After breaking almost half of the items in his home, Sage was out of breath and curled up in a fetal position beside the infinity pool on his terrace. He stared at the edge of the pool overlooking the city skyline, his eyes devoid of emotion. Having all that angst, rage, and frustration was physically and emotionally exhausting.

A faint ringing sound came from his jeans pocket. His phone was vibrating. Sage ignored it. Whatever it was, it can wait. Wala siyang ibang kagustuhan kung 'di mapag-isa. 'Yon naman ang gusto ni Kendra eh, kaya siya iniwan.

The ringing didn't stop. Sampung minuto na ang nakalipas pero hindi pa rin sumusuko ang tumatawag sa kanya. Annoyed, Sage took out his top-of-the-line smartphone and tossed it to the pool without even checking who was calling him.

* * *

Ken's rejection threw away all the maturity he gained during the last four years. It had been three weeks but he never left his unit. Bihira siyang maligo at cereals lang ang kinakain niya. Five hours lang ang tulog niya gabi-gabi at 'di man lang niya nilinis ang mga binasag niyang kagamitan.

Aerist Tower's strict rules for visitors prevented anyone from bothering him. This was a new level of low for him.

It was seven in the evening and Sage was lying on his couch and staring at the ceiling when he heard his front door burst open. 'Di pa nakakarating sa living room ang bisitang naka-high heels pero nakilala na ito ni Sage dahil sa boses nito.

* * *

"You inconsiderate little shit!" Teri  began screaming at her younger brother as soon as she entered his penthouse. She kicked away broken pieces of the various smashed objects as she approached him in the living room. Sage ignored her and continued to stare at the ceiling.

"How dare you leave the hotel unattended for over three weeks and not answer any calls! Nag-aalala si Mom, si Dad, si Lolo at lahat ng assistant mo!" She grabbed the front of his shirt. This made him look up to her with a bored expression. Still, no sound came out of him.

"Umayos ka nga. I even had to intimidate some staff and hire a locksmith to get to you," Teri said.

Sage clicked his tongue and sighed. "Ayoko na, okay? Find someone else to run that hotel for you, I quit."

"You can't just quit like that!" Teri said, shocked. "Ano bang problema mo?"

"Ano bang paki mo, Ate? Can't you just leave me alone?"

"No, everyone is worried about you. I can't believe that you've been sulking here for three weeks." She took a moment to carefully observe Sage's appearance. His hair was obviously oily and his odor made her cringe. An uneven patchy beard was growing on the area around his mouth and his eye bags were more prominent than ever.

"Well, buhay pa ako. Just tweet the good news and leave me alone," Sage replied coldly.

Teri took a deep breath. The only time he'd been this depressed was when Yumi died. Naglaho ang pagkairita niya sa kanyang nakababatang kapatid at napalitan ito ng awa. "I remember the last time you were this somber. Sorry kung wala ako no'n. But whatever you're going through right now, I'm here for you, okay? We can work it out. It can't be worse than Yumi's death, right?"

Nagsimulang tumawa si Sage, a hollow laugh filled with bitterness and sarcasm. "Guess what, Yumi isn't dead."

Nagtagpo ang mga kilay ni Teri. Shouldn't that be the best news ever for him?

"And apparently, Yumi is Lights Girl," pagpapatuloy ni Sage. "I've loved her for so long, pero wala siyang pakialam sa 'kin. Sige nga, Teri, how do we work that one out?"

Teri went silent for a few moments. Hindi niya alam ang buong kwento pero rinig na rinig niya sa malalim na boses ni Sage ang hinagpis. "I can't imagine how much that sucks, Sage. Pero kahit anong klaseng suporta ang kailangan mo ngayon, nandito lang ako." She smiled sincerely at him. May dimples din siya gaya ng nakababata niyang kapatid. "Pero please lang, maligo ka naman."

* * *

His sister's supportive words came through. Tumango si Sage at nagtungo sa banyo para mag-shower. Halos isang oras din siyang naligo. The hot water that washed over him relaxed his muscles. He scrubbed hard to remove the grime from various parts of his body. Nag-ahit din siya ay nagsipilyo for the first time in weeks.

Teri had laid out a clean pair of pajamas on his bed which he wore after taking a shower. Lumabas siya ng kwarto at naamoy ang chicken noodle soup ng kapatid niya.

"You know I don't cook but you really have to eat something besides cereals," Teri said, placing a bowl of soup in front of her younger brother.

"Thanks." Walang nararamdamang gutom si Sage. Ilang linggo na rin siyang walang gana pero na-a-appreciate niya ang ginawa ng ate niya.

Teri watched him slowly eat the soup. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

Sage shook his head in reply.

"Okay, 'di kita pipilitin."

"Good."

"Do you need anything else?"

"Wala na. Ikaw ba, may kailangan pa sa 'kin?"

"You're lucky that the Board hasn't met yet to kick you out but they soon will if you don't get your shit together. Reconsider your resignation. I know you've worked really hard for the past four years. Kailangan ka pa ng hotel."

Sage nodded hesitantly and exhaled. "Anything else?"

"'Di ko alam kung anong eksaktong pinagdaraanan mo but you've gotta take care of yourself," Teri said in a soft voice that she rarely used. "Aalis na ako. Kung may kailangan ka, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, Ate," Sage replied with a weak smile before she saw herself out.

* * *

Wasak pa rin ang puso niya, pagkagising niya no'ng sumunod na araw. Hindi pa rin siya okay. Hindi niya pa rin nakakalimutan si Ken. Pero nagdedisyon siyang ituloy ang buhay. Wala namang magagawa ang pagmumukmok kaya susubukan niya na lang maging productive. Working at the hotel helped him cope with his heartbreak four years ago. Sage was ready to use that distraction again.

He was about to call his assistant when he remembered that he tossed his phone in the pool a few weeks ago. Sage groaned, regretting the stupid move. Too annoyed at himself to buy a new one immediately, he just drove to the airport and bought a ticket for the next flight to Singapore.

Five hours later, he walked through the familiar opulent lobby of The Orchid, AIO Group's premier hotel in Singapore. The hotel staff began fussing as soon as they saw the CEO. Who could blame them? They couldn't contact him for weeks and he suddenly popped up unannounced.

Pumasok si Sage na parang 'di siya nawala nang matagal. Medyo pagod dahil walang sumundo sa kanya kaya nag-MRT lang siya papunta sa hotel pero handa na siyang magtrabaho ulit.

Halata ang gulat sa lahat ng staff na nakakasalubong niya. Most of them widened their eyes or gasped before mumbling an awkward greeting. Binabati rin naman sila ni Sage pero patuloy lang siya sa paglalakad hanggang maabot ang kanyang opisina.

Right outside his office were the desks of his two assistants, Eli, his senior assistant, and Janelle, his junior assistant. Both of them were talking on their respective phones while typing away at their computers. Punong-puno rin ng kung ano-anong papeles ang mga lamesa ng mga ito. Sobrang busy ng dalawa na hindi nila napansin ang pagdating ng boss nila.

"Good afternoon," Sage said after clearing his throat.

Both assistants immediately looked up at him, quite surprised. Tumaas ang kanilang mga kilay at panandaliang napahinto sa pagsasalita. Sage nodded and motioned for them to continue what they were doing before promptly entering his own office.

He sat on his comfortable leather office chair and browsed through the pile of folders on his desk. A few seconds later, both of his assistants entered the room looking very tense. A small smile from Sage got them to relax a bit.

"Welcome back, Sir," Eli said.

"We missed you," dagdag ni Janelle.

Pinandilatan ng senior assistant ang junior assistant. Janelle gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

Sage just chuckled. "I guess, I missed you too, guys. Sorry, wala akong pasalubong."

"So," Sage continued. "I obviously have a lot of catching up to do but I need a new phone. Eli, please order a new phone for me. Ikaw nang bahala sa specs, you know what I need. I just want to get one ASAP. Thanks."

"Okay, Sir. I'll get to it," Eli replied before leaving the room.

"Thank you," Sage said. "Janelle, a quick update, please."

Janelle proceeded to tell him important events that happened during his absence, how the COO was currently taking up some of his responsibilities, problems they encountered while Sage was gone, and upcoming meetings that he needed to attend.

"And tumawag pala si Ms. Margaret kanina," pahabol ni Janelle.

"Really? What did she want?" Sage asked, pleasantly surprised that his favorite aunt called.

"Hinahanap ka po pero sinabi kong wala ka pa. She said that she'll be staying in Singapore for a few weeks and that you should meet up."

"I see. Salamat sa updates. Get back to what you were doing, I'll be catching up on work," Sage said. Janelle nodded and went back to her desk.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Sage tried to get as much work as he could before leaving the office at five-thirty in the afternoon. Not in the mood to drive, he decided to ride the MRT.

He alighted the train at Orchard Station and passed by a local bakery to buy his aunt's favorite strawberry shortcake. Sage walked farther down the busy road and stopped in front of a chic shop. Large serif letters on the shop sign spelled out his aunt's brand, Margaret Ruiz, which also happened to be her maiden name.

Masayang pumasok ang binata at binati ang receptionist. "Hi Kate! Nasa'n si Tita?"

Kate smiled at him and subtly checked him out. He was kinda flattered. Tatlong linggong depressed pero pogi pa rin pala. "Doon." Tumuro si Kate sa bandang likod ng shop.

"Thanks," Sage replied and smiled, showing his deep dimples that made the receptionist blush.

Naglakad siya papunta sa direksyon na tinuro ni Kate, passing by rows of dresses on metal racks. He tiptoed as he approached the archway, intent on surprising his aunt.

"Tita Marga!" he exclaimed as he entered the bright circular room full of mirrors. His aunt, Margaret, looked up at him, just as she finished zipping up the dress of a client.

Balak surpresahin ni Sage ang kanyang tiyahin pero siya talaga ang mas nagulat. 'Di lang naman din siya ang nagulat. Sa totoo lang, mahirap alamin kung sinong mas nagulat sa kanilang dalawa no'ng kliyente.

The girl's familiar eyes widened as soon as they met his eyes.

Just one look from her made his heart go wild.