CHAPTER 2
1136 Words
THE BOARDROOM of Rios Group smelled faintly of expensive coffee and tension. Ashriel Rios sat at the head of the long mahogany table, fingers steepled under his chin as his department head presented quarterly figures.
Numbers with more than seven digits. Charts of new projects. And endless projections for the company.
Ngunit mas maganda na ito kaysa ang mukha ng mga shareholders ang nakikita niya. All they know was to complain and complain.
Tahimik na nakikinig si Ashriel habang hindi mabasa ang ekspresyon ng kaniyang mukha.
Everyone in the room knew not to waste his time — Ashriel Rios wasn't the kind of President you could charm with empty promises.
“Mr. Rios,” one of the directors concluded nervously, “if we move forward with the merger, we can expect a five percent increase in market share by Q3—”
Bahagyang itinaas ni Ashriel ang kamay upang patigilin ito sa pagsasalita. “But we’d be sacrificing hald of our liquidity buffer, leaving us vulnerable if the tech market takes a hit.”
Natahimik ang lahat.
Ashriel leaned back in his chair. “No deal. We scale back, focus on internal growth.” He tapped lightly with his knuckles against the table. “Meeting adjourned.”
Nagmamadaling iniligpit ng mga directos ang kanilang mga gamit at umalis. Some with relief and some with frustration because of the President’s decision.
Nang mapag-isa na lamang si Ashriel, napabuga siya ng hangin. He loosened the top button of his long-sleeved shirt. He hated these meetings — not because he wasn’t on good terms with them, but because they left him hollow.
Everything was about numbers, profits, and projections. There was no real connection at all.
“Sir,” came a polite voice. His personal assistant, Sam Valdez, stood by the door holding his coat. “It’s going to rain soon. Your next appointment is in an hour.”
Tumayo si Ashriel. “I don’t have the patience to sit in the office until then,” he said. He took his coat from him. “Cancel it. Tell them to reschedule.” Aniya.
“Yes, Sir.” Tugon ni Sam ng hindi na nagtanong. It’s not because he was afraid, but because he didn’t dare to question the President’s decision.
Tinignan ni Ashriel ang oras sa suot na relong pambisig. It was already four in the afternoon. He walked out of the boardroom and walked towards the private elevator. The idea of going back to his penthouse felt suffocating.
And he needed air.
Sumakay siya sa elevator. And as the elevator descended, he saw the first streak of rain against the glass.
Humugot siya ng malalim na hininga. Seeing the streak of rain, something about it tugged at him—the need to just stop, just breathe—like new air and a new environment.
Nang bumukas ang elevator sa may lobby, hindi niya tinawag ang driver niya. Instead, he turned left, out into the street.
Naitakip niya ang kamay sa kaniyang ulo nang lumakas ang ulan.
And that’s when he saw it — the coffee shop across the street.
On impulse, Ashriel crossed the street. Pagdating niya sa pinto ng coffee shop, itinulak niya ito pabukas.
Ding!
He stepped inside the coffee shop.
Pagpasok ni Ashriel sa loob ng coffee shop, he shakes the rain from his coat. Warm air greeted him first—then the smell of brewed coffee.
Hindi siya pumapasok sa mga ganitong coffee shop. The place was not big, but not small—just average space. But something in this coffee shop, the quiet glow of this place that pulled him in.
And that was when he saw her.
The woman behind the counter was wiping her hands on her apron, head tilted slightly as she watched him enter, and then she went back to what she was doing.
Sa ilang sandali, pakiramdam ni Ashriel nawala ang tunog ng pagbuhos ng ulan sa labas. Napatitig siya sa babaeng nasa counter. She wasn’t dressed like the woman he usually met at proratete events — no sharp heels, no designer dresses — but something was striking about her. The simple white shirt and jeans, the apron tied neatly around her waist, the way her hair was pulled back. And those eyes — calm, assessing, as though she was reading him like a report.
May stool sa counter kaya naman doon siya umupo.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
Humarap ito sa kaniya. Her lips curved into a polite smile. “Rainy afternoon, sir.”
Ashriel nodded. He couldn’t help but look at the way she moved; it was graceful, quiet, like she knew exactly where everything was without looking.
Maya maya nagtanong ito kung ano ang gusto niya.
“Black coffee,” Ashriel answered. Simple. No custom orders, and no complicated blends.
The woman nodded and started to make what he ordered.
Ashriel found himself following the woman’s movement with his gaze without meaning to. Something about the way she carried herself felt different.
Not timid. Not flirtatious.
Controlled.
Iba ito sa mga babaeng kadalasan niyang makita sa mga corporate events. Those women were trying many ways to get close to him, but he ignored them all. But this simple woman was acting like he was just a normal customer, though he really was a customer.
Napailing na lamang si Ashriel sa kaniyang sarili. He let the sound of the rain and faint jazz music fill the space.
When she returned with his coffee, he caught a faint whiff of her perfume — light, almost floral. The scent he liked.
“Thank you,” he said.
She nodded politely, but there was something unreadable in her expression, like she was used to keeping people at a distance.
Pilit na iniwas ni Ashriel ang kaniyang tingin dahil baka mahuli pa siya nitong nakatitig rito.
Ashriel watched her go back, wiping the cup, and an unfamiliar thought crossed his mind.
Who is she?
Gusto niyang malaman kung ano ang pangalan nito dahil wala itong suot na nameplate pero sa hindi malamang kadahilanan parang umurong ang dila niya.
And why did it suddenly feel like he didn’t want to leave this place just yet?
Ashriel closed his eyes. Nanatili siya sa coffee shop na ‘yon hanggang tumila ang ulan. At sa hindi malamang kadahilanan hindi niya namalayan na dalawang oras pala siya roon. He didn’t even check his phone or his wrist watch.
Lumabas si Ashriel ng coffee shop pero tumigil pa siya at tumingin sa loob. He tilted his head. “What was happening to me?”
He called for his driver. As his driver arrived, he stepped into the car and went home.
Nang makaalis si Ashriel ng coffee shop, tumaas ang sulok ng labi ni Nylah. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Rios.”
- Writer
