Chapter 8
1163 Words
“Lally, hand me the papers of the applicants for the AD Head position.”
Diretso kong utos iyon habang nakapamewang ako sa harap ng floor-to-ceiling window ng opisina ko, tinatanaw ang papalubog na araw sa likod ng mga gusali ng central business district. Ang ganda ng tanawin—golden hues kissing the edges of glass skyscrapers, like the world knew I ruled this part of the city.
“Yes, sir. Let me get them from HR,” mabilis na tugon ng secretary ko, sabay lakad palabas ng office.
Minsan naiisip ko kung ilang beses sa isang araw kailangan kong ulitin sa mga tao ang mga bagay na obvious naman. Pero sige, part of the process. Ibinaba ko ang kamay ko, bumalik sa leather chair ko, and stretched a little. Almost six. I should be at my penthouse by now, sipping whiskey, but hey, someone has to run Stratosight Marketing Corporation with actual brains.
Ilang minuto lang at bumalik na si Lally, may hawak nang tatlong white folders.
“Sir, here are the files,” sabi niya habang maingat na inilapag ang mga folder sa mesa ko. Organized siya. That’s why I keep her.
Tatlong folders. Each labeled neatly on the side.
Mejares, Cole.
Cruz, Sophia.
Aguas, Zia.
“Gotcha,” bulong ko habang kinukuha ko ‘yung huling folder.
Zia Aguas.
Miss Loudmouth herself.
Yes, I remember the name. How could I not? Sa dami ng encounter ko sa mga tao, bihira akong maalala ang pangalan, pero sa kanya? Engraved. Kasi sino ba namang makakalimot sa babaeng sumugod sa kotse ko with that fire in her eyes and mouth that never knew when to shut up?
I flipped open the folder and the first thing I saw? A formal photo. She was smiling confidently. No—smirking. Parang sinasabi ng ngiting ‘yon, “I know what I’m worth. And if you can’t see that, that’s your loss.”
Well, damn. She knows her angles. Even in a passport-sized photo, she looked like she owned the room. That kind of presence? Rare. And appealing. Not in a romantic way—don’t get me wrong. I’m talking strictly business here.
Kahit sa picture, I could already tell—malakas ang loob nitong babaeng ‘to.
And I like that.
You see, I don’t want fragile, pa-demure types in my leadership team. I need someone who can walk into a boardroom filled with old-money, cigar-smoking assholes and make them shut up. And I have a feeling Ms. Aguas could do just that.
Bumaba ang mata ko sa details ng resume.
Address: QC area.
Phone number: … I grabbed my phone and saved it under Zia Aguas – AD Head Candidate. You never know when you need to call someone for... business.
Then I read the academic background.
Graduated magna c*m laude, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, from Pierceson University.
Not bad. Actually, excellent.
Topnotcher ng CPA Board Exams.
Well, now we’re talking.
I continued reading.
Worked for four and a half years at ABV Company. Last post—Accounting Manager.
Attended international seminars, active member of professional accounting organizations both local and abroad.
Wow. Seryoso? International? ‘Yung ibang aplikante nga, proud na sa online certificate na galing sa six-week course sa kung anong sketchy site. But her? She’s got the real thing.
I leaned back in my chair, letting the weight of her credentials sink in.
Zia Aguas is sharp. Damn sharp.
No wonder HR was so disappointed when she didn’t make it to the final interview kanina. I remember overhearing someone from the department whining about losing the best candidate just because of a no-show.
Tsk. Weak excuses. Hindi ko ugaling maawa. But then again, kung lahat ng applicants ganito ka-impressive, maybe I’d be more forgiving.
I turned to the other two folders. Just to be fair.
Cole Mejares. Okay. Good grades. Nothing stellar.
Sophia Cruz. Galing sa government office, six years experience, pero walang spark. No fire. Nothing that made me say, “Yes, this person could make Stratosight money.”
Both of them? Solid. But not Zia Aguas solid.
I tapped the folder on my desk and smirked. She had the kind of résumé that made even arrogant bastards like me nod in approval. And believe me, that’s saying something.
“Lally, come here again,” tawag ko habang sinasara ko ang huling folder at ipinapatong ito sa ibabaw ng iba.
She peeked into the office, holding her tablet. “Yes, sir?”
“Go to HR. Tell them I’ve chosen our new Accounting Department Head.”
She blinked. “Right now, sir?”
“Yes. Right now. What do I look like, someone who stalls?” I raised an eyebrow.
She nodded quickly. “Of course not, sir.”
I waved my hand. “Then go. And make sure HR doesn’t do something stupid like calling in the other two for another round. Tell them to prepare the offer letter. Standard contract. But bump up the base salary. I don’t want to lose this one.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
Nang makalabas si Lally, napangisi ako.
Imagine that. Zia Aguas, the woman who had the guts to yell at me on the street like I was some reckless tricycle driver, would now be working for me. Under my name. In my company.
And the best part?
She doesn’t even know yet.
I leaned back once more and let out a small laugh. Hindi ‘yung halakhak na bastos—hindi ako cheap. It was the amused, this-is-going-to-be-interesting kind of laugh. The kind of laugh a king makes when he sees a wild card enter his castle.
She probably thinks she’s done with me. That she’ll never see me again after that accident.
But life has a funny way of bringing people back together.
Karma? No. I am karma.
And Zia Aguas? She’s about to find out that working for Blake Cua comes with its own set of challenges.
She’s sharp, sure. Tough, definitely. But can she survive me?
We’ll see.
I tapped her photo again, then slid it back into the folder. I don’t usually care what people look like—at work, I value brains, grit, and performance. But with her? She’s got the whole damn package.
Brains. Guts. A mouth that doesn’t shut up.
And the audacity to go head-to-head with me.
No wonder I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Oh, she’s going to hate this.
But she’ll accept the job. I know people. I read people. And Zia? She’s not the type to let an opportunity like this slip through her fingers just because of pride.
She’ll take it.
She’ll walk into this building, head held high, trying to pretend like that whole roadside shouting match never happened.
But I won’t forget.
I’ll never forget.
Because it’s rare to meet someone who dares to cross the line with me—and still leaves me curious.
Welcome to Stratosight, Zia Aguas.
Let the games begin.
- Writer
