Love or Career (Sandro Marcos Fanfiction)

PROLOGUE

"I gave you time to choose, Athena. This is the right moment to decide."

A single sentence. One ultimatum.

"Athena, we care about your future."

"But, Dad-"

"Ilang beses ko bang sasabihin sa'yo na hindi ako boto sa relasyon n'yo ng anak ng politikong walang ginawa kundi magnakaw?"

The words cut deep, deeper than I could ever admit.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to choose love. But when you grow up under the expectations of a family like mine, love is never the priority.

And so, I let him go.

That was the moment everything changed.

Ten years later, I should have been at peace. I had everything-success, stability, the life I worked so hard to build.

But some wounds never heal completely.

"Malapit na naman ang eleksyon..."

"Governor of Ilocos Norte, Sandro Marcos, has been declared a candidate for the presidency in the upcoming election."

"Gosh, te! Ex mo 'yun, oh! Magiging presidente na!"

My fingers stilled on my laptop as my friend squealed beside me. I forced a laugh, pretending it didn't affect me.

Pretending I didn't feel anything at all.

I thought I had buried the past. I thought I had moved on.

But fate had other plans.

The grand ballroom was filled with the most powerful names in the country. Tonight was supposed to be just another event-another program I would flawlessly host.

Until my co-host handed me the list of guests.

"Here's the list of our visitors tonight."

I took the paper without a second thought, scanning the names-until my heart stopped.

Governor of Ilocos Norte, Sandro Marcos.

For a moment, the room spun. I had prepared for so many things in my life, but I was never prepared for this.

After a decade, he was here.

The moment I walked into the balcony. I knew she was there.

I felt it before I even saw her.

Then, like gravity pulling me in, my eyes found her.

Athena Dela Cruz.

She stood poised, every inch the successful woman she had become. But when our gazes met, I saw it-the flicker of recognition, the storm she tried so hard to mask.

"Almost ten years since our last meeting. How are you?"

A decade. That's how long it had been since she walked away. Since she left without looking back.

But right now, standing before me, she looked just as breathtaking as the last time I saw her.

"kelan ka pa nandito?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "k-kahapon lang."

"what are you doing here?"

"just have a ceremony gathering inside."