HER POV VI

"Eventually, things will fall into place."

FOR what?

Eloi had said this to me countless times. I almost feel like she's making a habit of teasing me with it.

I weakly chuckled at her words, feeling my knees give out slightly.

"Your joke isn't funny, Eloi," I muttered with a frown.

She shrugged. "Believe what you want."

I shook my head and began packing up my things.

"Are you really leaving?" she asked in a low voice.

I nodded.

She ran toward me and hugged me tightly. "Everything will be okay."

Athena Eloise Almazan.

Aside from my sister, Lani, Eloi is one of the people I hold dear.

In the past few years, she's witnessed my life unfold— through my highs and lows, she's always been there for me.

She's incredibly important to me, and I'm truly blessed to have crossed paths with her.

"As much as I want to keep you, I have no choice but to let you forge your own path." I smiled.

"I don't want to leave, Lanx. I want to keep working for you," she sobbed, holding on tight.

"I have no choice. I'm bankrupt, Eloi."

"No, we can still save this, Lanxie," she insisted.

"Que sera sera, Eloi."

I gently stroked her back while she cried hard. "I don't know what to do, Lanx. I don't want to teach, and I can't think of anything else I can do to sustain my life."

Athena Eloise Almazan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

We're the same age, and we met during the peak of my life.

She came to me looking for a job, and I hired her as my personal assistant.

Later, I enrolled her in college, where she pursued BA English.

Afterward, she became my legal assistant.

She's hardworking, flexible, and a fast learner.

"Eventually, you'll figure it out. Stay strong, Eloi."

A weak smile curved on my lips.

I waved goodbye to Eloi as she tearfully started her car.

I sighed and took one last glance at my office.

"At some point, we just have to accept fate— even if it's heavy, even if it hurts. I don't want to let you go, but I have no other choice," I whispered, tears streaming down my face as I stared at my office.

The wind gently brushed the strands of my disheveled hair as I looked up.

Slowly, the stars began to twinkle, and I gazed at the sky as my broken heart pleaded for mercy from the heavens.

I took one final glance at my office before driving away.

Yesterday, I withdrew all my savings and paid my bills to Mang Kanor.

Luckily, I still had a little left for my remaining expenses— the last thread for my survival.

I was currently packing my things into my suitcase.

I'm at my condo, and in a few days, I'll be moving to a cheaper unit to save money.

But honestly, it's exhausting to think about how to stretch my last bit of cash.

"I have no job left," I whispered, tears in my eyes as I organized my belongings.

It's painful to watch how, in an instant, everything I worked so hard for my whole life has disappeared.

The dream I spent years building is now gone in a blink of an eye.

You can spend a century building an empire, and you could still lose it in a moment.

I don't know how I'll swallow this reality.

It's too heavy, and the fact that I have no choice but to endure it makes it even harder.

I could also choose to end it all, but I can't. My sister needs me, and I have no idea how she would survive without me.

I can't leave her the way our parents did.

Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore or how to figure things out.

What now?

That was the only thing I ever wanted to do, and now it's gone.

How do I live without the treasure that gave me life?

As I packed, I stumbled upon an old notebook of mine.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the old notebook, with its vintage smell and a large heart drawn in the center.

The heart drawing in the middle was cringey.

Time stood still as my eyes landed on the names written on the first page, along with my note.

FLAMES

Xander Dakarai Zamora

Lanxie Amani Gonzales

Note: I'm nervous. What will the result be? I hope we end up together. ^_^

It felt like a punch to the gut. A reminder of a love so deeply etched into my soul.

"Ang tanga ko," I laughed bitterly. "Naniwala akong FLAMES lang ang makakapagsabi kung meant to be kami ni Xander."

My fingers trembled as I traced his name. Xander Dakarai Zamora.

It's been years since I last uttered his name aloud. Parang taboo na dapat kalimutan. I had to erase him from my thoughts, bury him under all the ambitions I once clung to.

Pero bakit ngayon, sa gitna ng lahat ng pagkatalo, siya ang naaalala ko?

Maybe because, deep down, he was part of the dream I wanted so desperately to protect.

He was the dream.

My gaze blurred as the tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

"Huwag na kasi. Past is past, Lanxie," I scolded myself. "Kahit anong balik ko sa nakaraan, hindi na babalik si Xander."

Xander Dakarai Zamora. The nation's most powerful celebrity. The man whose name alone could command rooms and spark chaos.

And once, he was just a boy.

A boy who I once looked at as if he was the only thing that mattered.

What a sick joke.

The notebook felt heavy in my hands. Parang nandito lahat ng alaala ng kabataan ko. Lahat ng ilusyon, lahat ng pag-asa.

"Ang hirap mo kalimutan, Xander," I whispered. "Pero mas mahirap yatang tanggapin na wala ka na talaga."

I gripped the notebook, my knuckles turning white.

Minsan, masakit balikan ang nakaraan. Pero mas masakit ang realidad na wala na ang lahat.

And yet, here I am, holding on to remnants of the past, desperately seeking answers where there are none.

My phone vibrated, startling me from my trance.

I glanced at the screen, my heart skipping a beat.

The message read: Xander Dakarai Zamora wants you to be his defense lawyer.

I stared at the message for what felt like an eternity. It's as if every word was a slap to my face, a joke played by the universe itself.

Defense lawyer? Para kay Xander Dakarai Zamora?

"Joke ba 'to," I whispered, my voice trembling. Parang nabingi ako. Parang hindi ako makahinga.

How could this even be real? I was convinced it was another cruel joke, someone trying to test how far they could push me before I completely crumbled.

But the message was from Eloi. I trusted her more than I trusted myself. And she would never joke about something like this, especially not now.

My mind began to race, my thoughts tangled in a mess of confusion and disbelief.

Xander Dakarai Zamora— the man who once meant everything to me. The man who, for a brief moment, made me believe in forever.

And the man I swore I'd forget.

"Why?" I asked aloud, my voice cracking as I clutched my phone. "Why me?"

I didn't deserve this kind of mockery. Not now. Not when I've lost everything.

"Siguro mali lang 'to. Baka… baka ibang Xander lang." Pero alam kong wala nang ibang Xander Dakarai Zamora sa buong bansa. Ibang klase ang pangalan niya. Isa siyang alamat.

My hand trembled as I dialed Eloi's number.

It rang once. Twice. Three times.

"H-Hello?" Her voice was thick with hesitation.

"Eloi… anong kalokohan 'to?" My voice was shaking. "Please, sabihin mong prank lang 'to. Sabihin mong joke lang 'to kasi hindi ko kayang lokohin ako ng ganito. At diba sabi ko naman na 'wag na. I already turned down his offer."

"Lanx…" Her voice was soft, soothing. "It's not a joke. Xander Dakarai Zamora really wants you to be his defense lawyer."

"Bakit ako?" I demanded, desperation seeping into every syllable. "Eloi, alam mong wala na ako. Wala akong pangalan. Wala akong reputasyon. I'm nothing but a broken record of what I used to be. Bakit ako?"

"N-No idea," Eloi replied. "Pero totoo 'to, Lanx. I received the call kanina. It was from his management team. They specifically asked for you."

I laughed bitterly. "Maybe they want to humiliate me. Baka gusto nilang pagtawanan ako."

"Lanx, no." Eloi's voice grew firm. "This is your chance. Your chance to rise again. Hindi mo ba naiisip? Xander Dakarai Zamora wants you to be his lawyer. You could rebuild everything you lost."

"I'm not even sure I want to rebuild anything anymore," I admitted, my words barely a whisper. "Pagod na ako, Eloi. Pagod na akong lumaban. Pagod na akong magpanggap na kaya ko pa."

Silence stretched between us. The kind of silence that echoes your pain and amplifies your doubts.

"Maybe… maybe you should try," Eloi whispered. "Kahit para lang malaman mo kung bakit ikaw ang pinili niya."

Bakit nga ba ako? Out of all the lawyers in this country, why would Xander choose me?

And why now?

"It doesn't make sense," I mumbled, rubbing my temples. "He could hire anyone. Yung mga mas may pangalan, mas may kredibilidad. And yet… he chose me?"

"Maybe there's something only you can do."

"Or maybe gusto niya lang akong sirain nang tuluyan," I said, my voice cracking.

"Lanx, you know Xander wouldn't do that."

"Hindi ko alam, Eloi. Hindi ko na siya kilala. Years have passed. He's not the same person I once knew."

But was I still the same person he once loved?

No. Not anymore. The fire that once burned within me had long been extinguished. Ngayon, puro abo na lang ang natitira.

"Do you still want to reject them?" Eloi asked, her voice hesitant.

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to refuse the offer outright. But something held me back.

Curiosity? Pride? Or maybe… desperation.

I stared at the notebook still clutched in my hands, my fingers tracing the letters of his name.

Years have passed, but the wound he left never really healed. Parang sugat na kahit ilang beses mong gamutin, paulit-ulit pa ring bumabalik.

And now, here he was again. Parang multo ng nakaraan na bumalik para guluhin ako.

Pero bakit ngayon? Bakit sa panahon na bagsak na bagsak ako?

"Lanx? Are you still there?"

"I… I don't know." My voice was barely audible. "Give me time to think about it."

"Of course. Take all the time you need," Eloi assured me. "Pero, Lanx…"

"Yes?"

"Please don't let this opportunity slip away. This could be the break you've been waiting for."

I ended the call without responding, her words echoing in my mind.

Break?

There was nothing left to break.

I sank to the floor, my knees buckling beneath me as I pressed my forehead against the cold tiles.

This was a nightmare. Isa na namang masamang biro ng tadhana.

But then again, maybe this was my punishment. For being too ambitious. For believing I was invincible.

I reached for the notebook again, my tears staining its yellowed pages.

Once upon a time, I believed in happy endings. I believed in success and love and everything else in between.

Pero ngayon, wala na akong pinaniniwalaan.

Nothing but the dull, empty ache of failure.

I thought I had already hit rock bottom. But perhaps, there was still further to fall.

And if accepting Xander's offer would be the final blow… then maybe, just maybe, I should take it.

After all, what did I have left to lose?

I closed my eyes, letting the silence devour me.

I don't know how long I stayed there, motionless, my chest heaving with the weight of everything I had lost.

And in that stillness, one question continued to haunt me:

Why me, Xander? Why now?

Indeed, life plays differently from what we thought.

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Author's Note:

To my dearest and precious reader, as you read this story, I wholeheartedly wish that you find comfort, solace, and healing in my words, hoping they will build a pure connection between us, my precious, dearest reader.

If you'd like to stay in touch with me or chat about my work, feel free to reach me directly at my crib via cribofharaya@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. Hiraya manawari!