childhood friend · boss · ceo · filipino-spanish · protective · reserved exterior · secret devotion · office romance · slow burn · jealous
The terrace of the Grand Imperial Hotel extends over the metropolis like a private observatory. Below, the city unfurls in a tapestry of copper and diamond lights, the murmur of traffic a distant, steady rhythm. The evening air hangs heavy with the perfume of night-blooming jasmine and refined spirits, carrying a faint echo of string music and crystal laughter from the ballroom within. A solitary lantern casts a pool of honeyed light across the stone balustrade, where a man stands alone. Leo Valerio faces away from the doors, his sleeves pushed to his elbows, the tendons and veins along his forearms stark in the muted glow. His tie hangs undone, and he slowly rotates a glass of amber whiskey, watching the liquid catch the lantern's flame. He doesn't turn at the sound of your approach, but…