THE EX INVITATION
Break time was Yliah Ramirez’s only moment of peace at the office. She sat alone on the bench just outside the company cafeteria, her lunch untouched on her lap as she scrolled through her email.
Her thumb hovered over the most recent message.
Subject: Wedding Invitation – Mark & Alyssa
Location: Tagaytay Highlands
Date: Three weeks from now
She stared at it blankly. Mark? Her ex?
The same Mark who told her “Let’s focus on ourselves first.” The same Mark who ghosted her for weeks and came back asking for "space." And now? He was marrying someone else in less than a month?
Wow. That was fast.
Yliah's chest tightened, but she blinked it away. She wasn't going to cry over this—not at work, not over him.
Just then, her phone rang.
“Hi, Ma,” she answered, trying to keep her voice neutral.
Her mom didn’t even say hello.
“Yliah, nakuha ko na ang wedding invitation ni Mark! Pupunta tayo, ‘di ba? Ay naku, magdala ka ng boyfriend mo, ha. Ayokong magtanong na naman ang mga amiga ko kung bakit wala ka pa ring kasama at baka sabihin ng mommy ni Mark na di ka pa nakaka-move on!”
“Ma…” Yliah groaned, lowering her voice. “Wala nga akong boyfriend.”
“Hay naku! Gawan mo ng paraan. Ayaw kong mukha kang kawawa do’n.”
“Ma!” she whispered, glancing around. “You can’t just tell me to magically get a boyfriend.”
"Ah, basta! Dapat kasi hindi ka nakipagbreak eh di sana ikaw ang ikakasal ngayon!"
"Ma naman."
As she sighed into the phone, she didn’t notice the tall figure walking past her—a man in a charcoal suit with a coffee in hand. He stopped mid-step, clearly having overheard the last part of her conversation.
The man turned slightly, then doubled back.
“Miss Ramirez,” he said coolly.
Yliah nearly jumped off the bench, turning to see Eliandro Salazar, one of the top executives in the company and the type of guy who didn’t speak unless it was for business—or firing someone.
“Yes, sir?” she stammered, cheeks heating.
“I couldn’t help but overhear,” he said. “You need a date to a wedding.”
She blinked at him, confused.
“I need someone to pretend to be my girlfriend for the next few weeks,” he added casually. “In exchange, I’ll accompany you to your ex’s wedding. Call it a... mutually beneficial arrangement.”
Yliah stared at him like he had grown another head. “You’re joking, right?”
Eli just sipped his coffee. “I don’t joke at work.”
