His Forbidden Heiress: Tempting the Devil

Chapter 2

The air inside the courtroom was thick with anticipation. Reporters crowded the back benches, cameras at the ready, eager to witness the clash between the returning Alcaraz heiress and the Governor himself.

Selena adjusted the collar of her blazer, her expression calm but her puso steady with purpose. Pinaghandaan niya ito ng ilang gabi. Walang distraction, lalo na hindi si Damien Vergara, ang makakasira ng focus niya.

Then the doors opened—and he walked in.

Confident. Untouchable. Naka-itim na suit na para bang hinulma lang para sa kanya. Half the women in the room drew breath unconsciously, pulled by his presence. The chatter died instantly.

Damien’s eyes found her immediately. Hindi siya lumihis ng tingin, not even as he moved to his table. Bold, claiming, as if reminding her of every secret they once shared.

Selena forced herself to look down at her notes. Isa lang siyang kalaban. Wala nang iba.

The judge entered, the session began, and arguments clashed like swords.

Selena stood first, her voice firm, malinaw.

“Your Honor, the evidence will show that Governor Vergara used his office to manipulate land titles, tinanggalan ng karapatan ang mga magsasaka. This is not just corruption—it is theft. At ang magnanakaw, gaano man siya makapangyarihan, ay magnanakaw pa rin.”

Gasps rippled through the courtroom. Lahat ng mata, lumipat kay Damien.

He rose slowly, walang bahid ng kaba, adjusting his cufflinks like he had all the time in the world. His voice was smooth, puno ng authority.

“The prosecution paints me as a villain, Your Honor. But where is her proof? Tsismis? Documents forged by desperate men who envy power? Counsel Alcaraz speaks of theft… but I speak of growth. Progress. Pag-unlad. Bringing wealth where there was once poverty.”

Then his gaze slid deliberately to her, unrelenting.

“And if passion alone could win a case, she would have already defeated me.”

A murmur spread. Selena’s fists tightened, init rising under her skin—not only from his arrogance, but from the deliberate way his words stripped her in public.

She forced a cold smile.

“Flattery won’t sway this court, Governor. Hindi rin makakapagpabagsak ang kayabangan mo. I have the facts. And facts don’t lie—unlike men who’ve built their empires on secrets.”

For the first time, Damien’s smile faltered—konti lang, pero sapat. Their eyes locked, and in that instant, the courtroom disappeared.

Lovers. Enemies. Warriors.

The judge cleared his throat, gavel cracking, snapping the spell.

Selena sat back down, her pulse racing. Damien leaned across the aisle, his lips barely moving, pero sapat para marinig niya.

“You fight well, querida. Pero tandaan mo—fighting me has always been your favorite sin.”

Her nails dug into the wood of her table. At that moment, malinaw sa kanya: this wasn’t just trial. This was seduction disguised as war.

Day 2

By the second day, parang entablado na ang courtroom. Every word was weighed, bawat tingin binabantayan ng media, bawat katahikan mabigat sa kahulugan.

Selena stood tall, her hair pulled into a severe bun, her suit like a blade. Control ang projection niya—even if sa loob, her nerves danced at the proximity of Damien Vergara.

“Governor Vergara,” she began, pacing in front of the witness stand, boses matalim, “would you agree that the sudden transfer of land titles benefitted corporations tied directly to your family?”

Damien leaned back, parang nasa hapag lang, one arm resting lazily. “My family has always invested in progress, Counsel. Kung may benepisyo man, is that a crime?”

Selena’s lips curved into a thin smile. “When progress leaves hundreds of farmers homeless? Oo. Krimen iyon.”

The judge rapped his gavel. “Counsel. Keep it professional.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Selena inclined her head, pero hindi kumawala ang tingin kay Damien.

Damien smirked, sensing her restraint. He leaned forward, deliberately slow.

“Tell me, Selena… is this about the farmers? Or about me? Dahil parang sobra kang determinado.”

Gasps echoed through the room. The judge glared, but Damien only smiled wider.

Selena didn’t flinch.

“This is about justice, Governor. Isang bagay na iniisip ng mga katulad mo na mabibili. Pero hindi ako. Hindi ngayon.”

She slid a stack of documents onto the table. “Exhibit C, Your Honor. Signed affidavits from displaced families—mga pamilyang pinatahimik hanggang ngayon.”

Reporters scribbled furiously. Damien’s jaw tightened, though his eyes flickered with something far more dangerous than anger—challenge.

When recess was called, bulungan ang buong silid. Selena began gathering her notes, determined not to acknowledge his stare burning into her.

But Damien crossed the aisle anyway. He stopped close, his voice velvet, intimate.

“You’ve grown sharper,” he murmured. “Pero kahit ang matalim, napuputol din.”

Selena turned her head slowly, her gaze cold as steel.

“Then let’s see, Governor, kung sino ang mauunang mabasag.”

She walked away, heels striking like gunshots.

When Damien was recalled to the stand, he moved with arrogance so palpable even the stenographer froze. He swore the oath, then leaned back like a king in his throne.

Selena approached, heels clicking in deliberate rhythm.

“Governor Vergara, can you explain bakit halos lahat ng land transfer documents carry the same witness signature—one of your personal aides?”

Damien smirked. “Efficiency, Counsel. Kapag marami kang proyekto, kailangan mo ng mga taong pinagkakatiwalaan.”

“Trusted?” Selena repeated, her tone edged with steel. She slid another document forward. “Interesting. Dahil ang aide na iyon ay nag-resign tatlong buwan bago pirmahan ang mga papeles na ito. Would you like to explain how a man no longer working for you still managed to approve transactions?”

The courtroom erupted in whispers. Kahit ang judge, bahagyang yumuko, interesado.

Damien’s jaw flexed, pero his voice remained smooth. “Perhaps… a clerical oversight.”

Selena allowed herself a cold smile. “An oversight that cost hundreds their homes? Hindi clerical ’yon, Governor. Calculated iyon.”

The tension thickened. Even the cameras seemed to lean closer.

Damien didn’t break eye contact. He tilted his head, almost amused despite the crack in his composure.

“Careful, Selena. Manipis lang ang linya sa pagitan ng passion at obsession.”

“And mas manipis ang pagitan ng power at abuse,” she shot back.

The gavel slammed down. “Enough! This is a court, not an arena.”

But the damage was done. Nakita na ng lahat—the sparks, the fire, the intimacy behind their war.

When the session adjourned, reporters swarmed Damien, microphones thrust toward him. He smiled, the perfect politician.

Selena pushed through, ignoring the cameras, ignoring the heat of his eyes that never left her.

At malinaw sa kanya: Damien Vergara might be Governor, pero hindi na sa kanya ang entablado.

It was hers.

And she was only getting started.