Flirting was a currency to Sage, he uses it to get what he wants. Of course, it also helped that he was good-looking as hell. Kaunting pa-cute lang sa tamang PA's at nakakuha na siya ng invite sa charity ball na siguradong pupuntahan ng target niya.

Sage stepped out of his Audi R8 looking dapper in a bespoke suit. Binigay niya ang susi ng sasakyan sa valet at pumasok na sa hotel. Ngayong gabi siya pormal na magpapakilala kay Lily. At kahit wala siyang solid na plano, sigurado siyang madali niyang maaakit ang dalaga.

He descended a carpeted imperial staircase to get to the grand ballroom. It was a circular, spacious room, well-lit by crystal chandeliers that hung from the high ceiling. At the center of the room was a sunken floor where couples in their elegant formal wear danced to the music played by a string quartet. Tables surrounded the dance floor and Sage saw a few waiters in bow ties, handing out a variety of drinks to the patrons in attendance.

Lumapit sa kanya ang isang waiter. "Someone asked me to give you this, sir." The waiter discreetly passed a table napkin to him and walked away.

He unfolded the napkin and was not able to contain his smile as he read the flattering scribble. 98126042 Up for some fun? May kiss mark pa. He looked around and saw a woman looking at him. Kumindat 'yong babae no'ng nag-eye contact sila. Nagising ang kalandian sa mga buto niya. Her very tight dress accentuating her curves almost made Sage regret that he was here for another girl. It sucks that he can't play today but Sage gave her a very charming smile as he approached her.

"Hi, is this from you?" he asked, holding up the napkin.

"Mhm," the lady said, biting her lip. "So, game ka ba?"

"You're stunning, really," sabi ni Sage. "But I'm not available."

"Are you sure?" She pouted and took a step closer to him.

"Yeah, I'm waiting for someone," Sage said, stepping back to keep a distance. Baka biglang dumating ang target niya, mahirap nang mahuling nakikipaglandian sa iba at sa charity event pa.

"Well, I'm already here. Why would you wanna wait?" she said, taking his arm.

Sage lost interest as soon as she displayed a hint of desperation. His eyes focused on the entrance behind the girl as he gently removed her grip. "She's already here. Excuse me." 'Di niya man lang tiningnan 'yong babae bago maglakad palapit sa staircase.

It was love at first sight. Kidding. Sage doesn't do love. Well, not anymore. Lust siguro, pwede pa. Pero hindi niya maitatangging malakas ang dating ni Lily. 

The first time he saw her in person, he instantly knew that she was different from the girls he usually dated. From the not-so-revealing cut of her dress to her natural-looking makeup, Sage knew that she was too much of a good girl for him. Dapat siguro nakakaramdam na siya ng guilt sa binabalak niyang gawin pero excitement lang ang naramdaman niya. Lily is going to be a challenge and he will be victorious.

Huling hakbang na ng hagdan nang masira ang perpektong imahe ni Lily sa mga mata niya. She missed the step, lost her balance and fell. Buti na lang at naiharang pa nito ang mga kamay sa mukha bago pa iyon tumama sa sahig. Sage almost laughed pero napansin niyang walang ibang immature doon.

Maybe Lily was the cute, clumsy type. That would be easier to seduce than the perfect, goody-two-shoes type. Mas okay sana kung nasalo niya si Lily. Pogi points kaagad 'yon pero masyado siyang malayo no'ng nadapa ito. So he just had to do the next best thing. Guys were approaching the fallen heiress from all directions but Sage got to her first.

"Nice entrance." Sage held out his hand to the girl while flashing her his perfect white teeth. "Okay ka lang?"

"Napahiya lang naman ako sa harap ng maraming tao. No big deal," Lily replied, taking his hand and standing up with a smile, almost as charming as his. "Thanks."

It was hard to detect the sarcasm in her tone but Sage had good ears. Hindi niya in-expect iyon kaya hindi siya nakasagot agad.

"Miss Zafiro, would you care for a dance?" An old man approached Lily as Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake waltz filled the air.

"Yes! Of course, Mr. Reyes. I would be happy to waltz with you. And from what I heard, magaling ka raw pong sumayaw," Lily said. Hindi niya man lang nilingon si Sage bago sumama sa matanda.

Sage watched her dance and chat with old man who was probably his target's business associate. Mukhang nagkamali siya sa clumsy type assumption. Lily danced gracefully and on beat while her partner was continuously making mistakes and stepping on her. Bola lang pala ang sinabi nito kanina. She must've needed to impress this man because she was smiling the whole time. Sage could only imagine how sore her feet were.

Natapos ang music pero bago pa malapitan ni Sage ang target niya para alukin itong sumayaw, naunahan na siya ng ibang lalaki. This time, it was a younger man, probably a few years older than him. Pero kahit malayo, alam niyang mas gwapo siya. This guy was not a threat at all. Mas lalo pang naging kumpyansa si Sage nang mapanood ang pagsayaw no'ng lalaki. He wasn't any better than the old man.

Para masiguradong siya ang sunod na makakasayaw ni Lily, lumapit na si Sage sa dance floor noong patapos na ang tugtog. "May I have the next dance?" he said, as the music ended.

"Sure," sagot ni Lily.

"It was nice to see you again, Miss Lily," the other guy said with a smile before leaving.

Sage took Lily's hand in his and rested his other hand on her tiny waist. "So you're Miss Lily," he said, pretending that this was new information. Syempre, ayaw niyang magmukhang stalker.

"Yes, that's my name. At ikaw si Kuya...?" Lily replied as they started to dance. She looked relieved that Sage was a more capable dancer than her last two partners.

"Woah, wait lang. Bakit naman kuya-zoned agad ako?"

Lily giggled. "Aren't you older?"

"I'm just turning twenty-three next month. Magka-age lang siguro tayo."

"You're six months older but I guess I can drop the 'Kuya'."

"Good," matipid na sagot ni Sage. He continued to lead her as they waltzed.

"So anong itatawag ko sa 'yo?"

"'Babe,'" he replied, grinning.

Lily laughed. "Not gonna happen."

"You never know," Sage said, still flashing his charming smile. "Sige, kahit hindi na 'Babe', you can call me 'Sage'. For now."

"It's very nice to meet you, Sage," Lily said. "Thank you ulit for helping me up earlier."

"It was no big deal. Ako nga dapat magpasalamat kasi pumayag kang makasayaw ako. You seem to be very in demand." Sage glanced to the side of the dance floor at sinundan ni Lily ang tingin niya. Five other men were watching them dance, probably waiting for a chance to cut in.

"Nagpapalakas lang sila. They probably need something from Zafiro Inc." Lily said.

"Wait, you're in a position to influence Zafiro Inc.?" he asked, wide-eyed. Tuloy lang sa pagpapanggap si Sage.

"Uhm, a bit, I guess?" Lily said, embarrassed. "I'm still training so I can run the company in the future and I help out in the company."

"Wow, mas naging crush pa kita—" Sage bit his lip and looked directly in her eyes. "Nadulas na ako so hindi ko na itatanggi."

Lily chuckled. "Joker ka talaga, 'no?"

"Hey, totoo 'yon. I mean, what's not to like? You're accomplished and super pretty. Wala ba akong chance?" He pouted.

"I'm not interested in being in a relationship right now or anytime soon," Lily replied.

"But I can try?"

"Kung gusto mong mag-aksaya ng oras, I won't stop you."

"Pursuing you will never be a waste of time." The music ended and Sage saw some guys approaching. "You must be tired, kanina ka pa sumasayaw. Upo muna tayo?"

"Alright," she said.

Sage found an unoccupied table. "I'll get you a drink. Anong gusto mo?" he asked Lily as he pulled out a chair for her.

"Kahit ano, basta non-alcoholic," she said.

Nawala ang ngiti ni Sage pagkatalikod niya para kumuha ng drinks. Ayaw ni Lily ng alak? How boring.

He came back with two glasses of iced tea. If she wasn't drinking alcohol, he'd hold back for now just to be safe. Ayaw niya namang ma-turn off agad si Lily.

"Ano nga palang last name mo?" Lily asked, taking a sip.

"Hermoso," Sage said. "Bagay sa 'yo, right?"

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Lily at umubo ito. Mukhang nasamid sa iced tea. Tutulungan na sana ito ni Sage pero pinigilan siya ni Lily.

"I'm okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Hermoso... are you related to Mario Hermoso, founder of AIO Group?"

"Ah, yeah, he's my grandfather. Kilala mo ba siya?" Sage replied tentatively. Lolo niya 'yong kilala ni Lily at hindi siya. This was unusual for a girl their age.

"Of course! I mean, kilala ko siya pero hindi niya ako kilala. He's one of those people who built his empire from the ground up. Under his leadership, AIO Group was able to enter a lot of markets and has expanded to so many industries. At 'di lang 'yon, it's well-known that all his employees love him, that he's the perfect boss. He is one of my role models, to be honest. So do you work for AIO Group? Totoo ba 'yong mga sinabi ko tungkol sa lolo mo?" Lily's eyes were sparkling as she eagerly waited for his answer.

Sage was taken aback by her enthusiasm. Pwede niyang gamitin ang pagka-idol ni Lily sa lolo niya. Papayag 'agad 'yon na maging business partner ng hinahangaan nito and it'll be a quick win for him. But she'll figure out that he only approached her for that reason. What are the chances that she'll get pissed and turn him down? He had to decide soon or it will be too late for the quick win option.

"It's true, he's just as awesome as you described and hindi ako nagtatrabaho para sa AIO Group pero parang na-excite ka talaga kay Lolo. Do you want to know more?" Sage said. Kailangan niya pang pag-isipang mabuti ang susunod na gagawin so he'll distract Lily using his grandfather.

"Cool, I—" Lily was interrupted by her ringtone. She looked at the screen of her iPhone. "I have to take this call. Wait lang, ah," she said, standing up to walk towards a less crowded area as she placed the phone on her ear. "Ken? Wait, medyo maingay dito..."

'Di na narinig ni Sage ang mga sunod na sinabi ni Lily. Kumunot ang noo niya. She was talking to someone named Ken. Could that be her boyfriend? Pero sabi niya, hindi siya interesadong magkarelasyon. So maybe Ken is a rival. His rival. His lips curled into a mischievous smile. Nakapagdesisyon na siya.

Lily returned to their table to grab her purse. "It was really nice meeting you, Sage, but I have to go. Magkikita pa kasi kami ni Ken."

"Si Ken ba 'yong dahilan kung ba't ayaw mo 'kong tawaging 'Babe'?" he asked with a pout.

Tumawa si Lily. "Ken is my best friend." A sly smile formed on her lips. "I think you'll get along well."

Na-friendzone na pala 'yong Ken. Pinigilan ni Sage ngumisi. "So since you aren't taken, can I have your number? Sayang naman 'yong chemistry natin kung walang kasunod na date."

"Walang kasunod na date, but sure, let's swap numbers. You might be useful," she said as they exchanged phones.

"Use me all you want," Sage replied, knowing full well that he's the one who will be using Lily. He grinned while saving his number under 'Future Babe Sage Hermoso'. Nilagyan niya pa ng heart emoji.

"Bye!" sabi ni Lily pagkabalik nito ng cellphone sa kanya.

"Ingat ka, Crushie." He winked while waving goodbye. Sage was gonna pursue her. Boring naman kasi kung mananalo na siya ngayon pa lang. The existence of a certain Ken also made this bet more exciting.