Chapter 15

After that unexpected coffee date with Mr. Martinez, I couldn’t stop thinking about how differently he behaved outside of work. His aura was lighter, more human—far from the stern, all-business demeanor he usually wore like armor. Despite my confusion and mixed emotions, I decided to shift my focus back to work. Pero ang plano kong bumalik sa daily grind ay biglang nagbago nang makatanggap ako ng tawag mula kay Grace, one of my closest friends from college.

“Eve! Long time no see!” narinig ko ang excited na boses ni Grace sa kabilang linya.

“Grace! It’s been a while. How have you been?” tanong ko, already feeling excited sa biglaang tawag niya.

“Well, I’m good! I’m in town for a few days and I thought of inviting you to a weekend getaway. Alam kong sobrang busy ka sa work, but you need a break, girl! It’s going to be fun, I promise!”

Napatingin ako sa calendar ko. Weekend. Walang meetings. No major reports due. I was about to decline, knowing how much work usually piled up after a bre