THE ENEMY HEIR I COULDN'T RESIST

CHAPTER 2

I was still trying to process Calix’s speech—how his voice stirred something deep in me, how every word landed like a mark—when Lance leaned toward me with a grin.

“Okay, behave,” he whispered. “Time for formal introductions.”

Zoe straightened beside me. I froze.

One by one, Lance gestured around the table, starting with the elegant woman on my right.

“Guys,” Lance began with a casual smile, “introduce ko lang kayo.”

Tumango siya kay Therese, a graceful woman in her thirties with striking features. She looked like Calix, but warmer, more open.

“Ate Therese, this is Zoe—my girlfriend,” he said proudly, wrapping an arm around Zoe’s waist. “And her best friend, si Gia. Gianna Sarmiento.”

Therese smiled kindly. “Nice to meet you both. It's nice Lance brought home girls who have good taste in dresses and decent posture.”

We laughed politely, easing a bit.

Lance moved down the line. “Lolo Donato—Zoe and Gia po.”

“From Manila?” Donato Rivas asked, his tone polite but watchful.

“Yes, Lolo,” Lance confirmed.

“Sarmiento, you said?” Donato’s eyes landed on me, lingering just a second too long. His brow twitched—but he said nothing more. Just a quiet nod.

“Over there’s Tito Basti, Calix dad.” Lance continued, pointing discreetly. “And Tita Miriam—wife of Tito Basti’s late cousin.”

Bago pa ako makasagot, naramdaman ko na ang presensya niya.

The room shifted.

The sound faded.

And I turned.

Standing just a few steps away, like he walked out of a dream darker than night, was a man whose name I didn’t even know—yet I could feel him already written somewhere under my skin.

“Calix,” Lance said, standing up and clapping his cousin on the back. “Sakto. Meet my friends.”

Calix nodded at him, then turned to us.

His gaze landed on me, and held.

“This is Zoe,” Lance said first, tugging her close. “My girl.”

Calix gave her a brief nod. “Hi.”

“And this is Gia, my friend. From Manila.”

His eyes returned to mine. “Gia,” he repeated, his voice low and smooth.

“Hi,” I managed, barely.

“Calix Emmanuel Rivas,” he said, holding out a hand. “Welcome to Davao.”

I took it.

Mistake.

His touch was warm and electric.

And I just knew—

I wouldn’t leave Davao the same.

I excused myself from the table.

“CR lang ako,” I whispered kay Zoe.

“Need ko rin, pero ikaw muna,” she smiled.

I made my way through the softly lit hallway, heels clicking against the marble floor. Ang lamig ng aircon, pero mas malamig ang kaba sa dibdib ko. My chest still hadn’t settled from Calix’s eyes… his voice… that damn handshake.

Pagpasok sa restroom, I took a deep breath. The mirror reflected the flush on my cheeks. Get a grip, Gia. You just met him.

After doing my business, I washed my hands slowly, taking my sweet time to calm down.

But the moment I opened the door—

Bang.

I gasped. My shoulder collided with someone’s chest—hard and sudden.

“M—sorry, I didn’t—” I looked up.

And there he was.

Calix.

His hand gripped my arm, steadying me before I could stumble. His eyes, darker than ever, locked onto mine. Close. Too close. His cologne wrapped around me—cool spice, leather, danger.

My breath hitched.

He didn’t let go.

Neither did I.

We just stood there, caught in that small space between panic and pull.

Seconds passed.

“You okay?” his voice was low, rough around the edges.

“Yeah…” I breathed. “I—I didn’t see you.”

“I noticed,” he said, a ghost of a smirk in his eyes—but not quite on his lips.

My heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

“I should go,” I whispered, even though my feet didn’t move.

His hand stayed on my arm for one more beat—just long enough to feel how warm it was.

Then he let go.

“You always walk that fast out of danger?” he asked softly.

I blinked. “Depends. Are you the danger?”

He didn’t smile.

But his eyes did.

And for the first time, I realized—

I didn’t want to walk away.

Not yet.

After that encounter, Calix became busy for the rest of the night—mingling with guests, shaking hands, flashing a polite smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. CEO mode activated.

Nakita ko siyang palipat-lipat ng table, may kausap na investors, media people, at ibang business partners. He looked so composed, so powerful. A far cry from the man who steadied me in the hallway like I was something fragile he didn’t want to break.

Zoe and I stayed a bit longer, enjoying the food and the lively atmosphere.

But eventually, nagsabi si Lance na uwi na daw kami.

“Nasaan na si Calix?” sabi ni Zoe.

“Busy siya,” sagot ni Lance. “May mga kailangang tapusin. Tatawagan ko na lang sya.”

I nodded, a little disappointed.

Hindi man lang ako nakapagpaalam.

And I hated how much that bothered me.

Akala ko 'yun na ang huling pagkikita namin ni Calix.

Pagkatapos ng gabing 'yon sa car launch expo.

Pero kinabukasan lang...

Nagkita ulit kami.

Sa isang café malapit sa baywalk, kung saan nagyaya si Zoe na mag-breakfast. Pag-upo namin ni Zoe, dumating si Lance—kasama si Calix.

I almost choked on my iced latte.

"Uy, sakto!" sabi ni Lance, ngumiti sa amin. "Calix was craving black coffee. Dito ko siya dinala."

Calix’s eyes met mine. That same pull. That same burn.

"Hi again," he said, cool and calm, like our almost-intimate moment never happened.

I forced a smile. "Hi."

Zoe, clueless but cheerful, offered him a seat. So we had breakfast—me, Zoe, Lance, and Calix. I barely tasted anything. I was too aware of every move he made.

And from that day on, para kaming laging nagkakabanggaan.

At the fruit market. Sa parking lot ng isang mall. Sa isang art exhibit na napadpad lang kami ni Zoe—andoon din siya, with a client, but still made time to say hi.

Sometimes, si Lance ang dahilan. Minsan, parang hindi na.

"Stalker mo na yata ako," biro niya minsang nagkasalubong kami sa isang bookstore.

"Or ikaw ang stalker ko," sagot ko, halos pabulong.

He smirked. "I don't mind either way."

Hindi ko rin alam kung anong nangyayari. Pero ang alam ko—

He was everywhere.

And every time I saw him, I didn't want to look away.

One afternoon, habang nasa garden café kami ni Zoe, biglang dumating si Lance kasama si Calix. Nagkayayaan uminom ng coffee, pero nauwi sa kwentuhan habang lumalalim ang gabi.

“You’re really into business,” I said, sipping my iced latte.

Calix smiled, calm and sure. “It’s what I’m wired for. Numbers. Strategy. Growth. Pero beyond that… it’s legacy.”

“Legacy?”

He nodded. “What you build. What you leave behind. Hindi lang pera. But people. Principles. Systems. Impact.”

Tahimik lang ako habang pinagmamasdan siya. His eyes didn’t just look at you, they saw through you—like he wasn’t just hearing my words but reading between them.

“You talk like you’ve been through so much,” I said quietly.

He looked away for a moment, the smile thinning. “Maybe I have. Or maybe I just grew up fast.”

I wanted to ask more—but I also didn’t want to intrude.

Instead, I said, “You’re 23… and you talk like a forty-year-old CEO.”

He chuckled. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Compliment,” I said, smiling. “Nakaka-impress.”

“You?” he asked, eyes back on me. “What do you want to be?”

I hesitated. “I don’t know yet. I’m 19. Incoming 4th year. Parang ang dami ko pang hindi alam.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “The smartest people I’ve met aren’t the ones who have it all figured out. They’re the ones brave enough to keep learning.”

That night, habang pabalik kami sa villa, hindi mawala sa isip ko ang mga sinabi niya.

Hindi lang siya successful—he was grounded, insightful, and strangely comforting to talk to.

Matalino siyang businessman. Marunong siya makinig. At sa bawat salitang binibitawan niya… may bigat. May saysay.

At ako?

Mas lalo akong nahuhulog.

Hindi ko alam kung sinadya ni Lance o talagang natural lang siyang gano’n—pero sa tuwing may lakad kami, palaging kasama si Calix.

At sa huli, kami rin lang ang nauuwi sa magkasama.

“Lance, masakit ang tyan ko,” Zoe would say, texting me after abruptly leaving a trip we’d planned as a group.

Or sometimes, si Lance mismo ang biglang may ibang lakad. “Gia, ikaw muna bahala sa pinsan ko ha,” he’d say teasingly.

Hindi ko alam mong sinasadya ba nilang dalawa.

At hindi naman ako nagrereklamo.

Kasi habang tumatagal, mas naging madali ang bawat oras na kasama ko si Calix.

We went from casual greetings to quiet glances.

Then small talks.

Then long drives with no destination but the sea.

One afternoon, Calix showed up at the villa with his usual calm swagger.

“May gusto akong ipakita,” he said. “Game ka?”

Hindi ko alam kung saan kami pupunta—pero ang puso ko, matagal nang pumayag.

We drove in silence at first, the hum of his luxury SUV filling the space between us. Tumingin siya sa akin saglit, then back on the road.

“You always this quiet?” he asked, one brow raised.

“Only when I’m not sure if I should speak.”

“Why?”

“Because sometimes… I think I’d say too much.”

Napangiti siya. “I like people who say too much.”

A few more minutes, and we were climbing a narrow road carved into the cliffs. At the end of it—nothing but horizon, sky, and sea.

“Welcome to my favorite place,” he said, stepping out of the car.

I followed. And for a few heartbeats, tumigil ang mundo.

Walang tao. Walang signal. Just waves crashing against the rocks below, and a strong wind carrying the scent of salt and solitude.

“Dito ako nag-iisip kapag pagod na ako,” he said, hands in his pockets. “No meetings. No noise. Just clarity.”

“Ang ganda,” I whispered.

“Just like you,” he said before turning away, almost too quickly.

My heart stilled. Did I hear that right?

He sat on a flat rock, eyes on the horizon.

So I joined him.

And for the first time, there was no need for noise between us.

Just silence.

Just closeness.

Just this feeling I couldn’t name yet—

But I knew it was starting to become everything.

I didn’t plan this.

Hindi ko pinlanong mahulog. But every time I was with him, it became harder to pretend na wala lang ang lahat.

Calix never said much—but when he did, it struck deep. Every word niya, may bigat. May saysay. Parang kahit simpleng tingin lang niya, may sinasabi na agad. And I started to crave that silence. That calm. That version of me who felt seen around him.

“Bakit parang ang tahimik mo ngayon?” he asked one evening, habang nasa kotse kami paakyat ng isa na namang hidden cliff spot he wanted to show me.

“Wala,” I smiled faintly, looking out the window. “Mas gusto ko lang makinig ngayon.”

He glanced at me. “That’s dangerous.”

“Bakit naman?”

“Kasi the more you listen, the more you feel things you’re not ready to say.”

I didn’t answer. Kasi totoo.

I was starting to feel too much.

The way his hand always reached for the small of my back whenever we walked.

The way his voice softened kapag ako lang ang kausap niya.

The way he always waited for me to catch up, kahit na minsan siya ang laging nauuna.

Lance may have introduced us.

But it was those quiet moments—alone, away from the noise—na unti-unting binuksan ni Calix ang mundo niya sa’kin.

And I was falling.

Not just for his looks.

Not just for the mystery.

But for the way he made me feel like I mattered.

Like he saw right through the perfect façade I wore… and didn’t flinch.

And the scariest part?

I knew.

Deep down, I knew…

That if I let this go any further—

There would be no turning back.