Gigi hadn't heard from Raymond in weeks - not beyond passing emails, not beyond boardroom nods.
But power had a way of lingering. And Raymond Santillan wasn't the kind of man to walk away quietly.
The email came at 10:12 PM.
Subject: Coffee?
Just one. No expectations. No agenda.
I owe you that much.
- R
Gigi stared at it, debating whether to delete it or scream into her pillow.
She did neither.
Instead, she replied with three words.
Let's be clear.
He responded instantly.
Crystal. Tomorrow. 5PM. The café across from HQ. Just coffee. Just a conversation.
The next day, she showed up fifteen minutes late - on purpose. Not as a game, but as a statement.
He was already there, in a navy button-down and that familiar half-smile he wore when he wanted something.
"Gigi," he said, standing.
"Raymond."
She sat across from him and didn't bother removing her sunglasses.
"I know this is weird," he began, "but I wanted to see you outside of work. No pressure. Just honesty."
"Since when have you ever been interested in honesty?"
He didn't flinch. "Since I met someone who stopped letting me get away with anything."
Gigi raised an eyebrow. "You mean the kiss?"
He shook his head. "I mean you. The way you walk into a room like you're not afraid to burn bridges if it means you'll never have to shrink."
She said nothing.
Raymond leaned forward. "I wasn't lying when I said I admired you. But I also know I crossed a line. I'm not here to excuse it - I just wanted to ask… was there ever a version of us that could've existed?"
Gigi stirred her coffee slowly. "You want the real answer?"
"Always."
"No," she said. "Because you only saw parts of me - the version that fascinated you. Not the one that scared you. And I can't trust a man who's only loyal when he's losing."
He nodded, absorbing it. "You're right."
"I usually am."
He smiled - wry, defeated. "I'm leaving the company. Transferring to the Dubai office next quarter."
"Oh?"
"Too many ghosts in Manila."
"Or maybe too many women you can't outsmart anymore."
He chuckled, low. "Both."
There was a pause. A soft silence. The kind that isn't awkward - but final.
"I hope you find what you're looking for," Raymond said. "And I hope he's someone who doesn't get intimidated by how loud your silence can be."
She stood. "He's not."
He looked up, surprised. "So there is someone?"
"There is," Gigi said. "And I'm not choosing him over you. I'm choosing me - the version of me that doesn't have to be wary every time a man compliments my strength."
Raymond watched her walk away.
This time, she didn't look back.
And when she stepped outside, the sun was low in the sky, gold and forgiving. She pulled out her phone and called Caloy.
"Hey," she said when he answered.
"Hey," he replied. "Everything okay?"
"Better than okay. Can I come over?"
"Always."
And with that, Gigi turned the corner.
Not away from temptation.
But toward a future that no longer looked like her past.