Thursday evening. Isabelle stood in front of the mirror again—pero this time, iba na ang pakiramdam.
Hindi na siya kinakabahan dahil sa "fake date."
This time… it felt real.
"Ready?" Marco's voice called from outside her door.
She took a deep breath. "Ready."
Pagbukas niya ng pinto, Marco froze for a second.
"Wow," he said softly. "You look… amazing."
Isabelle smiled, a little shy. "You say that every time."
"Because it's true every time," he replied, offering his hand.
She took it without hesitation.
They arrived at a formal company event—this time, no pretending, no conditions.
"Are we… really doing this?" Isabelle whispered as they entered.
Marco glanced at her, then gently squeezed her hand. "We already are."
As they walked in together, people turned—not just curious this time, but observant.
"Is that Marco Reyes?"
"Who's the girl?"
"They look serious…"
Isabelle felt the pressure, but this time, she didn't pull away.
Instead, she held his hand tighter.
Marco noticed and smiled slightly.
"See?" he whispered. "We're good."
She nodded. "We're good."
For a while, everything went smoothly—conversations, introductions, soft laughter.
Until—
"Marco."
That voice.
Isabelle stiffened immediately.
Clara approached them, elegant as ever, her smile perfectly composed.
"Good evening," she greeted, her eyes briefly scanning Isabelle. "You look lovely."
"Thank you," Isabelle replied politely.
Marco's expression hardened slightly. "Clara."
"I didn't expect to see you here… together," Clara said, her tone light but layered.
Marco stepped slightly closer to Isabelle. "Why wouldn't we be?"
Clara smiled faintly. "No reason. I just thought… you preferred keeping things casual."
Isabelle felt the subtle jab.
But this time, she didn't stay silent.
"People change," she said calmly.
Clara's eyes flickered with interest. "Do they?"
Before Isabelle could respond, Clara turned to Marco.
"By the way," she added, "about the upcoming project… I was hoping we could discuss it over dinner. Just the two of us."
The air shifted.
Isabelle felt it instantly.
Marco didn't hesitate. "We can discuss it at the office."
Clara tilted her head. "It would be more… productive privately."
"No," Marco said firmly this time. "Work stays at work."
Silence.
Clara's smile didn't fade—but something in her eyes did.
"I see," she said softly.
She glanced at Isabelle one last time. "You're lucky."
Then she walked away.
Isabelle exhaled slowly. "That was…"
"Annoying?" Marco offered.
She laughed lightly. "I was going to say intense, but sure."
He turned to her, his expression softening. "Hey… are you okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I just… wasn't expecting that."
Marco reached for her hand again. "You don't have to worry about her."
"I'm not," she said, then paused. "Well… maybe a little."
He smiled gently. "You don't need to be."
"Why?"
"Because I already made my choice," he said quietly.
Her heart skipped. "And that is?"
Marco stepped closer, his eyes locking onto hers.
"You."
The noise of the room faded again, just like before.
But this time, Isabelle didn't feel unsure.
She didn't feel like she was pretending.
She didn't feel like she had to question anything.
Because for the first time—
She knew.
This wasn't fake.
This wasn't temporary.
This was real.
And she was ready to fight for it.