Pieces Of You

Chapter 10

Patricia

Three days later...

Three days. I've been officially on leave for three days. And within that entire time, there was literally zero communication between me and that guy from the hotel. Well, how could there be any when I don't even have his number? And most importantly, I literally ran away from him.

But no matter how much I drowned myself in paperwork here at my condo just to catch up on work, my brain kept betraying me. Out of nowhere, memories of his familiar touch would just pop up, especially at night. I shook my head to snap myself out of it. Erased, Patricia! Focus on work!

Early in the morning, my peace was completely ruined when my phone started ringing while I was casually sipping coffee by the window. I checked the screen.

Papa Calling...

I let out a heavy sigh before answering. "Good morning, anak," Papa greeted from the other end.

"Morning, Pa," I replied, taking another sip of my coffee.

"Ready to go back to the office?"

"Honestly? Not yet."

He let out a soft chuckle at my response.

"Too bad. You don't have a choice anymore."

My brows furrowed immediately. I suddenly felt this random wave of anxiety. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Do you remember the meeting that got postponed last week?" Papa asked. "The representatives from De Guzman finally confirmed. You need to face them today."

The exact moment I arrived at the office, I hadn't even sat down at my office yet when a very familiar face welcomed me. It was Jez.

"You look like you didn't get any rest," he teased, casually throwing an arm around my shoulder while scanning my face.

"It was a leave, not a vacation," I answered irritably, nudging him in the ribs. But I couldn't help but smile anyway.

"Who are you lying to?" he smirked playfully.

"Myself."

As we walked down the hallway toward the conference room, we were laughing quite loudly. The employees are already used to us being this sweet and comfortable because almost everyone knows our family dynamics.

I was just so comfortable with Jez that I didn't mind him putting his arm around me. I didn't even think about how it might look to someone else watching us.

The moment my hand touched the door handle of the grand conference room, a strange nervousness suddenly hit my chest. The second the door opened, the entire room was filled with this dead silence. The board members were already there, formally talking in low voices.

But when Jez and I walked in while still teasing each other, my eyes automatically drifted to the far end of the long table. Sitting right there was a man wearing an incredibly expensive, tailored suit.

And that was the exact moment my world literally stopped.

My entire body froze, and it felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Those eyes-those familiar, cold, and emotionless eyes.

It's him.

The guy from the hotel. And he's the freaking CEO of De Guzman Holdings International?! Gosh, please tell me I'm just hallucinating.

I noticed his gaze darken for a split second as he stared directly at Jez's arm wrapped around my shoulder. It vanished quickly, returning to that blank, mysterious look, but it was more than enough to give me literal chills. A heavy, suffocating tension immediately wrapped around the whole room.

"Ma'am, allow me to introduce the representatives from De Guzman Holdings International," Benjamin, formally announced the moment the heavy glass doors closed behind us.

That was when the man at the end of the table slowly stood up from his swivel chair. He adjusted his tailored suit, his movements incredibly calculated, before extending his hand directly in my direction. His face was a complete blank wall-so professional it was almost terrifying.

"Good morning, Ms. Sagun," he greeted, his voice deep and resonant.

My breath hitched. I literally froze in my tracks, my hand hanging mid-air. Oh my god. It's... him.

The exact same guy from the hotel room. The one I left without a word three days ago. And now, he's standing right in front of me as the CEO of De Guzman Holdings International. The billionaire strategic investor my father has been trying to close a deal with for months.

I wanted to scream, to run, or to at least ask what the hell was happening, but my throat felt completely dry. The entire boardroom was dead silent, waiting for my response.

Beside me, Jez subtly nudged my elbow. "Hey, Pat, you okay?" he whispered, completely oblivious to the chaos inside my head.

I forced myself to snap out of it, blinking away the shock. "Y-Yes," I muttered, quickly clearing my throat.

I stepped forward and finally accepted his handshake. The moment our palms met, a sudden jolt of electricity shot straight up my arm. His grip was firm, warm, and deliberate-so different from the cold expression on his face.

My eyes automatically drifted to his sleeve, catching a glimpse of his gleaming cufflink. Flashbacks of that night instantly replayed in my mind like a movie, making my cheeks burn up.Shocks.The heat of his touch, the luxurious room, and exactly how I left him without saying goodbye.

I quickly looked up, trying to keep my composure, but then I noticed his sharp eyes slowly scanning my face. His gaze drifted to my ears, which were completely bare. A fleeting, almost unnoticeable spark crossed his eyes when he realized I wasn't wearing any earrings today. He knew exactly why the other piece was missing. He had it.

Before I could even process the panic, he smoothly released my hand and motioned toward the seats. "Shall we begin?" he asked the board, completely acting like we were total strangers.

Jez immediately pulled out a chair for me right across from Ralf's side of the table. "Here, sit," Jez murmured softly, flashing me a sweet, reassuring smile.

As I sat down, I could feel a sudden shift in the atmosphere. I glanced at Ralf and noticed his jaw tighten for a split second while he watched Jez fix my chair. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, fixing a heavy, intense gaze straight at Jez. The temperature in the room felt like it dropped to sub-zero temperatures.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming," one of our lead board members started, turning on the projector. "Today, we are finalizing the final approvals and signing the Memorandum of Agreement for the Cebu Integrated Waterfront Development Project."

The presentation flashed on the screen, showing the massive blueprint of the mixed-use township. Sagun Holdings was providing the prime waterfront land, managing the local permits, and leading the property development. On the other hand, De Guzman Holdings International was bringing in the massive capital investment, international architects, and managing the luxury five-star hotel and commercial districts. It was a multi-billion peso project that could easily reshape Cebu's skyline.

But honestly? I couldn't focus on a single word.

Every time I looked up, I would catch Ralf staring directly at me from across the table. He wasn't even looking at the slides. His chin was resting on his hand, his dark, unreadable eyes completely locked onto me. It felt less like a business meeting and more like I was being interrogated by a silent predator.

"For the lifestyle mall and the waterfront promenade," Jez suddenly spoke up, leaning in closer to me so we could look at the printed document on my desk. His shoulder brushed against mine. "I think we should adjust the zoning here, Pat. What do you think?"

"Um, yeah... that actually makes sense," I whispered back, trying to look at the paper while desperately ignoring the burning sensation on the side of my face.

Thump.

The sound of a heavy fountain pen being dropped onto the glass table echoed through the quiet room.

We both looked up. Ralf was leaning back against his chair, his hands loosely clasped over his chest. His expression remained completely calm and professional, but his eyes were deadly dark as they flicked from Jez's hand resting near mine, straight up to my eyes.

"

Ms. Sagun," Ralf's deep voice cut through the presenter's explanation, instantly drawing everyone's attention. He tilted his head slightly, a dangerous, possessive edge bleeding into his tone.

"I prefer our partners to be fully engaged during a billion-peso briefing. If there are side discussions, perhaps you'd care to share them with the rest of the board?"