First Temptation: The Billionaire's Game

CHAPTER 17

Cassie and Xan separate under pressure

Cassie POV

Ang hirap pala umalis sa isang lugar na hindi mo inaasahang mamahalin mo.

Mas mahirap pa kapag may iniiwan kang tao na... naging tahanan mo.

Kahapon lang, nilalaban namin ang mundo.

Ngayon, ako na mismo ang lalayo.

The convoy was ready.

Black SUVs. Presidential seal. Tactical units.

Pagbukas ko ng pinto ng Madrigal estate, naroon sila—parang sundo ng isang kriminal. Not a daughter.

Monique hugged me tight. “Text me. Call me. Kahit anong oras.”

Luis just gave me a nod, maski alam kong concerned siya.

Pero si Xander?

Tahimik lang siya sa taas ng hagdanan. Nakasuot ng black polo, dark jeans, pero ang mata niya… hindi ko matignan ng diretso.

Hindi siya bumaba.

Hindi rin siya nagpakita ng galit o lambing. Wala.

Just… stillness.

Na parang kung gagalaw siya, babagsak ang lahat.

Hinila ko ang suitcase ko pababa, pero bago ako umabot sa pinto, tinapik ko ang guard sa gilid.

“Tell him I’m outside,” I said.

Seconds later, narinig ko ang yabag ng hakbang.

And there he was.

Xander.

Bitbit ang hakbang na mabigat. Walang salita. Walang drama. Pero ramdam ko ang bigat ng mundo niya sa bawat paglapit.

Huminto siya sa harap ko.

“I’ll fix this,” he said. Low. Firm. “Pero kailangan mong lumayo muna.”

Tumango ako, pilit. “I know.”

“Safe ka sa Palasyo. Let them protect you. For now.”

“Pero ikaw?”

He smiled. Sad. “Sanay akong mag-isa, di ba?”

“No, you’re not,” I whispered.

Hinawakan niya ang mukha ko, hinaplos ang pisngi ko na may bahid ng luha.

“We both know this isn’t goodbye,” he said.

“I hope not.”

Bumuntong-hininga siya.

Tumingin sa convoy.

Tumingin sa akin.

At huling tingin—tumagos sa puso ko.

“I’ll come back for you,” he whispered. “Pag tapos na ‘tong gulo. Pag may karapatan na akong hawakan ka ulit.”

I wanted to say “you already do.”

Pero alam ko rin… hindi sapat ang pagmamahal kung buong bansa ang kalaban.

So I nodded.

Then turned away.

Xan POV

Napaluhod ako pagkalapat ng pinto.

Wala nang camera.

Wala nang war room.

Wala siya.

And for the first time in a long time, the house felt… hollow.

At parang sa bawat segundo ng katahimikan, mas lalo kong naririnig yung boses niya.

Yung tawanan niya sa hallway.

Yung inis niya tuwing late siya sa breakfast.

Yung mahinang ungol niya habang nasa bisig ko.

Now?

Wala na.

But I couldn’t chase her.

Not now.

Not when I had to clean up this war.

Cassie POV

Pagdating ng convoy sa harap ng Malacañang Palace, ramdam ko agad ang bigat.

Hindi dahil sa media na nag-aabang sa labas, hindi dahil sa security na mas mahigpit pa sa usual.

Kundi dahil alam kong pagpasok ko sa loob... wala nang Cassie na pwedeng maging totoo.

Pagbaba ko ng sasakyan, sinalubong ako ng Chief of Staff. Formal. Walang ngiti.

“Miss Villareal, the President is waiting in the Situation Room.”

Hindi ako sumagot. Tumango lang.

Habang naglalakad sa mahahabang hallway, parang unti-unting nawawala yung boses ko, yung tapang ko, yung saya ko.

Dumaan ako sa portrait ni Mama sa hallway. Doon siya sa frame—elegant, composed, untouchable.

Pero ngayon?

Ramdam ko—hindi ako belong dito.

Pagbukas ng pinto ng Situation Room—

Andoon siya.

Pres. Mariano Villareal. Ang ama kong naging estranghero.

Nakatayo siya sa harap ng digital board, showing news clippings, Twitter hashtags, and national security briefs.

Nilingon niya ako. His jaw tightened.

“Sit,” he said.

Umupo ako.

Tahimik.

Ramdam ko ang tensyon sa pagitan naming dalawa—hindi dahil wala siyang alam sa akin, kundi dahil alam niyang hindi na ako ‘yung anak na iniwan niya dito.

“You disappointed us,” he began. Matigas. Walang emosyon.

“Hindi ko intensyon,” sagot ko, mahina pero matatag.

“Intent doesn’t erase consequence, Cassandra. You are the First Daughter. Do you understand the level of damage this has done to our family?”

Umangat ang tingin ko.

“To the family... or to your presidency?”

Napasinghap siya.

“Cassandra—”

“Totoo naman, di ba? If I were just your daughter—walang title—would you still call this a scandal?”

Hindi siya sumagot. Pero ‘yung katahimikan niya, sagot na rin.

Later that night…

Bumisita ako sa private wing ni Mama.

Tahimik sa loob.

Nasa kama siya. Nakahiga. Hawak ang kamay ni Yaya Lorna.

Paglapit ko, napansin ko ang oxygen tube sa ilong niya, ang IV sa braso.

“Mom…”

Dumilat siya nang mahina. Pinilit ngumiti. “Hi, baby…”

Umupo ako sa tabi ng kama niya, hawak ang malamig niyang kamay.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Hindi kita sinisisi,” sabi niya. “Pero sana… sana pinag-isipan mong mabuti.”

Tumulo ang luha ko.

“I love him, Ma.”

Napapikit siya. “I know. But love doesn't always mean right time.”

Niyakap ko siya, mahigpit. Parang bata ulit. Parang gusto kong burahin ang lahat.

Pero alam ko rin… hindi ko na mababawi ‘to.

Scene ends with Cassie in her old bedroom—alone, eyes wide open in the dark, whispering one name under her breath:

"Xander..."

Xander POV

The silence inside Madrigal Tower’s executive floor was sharp. Parang blade sa lalamunan.

Luis stood at the head of the war table, his jaw clenched, laptop open, screen mirrored sa 100-inch monitor on the wall.

Beside him was Atty. Dalisay, our corporate counsel.

On screen? The Senate Hearing Live Feed.

At sa gitna ng stage?

Senator Damian Yulo.

Ang pulitikong matagal ko nang gustong ibaon sa sariling bulok niyang taktika.

Pero ngayon—ako ang target niya.

“All signs point to bribery,” Yulo said, voice echoing over the livestream. “Massive tech contracts granted to Madrigal Corporation within the last 18 months—all without standard bidding procedures.”

Click. Click. Images appeared—contract files, signatures, timestamped approvals.

“Senator—” the committee chair interrupted, “are you suggesting corruption?”

“I’m not suggesting,” Yulo said, turning to the camera. “I’m stating it. Xander Madrigal used influence and intimacy with a high-profile government family to secure unfiltered access to public funds. That is corruption. That is betrayal.”

The room inside Madrigal Tower went still.

Luis cursed under his breath. “F*cker’s using the scandal to bury you.”

I leaned back in my chair, elbows on the armrest, fingers steepled.

Kalma.

Cold.

Calculated.

But inside?

I was burning.

“Pakita mo ang stock dashboard,” utos ko.

Luis tapped on his screen.

Boom.

Red. Red. Red.

Madrigal shares were bleeding.

“Media’s all over this, bro,” Luis added. “PhilStar, Inquirer, international wires. Business headlines are using words like embezzlement and state favoritism. Investors are pulling.”

I stood slowly.

“Get our PR on standby. And legal—draft a cease and desist. Gusto kong patahimikin ang bibig ni Yulo hanggang mabulunan siya sa kasinungalingan niya.”

Atty. Dalisay looked at me, firm. “Xander, if we issue anything legal now, it’ll escalate. The press will spin it as damage control. Guilty silence or guilty noise. Pick your poison.”

I looked at the screen.

Yulo was still talking.

“…and that footage leaked last night? Proof enough that personal entanglements compromised public neutrality.”

Tangina mo.

He’s dragging Cassie into this. Making her look like a pawn, a tool—when she’s so much more.

“I’ll hold a press conference,” I said. “Tonight. Live. No filter.”

Luis blinked. “Xan…”

“Let them come for me. Not her. Me.”

Two hours later.

Top floor. Madrigal Media Room.

The place had been used for IPO briefings and tech demo launches. Never for scandal control.

But tonight? It became a war zone.

Lights on. Mics ready. Three cameras. Streaming across national platforms.

I stepped behind the podium in a tailored black suit. No tie. No PR smile.

I looked straight into the lens.

“This is Alexander Madrigal.”

Pause. Breathe. Speak.

“There have been allegations today tying me to corrupt dealings with the Philippine government. Allegations made without evidence. Without merit. And without integrity.”

“I deny every single accusation thrown by Senator Yulo.”

Another pause. Let it sting.

“I built Madrigal Innovations from the ground up. At twelve, I was broke. By twenty I'm striving, and at twenty 29 I’m building satellites. That’s not scandal. That’s sweat. That’s intellect. That’s legacy.”

Camera pans.

Luis nods from the side. Media lights flicker like flashbangs.

“But let’s be honest,” I continued. “This attack was never about business. It was personal. Because of who I’m seen with. Because I dared to care about someone powerful. Someone beautiful. Someone untouchable.”

I leaned forward.

“Cassandra Villareal is not my pawn. She’s not my pipeline. She’s not my shortcut.”

“She’s the first person who made me believe I could be more than just a number on Forbes. More than just a profit report. She made me human again.”

Silence. Cameras flashing.

“And now, the country sees her as a liability.”

I clenched the podium.

“Well, I see her as my future.”

Gasps. Reporters scrambling.

“I will cooperate with the investigation. I will open my books, my board, my emails. But I will not let this witch hunt strip me of my name—or her of her dignity.”

“If I must burn down my empire to protect her, then light the match.”

Back at Malacañang.

Cassie watched the press conference in her dark room.

Tears silently ran down her face.

A knock.

Si Camille. Mahina. Naka-house robe.

“Anak,” she said, voice trembling. “He did that… for you?”

Cassie nodded.

And whispered, “He always does.”

Scene ends with a news ticker flashing:

“Senator Yulo requests emergency closed-door hearing after Madrigal press conference goes viral.”

“Stock trend stabilizing. Public opinion: shifting.”

Cassie POV

Tahimik ang buong wing ng Malacañang nang bumalik ako mula sa courtyard.

Puno pa rin ng tension ang hangin—mga usap-usapan ng aides, reporters sa labas, at ang ilang staff na parang umiwas ng tingin pag dumadaan ako.

Parang bawat galaw ko may mata. Bawat bulong, tungkol sa’kin.

Gusto kong sumigaw.

Pero ang tanging ginawa ko ay dumiretso sa study ko. Sa safe space ko. Sa silid kung saan nakatago ang mga sketchpad ko, ang lumang sewing kit ko, at isang frame ng lola ko na lagi kong kausap sa isip.

Pero may nauna na sa loob.

“Trix?”

Nasa gilid siya ng bintana, arms crossed, phone in one hand, a file folder in the other. Mukhang ilang oras nang hindi natutulog—naka messy bun, may eyebags, at may halong galit sa ekspresyon niya.

“Lock the door, Cassey,” she said, without turning around.

Kinabahan ako.

Ginawa ko.

Pagkaklik ng lock, hinarap niya ako.

“Don’t panic. Pero we have a problem.”

Lumapit siya. Inabot niya sa’kin ang folder.

Nanginginig ang kamay ko habang binubuksan ‘yon.

Inside were printed screenshots—leaked photos, timestamps, metadata. Digital footprints.

“This is where they got the clip,” she said. “And it wasn’t just some random paparazzi outside the gate.”

I scanned the headers—file names, VPN traces, and… usernames?

May isang handle na pabalik-balik sa mga records. “Caravaggio1979.”

Tumingin ako kay Trixie. “Sino ‘to?”

She took a deep breath.

“It’s someone from the inside. Someone with clearance. Someone who knew which window to aim at… and which timestamp to clip.”

My heart stopped.

“You mean… traitor?”

Trixie nodded. “Not just any traitor. Someone in our circle.”

“Circle… like?”

“Cassie, think. Who knew where you were sleeping that night? Who had access to the south wing schedule? Sino ang may alam kung saan naka-assign ang guards, kung anong oras papatayin ang perimeter motion lights?”

Unti-unti, napaupo ako sa sofa. Parang may yelo sa batok ko.

Hindi ito simpleng leak.

Ito ay orchestrated.

Targeted.

Deliberate.

“I don’t want to throw names yet,” Trixie continued. “But I already have my list. And Cassie—one of them is close to you. Really close.”

Napakagat ako sa labi. “May motive?”

Trixie looked at me, serious.

“Plenty. Power. Jealousy. Access. Or maybe… they want to ruin Xander. Or you. Or both.”

“Do you think it’s someone from his side?” tanong ko, mahina.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Could be yours. Could be his. Pero iisa lang ang malinaw—hindi tayo safe habang hindi natin alam kung sino ‘yon.”

I looked down at the photos again. My naked back under the blanket. Xander’s arm over me. So vulnerable. So private.

Now… used as a weapon.

“Anong plano mo?” I asked.

“I’ll keep investigating. Quietly,” she replied. “But Cassey…” Tumingin siya sa’kin, mas malalim, mas matatag.

“You need to stop trusting everyone. Even those you think would never hurt you.”

Later that night.

I couldn’t sleep.

Trixie’s warning echoed in my head.

Lahat ng mga taong nakapaligid sa’kin—Monique, Luis, even old family staff—nagsimulang magmukhang may itinatago.

And worse…

If there’s a traitor inside... does that mean someone close to Xander sold him out, too?

Or worse…

Sold us both out.