monitor. "Look at this!" Leo spun his phone around, shoving it under her nose. The screen displayed a high-society gossip page on Instagram—Manila High Life—featuring a crisp, high-resolution photo taken from Sunday night at the Montenegro estate in Forbes Park. In the center of the frame stood Alejandro, his arm possessively wrapped around Mariana’s waist, looking down at her with an expression of

The café was bathed in the warm, amber glow of Edison bulbs, a sharp contrast to the cold, sterile glass towers outside. It smelled of roasted hazelnut and damp rain, the faint patter of an afternoon drizzle tapping against the large plate-glass windows. Mariana pushed open the door, her eyes scanning the quiet room. Most of the booths were empty, save for a lone figure sitting in the far corner booth half-hidden behind a towering snake plant. As she walked closer, her heels clicking softly against the tiled floor, the figure shifted. A sleek, manicured hand lifted a ceramic teacup. Sitting across the small marble table was a woman who looked like she had stepped straight out of a glossy fashion magazine. Impeccable cream-colored blazer, sharp facial features, and eyes as cold and calculating as a boardroom shark. Bianca Villafuerte. Mariana’s steps slowed to a halt. The high-society socialite and corporate board member who viewed Alex not just as a business rival, but as her pe

The kiss wasn't gentle. It was a collision of everything unsaid—of anger, betrayal, exhaustion, and an undeniable, consuming hunger that had been simmering beneath the surface since the moment they met. Mariana’s hands instinctively flew up to push against his chest, but her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt instead, gripping him as the world spun away. Alex pulled her tighter, his arm banded hard around her waist, lifting her slightly as his lips moved urgently against hers. It tasted like forbidden coffee, tears, and a terrifying kind of surrender. When they finally broke apart, both of them breathing heavily, foreheads pressed together in the dim light of the study, the silence of the penthouse felt heavier than ever. Mariana’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She stared into Alex’s dark, dilated eyes, seeing a reflection of her own shock. What are you doing? a voice screamed in her head. This is the man who trapped you! With a sharp intake of br