The first thing Reina noticed was the music.
Soft. Romantic. Expensive.
The kind of music that whispered forever and happily ever after into crystal chandeliers and gold-trimmed walls.
The second thing she noticed was the ring.
Big. Shiny. Sitting snugly on another woman's finger.
And that was when the world tilted.
Reina stood frozen at the entrance of the ballroom, her heels digging into marble floors that probably cost more than her yearly rent.
Every face inside the hall turned toward the stage, where her boyfriend...damn it....her boyfriend, was kneeling gracefully, one knee to the ground, smile warm and practiced.
Calix Vill.
The man who had held her hands the night before and said, "Tomorrow, Reina. Just one more day and everything will change."
Well this is definitely changing, infact it's blurry.
The man who was supposed to propose to her tomorrow.
"…will you marry me?" Calix said, his voice carrying smoothly across the room.
The crowd erupted into applause before the woman could even answer.
Reina felt something crack inside her chest.
Tomorrow.
She laughed.
A sharp, broken sound tore out of her throat before she could stop it.
The music faltered.
Heads turned towards the sound.
Whispers rippled through the room like a bad omen.
Reina took one step forward. Then another.
By the time the woman on stage said a trembling 'yes', Reina was already clapping.
slowly, deliberately.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
"Well," Reina said loudly, her voice slicing through the celebration, "this is intimate. I wish someone had sent me an invitation."
Calix's head snapped up.
Their eyes met.
The color drained from his face.
"Reina....." he started, scrambling to his feet.
"Oh no," she interrupted, smiling sweetly as she walked further in. "Finish what you're doing. Don't let me ruin your surprise."
The crowd murmured. Phones came out.
Well, every moment needs to be recorded....it could be juicy...you never know.
And this moment was one.
Someone gasped.
The woman beside Calix, young, beautiful, confused, looked between them. "Calix… who is she?"
Reina stopped directly in front of the stage.
"Who am I?" she echoed. "That's cute. I was about to ask the same thing."
She turned to the woman. "Hi. Congratulations. How long has he been cheating on me with you?"
A collective inhale swept the hall.
Calix rushed forward. "Reina, please. This isn't what you think."
Reina laughed again, tears burning her eyes.
"That line should be illegal by now."
She reached for the champagne tower beside the stage and tipped it over.
Glasses shattered.
Champagne flooded the floor.
Screams erupted.
"Reina!" Calix shouted.
"Oh, we're not done," she snapped, grabbing a centerpiece and flinging it against the wall. Flowers rained down like confetti at a funeral.
She turned back to him, chest heaving. "You told me your family wanted something small. You said your father was sick. You said tomorrow was ours."
Calix's jaw tightened.
And that....that....was when it hit her.
He wasn't sorry.
He was angry.
Embarrassed.
Exposed.
"You're ruining everything," he hissed under his breath as he reached for her arm.
She yanked away. "Everything? You mean your double life?"
Before Calix could answer, a deep, commanding voice rang out.
"Enough."
Mr. Vill rose from his seat, expression cold, eyes sharp as knives. "This woman is causing a disturbance."
Woman.
Not my son's girlfriend.
Not future daughter-in-law.
Just this woman.
"Get her out," he ordered. Then, colder: "Catch her."
For a heartbeat, everything went silent.
Then hell broke loose.
Security surged forward.
Guests shouted.
The woman on stage started crying.
Reina didn't think.
She ran.
Her heels slipped on champagne-soaked marble as she bolted toward the exit, laughter and sobs tangling in her throat.
So this is how it ends, she thought bitterly.
With a chase scene.
She pushed through the doors....
....and suddenly, as her feet flew down the steps into the night, her mind betrayed her.
Because it dragged her back.
To the very beginning.
...Flashback....
Three months earlier.
Reina was late.
Again.
"Damn it, damn it," she muttered, clutching a thick folder to her chest as she power-walked through the construction company's main corridor.
As Team Lead for Structural Planning, she couldn't afford mistakes, but the manager wanted these files now, and the site meeting had already overrun.
She rounded the corner at full speed,
....and slammed straight into a wall of muscle.
"Oof!"
The files flew.
Papers scattered like snow.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Reina blurted, crouching immediately. "I wasn't looking....these files are urgent, I swear I don't usually tackle people at work...."
She froze.
Because the shoes she was staring at were very expensive.
She slowly looked up.
And forgot how breathing worked.
He was tall. Ridiculously so. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes the color of trouble. His suit fit him like it was custom-made, sleeves rolled slightly as if he didn't bother with small rules.
Wow, her brain whispered stupidly.
If sin had a face, it would sue for copyright.
"I think I should be the one apologizing," he said, amused.
Reina snapped out of it when he snapped his fingers gently in front of her face.
"Earth to…?" he prompted.
She flushed. "Reina. Sorry. I just...files."
She scrambled to gather them, thrusting the folder back into his hands by mistake.
He chuckled. "Pretty sure these are yours."
"Oh! Right. Yes. Sorry. Thank you." She took them, standing too fast. "I really have to go."
She started half-walking, half-running away.
Behind her, Calix watched her retreating figure, lips curving into a slow smile.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Later That Evening,
Reina's work finally ended.
She exhaled deeply as she stepped outside, the evening breeze cooling her overheated skin.
Why am I still thinking about him? she scolded herself. You bumped into a handsome man. Congratulations. Move on.
A car suddenly pulled up in front of her.
Sleek. Black. Expensive.
The window rolled down.
And there he was.
The same amused eyes. The same sinful face.
"Are you always this fast," he asked, "or was I just lucky today?"
Reina's heart slammed against her ribs.
Oh no.
This is definitely something else.