Collision of Hearts

Chapter 14

Monteverde Holdings – Executive Boardroom, Manila

Monday, 8:00 AM

Tahimik ang buong boardroom.

Ang bawat board member na naroroon ay hindi makatingin ng diretso sa akin. Some pretended to look busy — opening tablets, reviewing documents. Others, blatantly sweating in their suits. Kahit airconditioned ang silid, damang-dama ang tensyon. Parang may paparating na bagyo.

Correction.

Ako ang bagyo.

I walked in wearing a dark charcoal pantsuit — custom tailored, sharp as a blade — and blood-red lipstick that matched the fire I carried.

Behind me, si Damon lang ang kasama ko. Hindi siya nagsalita. Pero ramdam ang presensya niya — tahimik pero pananakot, nakatayo sa likod ko like a shadow that could kill.

Sa harap ng conference table, isang upuang walang nakaupo. My old chair.

The CEO throne.

I didn’t wait for an invitation.

I took it.

Tumayo ang interim Chairman — si Mr. Lucban — agad na nag-adjust ng tie niya. “Ms. Monteverde… we didn’t expect—”

“No,” I cut in. “You didn’t. Because you were too busy dividing the pieces of my empire while I was presumed dead.”

Tahimik.

Dead silence.

“You held a press conference declaring my death,” I said, voice sharp. “You voted in new bylaws that limited Monteverde family control. You even moved certain assets under ‘emergency guardianship’ — Elian’s guardianship.”

Si Mr. Chua, na laging pro-Elian, lumunok. “We were only trying to protect the company—”

“From me?”

No one answered.

Perfect.

I clicked the remote in my hand. A screen lowered behind me, showing footage of Elian’s private meetings — secretly recorded by Damon’s team.

“Don’t worry,” I said, smiling tightly. “The authorities will get a copy. But let’s focus on this room first.”

“Mr. Chua,” I began, turning to him. “You illegally signed off on the transfer of Monteverde mining licenses to a shell company in Dubai.”

“That’s not true—”

“I have the paper trail. You’re fired.”

Gulat.

“Ms. Navarro,” I turned to the woman who once pretended to mourn me on TV. “You voted me out using a forged psychiatric report.”

“That was Elian’s doing—”

“You countersigned it. Resign. Or I’ll have you disbarred and imprisoned.”

“I—”

“Now.”

She stood up, shaking, and left the room.

One by one, I took them apart.

Mr. Lucban was next.

“You tried to rewrite Monteverde’s constitution. You colluded with foreign investors. And worst of all… you doubted me.”

“Skyra, please—”

“You don’t get to say my name.”

He paled.

“I want your resignation. And your shares. Effective immediately.”

Dahan-dahan siyang tumayo. Bagsak ang balikat. Umalis.

Only Six Board Members Remain

These were the loyal ones. Or smart enough to switch sides before the blade fell.

I stood from my chair, removed the clip from my hair, letting it fall to my shoulders — a symbol of control turned freedom.

“I died once,” I began.

No one spoke.

“I was betrayed by blood. Hunted by men I fed. Dismissed by a company I built. But now…” I looked at each one of them, one by one, dead in the eye.

“I’m not asking for your loyalty. I’m demanding your respect. Because I don’t just want my company back. I’m rebuilding it. Stronger. Meaner. Smarter.”

Tumayo ang huling female member — Ms. Gomez — and nodded. “Then lead us.”

I turned my head, slowly.

And there — in the corner of the room, leaning against the glass wall, arms crossed, eyes locked on mine — stood Damon.

He didn’t smile.

But he nodded once.

The way a soldier would.

Later That Day

Nakaharap ako sa floor-to-ceiling glass window ng opisina ko, overlooking the chaos of Manila traffic, the hum of life below.

The world didn’t stop for me.

But now, it moved because of me.

Damon stood beside me, quiet.

“You burned half the board,” he finally said. “That was brutal.”

“I went soft.”

“Good.”

Tumalikod ako sa window, lumapit sa kanya.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “For bringing me home.”

“You never left,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek. “You just needed to remember who the hell you are.”

After ng ilang minuto, Camila arrived first—fresh from a red-eye flight from Tokyo. Pagpasok niya, dala-dala niya ang kumpiyansa ng isang babae na hindi kailanman nagduda sa pagbabalik ko.

"Ms. Monteverde," she said breathlessly, placing a secured black binder on the desk. "I compiled everything we missed during your disappearance. As requested—internal audits, board records, and… correspondence linked to Mr. Elian."

"Good work, Camila," I said without hesitation.

She smiled. Loyal. Sharp. And dangerous, in all the right ways.

At that moment, pumasok na si Atty. Renzo Morales.

Sharp suit. Sharper mind.

“Skyra,” he greeted, not even bothering with formalities. “I read the transcript of your board speech. Brutal. Iconic.”

“You think it was too much?”

“No. I think it was long overdue.”

Umupo siya sa tapat ko, binuksan ang attaché case niya, and laid out thick folders sealed with legal tabs. “We’ve already filed three cases against Elian—attempted murder, conspiracy to defraud, and corporate sabotage. The prosecutor’s office is preparing the pre-trial hearing.”

“Good.” Tumango ako. “And the others?”

“Mr. Chua, Ms. Navarro, and Lucban are all detained. Their lawyers are trying to cut deals.”

“Tell them I’m not interested in bargains,” I said coldly. “I’m interested in justice.”

Dumating din si Atty. Renzo— we are surrounded by piles of printed emails, call logs, hidden wiretap data mula sa intel team ni Damon. May flat screen sa dingding na naka-sync sa satellite footage of Elian being transferred to a high-security facility in Laguna.

“Nagpa-drug test siya agad pagdating sa selda,” sabi ni Renzo habang naglalakad-lakad sa likod ko. “He’s trying to paint himself as unstable.”

“He isn’t,” I said firmly. “He’s calculating. He just didn’t calculate that I’d survive.”

“And thrive,” Camila added, smiling tightly.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the reality sink in.

My brother.

My own flesh and blood.

Nasa kulungan na.

Kasama ang lahat ng kasabwat niya.

Pati ang mga taong minsan kong pinaniwalaan.

“Send a statement to the press,” I said. “Keep it neutral. We’ll let the courts do the talking.”

“I’ll handle it,” Camila nodded.

Damon, who had been silent most of the time, finally stood from his corner.

He approached slowly, tapos tumayo sa likod ko at marahang pinatong ang kamay niya sa balikat ko.

“I hope you know what you just did,” he said quietly.

“I do.”

“You declared war.”

“No,” I corrected, turning slightly to meet his eyes. “I ended it. And I won.”

Pagod.

Masakit ang talampakan ko sa stilettos na suot ko buong araw, at parang may bigat ang bawat hiningang binibitawan ko. Kahit nakuha ko na ang kontrol pabalik sa kumpanya, pakiramdam ko para akong giniling na damdamin at dignidad sa maghapon.

Tumayo ako mula sa upuan sa executive lounge ng opisina, suot pa rin ang black suit na amoy tinta, stress, at panalo.

“Let’s go,” sabi ni Damon, lumapit sa likod ko habang inilalagay ang coat niya sa balikat ko.

Hindi na ako nagtanong. I just nodded. Alam kong pagod na rin siya — pero gaya ng laging ginagawa niya, hindi niya ako iniwan.

Sumakay kami sa bulletproof SUV. Tahimik ang ride. Si Damon, naka-focus sa tablet niya habang mino-monitor ang updates mula kay Atty. Renzo at sa legal team. Ako naman, nakatingin lang sa labas, pinapanood ang mga ilaw ng Makati habang dumadaan kami.

Pero ilang minuto lang, napansin ko… hindi ito ang usual route.

Hindi kami tumuloy sa Monteverde Tower condo ko.

At hindi rin kami papunta sa safehouse namin.

“Where are we going?” tanong ko, medyo napakunot ang noo.

Damon didn’t look up. Just smiled faintly. “You’ll see.”

Pagbaba ko ng sasakyan, napahinto ako.

Black steel gates. Ivory pillars. Landscaped gardens. A driveway na mistulang runway ng power.

The mansion looked like something out of a billionaire’s fantasy — but colder. Sharper. Hidden behind walls of silence and security.

“Dito?” tanong ko, tumingin sa kanya.

He simply walked to the door, typed a code sa biometric scanner, at bumukas ito na parang vault sa isang lihim na mundo.

Pagpasok ko, napasinghap ako.

Glass walls, towering ceilings, warm wooden accents paired with sharp, dark metal finishes. May scent ng cedarwood at fresh linen. Hindi ito yung tipikal na “bachelor pad” — this was a command center disguised as a sanctuary.

And at the center of it… was me.

“Damon… whose house is this?”

He turned to face me, stood tall in the middle of the sleek living room, then said:

“Mine.”

Napakurap ako. “So you brought me here… why?”

Lumapit siya. Mabagal. Deliberado.

And when he stopped right in front of me, his voice dropped low — full of something raw, something certain.

“Because from now on, Skyra… you live here. With me.”

Tahimik lang ako.

I wasn’t even sure how to respond.

Sa dami ng pinagdaanan namin — barilan, pagtataksil, pagbagsak ng jet, pagkabawi ng empire — ngayon lang ako nabigla ng ganito.

Damon Velasquez.

Mr. No Attachments. Mr. Tactical. Mr. Control-Freak.

Was asking me — no, telling me — that this wasn’t temporary.

This wasn’t just protection.

This was… home.

“Walang security team na makakabantay sa ‘yo gaya ko,” he continued. “Walang lugar na mas ligtas kaysa dito. And honestly, Skyra… I don’t want to go to war without you under the same roof.”

“Is this about safety,” I asked, “or about you wanting to control everything again?”

He smirked, but his eyes… softened.

“It’s about wanting you where I can hold you when the storm comes. It’s about not waking up wondering if you’re still breathing. And maybe… just maybe, it’s about finally giving a damn where you sleep.”

My heart thudded.

Once.

Then again.

Pagod ako. Galit pa rin ako sa mundo. Pero sa gabing ito… sa bahay na ito…

Pwedeng mapahinga kahit kaunti.

“Fine,” I whispered. “But I’m not cooking.”

He laughed, pulled me close, and kissed the top of my head.

“That’s what the chef’s for.”

Later that Night – Master Bedroom, Forbes Park Mansion

Nakahiga ako sa malambot na kama, habang si Damon ay nasa kabilang side — tahimik na nagbabasa ng intel sa tablet niya. Pero kita sa mata niya: hindi na siya warlord ngayon.

Hindi ngayon.

Ngayon, kami lang.

Ako. Siya. At ang isang bahay na sa wakas… pwede kong tawaging tahanan.

Kinabukasan. Maalinsangan ang hangin sa Manila ngayong umaga — hindi lang dahil sa panahon, kundi sa bigat ng hakbang na isasagawa ko.

I stepped into the Department of Justice building, my black suit a blade against the dull walls of bureaucracy. My heels clicked like gunshots sa marble floor. Matagal ko nang pinlano ang araw na ito. Pero ngayon lang ako handang humarap.

Kasama ko si Atty. Renzo Morales, tahimik pero matalim ang mga mata, hawak ang confidential folder na parang sandatang legal.

“Are you ready?” tanong niya habang binubuksan ang pintuan ng main conference room.

I nodded once. “I was born ready.”

Pagpasok namin, ilang heads ang napalingon.

Not because I was late — but because I was alive.

And everyone in that room thought I was already six feet under.

Atty. Calvo, special prosecutor, agad tumayo. “Ms. Monteverde... you’re a sight we never expected to see again.”

“I’m full of surprises,” I said coldly. “And today I’m here to deliver a few more.”

Inside the Conference Room

Atty. Renzo laid out the official case files on the table — thick folders marked with Monteverde Holdings seals, digital evidence, forensic audits, and recordings Damon recovered from the island’s intel servers.

“This is not just a corporate scandal,” Renzo began. “It’s a calculated conspiracy — involving embezzlement, attempted murder, psychological manipulation, and power usurpation.”

“By who?” tanong ng prosecutor.

My voice sliced through the air.

“Elian Monteverde,” I said clearly. “My brother.”

Gasps. Notes being scribbled. Phones lighting up under the table.

“And these people,” I added, sliding forward a list of names — board members, financial advisors, security officers, even a few from my late parents’ estate team.

“All of them took part — either by action or by silence. And I am filing criminal charges against each one.”

After the Filing – Outside the DOJ

Puno ng reporters sa labas. Microphones. Flashbulbs. Questions.

“Skyra, is it true your own brother tried to kill you?”

“Will Monteverde Holdings survive this war?”

“Why now?”

I looked straight into the cameras.

“Blood doesn’t justify betrayal,” I said, voice calm but firm. “And power means nothing if you lose your soul trying to keep it.”

I didn’t stay long.

Hinila ako ni Damon pabalik sa sasakyan. Tahimik siya. Pero ramdam ko ang init ng palad niya sa likod ng baywang ko — grounding me.

Pag-upo namin, saka lang siya nagsalita.

“You looked like a f*cking queen in there.”

I smirked. “I am a f*cking queen.”

“And you just declared war on your blood.”

“I declared truth.”

Tumango siya, his hand brushing my thigh with quiet admiration. “You just made a hundred enemies today.”

I met his gaze. “Then they better be ready to lose.”

Later That Night – Mansion, Forbes Park

Pagod ang katawan ko, pero buo ang loob. Tumayo ako sa balcony ng kwarto ni Damon, tinitingnan ang city lights na para bang kakampi ko ang buong Manila.

Sa likod ko, lumapit si Damon — shirtless, damp hair, freshly showered. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, chin on my shoulder.

“Proud of you,” he murmured.

“You were right,” I whispered. “It wasn’t enough to survive.”

“I know,” he said. “You were meant to conquer.”