Astrid Sevilleja.
A name that commands both admiration and respect. As the CEO of “Waltz Eight”--a globally renowned fashion brand, her presence in the company was a mixture of elegance, kindness, and sheer authority that no one would dare to question.
She had built Waltz Eight into an influential kind of style and innovation. She was great with it, after all – Fashion was her.
Her employees adored her, people adored her. She was well known for her warmth – remembering every staff member's birthdays, creating a safe space for them, joining their parties when invited and she wasn’t even the type of boss to yell at an employee. She was fostering a creative atmosphere where everyone felt valued, never leaving one member out.
There was only one unspoken rule in the office which everyone is afraid to even disobey.
That rule being – To never push Astrid Sevilleja when she’s upset.
Astrid was actually a very respectful CEO, sure, but she had her days where she just came into the building with a gloomy look, and they all knew that they had to keep their distance and not irritate their boss until she calmed down.
That rule was never more apparent than on one unfortunate Monday morning.
The usual buzz of the busy workers filled the halls of the Waltz Eight’s headquarters. Designers discussed fabric choices, marketers brainstormed campaigns, and assistants scurried between meetings. Everyone was busy with their own job while still waiting for Astrid’s arrival.
First came Margaux who entered the building hurriedly, her frantic steps made heads turn to her. “G– Good morning sa inyo rin! Pero code red!” She made sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear her and still unable to be heard outside.
Upon hearing the code, they all knew that this was going to be a long day. Probably more stressful – as code red states for Angry Astrid. Each of them told each other to be more reserved, maybe a little less noisy.
When Astrid entered the building, the atmosphere shifted. Dressed in a tailored black cropped blazer and a black top. Her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, her face clouded with a frown. Without a word, she strode toward her office.
The workers were definitely more convinced. Astrid, who always greeted them with a bright smile, had stormed past without anything – not even a “Good morning.” they were so used to hearing.
And just right behind their boss was Eli – or Elliana, her secretary who was nearly tripping at some places as she tried to run in heels just to keep up.
Inside Astrid’s office, Eli immediately closed the door, clutching at her tablet worriedly. “Miss Astrid, is everything okay?”
Astrid groaned and shot her a glare but said nothing. She sat behind her office desk, opened her laptop, and started typing furiously without a care if it even broke. This made the younger girl stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
The secretary was a beloved figure in the office, the joker and their technically, happy pill of the office with how fast she could make any uneasy tension in the room disappear. She was the only one who could understand Astrid’s mood swings and talk to her about it without feeling nervous at all. Hell, she was the only one who could keep their boss calm.
Today was different though.
Astrid wasn’t just upset, she was upset – with Eli.
Throughout the morning, Eli tried her best to soften Astrid’s mood. She brought her a coffee brewed by Calyx from HR. It was Astrid’s favorite. Only to receive a curt “Thank you” without even looking at her. She even rescheduled two meetings with the clients to give Astrid some time to breathe.
Yet the CEO still seemed tense.
“Ano kaya nangyari? May ginawa ba si Eli kay ssob?” Calyx asked as she leaned onto the wall with her baked cookies in hand. “Hindi naman sila ganon mag tampuhan ah?”
Margaux sighed, “Kung alam ko lang, kanina ko pa nachismis sa’yo, uyab. Wala ‘e, pero sana maayos nila. Nakakatakot kapag wala sa mood si Astrid tas kaharap mo siya.”
“Pero kasi kung may nagawa siya kay ssob, hindi rin yun mag hihingi ng kape. Sa’kin pa talaga?” She complained, chewing on the cookies with a grumpy look.
The shorter girl only chuckled and cupped Calyx’s face before pressing a lingering kiss to her lips. When she pulled back, Eli already caught them in the act.
“Sa office pa talaga nag landian! Mahiya naman kayo.” Eli complained as she carried a thick stack of documents. Both Calyx and Margaux moved immediately to help her.
“Ang dami naman? Pinabuhat sayo ‘to ni ssob?” Calyx asked worriedly as she took the half the papers while Margaux took the remaining half in Eli’s hands.
“Oo, ‘te. I don’t know what’s wrong nga ‘e… It’s not her time of the month pa naman.” The youngest grimaced as she walked towards her office.
Jael immediately noticed Astrid’s behavior and decided to walk alongside the three. “Hey, is Miss Sevilleja okay? She’s been on the edge kanina pa.” She asked Eli who just turned her head to her with a frown and eyes that were seconds away from brimming up with tears.
Kasi kung sa totoo lang, she just wants her and Astrid to be alright. She doesn’t even know what she did–and now Astrid was acting extra masungit. Hesos ko, gabayan mo po ako. She despaired in her mind before continuing to walk.
“Kawawa si Eli,” Jael muttered under her breath. She then stopped at her office and parted ways with them.
Seems like Eli bore the brunt of Astrid’s unusual behavior.
Flashback from earlier.
“Here,” Astrid handed her secretary a thick stack of documents, “I need these cross-referenced and updated. Oh, and don’t forget to reprint the quarterly reports. The formatting on the third page is off.”
Eli stared at the papers in her arms in disbelief, already weighed down by another pile she was carrying. “Got it, Miss Astrid.” She said with a teasing tone, though an ounce of exasperation crossed her face. “May iba pa po ba, Miss? Perhaps a small sculpture made of spreadsheets will do?”
But Astrid barely reacted to the joke. Weird. “Just get it done quickly,” She said, glancing at her watch. “We’re behind schedule.”
Indeed, Eli had spent her entire morning darting from her desk to the printer and back, with Calyx’s and Margaux’s help to carry the papers while fielding a flood of emails. Everytime she thought she was done, Astrid would call her back into the office for another task.
When lunchtime arrived, the secretary was already exhausted but refused to let it show. She knocked on Astrid’s office door and entered, balancing an absurd amount of folders and a lunch box. “Here are the reports, reprinted and cross-referenced— And your lunch.”
Astrid looked up from her laptop, her gaze lingering on Eli for a moment too long then the lunch box she was holding. For the short second, her icy exterior cracked and guilt was written all over her face. Yet, instead of sparing her some mercy, she doubled down. “Place the lunch sa desk ko… And could you recheck the formatting again? Just to be sure.”
Eli blinked. “Astr– Miss Astrid, pang ilan na ba–” She cut herself off, taking a deep breath. “Of course, I’ll get right on it.”
As Eli turned to leave, Astrid’s voice stopped her. “Teka lang…”
“Uhm–” “Yes?”
Eli turned, raising her eyebrow. She could clearly see Astrid’s hesitance, her confidence faltering as she stared at her hands. “Wag na pala.” She finally muttered, “Just… let me know when it’s done, okay?”
The younger girl narrowed her eyes. She knew something was wrong, maybe she did something bad or probably worse, miserable toward Astrid. Yet she didn’t know what–it was honestly starting to frustrate her, angry at herself for not knowing what she could even do to cheer up the taller girl.
“Sige po,” She smiled, hoping that at least it would make the other girl feel a little better.
By mid-afternoon, Eli decided that she had enough. Hindi na niya kaya na nagtatampo si princess niya ng ganto, and as someone who was always treated as the bunso – always babied by the others, she wasn’t used to being the ‘taga-suyo’ until Astrid came. She marched back into the CEO’s office without a care and slammed the freshly printed reports on her desk with more force than necessary.
“I’m gonna break our first rule,” Eli huffed. “Astrid, what’s going on with you? Did I do something wrong? Tell me now, love-love ko. Let’s fix whatever there is to fix.”
Astrid flinched by the harshness in the younger’s tone, startled. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.” Eli took a deep breath to regain her composure. She was pissed off as hell, worried about whatever she had done or happened, which Astrid wasn’t telling her. “Kanina ka pa, love-love. You’ve been acting like a perfectionist who couldn’t keep her cool, sobrang dami mo na ring tasks na binibigay sa’kin than I can actually carry. You’re not like this. Anong problema natin, Astrid?”
For a moment, Astrid didn’t respond, She slumped back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know how to say this without sounding… ridiculous–”
“Try me.” Eli rebutted almost immediately, but the older girl just turned away and covered her face with her hands.
Astried shook her head, “Mamaya nalang…” She murmured, her voice was small and yet firm.
The younger girl could only sigh and walk away. Wala siyang mapapala ngayon. Mamaya nalang.
By the time the office clock hit seven in the evening, the bustling corridors of Waltz Eight had quieted. Most of the employees had long since packed up and left, leaving only the faint hum of air conditioning and the occasional rustle of paper in Astrid’s office, however, the light still glowed.
Astrid sat at her desk, her chin resting on her hand as she stared at the screen with an exaggerated pout. Her sharp focus from earlier in the day had been replaced by a quiet sulk. Her lips pursed in a way that would’ve been so attractive—If Eli weren’t still carrying the burden of her boss’s mood swings.
After Eli finished her last task for the day, she glanced at the clock and sighed. She shut down her computer and grabbed her tablet before walking to Astrid’s office. Without a word, she quietly locked the door behind her.
“Clock says it’s seven, work hours are done.” Eli started as she started walking up to Astrid. “Love-love, pwede na po ba tayong mag usap?”
The CEO glanced up at her then the clock, her pout deepening. “Wala na, it’s okay na.” She muttered.
Eli raised an eyebrow and walked around the desk, with Astrid’s eyes following her movement - she settled in just approaching her sulky princess.
Huh, CEO who? This way her princess.
“Kanina ka pa naka-pout,” Her voice became more gentle yet playful, as if coaxing a sulky child. Yet, it turned serious when she again asked the same question earlier. “Anong problema natin, love-love? May nagawa ba akong mali?”
“No,” Astrid mumbled, looking away. Her cheeks reddened.
Eli’s frustration from earlier immediately washed away, her lips twitched in amusement. She leaned in, her voice dipping into a soft, babying tone. “Are you sure po? You’ve been so masungit kasi, love-love. I don’t know what I did since this earlier morning to make my baby, honeybunch, sugarplum, sweetiepie, and perfect CEO so upset like this eh.”
Astrid groaned, her blush deepened as her composure crumbled under Eli’s honeyed tone. “Wala ka ngang ginawa.” She murmured, “At yun yung problema.”
Eli tilted her head, her teasing smile fading into genuine concern. “Love-love… What’s going on po? Tell me na, please? You know you can talk to me.”
The CEO hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her blazer. Finally, she cursed under her breath and spoke. “You forgot.”
“Huh? Forgot what, love-love?” Eli asked, leaning closer.
Astrid’s eyes brimmed up with tears, making Eli even more worried as she then cupped her girlfriend’s pretty face. “You forgot to kiss me this morning,”
Eli blinked, her mouth falling open in disbelief. “Ha? Nagtatampo ka kasi… hindi kita nabigyan ng kiss? Love-love???”
Astrid crossed her arms, pouting again. “Ano kasi… sanay na ako, okay? Sinanay mo nga ako na pagkagising ko palang, may kiss na ako. Or kapag you pasok na sa building since separate tayo ng car, you would sneak into my office tas iki-kiss mo ako. Minsan dalawa pa nga. But today? Wala. Not even a little peck– It threw me off.”
For a moment, Eli just stared at Astrid—her secret girlfriend—Before bursting into laughter. “Love-love ko, you’ve been sulking all day kasi hindi kita nahalikan– because I missed one morning kiss?”
Astrid huffed, “It’s not just a kiss, Elichi. It’s… it’s our thing, diba? I didn’t even realize how much I actually looked forward to it before starting my day until it wasn’t there.”
Eli’s laughter softened to a warm smile, she walked closer to Astrid and pulled her into a tight and warm embrace. “Ang baby baby mo naman pala, Sevilleja.” She teased before peppering Astrid’s face with light kisses. “I’m sorry na, hmm? Forgive me na, love-love. I didn’t mean to forget.”
Astrid immediately melted in her embrace, her stress washing away and her sulky mood evaporating as she felt Eli’s soft lips all over her face. Her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, and finally - her lips. She clung to the younger girl, wrapping her arms around her waist as she sighed contentedly. “Buti nalang mahal talaga kita, kung hindi…” The older girl mumbled against her shoulder.
Eli grinned, pulling back just enough to look into Astrid’s eyes. “If I’m lucky, you’re luckier that I love you back.” She teased, “Now, no more pouting, love-love. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
“You better,” Astrid said though her tone was teasing now, her earlier frustration was now replaced with a playful glint in her eye.
Fin.