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.

The harsh, rhythmic vibrating of a smartphone that refused to die was the first sound of the morning following the Tan Family Gala, rather than the soft chirping of birds.

As her phone flitted across the nightstand like a panicked insect, Elizien Mallari lay entangled in the high-thread-count sheets of the Shangri-La penthouse suite, gazing up at the ceiling. She knew what was going on without having to pick it up. The digital deluge that started when Zayrius Tan introduced her as his "biggest shareholder" to a room full of individuals who could buy and sell her city was reflected in her lock screen, which was a waterfall of notifications.

At last, she extended her hand, shivering a little, and swiped.

She finally reached out, her hand trembling slightly, and swiped.

The social media landscape of the Philippines had undergone a total eclipse. On Instagram, a grainy photo of her and Zayrius—her in her starlight dress, him looking at her with that rare, devastating smile—had already gained three hundred thousand likes. The hashtags were trending at a terrifying speed: #TheBillionairePilot, #TheAccountantQueen, and #TheDragonClaimsHisStar were trending at an alarming rate.

Beneath the glitz, though, the comments were a battleground.

"Who is she? One prominent comment from an anonymous account said, "Just another gold digger who handled the books and found a way into the vault."

She works as a CPA for a Big Four firm. Another defended it by saying, "Look at her LinkedIn—she's overqualified to be just a plus one."

"Zayrius Tan is throwing away a dynasty for a commoner. The Tan Holdings stock is going to tank by the opening bell."

A cold pit formed in Elizien's gut. She was a woman who took pride in her reputation for objective, professional reasoning. She was now the focus of a national scandal, with idle strangers on the internet analyzing every aspect of her professional background.

The bedroom door squeaked open. Zayrius entered, wearing a charcoal suit but without a tie. His "grumpy" lines around his eyes were deeper than usual, and he appeared tired, but as he saw her sitting up, his expression melted into something fiercely protective.

"Turn it off, Elizien," he commanded in a hushed voice.

"I can't just turn the world off, Zayrius," she said, her voice breaking. "They're calling me a gold digger. They're digging up my high school photos. Someone even found my father's old tax records."

Taking the phone from her hand and throwing it down on the blanket, Zayrius went to the bed and perched on the edge. His thumbs brushed her cheekbones as he grasped her face in his palms. "Let them talk. By the time the markets close today, they won't be talking about your high school photos. They'll be talking about how you saved the company."

"Saved it? Zayrius, your father is going to have me arrested for existing!"

"He's going to try to oust us at the 10:00 AM board meeting," Zayrius said, his eyes flashing with a predatory light. "But he forgot one thing. You're not just my partner. You're the smartest auditor in this country. And we have the files from the logistics hub."

10:15 AM: The Tan Holdings Boardroom, BGC

The boardroom had an oppressively heavy atmosphere. Don Victorino Tan was at the head of the table, and the twenty directors, men and women who managed the flow of billions, sat in dead quiet.

Victorino yelled, "This meeting is called to nullify the unauthorized transfer of shares to Ms. Mallari," with an aristocratic expression on his face. "My son has suffered a lapse in judgment. He has placed the fate of this empire in the hands of a girl who belongs in a cubicle, not a boardroom."

The twin doors, which were massive, opened.

Zayrius entered first, exuding the "Dragon" energy that typically makes lower-level executives flee. However, the woman next to him was the one who halted the group's breathing.

Elizien had exchanged her starlight dress for a well-tailored white power suit. Her spectacles, the ones she wore for deep-tissue auditing, were securely balanced on her nose, and she carried a sleek black briefcase. She didn't appear to be a socialite. She had the appearance of a surgeon preparing to carry out a challenging procedure.

Zayrius said, "Sit down, Victorino," ignoring the "Dad" for the moment. "The shares are legal. The SEC has already acknowledged the transfer. And technically, Ms. Mallari has the floor."

Placing her laptop on the mahogany table, Elizien took a step forward. She ignored the whispering directors and the cameras. She examined the information.

"For the last five years," Elizien started with a powerful and resonant voice, "This board has been told that the regional logistics wing was underperforming due to 'market fluctuations.' But during my audit in Palawan, I found something else."

A succession of intricate flowcharts emerged on the enormous wall screens as she pressed a key.

"Someone has been skimming off the top," she added, focusing her gaze on the Head of Finance, who abruptly became ash-colored. "Through a series of shell companies based in the British Virgin Islands, nearly eight hundred million pesos have been diverted from the logistics fuel funds into a private account. An account tied to the very merger Don Victorino was trying to force last night."

A clamor of gasps and yelled inquiries filled the room. Victorino went pallid. He had been too preoccupied with the marriage to notice the skimming.

"Zayrius flew those routes because he suspected the numbers were being cooked," Elizien remarked, turning to face the man she had previously dismissed as a "grumpy pilot."

"He wasn't hiding from the company. He was protecting it from the inside."

Zayrius moved to stand next to her, his hand gently touching the small of her back in a supportive gesture that was like a blast of unadulterated electricity. "The board has a choice," Zayrius declared, scanning the room with his radar-like eyes. "You can vote with my father and face a massive fraud investigation that will bankrupt your personal portfolios. Or, you can confirm Elizien Mallari as the new Chief Audit Officer and let us clean house."

One by one, the hands went up, not out of love, but out of the cold, hard logic that Elizien had mastered.

12:30 PM: The Rooftop Helipad

The war of the heart had just begun, but the battle had been won. The wind whipped Elizien's hair around her face as they stood on the skyscraper's roof. The spread of Manila below them resembled a play set.

"You were incredible," Zayrius reported. He had finally taken off his sour mask and was leaning against the railing. Her breath caught when she saw the unbridled pride in his eyes.

She answered, "I was just doing my job, Captain," but she couldn't help but smile.

She took one final look at her phone. The remarks on social media were changing. People adored a genius nearly as much as they loved a scandal, and the "gold digger" story was giving way to "The Auditor who took down the Board."

Zayrius remarked, "Your job is done," and stepped forward to embrace her. Around them, the smell of the city and the sky blended. "Now, it's time for the pilot's promise."

"And what promise is that?"

Zayrius leaned down, his lips brushing against hers in a slow, deep kiss that tasted of victory and a thousand tomorrows.

"That no matter how high we go, and no matter how many people try to pull us down," he muttered as he stroked her skin, "I'll always be the one to bring you home."

The "Dragon" and the "Accountant" were at last in unison as Elizien leaned toward him. The tarot reading had been accurate. They hadn't crashed, but the Tower had fallen.

They had just received clearance to take off.