Met My Man When I Was Broke

Estella was rushing home to her apartment in Laguna. She had just seen on f*******: Live that several houses were burning—and then, horror struck—her own house was among them. Without hesitation, she left her work in Makati midway through the day. “Please, Kuya Angkas, can you go faster?” she begged the rider. This was her only chance for quick transport to get home. After what felt like hours, she finally reached her destination. Without a second thought, she handed the rider 1,000 pesos and told him to keep the change. Damn, that’s a lot, she thought, but there’s no time to ask for change. She joined the crowd of neighbors watching in disbelief as flames devoured the row of houses. The firemen fought desperately to control the blaze, but the fire was still raging fiercely. Estella’s townhouse was at the very end, dangerously close to the others. The houses were packed tightly together—no wonder the fire spread so quickly. “Estella,” called out Aling Nena. “Nay, what happened? How did this happen?” Estella asked, her voice trembling. Aling Nena was crying. “I don’t know. I just woke up, and Bennie’s house was already on fire. Then ours got caught in it.” I wrapped my arms around Aling Nena to comfort her, even as my eyes stayed fixed on the flames consuming what little we all had left. Smoke clouded the sky, but my mind was already darker than that. How much bad luck does one person deserve? First, I walked in on my live-in partner having s*x with my cousin—my own blood. As if that wasn’t enough, I found out he’d scammed me. Every peso I worked so hard to save—gone. And now this. The fire. The house. The only asset I had. Where the hell am I supposed to live now? “You can live with me,” said a deep, unfamiliar voice. Wait—what? Can someone read my mind now? I turned slightly, confused. “Estella,” Aling Nena whispered, nudging me with her elbow, eyes twinkling even through her tears. “The man behind you... he’s handsome. And judging by his shoes, probably a little rich.” I furrowed my brows and slowly turned around. And there he was. Tall. Sharp suit. The kind of presence that made people move aside without him even asking. My eyes widened in disbelief. His face was like it was sculpted out of arrogance and good genetics. What the hell is a man like him doing here? “Sir Damian? What are you doing here?” I asked, still stunned, my voice laced with disbelief. As always, the handsome boss wore that unreadable, stone-cold expression. His gaze was fixed on me—sharp, unreadable, intense. “I followed you,” he said plainly, turning his head slightly to gesture at the burning houses. “And I saw that.” “But... why? This isn’t even your problem, Sir Damian,” I replied, still trying to process everything. My head was spinning. What was he thinking, showing up here? “I know,” he said coolly. “But didn’t I tell you—I have an offer for you? And now seems like the perfect time to say yes.” He said it with that same maddening confidence, like the world always bent to his will. Urghhh. Great. Just what I need. Another damn problem. “It’s not today, Sir Damian! You already know my answer—it’s no!” I snapped, crossing my arms despite the chaos around us. “But I’m the only person you can lean on right now,” he said, annoyingly proud of himself. “So marry me—and the problem is solved.” I stared at him, jaw dropping. Did he really just say that? This man is seriously insane. “Sir Damian,” I said, voice dripping with sarcasm, “are you actually asking me to marry you in the middle of a fire?” He didn’t even flinch. Just stood there like this chaos was part of his grand master plan. “Why not?” he replied coolly, eyes locked on mine. “Looks like this is the perfect opportunity for me to make my move.” His confidence was infuriating. I squinted at him, suspicious. If I didn’t know any better… A wild thought crossed my mind—I swear he looked a little too calm watching my house burn down. Did he... did he plan this? No. That would be insane. Even for him. Right?