Tattooed in Moonlight

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

If there was ever an award for "Most Dramatic Career Downturn Caused by Accidental Billionaire Encounter," I'd already have a trophy engraved with my name. Maybe even a matching medal.

Two weeks back in Manila, and my manager looked like she'd aged ten years.

She paced the length of her office, stiletto heels clicking against the floor like a ticking clock of doom. "The perfume deal? Gone. The watch brand? Gone. The couture house? Oh, darling, they didn't just pull out—they ghosted us. Ghosted! They sent me an email that literally said, best of luck with your future endeavors."

I winced. "Ouch. That's breakup-text energy."

She shot me a glare. "Do not make jokes. You're hemorrhaging endorsements. You need damage control. Now."

I slouched deeper into the couch. "Maybe I should just pivot to fast food commercials. Imagine it: 'Hi, I'm Kaira Chaves, dragon bride slash burger ambassador'."

Her groan could've rattled windows. "Why are you like this?"

"Coping mechanism," I said brightly. "Sarcasm keeps me alive. That and fried chicken."

Her assistant poked her head into the office. "Uh, ma'am? The shampoo brand just emailed. They said—"

"Don't tell me," my manager cut in. "Let me guess. They want to go with someone less radioactive?"

The assistant grimaced. "Basically."

I clapped my hands. "Well, at least my hair will still be fabulous. Nobody can take that away from me."

Manager groaned again and collapsed into her chair. "Do you even realize what this means? You're toxic, Kaira. Untouchable. No brand wants to be near Travis Javierres's... whatever you are."

"Whatever I am," I repeated, rolling the words around. "That's comforting."

She dropped her head into her hands. "I need a vacation. Preferably somewhere without Wi-Fi."

"Take me with you," I said. "I'm excellent at lying on beaches and pretending I don't exist."

She peeked up through her fingers. "No more pretending. We need a statement. Something airtight. Something boring. Something that makes people forget you ever breathed the same air as him."

I stretched out on the couch like a cat. "Or we could lean in. Sell merch. 'Dragon Bride' hoodies. Glow-in-the-dark tattoos for the kids."

Her expression could've curdled milk.

I held up my hands. "Kidding. Kidding. Mostly."

The truth was, though, no amount of jokes could cover the knot in my chest.

Because yeah, the endorsements hurt. The press hurt. The endless memes hurt.

But what hurt most was the silence.

Two weeks.

Two weeks without a single shadow, a single card, a single word from him.

I told myself it was fine. I told myself I didn't care. I told myself I was relieved he'd vanished, because clearly my life didn't need more chaos.

But at night, lying in bed, I'd stare at the ceiling and wonder.

Did he regret saying I see you? Did he mean it at all?

Or was I just another headline to him, one more story in a life filled with deals and power plays?

"Earth to Kaira!" my manager snapped, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Are you even listening to me?"