Secretly Yours, Boss

Chapter 5

Nakaupo lang ako sa cubicle ko, the kind of Monday morning haze na parang kulang sa caffeine kahit dalawang latte na ang naubos ko. The glow of my computer screen was softly reflecting on my face, my fingers hovering above the keyboard, while Hampstead played in my earphones — that melancholic, almost cinematic soundtrack na biglang nagiging score ng sarili kong love story na hindi ko alam kung nangyayari ba talaga o ako lang ang gumagawa.

Honestly, I didn't even know what to prioritize first — my endless to-do list, or the replay button sa utak ko of that night.

That night... with him.

After that small talk — that brief, loaded exchange na parang walang laman sa surface pero puno ng subtext underneath — nagpaalam na siya. Said he was leaving. And before he walked away, he looked straight at me. That quiet, signature nod of his, like the gentleman who knows he's leaving an impression but won't admit it.

Of course, me being me, I nodded back, pretending it was just a normal goodbye.

Pero deep inside, I was screaming.

Because there he was — the ever smug-looking guy, so controlled, so minimal in his expressions, almost frustratingly poker-faced. No trace of warmth, and yet... my heart still caught on fire.

And now, here I am, days later, still trying to decode what this feeling is.

🎵 I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead / And I misplaced my mind in a good way / Threw away my reputation but saved us more heartache / Yes, I know it seems messed up, and you're right... 🎵

Should have been just a crush. Something light, harmless. Inspirasyon lang sana. A pretty little distraction from the monotony of work life.

Pero after the way he looked at me that night — after the way his presence filled the air without even trying — I found myself wanting to know more. To peel back the layers. To read the unspoken pages.

It's like there's a story sleeping inside him, one that's just waiting to be unfolded if I could only find the right way to open it.

Or maybe I'm just being delusional. Maybe sa kanya, it's nothing. Just another forgettable night.

Pero... what if it's not? What if there's really something there?

Hay. I hate myself for even going there.

I nearly jumped out of my chair when Shin suddenly appeared beside my desk, breaking the trance. "Ready ka na for the presentation?"

I managed a small nod, swallowing the wave of thoughts that threatened to spill out. Then I called out to Trish, asking her to prep as well.

We followed Shin to the conference room — the glass-walled kind with that polished, high-rise view of the city skyline. Inside, Liam was already there, along with the rest of the team, waiting to hear what I had to say.

And there he was.

Through the see-through walls, I could see him clearly. The same poised posture, the same unreadable face. But his eyes... God, his eyes.

It was the exact same look from that night in the club. That gaze that felt like it could both unravel me and rebuild me in a single moment. That gaze na hindi ko ma-get over, the one that has been haunting me, distracting me, making me rethink everything.

If I could, I would give anything to present without him in the room.

But here we are. This is the job I chose, and part of the package deal is his presence — every single f*****g day.

And maybe, just maybe... that's both the curse and the thrill of it all.

~~~~

"So basically, the client wants us to be their partner in their start-up business. And since Emerson and Lyle remains the number one outsourcing company in the entire Philippines — not just by numbers but by reputation — we can offer them the prime, unparalleled spot in the industry."

I let the last sentence roll off my tongue with the kind of conviction that was calculated, deliberate. I could feel the gentle hum of the projector in the background, the crisp cold air of the conference room, the muted rustle of designer suits shifting in their leather chairs.

And yes, as expected, the polite ripple of applause followed.

Everyone seemed impressed.

Except Liam.

Instead, he sat there, one hand casually stroking his jaw, eyes fixed on me with this... infuriating half-smirk. Not the friendly, "I'm impressed" kind of smirk — but the kind that felt like he knew something I didn't. Almost as if there was some private, inside joke playing in his head.

That tiny gesture? It threw me off balance for half a second.

This was my second major presentation at Emerson and Lyle. The first one, I had aced so seamlessly I might as well have been featured in the quarterly newsletter. Was I really about to falter on the second? Of course not. Not here. Not in front of him.

He shifted in his seat then — slow, deliberate — as if preparing to strike with a question.

And he did.

"How can we benefit from them knowing that they're just starting up their business? Do you think it's a challenge for us to be their partner?" His voice had that smooth, low timbre, the kind that could sound like either a genuine query... or a test.

I froze.

That wasn't in any prep document. That wasn't in any case study or "trick questions to watch out for" list that HR sends to rookies. For one split second, my brain went blank.

But then the overthinking started.

Was he doing this just to throw me off? Was he testing if I could think beyond the polished lines I'd rehearsed? Or worse — was this his way of quietly challenging my place here?

Come on, Brix. You've handled worse. You know your numbers. You know your case studies. You're good at this.

Without even realizing it, I locked my gaze on him — that deliberate, "Go on, try me" look. No blinking. No flinching.

"Well," I began, my tone smooth but firm, "in the past, I've reviewed the files of other clients, and some of them also began with brand-new ventures. We accepted them wholeheartedly, knowing we might not benefit from them at first." I paused for effect, letting my words sink in. "But look at them now — they've grown with us, and in turn, we've grown with them. So I believe this new client of ours will offer us even greater returns in time."

I didn't break eye contact.

Neither did he.

It was like an unspoken chess match in the middle of the boardroom, the rest of the room fading into muted background noise. His expression didn't change — still calm, still unreadable, but no longer with that mocking edge.

And just like that, I knew I'd held my ground.

~~~~

Natapos na ang buong presentation — the slides neatly closed, the polite applause still ringing faintly in my ears — pero ngayon, nandito na kami sa pantry ni Trish. That familiar hum of the fluorescent lights above, the faint scent of reheated food, and the steady clink of utensils against plates should have made this just another normal lunch break.

Pero ako? Wala talagang gana.

It's like my brain had been drained of every last drop of energy because of that one, very unexpected, very Liam-esque question.

"Be, ang galing mo kanina," sabi ni Trish habang sinasandok ang piraso ng adobong baboy mula sa baunan niyang plastic container — steam rising in little curls. "Feeling ko approved kay Boss 'yung presentation mo. And you handled his question so professionally, parang wala lang sa'yo."

Napahilot ako sa buong mukha ko, pressing my palms against my skin as if I could somehow rub away the weight of it all. But no — this wasn't work stress. This was... Liam stress.

You know that feeling when all you want is to work in peace, to focus on your deliverables, to just exist without unnecessary turbulence? Pero no. Here he is — Liam — like some uninvited storm cloud hovering above my head, making my thoughts spiral until it feels like my brain might just... combust.

I honestly don't know how to avoid him without making it glaringly obvious that I'm avoiding him.

Tangina. Why, in the first place, did I even entertain the thought of us being closer? I mean, okay, we're not exactly close-close, but there's this... something. This air. This pressure. And every time he's within a few meters of me, para akong sinisiksik sa isang room na walang bintana. Suffocated.

"Huy! Ayos ka lang ba?" Trish's voice cut through my thoughts, pulling me back.

I turned to her. "Ang hirap niyang iwasan."

Her brows knitted. "Ha? What do you mean?"

"I don't know," I sighed, my fork idly poking at my untouched food. "Para kasing may something. Or baka ako lang talaga 'tong nag-i-imagine na may something."

Yes. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm overthinking. Maybe I'm assigning weight to things that don't exist.

I was right in the middle of that mental tug-of-war when the pantry door swung open.

Shin walked in, carrying that bright, approachable smile of her like it was part of her daily uniform.

"Hi, guys!" She set her coffee down on the table beside us. "Gusto ko lang mag-thank you sa inyo. Lalo na sa'yo, Brix — you handled the presentation really well."

I gave her a small, polite nod, but then she added, "Liam approved it."

And that's when I froze.

It was like those three words echoed on loop in my head, each repetition heavier than the last.

Liam approved it. Liam approved it. Liam approved it.

As if my entire afternoon had just been reframed — not by the applause, not by the praise, but by him.