Contract Heartbeat

THE MISSED CALL

Yliah’s eyes fluttered to her phone as it buzzed again on her desk. Unknown number. Third time already this morning.

She frowned.

"Si Mama na naman siguro 'to. Baka bagong number. Hay naku, wala akong energy sa drama ngayong araw."

She silenced it without checking. Her head was already pounding from the reports due before lunch.

Then came a knock on her cubicle wall.

“Miss Ramirez?” HR’s assistant, a petite woman with overly bright lipstick, peeked in.

“Uh, yes po?”

“Mr. Salazar would like to see you. Right now.”

Yliah blinked. “Sir Eli?”

The woman gave a curt nod. “He said it’s urgent.”

Yliah’s heart immediately jumped to her throat. She stood up too fast and nearly knocked over her chair. Her coworkers turned to watch.

“Ay, grabe,” one whispered. “Pina-summon ni Boss Eli. Lagot.”

“Naku, baka natanggal na yan,” another one added, barely hiding her amusement.

She tried to ignore them, but her ears were burning

“Hindi naman siguro ganun,” a quieter voice said behind her.

She turned to see Keith, the soft-spoken IT guy who often helped her whenever her work computer froze. He was standing awkwardly, not meeting her eyes.

“I’m sure wala ka namang ginawang masama,” he mumbled, almost too quietly to hear. “Baka kailangan lang niya ng clarification.”

For a moment, Yliah’s nerves eased. “Thanks, Keith,” she said with a soft smile before heading toward the elevator.

The long walk to the executive floor felt like a death march.

When she reached the glass office with the name ELIANDRO SALAZAR engraved on the door, she took a breath and knocked

“Come in.”

She opened the door carefully.

Eli was standing by the window, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. He turned as she entered and placed both items down.

“You don’t answer unknown numbers?” he asked coolly.

Yliah straightened. “I thought it was my mom. She’s been… persistent lately.”

“You thought I was your mom?” he repeated with a raised brow. “Do I sound like your mother?”

She crossed her arms. “Well, I didn’t know it was you, did I?

There was a beat of silence. Tension hung in the air like a thick fo

“You do realize I called three times?” he said. “I was asking for your decision. I don’t have time to chase people.”

Yliah’s spine stiffened. “You didn’t even give me a number to reach you. How was I supposed to know it was you? And besides, I didn’t say yes yet.”

“I didn’t take you for someone who’d need this long to decide,” Eli replied, tone sharp.

Yliah’s eyes narrowed. “And I didn’t take you for someone who thinks he can just make offers and expect people to jump.”

Their gazes locked—stubborn and unyielding

“Look,” she said, brushing a hand through her hair. “I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I don’t owe you an answer right this second.”

Eli stepped closer, his jaw tense. “When I propose an arrangement, I expect a response—promptly. That’s how business works.”

“Well,” Yliah snapped, turning on her heel, “good thing this isn’t just business.”

She reached for the door, ready to leave—and promptly slipped.

“Ah—!”

But before she hit the floor, a pair of strong arms caught her. She gasped, her face landing close—way too close—to Eli’s.

His arms were firmly around her waist, steadying her. Their noses almost brushed.

Their eyes met.

Then—

It happened.

A brief brush of lips. Not quite a kiss, but not nothing either.

She froze.

He did too.

After a split second, she scrambled to step back, cheeks flaming. “I—I slipped! That was—! You shouldn’t have been standing so close!”

“You’re the one who stormed out,” he replied, a little too calmly. But his voice was lower now, almost amused.

“You caught me off guard,” she muttered, avoiding his gaze.

There was a pause.

“I’ll consider that your ‘yes,’” he said finally.

She blinked. “What?”

“To the fake boyfriend arrangement,” he clarified. “I assume you wouldn’t be flustered if you weren’t going to accept.”

“I—That is not how this works!”

Eli smirked, and for the first time, Yliah caught a glimpse of something different in his expression—not cold, not calculated, but... teasing?

“Friday night,” he said smoothly, turning back to his desk. “Dinner with my aunt. You’re coming.”

Before she could protest, he sat and pulled out a folder, clearly ending the conversation.

Yliah stormed out of his office, fuming. But even as she walked back to her cubicle, the memory of his arms around her and the warmth of that almost-kiss lingered far too vividly in her mind.