"Let's not make any rash decision as of the moment." 

I massaged my head and started tapping my pen lightly on the table while having a meeting with the executives and managers of each department. We were still waiting for the representatives of Valeria Construction so we can get their statement. Architect Rosario already informed us beforehand about what happened. 

"Engineer Camero and I already discussed getting new materials, as we informed in the last meeting, and Miss Ledezma approved. Engineer Ramos allegedly approved the usage of the old materials, risking the safety of the five workers. She said she was confused. May miscommunication daw po sila ni Engineer Camero." Architect Rosario showed the pictures of the site. 

She stopped talking when the door opened, and it revealed the C.E.O of the Valeria Group. It was Luna's mom. She was wearing a beige dress with a belt on the waist, and her hair was in a bun. She didn't have any reaction at all. Sevi and her secretary were behind her. Together with Sevi were Engineer Ramos and Engineer Lavin. 

"Good afternoon. Apologies for what happened today." Mrs. Valeria went to her seat. "Since we are already talking about what happened, care to share, Engineer Ramos?" 

Engineer Ramos nodded before they went to their seats. I sighed and avoided Sevi's eyes. He looked so damn stressed and guilty. I pursed my lips and just waited for Engineer Ramos to talk. 

"I apologize deeply for what happened today. Engineer Camero told me that the new materials would be delivered earlier this morning, but the old ones came because the company failed to cancel the delivery. I thought there were sudden changes..." Engineer Ramos looked down. 

"Engineer ka. Dapat alam mo 'yong pinagkaiba, 'di ba?" Sevi said, looking so pissed. "Tsaka in-assign kita pero dapat tinawagan n'yo muna ako bago n'yo sinimulan."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't listening to the... the meeting, Engineer." Engineer Ramos refused to look at us. 

"At hindi ka man lang nag-consult kay Engineer Lavin?" Sevi looked at Engineer Lavin. "Napakarami n'yo roon, ah? Ni isa sa inyo, walang nag-abalang tawagan ako?" Sevi massaged his head and sighed heavily. 

"Akala ho namin okay na kasi si Engineer Ramos ang nagsabi." Engineer Lavin pursed his lips. "Ang alam ko lang may pinadalang pitong tauhan sa site. Pumayag si Engineer Ramos. Ngayon, 'yong lima, nasa hospital." 

"Ano? Sino'ng nagpadala?" Kumunot ang noo ni Sevi. 

"Ikaw raw, Engineer." Engineer Lavin looked at him, confused.

"What is happening? Order, please," I said, trying to take the pressure down. They were obviously arguing during the meeting. Baka ito rin ang first time nilang mag-usap. I was getting so stressed out. 

"Enough," Mrs. Valeria told them. "There seems to be a problem in communication. You don't need to worry about this, Ms. Ledezma. Our company will pay for all the damages, hospital bills, and materials. This will never happen again." 

"Is it possible to take Engineer Camero off the project? I believe he was negligent." Austin suddenly talked. "It was stated in the contract. We can request another engineer for the project." 

Sevi licked his lower lip and looked at Austin like he was trying so hard not to punch him. He sighed and looked away, massaging the bridge of his nose. I pursed my lips and played with my pen, thinking. 

"You don't have my approval yet, Mr. Guerrero." I glared at him. 

"Of course, Miss Ledezma. He is your damn fiancé." Galit na hinampas ni Austin ang lamesa. 

"Excuse me?" My brows furrowed. 

I heard some whispers inside the room. Sevi bit his lower lip and shook his head a little, whispering something to Engineer Lavin. Mrs. Valeria looked at Sevi with questioning eyes. The executives were already looking at me with confusion. 

"You still trust that guy? Paano kapag opening na ng resort at saka gumuho ulit? Maraming tao ang maaapektuhan at sasagutin ng kumpanya natin 'yon. It would tarnish our company. Just for once, think about the reputation of our company that we are all trying to keep!" Austin yelled at me. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Guerrero. You do not have the right to raise your voice at me." I glared at him. My hands turned into a fist. "This is my company. I care about it! I hire the best people to keep the reputation-"

"You are just purposely doing this to destroy the company that your father built because you hate him!" Austin stood up. 

My lips parted when he suddenly brought up my family problem. Some employees looked away, whispering. I couldn't help but let out a scoff, staring at him. He looked like he didn't even regret saying that. 

I stood up and looked at him with so much rage. I slowly walked towards him and grabbed his collar. 

"I am expecting your resignation letter tomorrow," mariing sabi ko bago ko siya binitawan. "Leave this fucking room. Right. Now." 

No one dared to talk. All of them stared at Austin. Some were confused, and some looked at him with pity. Austin inhaled a large amount of breath before getting his things and leaving the room. I remained standing there, trying to calm myself. 

"Well..." Mrs. Valeria coughed before standing up. "We will ask the legal team of our company to investigate the site. We will keep in touch. For now, the project will be passed down to Engineer Lavin, while Engineer Ramos and Engineer Camero are both in question. Is that okay?" 

"Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Valeria." I gave her a small smile before they left the room. 

I sat in front of the table again to assign additional work to the heads, reminding them about the adjustments. Hindi na 'ko makapagsalita nang maayos sa sobrang galit ko kay Austin. 

"No one will talk about this outside the company. Adjourned." I stood up and got my things before leaving the room. 

I went straight home. Sevi did not go home that night, but he texted me that he would stay at Engineer Lavin's house in the meantime. His text was dry. I was worried about him but also wanted to be alone that night. 

Austin told everyone that Sevi and I were engaged. He also talked about my problem with my father. Those two will affect my reputation in the company. I was worried that people would lose their trust in me. Baka isipin nilang kaya ako C.E.O ay para madaling sirain ang kumpanya. I was so stressed out that I couldn't sleep. 

The next day, I was late to work. I was just wearing a pair of grey slacks, white heels, and a maroon blouse. Some employees looked away when they saw me. I could hear their whispers, but I chose to ignore them. I took my shades off when I entered the office. 

"Have you seen Mr. Guerrero?" I asked Alice. 

"Yes, Ma'am. He went to work earlier this morning." Alice gave me a small smile. 

I pursed my lips and asked her to leave my office before going back to work. I got my phone out and tried to call Sevi, but he wasn't answering. Maybe he also needed to be alone at the moment. I sighed and put my phone down. I started writing a report to the board about what happened in Batangas. 

I went home around seven o'clock. Pagkabukas ko pa lang ng unit, napansin ko nang bukas ang mga ilaw. Meaning Sevi was already home. I sighed in relief before going inside the walk-in closet to return my bag and shoes. I stopped when I saw a black duffle bag on the sofa. May mga damit ni Sevi roon na hindi pa nakaayos. 

"Hey..." I nervously glanced at Sevi when he entered the room. "You're leaving?" 

"Saglit lang. Babalik din ako." He couldn't look at me. 

"W-why? Where are you going?" I tried to catch his gaze, but he refused to look at me or even face my direction. "Hey, is there a problem?" 

He stopped getting clothes and just held on to the cabinet tightly. He looked down and sighed heavily in defeat before looking at me with so much pain and guilt. 

"Elyse, I'm sorry." He looked like he wanted to cry. 

"W-why? Why are you saying sorry?" I was so confused. 

"Napapahamak ka sa trabaho dahil sa 'kin." He looked away, biting his lower lip. "'Yong pangalan mo, nadudumihan na dahil sa 'kin. Ang dami ko nang kasalanan sa 'yo." 

"Sev, I will fix it! Don't worry about me!" I held his arm to pull him towards me. "I am fine. I am doing just fine, okay?" 

"Kinakain na 'ko ng..." His voice broke."...ng guilt sa lahat ng nangyayari sa 'yo." 

"What?" My brows furrowed.

"'Yong sa Mommy mo." Sevi covered his eyes when a tear fell down. 

Nabitawan ko bigla ang braso niya. My lips parted as the tears started to pool from the corner of my eyes. I looked away and tried to control my breathing. I was reminded of my mom again... and everything that happened. 

"It wasn't your fault," I whispered. 

"Hindi ko kasalanan lahat, Elyse, pero may kasalanan ako. Alam mo 'yon." He sat on the couch, covering his face. "At 'yong ngayon... Ito na naman. Paano kung ako pala talaga 'yong dahilan ng bawat pagbagsak mo?" 

"Do you think I'm weak? Do you think people, including you, can just easily destroy me? With this?" My brows furrowed. 

I had been through so much that it was already too much for me, but I handled everything. I came back stronger than ever. No one could ever destroy me again like my dad did because they won't like my payback. 

"Tama naman sila. Naging pabaya ako sa nangyari sa Batangas." He nodded. "Kasalanan ko 'yon, Elyse." 

"No, it wasn't. Stop it! Stop blaming yourself! It was just a mistake-"

"Pero limang tao 'yong muntik nang mamatay! Hindi pwedeng magkamali sa mga bagay na ganito!" He looked at me. I could tell that he wasn't just talking about what happened in Batangas. He was talking about what happened with my mom. His mistake... that caused my mom's death. 

"Stop putting all the blame on yourself. Engineer Ramos made a mistake. Engineer Lavin made a mistake. Your team made a mistake while you were away. You need to take responsibility for it, yes, but it wasn't entirely your fault. Do you understand me?!" I was getting frustrated. "Sev, we need to be strong! Don't let this destroy you because you are the best fucking engineer out there for me!" 

"At paano naman ikaw?" He stood up and went to me. "Anong mawawala sa 'yo?" 

"Marami na." Taas-noo ko siyang tiningnan. "And that made me stronger today, so this... this whole thing won't make me fucking shake anymore. I will deal with this. You just have to trust me. And what happened with my mom... It was over. I have already accepted it. No need to go over it repeatedly because it will hurt me more!" 

"Bakit ba hindi ka na lang magalit sa 'kin?" he whispered. 

"Because I love you." I started crying. "Weren't you also mad at me for what happened to your mom? But look at you. You are still here. Why?" 

"Kasi mahal kita." He pursed his lips, looking away. 

"And we forgive the people we love so fast no matter how painful it is unless they're monsters." I thought about my dad. "Because that's how they will learn. Sev, I... I loved my mother and I know she loved you, too." 

He looked up with tears in his eyes. 

"My mom had the purest heart in the world, and I could tell she would never blame you for what happened to her. It was never your fault. You were mad. You were emotional. What happened before is so different from what is happening right now, so please let it go because I already did."

"Hindi pa." He shook his head. "Hindi mo pa pinapakawalan, Eli."

"What?" My lips parted. 

"Galit ka pa rin. Malungkot ka pa rin. Sinisisi mo pa rin ang sarili mo." He looked at me and pointed at my heart. "Nakikita ko 'yon sa 'yo pero alam kong 'yong galit na 'yon 'yong nagpapatatag sa 'yo kaya hindi madaling pakawalan." 

"I don't need this. Please don't talk about this." I looked away, remembering my dad. "I could tell that you wanted me to go and see him, but I couldn't, Sev. I can't." 

"Naiintindihan ko." He nodded. "Kaya sana maintindihan mo rin ako kung bakit hindi ko pa kayang pakawalan ang nangyari sa Mommy mo." 

He stood up and went to me to give me a tight hug. I bit my lower lip and tried to stop myself from crying on his chest. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Balang araw, mahal. Balang araw, magiging malaya rin tayo sa lahat ng 'to." 

He said that before leaving. That night, I sat on the bed, thinking about myself... How I had been acting lately. It took me a lot of time to reflect. Hindi na 'ko nakatulog nang maayos. It was good that Sevi left for the night because I needed to be alone. It was the same for him. 

From: Sevi

Hindi kita iiwan. Pupunta lang akong Batangas para tingnan 'yong site.

I bit my lower lip. A tear fell on the phone screen. 

Hindi kita iiwan.

From: Sevi

Mahal na mahal kita. 

The next day, I went to work early. I was expecting a resignation letter, but Austin still came to work. Even after three days, he was still there. Hindi rin umuwi si Sevi. He stayed in Batangas. 

It was around eleven o'clock when I went out of the office to go to the board room. I called the executives again and the heads of each department to ask for updates. It was not a very formal meeting. I was just seated in front, listening to some proposals. I was a bit distracted, lalo na't naroon din si Austin sa meeting. 

"You're still here..." I said. 

He raised a brow before smirking. "Yes. Of course. Aren't you scared of my dad?"

"I am not scared of anyone," I hissed. "You should thank me for still being nice to you. Kapag nalaman kong may kinalaman ka sa lahat ng 'to, you're automatically a nobody to me. Don't test me." 

He pursed his lips and looked away, staying quiet. I inhaled a large amount of air before listening again to the Operations head. I kept on glancing at Austin to watch his body language. I could tell that he was a bit nervous. 

The Operations head suddenly stopped talking when the door opened. All of us looked at the man who entered. Napatayo kaagad ako nang makita ang lalaki. He was wearing a white dress shirt, a black coat, and black slacks. He was wearing specs and may dala siyang black leather briefcase.

"Attorney Kalix Jace Martinez. I'm the lawyer of Valeria Group." He showed me his I.D. 

"A-attorney!" I panicked a little. He looked so serious. I didn't know how to greet him. "Mrs. Valeria informed me that your team has been investigating the Batangas incident. Are you here to give updates about the investigation? I'm afraid we are in the middle of a meeting... right now..." I looked around. 

"No, I'm here for Mr. Austin Guerrero." He looked around the room. "Where is he?" 

"What?" My brows furrowed. "Why?" 

Everyone was looking at him and then at Austin. Attorney Martinez took a folder out of his bag and placed it on the table. He opened it and showed me seven profiles. 

"They are not our workers," he pointed at it. "Five of them are in the hospital right now because of injuries that they allegedly inflicted on themselves. That's why I need to talk to Mr. Guerrero." 

"He's there." I pointed at Austin, glaring at him. "Care to explain why you are involved in the investigation?" 

"I have a few questions about your relationship with these people and Engineer Ramos." Attorney Martinez looked at Austin with no emotion at all. 

"Why would I answer your fucking questions?" Austin hissed. Nagbulungan na ang mga tao. 

"I am not forcing you to come with me and answer my 'fucking' questions to prove your innocence but note that this will just make you even more suspicious. My team is already looking into it, and we are requesting your full cooperation on this matter. If you don't, then maybe we'll just see each other in court." Kalix took the folder and his bag, a sign that he was ready to leave. 

"I will go." Austin stood up and got his things.

"That's what I thought." Kalix gestured for Austin to follow him, and then they left the room. 

I waited outside Austin's office while he was talking to Attorney Martinez. My heart was beating so fast. I didn't know, but I was really hoping that he wasn't involved in this. I treated him as a friend, and I trusted him a bit... Why would he do this to me? To Sevi? I wanted to find the right reason so bad for it, but I just couldn't see one. 

Napatayo ako nang bumukas ang pinto. Attorney Martinez was talking to someone on the phone but he stopped when he saw me. 

"You're looking at me like I'm a doctor, and I just operated on your friend." He laughed a bit, moving his phone down. 

"W-what will happen now? Is he... Is he involved?" I asked nervously. 

"He might be." He shrugged, refusing to give me information. "But our company might just settle because this issue can affect your company and ours. It's better to just keep it between us. I'll talk to your company lawyer about this." 

"How about the five people involved? Are they okay?" I asked worriedly. 

"They are." He nodded. "Engineer Ramos might also lose her license. The company will deal with our employees."  

"Thank you, Attorney." I gave him a small smile, but the rage inside me was slowly building up. He was about to leave but stopped when he remembered something. 

"Love, huh?" He raised a brow. "Makes us do the fucking worst." 

My brows furrowed, getting confused. I was about to ask him about it, but he already left. I clenched my fist before entering Austin's office with so much anger in my eyes. He was leaning against his table, looking stressed out. 

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" I yelled at him after closing the door. 

"I didn't do anything," he denied, looking straight into my eyes. What a fucking liar. 

"You paid those people, didn't you? And you probably manipulated Engineer Ramos to let those people enter the site! You purposely did it! You sabotaged the project, and then you have the fucking courage to tell me that I don't care about the reputation of this company?!" I was so mad that my hands were already shaking. 

"If Engineer Camero had been competent enough, it wouldn't have happened." He scoffed, trying to justify his actions. 

"What kind of mindset do you have?!" I pointed at my head. "Why the hell would you do that?! You just put our company at risk for messing with Valeria Group! Do you really think they wouldn't find out?! That they won't investigate?!" 

I was starting to get crazy. He was making me so mad, and he didn't even look like he regretted his actions. He pursed his lips and looked away from me. 

"You are no different from my father," I hissed before walking away. 

"I loved you." I stopped when he suddenly talked. 

Lumingon ako sa kaniya at naglakad pabalik. I saw how the tears in his eyes reflected the light. He couldn't look at me now. 

"I loved you, Elyse. I swear. But I was so... I was so pressured by my father. He wanted me to approach you so we could get married, hoping that the company would fall into my hands." His voice was shaking. "I didn't know what to do." 

"What?" I couldn't even talk. "So you... you resorted to doing dirty work?" 

"I didn't know how to prove that Engineer Camero wasn't the one for you. I wanted to destroy his name so you would finally give me a chance, and we could finally be together. I knew malalaman ni Dad na engaged ka na sa iba, so I needed to do something, or else he would take everything away from me." 

"I am taking everything away from you and your dad," I hissed, clenching my fist. "There is no way to justify your actions-"

"I am not justifying my actions. I know it's wrong. That's why I told Attorney Martinez that I am ready for what is yet to come. They can sue me. I will face the charges. And also, here..." Austin went to me and gave me a letter. 

It was a resignation letter. 

"I don't understand." He started crying. "I was with you for years. I was there when your mom died. I was there when you wanted to hurt your dad so badly. I was there when you were breaking down. I was there when you needed help with the company. I was there when you got your position. I was there all along... so why would you choose him?" He sounded so desperate. "He was never there." 

"He was never there?" I scoffed. "He was there for five years. Five whole years, Austin! He was there when I was struggling with my studies. He was there when I fell in front of everyone during the cheer dance competition, he was there when I was an intern, he was there when I graduated, he was there when I needed support..."

My tears started to fall, thinking about everything Sevi and I had been through. Austin couldn't talk or even look at me. He was just crying. 

"He was there when I got my first job. He was there when I needed someone to lean on. He was there when I needed comfort. He was there when I was tired. He was there when I felt like everything was falling apart. He was there... He stayed there when everyone left." I cried. "And no one... no one could ever top that. Not even you." 

"But he hurt you." His voice was shaking. 

"And it's part of loving someone." I held his shoulders. "I love him, Austin. I love him more than anyone in this world because he makes me a better person. He makes me want to love myself more. He makes me improve. He makes me grow. Someday, I hope you will find someone that will love you as much as I love him because that love is the most beautiful kind of love." 

"I am so sorry," he whispered, trying to stop the tears from falling. "I loved you... Or maybe I still do, but I know the pain I caused you." 

"I hope you will do something to redeem yourself. Something my dad couldn't do." I gave him a soft hug. I tapped his back before letting him go. "I know you're not a monster, so do not act like one." 

"If you want to remove my dad as the Chairman of the board, I will help you. That's the least I could do," he said before I left the room. 

I walked back to my office to get my things. All I could think about was Sevi. I knew he was also suffering right now. I wanted to be there for him. I realized a lot of things today. Everything came back to me. 

"Hey, where are you? Can we talk?" I called Sevi. 

[Nasa kumpanya pa 'ko. Bakit?] He sounded tired. 

"Valeria Group? I'm on my way there." I ended the call.

I went to the parking and drove myself to their company. It was not that far pero dahil sa traffic, medyo natagalan pa. I talked to the receptionist and showed her my I.D. Nang makita niyang C.E.O ako, hinatid pa niya 'ko sa elevator. Siya pa ang pumindot ng floor ng Engineering department. 

When the elevator opened, I was welcomed by engineers walking around the floor, looking so busy. Some were seated in their cubicles, and some were having a meeting. Most of them looked at me when they saw me, so I felt awkward. 

"Engineer Camero?" I asked. 

About ten of them pointed at the door all at once, still staring at me. I laughed a little before walking. Nakita ko na kaagad ang pintuan ng office ni Sevi. 

Engr. Sebastian Vincent Camero

Civil Engineering Department Head 

I was about to enter the office when I heard Bianca's voice inside. Napatigil ako at nanatili sa labas kahit medyo nabuksan ko na ang pinto. I could clearly hear their voices now. 

"I swear, hindi ko kayang gawin sa 'yo 'yon, Sevi." Engineer Ramos sounded like she was crying. "Oo, aaminin ko, naging pabaya ako. Hindi ko chineck 'yong mga I.D, 'yong materials, kasi hindi tayo nagkaintindihan sa instructions pero hindi ko sinadya lahat ng 'yon!"

"Hindi ko alam kung maniniwala ba 'ko sa 'yo." Sevi sounded mad. "Kung alam ko lang na gagawin mo 'yon, sana si Theo na lang ang in-assign ko." 

"Tangina naman. Mahal kita, paano ko magagawa 'yon sa 'yo?!" Bianca broke down. 

The room was suddenly filled with silence. Sevi sounded like he didn't know what to say anymore, and Bianca kept crying. 

"Masyado yata akong natuwa dahil sa 'kin mo in-assign... Ibig sabihin may tiwala ka sa 'kin kahit wala akong tiwala sa sarili ko. Alam kong hindi ko kaya. Alam kong wala pa 'kong masyadong alam pero pinagkatiwalaan mo 'ko at masaya ako roon. Akala ko rin... Akala ko pinili mo 'ko dahil baka nagugustuhan mo na 'ko." Bianca continued talking. 

"May girlfriend ako," seryosong sabi ni Sevi. 

"Alam ko naman 'yon." She cried again. "Alam ko naman pero ano'ng magagawa ko? Ilang taon na 'kong umaasa sa 'yo, siguro naman okay lang umasa ulit?" 

"Bianca..." Sevi sighed. "Hindi kita kayang magustuhan. Sana maintindihan mo 'yon." 

"Alam ko na ngayon, Engineer Camero. Huwag kang mag-alala, pero sana naman maniwala ka sa 'king pumalpak lang talaga ako sa trabaho kaya nangyari 'yon. Hindi ko 'yon sinasadya. Kahit ikaw lang ang maniwala sa 'kin, kahit hindi na 'yong iba." Bianca sobbed. "Kahit ikaw lang... Pagkatiwalaan mo 'ko." 

"Hindi na mahalaga ang opinyon ko. Si Attorney Martinez at Mrs. Valeria ang dapat mong kausapin." Sevi sighed heavily. "Pero naniniwala ako sa 'yo. Baka nagkamali lang din ako. Baka masyado ka lang na-overwhelm sa napakalaking project ang in-assign ko sa 'yo. Pasensya ka na." 

"Thank you, Engineer Camero," Bianca said. "Promise, pagbubutihin ko na sa susunod, kung mananatili man ako rito... Kung pwede lang at kung hindi mawawala ang lisensya ko. Thank you for everything, Engineer." 

Naglakad kaagad ako paalis sa pinto nang marinig na papalabas siya. I pretended like I was texting when she walked out. Our eyes met but she immediately walked away. She looked like she cried so much. 

Dahan-dahan akong pumasok sa office ni Sevi at nakita siyang nakaupo sa swiveling chair niya at minamasahe ang ulo. His eyes were closed and he was trying to control his breathing. 

"Engineer Camero." I knocked on the door before closing it behind me. 

He opened his eyes and looked at me. Medyo nagulat pa siya nang makita ako at agad umayos ng upo. I gave him a smile before walking towards him. He put his hands over my waist, looking at me while I was seated and standing in front of him. 

"Kumusta?" he asked me, giving me a small smile. 

"Stop smiling. It looks so fake." I touched his face. His smile faded. Napalitan 'yon ng buntong-hininga. 

I sat on his lap and gave him a tight hug. He planted a kiss on my neck before sighing again. I played with his hair to comfort him. 

"Everything will be okay," I whispered. 

"Bakit ka nandito? May trabaho ka, ah." He held my face and kissed me softly. 

"Can you come with me?" I asked, caressing his face. 

"Saan?" Kumunot ang noo niya. 

"I'm going to visit my dad." I gave him a small smile. 

________________________________________________________________________________

:)