Hot for the Boss

Chapter 6

The email still sat in her inbox like an unanswered question. Hindi na siya nakatitig doon, pero ramdam pa rin niya ang presensya nito—like a warmth lingering on the screen, refusing to fade.

Then a sharp vibration on her desk caught her attention. Napalingon siya agad doon. And just seeing the name on the screen made her back straighten without thinking.

Dad—VENTURA

No first name. No sweet nickname. Just the last name they both carried like armor.

She stared at it for a moment, her heart was steady but heavier. He rarely calls during the day. Kaya nama’y labis-labis ang kabang gumagapang sa sistema niya sa mga oras na iyon.

Ayaw man niya itong makausap ay wala siyang nagawa kundi ang sagutin ang tawag nito. “Dad?” There was hesitation in her tone.

“Adeline,” his monotone voice lingered in her ear. “Where are we on the quarterly supplier review?”

“Already in progress,” she replied, her tone was like she was talking to one of their shareholders and not her dad. “I’m working with procurement. Noah Del Rosario, an intern from finance, is drafting the contract revisions. You’ll have the summary by Friday.”

“Friday’s late,” he said sharply. “Send it Thursday. I need time to present it to the board.”

“Yes, sir.”

And then there was silence.

Then, in a tone that pretended to be casual—but wasn’t—he added, “And who approved your alignment with Del Rosario?”

Adeline’s grip on the phone tightened, her nails pressing into her palm. “I did,” sagot niya. “He’s sharp. Observant. Knows when to speak and when to listen.”

Saglit na natahimik ang ama niya, tila nag-iisip. “I don’t want another distraction on your desk,” her father said flatly. “Don’t let proximity make you soft.”

There it was—the bite.

“I’m not soft,” sagot niya rito, calm but with quiet fire.

“Good. Then act like it. This company will not hand itself to you out of sentiment.”

Tumigil siya sandali. Ramdam niya ang kirot sa kan’yang dibdib ngunit pilit niya itong binura ‘gaya ng ginagawa niya sa ilang mga taon na ang lumipas. Her jaw clenched as she turned to the window. “I know that.”

“Do you?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “More than anyone.”

Muli silang kinain ng katahimikan. Ilang sandali lamang narinig na niya ang pagputol ng tawag. No goodbye. No reassurance. Just a reminder: You’re only as good as your results.

She put the phone down slowly. Her reflection on the glass stared back at her—composed, yes, but no longer untouched.

He still thinks I need to prove myself.

Even after everything. After every night she spent cleaning up executive messes, closing gaps, and putting out fires no one even saw coming—he still thinks she’s not enough.

Then a memory flickered. Her mother in this very office, one hand on a calculator, the other rubbing her temple.

"We don’t always get to build in peace," she once told Adeline. "Sometimes we build under pressure, and we keep building anyway."

She swallowed the sting rising in her throat.

Pressure? Sanay na siya roon. Expectations? Kabisado na niya ‘yon. But today, for some reason, they sat on her shoulders a little heavier than usual.

Maybe because for the first time in a long while...someone didn’t ask her to prove anything. He just asked if her car was okay.

Noah.

She looked back at her monitor, where his email was still there in her inbox, unread and waiting. It was short, light, and no pressure. No agenda at all.

He had no idea what kind of world she was trying to survive in. And yet—he was dangerously close to stepping into it.

You can’t afford this, she told herself. Not now. Not ever.

Adeline stepped out of her office with a clipboard in hand, but it was just for show. She needed to breathe. After that call from her father, everything felt heavy. Parang may humigpit na sinturon sa dibdib niya, dahilan kung ba't tila hirap siya sa paghinga. She hated how a five-minute conversation with him could unravel her entire morning.

Tahimik lamang sa hallway. Most people were out or buried in paperwork. The quiet was kind of comforting.

Until she saw him. Noah.

Kalalabas lang nito mula sa records room, may hawak na folder sa isang kamay. His sleeves were rolled up like usual. He wasn’t even trying, but something about the way he moved—confident, effortless—irked her more than it should have.

Napahinto siya saglit, bahagyang bumagal ang lakad. She forced her expression back to neutral.

Then their eyes met.

“Ms. Ventura,” Noah greeted casually, with a slight nod. His tone was light—warm, almost—but not unprofessional.

“Mr. Del Rosario,” she replied flatly, barely glancing at him. Wala nang iba. No smile. Not even a smirk. Wala ni kahit isang pahiwatig ng familiarity.

Noah’s brow twitched. Okay… that’s new.

Adeline kept walking. Tuloy-tuloy ang bawat hakbang nito na parang may inaapura, pero hindi siya tumatakbo. She just wanted to get past him. To not feel whatever it was she felt the last time they talked.

He turned to watch her go. May pagtatanong sa kan’yang mga mata.

"May problema ba sa draft?" he called out, casually, pero may tensyon sa boses niya.

Tumigil si Adeline saglit. Hindi siya lumingon kaagad sa binata.

Then, over her shoulder, she said, “wala. Ayos naman.”

And just like that, she walked off again—mas mabilis, mas tikom ang katawan. Parang biglang lumamig ang hallway kaya binilisan na niya ang paglalakad.

Noah stared after her, the folder forgotten in his hands.

What the hell was that?

Kaninang umaga lang, they were exchanging looks over coffee. Last night, she was whispering near his ear like it meant something.

Ngayon? Parang estranghero na lang siya.

He exhaled slowly, jaw tightening. There was no obvious offense, no harsh words—but the shift was loud and clear.

Something was different. And he didn’t know why.

Did I overstep? Was it the email? The way I looked at her during the meeting? Questions swirled in his head, but there were no answers. Just the quiet sting of being shut out by someone who, even briefly, let him in.

Because he liked her. And not just the sharp-tongued, iron-clad version the rest of the office feared. He liked the Adeline who stole glances. Who warned him in whispers. Who made him stop and daydream without even realizing it. But now? That woman was gone.

And he couldn’t decide what bothered him more—her coldness...or the fact that he wanted to break through it.

THE BUILDING had emptied out hours ago. Tila tamad sa pag-ikot ang mga elevator, wala na ring maririnig na yabag, at kahit ang ugong ng aircon ay parang napakalayo. Patay na ang karamihan sa mga ilaw, maliban sa ilang emergency lights na nag-iiwan ng malalambot na liwanag sa sahig.

Noah walked down the corridor with a folder tucked under his arm. He had gone back for one document that Procurement needed revised first thing tomorrow.

He should’ve left by now. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it.

A warm light spilling faintly from an open office. Adeline’s.

Binagalan niya ang lakad niya. Through the glass panels on the upper part of it that were the only ones visible from the outside, he saw her—seated sideways on her leather chair, her legs folded beneath her like she forgot she was wearing a skirt suit, and heels tossed carelessly on the carpet.

Nakasabit sa likod ng upuan ang blazer niya, at ang mga manggas ng blouse ay nakatupi hanggang siko. Nakapusod nang pababa ang buhok niyo, magulo at may iilang hiblang nakalaylay sa pisngi. May hawak siyang ballpen sa isang kamay habang dahan-dahang binubuklat ang binder, ang mga kilay ay nakakunot.

Beside her, on the desk, there was a half-finished cold coffee, a protein bar still in its wrapper, and a sticky note scribbled with reminders even she probably couldn’t read anymore.

She looked… tired. Not the composed, sharp Adeline Ventura he’d encountered in hallways or boardrooms. Not even the one who whispered smart, dangerous things in the pantry.

Just... her. Isang Adeline na pagod, tahimik, at nag-iisa.

Noah stood there for a second longer than he should have, torn between knocking and walking away. There was a lump of something unspoken sitting in his chest—guilt? Concern? Something else entirely.

He didn’t want to interrupt her. She looked like she was hanging by a thread and didn’t even realize it yet.

Instead, he reached into his folder, pulled out a sticky note, and borrowed the pen clipped to his lanyard.

Don’t forget to breathe.

- N

He peeled it off and stuck it lightly on the glass pane of her office door. Low enough that she’d only see it when she stood to leave.

Pagkatapos ay tahimik siyang umalis. Walang kahit anong tunog o kahit mensahe…not even an expectation. Just that one reminder.

A few minutes later…Adeline leaned back, eyes dry from scanning fine print. She then glanced at the time, it was already 10:07 PM.

What the hell am I still doing here?

She stood to stretch and picked up her cold coffee without really tasting it. When she turned toward the door, her eyes caught a little square near the glass.

She blinked and walked closer toward it.

Then she froze when she read it.

Don’t forget to breathe.

- N

Sandali siyang napatitig doon. Pamilyar ang sulat-kamay nito—nakahilig, malinis, at bakas doon na medyo nagmamadali ang nagsulat no’n. Her fingers hovered above the note before she gently peeled it off.

She didn’t smile right away, but something loosened in her chest.

And when she finally turned off the light, that little yellow paper was tucked neatly between the pages of her planner—right next to her mother’s old quote: "Sometimes we build under pressure, and we keep building anyway."