Chapter Text
It was a busy day at Arc Tech, a company owned by the Arceta family. On the top floor, staff hurried about—printing, copying, and distributing documents. Some were glued to their screens, fingers clacking against keyboards, while others took breaks, chatting and sipping coffee.
Natural light streamed through the large windows, brightening the office and creating a warm, lively ambiance. The floor was open-plan, except for a spacious glass-walled office tucked into one corner.
Inside, a woman with long hair and glasses sat at her desk, eyes fixed intently on her computer screen. Papers and documents were stacked neatly across the table, waiting for her review and signature. Sunlight softened her features, giving her an almost angelic glow. She gave off the quiet authority of a CEO, yet approachable enough that people sometimes mistook her for a model rather than a business leader. This was Aira.
—-
Aira’s office:
Aira was too focused on reviewing the documents needed for her upcoming deal with another company when a soft knock at her door broke her concentration.
“Aira, I’m sorry, but you have a call from Tito,” Loi said, peeking through the door. Loi, her best friend from high school, had been hired as her secretary.
Aira shot her a displeased look. She had told Loi to tell her dad that she couldn’t be bothered right now as she was really busy. “Didn’t I tell you to make an excuse today?” she asked.
Loi frowned. “Anong today? Everyday kaya palaging excuse mo ‘busy ka.’ Hindi na tuloy naniniwala si Tito.”
“Edi, just make up an excuse,” Aira insisted.
“Hindi na nga naniniwala kahit anong sabihin ko. Wala ka naman daw buhay talaga,” Loi chuckled.
“Ah ganon! Sige, wala kang samgyup mamaya sa akin,” Aira threatened.
“Basta, sagutin mo na. Ikaw na bahala gumawa ng excuse. May titingnan pa ako sa documents from Mr. Robles.” Loi winked at her.
Aira sighed as Loi closed the door. Robles… Her mind shifted back to work, brushing off the interruption as she reached for her phone to answer the call from her dad.
Aira braced herself for the kind of fuss her dad would make today. She had been avoiding him lately, tired of his constant nagging.
“Hello, Dad…” she said as soon as she picked up the line, still focused on the document on her screen.
“Aira… you are burying yourself in work again, anak.”
Aira sighed quietly. Her dad was right—over the past two years, her life had been nothing but signing papers, attending meetings, flying out of the country for conferences, with the few times she spent with family or friends counted on one hand. “This is for the company, Dad,” she said. She wasn’t lying, but that was only part of the truth.
“I know you’re very passionate about growing our company, and we have so many branches now, but this isn’t life, Aira,” her dad continued.
Aira shook her head, listening to him. Yep, here we go again… she thought. “But this is the life I chose,” she said firmly. Right, this is the life I wanted, she added silently.
She heard her dad sigh in displeasure. “Okay, then visit us here in Cebu. Let us take care of you, even just for a week,” he suggested.
Aira remained focused on her computer, answering her dad like a machine—the same old excuses she had used for the past two years.
“I can take care of myself, Dad, and I have a deal meeting—”
Her words were cut off by a sharp, irritated tone. “That’s it, Aira. I’m sending someone for you.”
Aira frowned, confused. “Dad, if this is another arrangement then—”
But this time, she was met with silence. Her dad had hung up.
Irritation flared across Aira’s face. She clenched her jaw and slammed her fist on the desk, trying to release the frustration her dad always managed to ignite in her. The sharp sound echoed through the office, causing a few of her staff to startle and glance nervously at her glass-walled office.
Loi’s lips curled in a soft smile as she watched, thinking that her dad had once again managed to successfully irritate Aira.
—-
A few hours later, the moon shone brightly outside Arc Tech. Most employees had left, and the only people occupying the spacious office were Aira and Loi. Loi shut her monitor, walked over, and gave a soft knock on Aira’s door before entering. She noticed that Aira’s desk was almost completely cleared of the piles of documents from that morning.
“Hey, hindi pa ba tayo kakain ng samgyup?” she asked jokingly, though there was a hint of seriousness in her tone.
“No, not yet. After you made me answer my dad’s call this morning,” Aira replied. Loi smiled at her answer.
Loi and Aira had been best friends since high school. They knew each other’s pasts and dark secrets, and though they were practically like sisters, they kept things professional when it came to work. One rule they both strictly followed was: no work talk outside of work.
Then Loi remembered something she needed to tell Aira. “Oh, by the way… just a heads-up before we head out, in case you’re wondering…”
Aira looked up from her computer, turning toward her.
“Yes?”
“The document I was reviewing earlier it’s from the family of the Robles that you know,” Loi continued.
“Then… I’m not interested,” Aira said, irritation audible in her voice.
Loi raised an eyebrow. “Well, you might be, because the one handling the project is THE Julia Robles.”
—
Aira was once again alone in her office, having let Loi head out first with instructions to meet her downstairs. The silence settled heavily around her as she stared at the folder Loi had left behind. The name on the last page made her breath catch—Julia Robles. For a moment, the office lights seemed to dim, her surroundings fading into the background. She traced the name with her eyes, and before she knew it, the past began to unfold.
She remembered someone who was once hers, her soft laughter and quiet persistence, always finding ways to pull Aira out of her spiraling thoughts. The memory was vivid: Julia sitting cross-legged on the floor, an oversized hoodie draped over her small frame, black-framed glasses slipping down her nose as she smiled up at Aira. Her eyes, full of warmth and mischief, had always found a way to bring Aira back to herself.
Then a buzz from her phone pulled Aira back to reality.
—
Loi: Hindi pala interested ha. >:)
Aira shook her head and opened the main drawer of her desk. Inside lay a gold bracelet with the letters A and L dangling from it. She carefully placed her things back into the drawer, then hurried downstairs to meet her best friend.
—-
The following day, late morning, Aira was back in her office, sinking into her chair and letting the stress of long hours of preparation melt away after successfully closing the deal with the target company. She let out a sigh of relief. The meeting had gone smoothly, even finishing earlier than expected. She thought she could sign a few more papers before heading out.
Loi suddenly appeared. “Hey, congrats! Heard you once again managed to get a new partner,” she said with a smile and a thumbs-up.
Aira shook her head, smiling at the gesture.
“If you want, we could celebrate mamaya with Miles and Seline,” Loi continued. “So you could at least be a decent human being.”
Aira raised her brows. “A decent human being needs eight hours of sleep. Need ko bumawi sa pagtulog.”
Loi shook her head in mock disappointment. “Okay, Ai, but just letting you know you’re welcome to stop by if magbago man isip mo.”
Aira smiled. “Thank you, Loi.” The tiredness on her face was visible, but she still managed to look radiant.
“Oh, by the way, the newcomer from the main HQ that you requested is coming today. I’ll just send her directly to your office,” Loi added before heading out.
“Sure, thanks again, Loi,” Aira replied, turning back to her papers.
Early in the afternoon, Aira was ready to call it a day. She stacked the last of the documents neatly on her desk, cleared the small clutter, and tucked everything into her drawer. Finally, she thought, she could get a decent amount of sleep at her condo.
A sudden knock startled her. Through the glass wall, she caught the reflection of a woman standing just behind Loi. Right, the girl from HQ, she remembered.
Loi stepped inside, the woman trailing quietly behind her. Aira’s gaze flicked to the newcomer, and for a moment she froze. She had reviewed the file that morning, the one-by-one ID photo attached to it looked nothing like the woman now standing in her office. Still, Aira couldn’t help but stare.
Loi excused herself quickly, heading off to fetch coffee, leaving Aira alone with the stranger.
The woman was dressed sharply: a crisp white blouse peeking from beneath a loose gray blazer, paired with matching trousers. Her hair was tied in a neat bun that sharpened her already striking features, almond-shaped eyes framed by long lashes. Her morena complexion lent her a quiet radiance, one that made Aira’s breath hitch. If looks could kill… she thought.
The door clicked open again. Loi returned, balancing two cups of coffee, one for the guest, the other for herself. She set them down, knowing full well Aira avoided caffeine whenever she planned to head home early to sleep.
Silence hung between them until Aira finally spoke. “Uhm… how can I help you, miss?”
Loi sipped her coffee, glancing between them. “She’s the girl from HQ I mentioned.”
Aira blinked at her, in disbelief. This woman did not match the profile she had read. Her eyes darted back to the stranger, waiting.
The woman met her gaze steadily before speaking. “Nicolette Vergara po. I’m here to take care of you.”
Aira’s eyes widened. Loi nearly choked on her coffee, spilling drops onto the floor.
“Uhm… excuse me, what??” Aira asked, her voice caught between disbelief and shock.