Chapter 3: The Art of Corporate Warfare
671 Words
Kara woke up the next day with only one goal in mind: Operation: Guluhin si Mr. Undefeated.
Ace Navarro might be her boss, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t throw a few playful jabs. After all, sa tagal ng rivalry nila online, it was time for some in-real-life payback.
“Lani,” bulong niya habang sabay silang papasok ng office, “today, magsisimula ang psychological warfare.”
“Girl, anong balak mo? Lagyan ng glitter ang keyboard niya?” Lani asked, half amused, half terrified.
Kara grinned. “Something even worse.”
Sa loob ng office, everything looked normal. Ace sat at his desk—black shirt, black watch, black everything, as if happiness offended him. Calm. Composed. Robotic.
Pero bago pa siya makapagtimpla ng kape, may dumaang intern.
“Sir Ace, the reports you requested,” the intern said, handing him a folder.
Ace nodded and took it.
That was Kara’s cue.
Bigla siyang tumayo at sumigaw, “Sir Ace, ‘yung order po ninyo—extra rice, walang ulam, puro sabaw lang!”
Everyone froze.
Ace slowly turned to her. “I don’t recall ordering... shame.”
Kara smirked. “Sabi nila, you are what you eat.”
He raised an eyebrow. “In that case, you must live on sarcasm and sugar.”
“Hindi ko itatanggi,” she replied proudly, flipping her hair.
Behind her, Lani face-palmed.
Later that day, during a presentation for the marketing team, Kara had inserted something special into the slides.
Everything looked normal at first—charts, analytics, targets.
Until Slide 8.
A meme appeared. A side-by-side photo of a stone and Ace’s actual face with the caption: “Spot the Difference.”
Everyone tried not to laugh. Ace blinked slowly, expression unchanged.
After the meeting, Kara braced herself for a scolding.
Pero instead of getting mad, Ace walked up to her and whispered, “Nice meme. But remember, even stones can strike back.”
“You’re not even denying it?” she asked.
“I’m just letting you build confidence,” he said, walking away.
Kara stared after him, heart slightly thudding.
Wait... bakit parang kinikilig ako?!
That night, she logged into Valorian Vortex. And for the first time in months, Nightmare9 was online.
Chat Notification:
Nightmare9: Ready to lose again, Strawberry?
StrawberryMilk17: Joke’s on you. I trained with 13-year-old try-hards on YouTube.
Nightmare9: I look forward to your humiliation.
They battled for nearly an hour. And for once—Kara actually won a round.
She screamed in real life. “YES! In your face!”
Nightmare9: One win. Shall I call it beginner’s luck?
StrawberryMilk17: Or evolution, baby.
Back at his condo, Ace stared at the screen, quietly impressed. His lips curved ever so slightly.
“She’s getting better,” he muttered. “Interesting.”
The next day at work, Ace handed her a report with a sticky note:
“1-12. Still in my favor. – A”
Kara wrote back:
“1 is still a number. – K”
It was official: their online rivalry had bled into real life—and it was starting to feel... fun.
But as Kara reviewed documents later that afternoon, something odd caught her eye.
A memo. From Ace.
It listed several changes in the company structure—including one that said: “Reassignment proposal: Kara Monteverde – transfer to Corporate HQ in Tokyo for international training.”
Her heart dropped.
Wait... what? Why would he—?
Just as she was about to confront him, Ace entered the room.
“Got a minute?” he asked.
Kara looked up, confused and cautious.
“Depends,” she said, trying to sound unaffected. “Is this about my Tokyo exile?”
Ace paused. “It’s not exile. It’s an opportunity.”
“Or a way to get rid of me.”
“Would I go through that much trouble... just to make you leave?”
Their eyes locked.
And for the first time, there was tension not rooted in sarcasm—but something... deeper.
- Writer
