THE CEO'S WRATH
Back in the city, the atmosphere in the Vance Group headquarters had shifted from cold to volcanic.
...
Sofia was in the middle of a high-stakes board meeting when her tablet began to glow with a relentless stream of notifications. She usually ignored distractions, but the sheer volume of "tags" told her something had changed. She excused herself, stepping into her private lounge and opened the app.
There it was. The "Marriage Booth." and other photos
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"_"
Sofia stared at the photo of a teenage Kei in a cheap, oversized tuxedo, looking at Fay like she was the only star in the sky. She saw the yellow umbrella. She saw the plastic rings. And she read the caption: #TheOriginal.
A low, dangerous growl escaped Sofia's throat. She slammed her tablet face-down on the marble table. The "Master" was no longer in control.
"The original?"
Sofia whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and sharp, stinging jealousy.
"You were a childhood dream, Fay. I was the one who turned her into a queen. I was the one who saw her bleed, who saw her cry, who built the throne she sits on!"
To Sofia, Fay was just a ghost from a past that had failed Kei. Seeing Fay reclaim that history so publicly felt like a slap in the face. She felt like the last fifteen years of her devotion were being erased by a ten pesos plastic ring.
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.
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Sofia didn't call her assistant this time. She grabbed her designer trench coat and her keys, walking past her confused board members without a single word.
"The meeting is over!" she barked as she reached the elevator.
"Uhmmmmm....wait Ms, Vance..."
"So.... what to do now?"
"Where is Ms. Vance going".
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.
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She got into her car and dialed her private pilot.
"Is the jet fueled?"
"Yes, Ms. Vance, but the weather reports for Batangas are...."
"I don't care about the weather!"
Sofia screamed into the phone, her composure finally breaking.
"I want that plane on the runway in twenty minutes. If you aren't ready to fly, I'll find a pilot who is!"
She gripped the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned. Her mind was a whirlwind of images: Kei's addictive kiss with Fay, the back-hug on the beach and now this recent posts.
Destination: Paradise
Sofia wasn't going to send porridge anymore. She wasn't going to send notes. She was going to show up in person and remind Fay Sterling exactly why Kei Luz had stayed by Sofia's side for a decade.
"You want to play 'The Original'?"
Sofia muttered as she sped toward the hangar, her eyes dark with a possessive fire.
"Then I'll show you who the 'Endgame' is."
As the Vance private jet roared into the sky, heading toward the water, the internet was already predicting a disaster. The "War of the Memories" was about to become a face-to-face confrontation.
.
.
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Sofia Vance was coming to Batangas and she wasn't coming to negotiate. She was coming to take back what she believed belonged to her.