Disclaimer: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.

Instead of a sunny morning, the Tan Family Gala brought a heavy, muggy fog that clung to Makati's buildings. Elizien Mallari did not immediately go to work. Her phone, which was constantly ringing with anxious emails from her manager about the "social storm" developing in the tabloids, was hidden deep within her handbag, and her laptop was still closed.

She was back in Legaspi Village, in the dark, tight alley. In the sunshine, the plum-colored entrance appeared even more diminutive, wedged between the steel and glass skyscrapers of modernity.

The bell chimed with that same melodic, haunting ring.

Aling Rosa said, "I knew the tea would still be hot when you arrived," as she spoke through the velvet curtain.

Elizien entered the room. Today, in addition to the aroma of boiling ginger tea, the scent of sampaguita and sandalwood was significantly stronger. With her gnarled hands resting on the table covered in barongs, Aling Rosa was seated just where she had been a week earlier. Elizien sat on the stool, her heart thumping against her ribs, and she didn't look up.

Elizien's voice was hardly audible above a whisper. "How?" She placed the battered business card on the obsidian table after taking it out of her pocket. "How was it possible? Every detail. The age gap. The mixed blood. The pilot's uniform hides an empire. Even the... the 'Dragon' in his eyes. I met him. I'm living it. But I'm an accountant, Aling Rosa. I need to understand the logic. How did you see a man I hadn't even met yet?"

At last, Aling Rosa raised her head. Looking at somewhere far behind her, her milky eyes appeared to cut through Elizien. She thrust a hot cup of salabat in the younger woman's direction.

"You're looking for a magic formula, hija. You want to audit the universe," the elderly woman said with a papery, dry laugh. "But fate doesn't use double-entry bookkeeping. There is no 'debit' for destiny and 'credit' for luck."

"But the timing," Elizien said, bending forward. "The storm. The audit. The specific way he scowls when he's annoyed. It's too precise to be a coincidence. Did you know him? Did the Tan family pay you to—"

"The Tan's?" Aling Rosa interrupted, her expression turning sharp. "Victorino Tan would sooner burn this alleyway down than admit that a woman like me knows his son's heart better than he does. No, Elizien. I didn't see him because of his name. I saw him because of his vibration."

She grabbed the deck of cards and shuffled them with a rhythmic, rehearsed snap.

Aling Rosa said, "Life is a series of frequencies," as her voice faded to a soothing hum. "You were vibrating at the frequency of a closed door—locked tight with work and ambition. He was vibrating at the frequency of a bird in a cage, flying high but always returning to the same gold-plated bars. When two people are that tired of being who the world tells them to be, the universe creates a bridge. I just saw the bridge being built."

With a cracked voice, Elizien questioned, "But why me? He could have anyone. He's... he's a billionaire, Aling Rosa. He owns the very air I breathe. I'm just a girl from QC who's good at math."

Aling Rosa made a card flip. The High Priestess.

"He didn't need a queen to match his gold," the reader said. "He needed an anchor to match his storm. You are the only thing that doesn't move when he blows through a room. You didn't bow. You didn't ask for a seat on his jet. You asked for the time. That is why the 'Dragon' chose you."

Elizien glanced back at the elderly woman after glancing at the card. "Is it going to last? My father used to say that anything that starts with a storm ends in a wreck. Tonight is the gala. His father is going to announce something... something that forces us into a world I don't belong in. I'm scared, Aling Rosa. I'm scared that once the 'pilot' is gone and only the 'billionaire' is left, I won't recognize the man I... I think I'm falling for."

Aling Rosa extended her arm and took Elizien's hand. She had aged, dry skin like parchment, but she had a very powerful grip.

"Listen to me, Elizien Mallari. The cards I showed you that night—the Tower, the King of Skies—they weren't warnings of a crash. There were warnings of transformation. You are worried about the billionaire. Don't be. The money is just the weather. Look at the man. Remember what I told you? Look at his eyes."

Whispering, "I did," Elizien said. "In the villa. In the carinderia. I saw... I saw a lonely man."

Aling Rosa responded, "Then you have your answer," and she let go of her hand. "You aren't auditing his life, hija. You are completing it. But be careful. The Tower is still standing, and tonight, the lightning will strike it. You must decide if you will fall with the building or fly with the Dragon."

Elizien got to her feet, experiencing an odd feeling of peace. The why provided the reasoning she was looking for, not the how. She was a part of a predetermined collision, not a victim of a chance prophecy.

Elizien reached for her wallet and said, "How much do I owe you for today?"

A tiny, sardonic smirk played on Aling Rosa's lips as she shook her head. "Today is on the house. Consider it a wedding gift—though you haven't realized you need one yet."

At the word 'wedding,' Elizien froze, her cheeks turning red. "We... we aren't even officially 'together' yet, Aling Rosa! It's complicated!"

The elderly woman yelled, "Everything is complicated until it's simple," as Elizien backed away toward the door. "And Elizien? Tell the Captain that the jade pendant on his bag works better if he actually believes in it."

Elizien returned to the rain in Makati, but this time she did not wear a shield. She let her face cool in the mist. She had spent her entire life weighing risks, but when she glanced at the bulky pilot's jacket that was still slung over her arm, she concluded that some investments were worth the risk of losing everything.

A sleek black vehicle, this time an armored SUV rather than a Rolls-Royce, came up next to her as she headed toward the main road. Zayrius Tan was visible when the window rolled down. His jaw was clenched as he stared at the "Glimpse into Tomorrow" store sign behind her, returning to his grumpy, sullen demeanor.

He complained, "What are you doing here, Elizien?" but his hand went out to open the door for her right away. "I've been looking for you for an hour. Ernesto said you skipped the office. I thought... I thought you had changed your mind about tonight."

With her garments still smelling like the store, Elizien climbed in. She gave Zayrius her full attention. She could see his rage at his father, the stress of the gala, and the desperate hope he was attempting to conceal beneath his frown.

She whispered, "I went to get some answers, Zayrius."

"And? Did you get them?"

Reaching across, Elizien clasped his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. "I got one. Aling Rosa says you should start believing in that jade pendant of yours."

Zayrius' eyes widened in surprise, and he stiffened. "How did she...?"

Saying, "Don't worry about the how, Captain," Elizien rested her head on his shoulder. "Just focus on the flight. We have a gala to crash."

Zayrius exhaled deeply as her weight relaxed his shoulder. She was able to see the man who would burn the sky for her when the "grumpy" mask shattered just enough.

Zayrius yelled out to the driver, "Dante," his voice reclaiming its regal authority. "To the designer. She needs the dress we discussed. The one that looks like starlight."

The peaceful alley and the enigmatic store were left behind as the SUV charged ahead. The audit of the heart had concluded. The next step was the presentation to the world.