"Ceres."
Rafael's hesitant voice cut through the comfortable chatter between Ceres and Diana, drawing both women's attention.
As soon as he approached their table, both of them instinctively raised an eyebrow, mirroring each other's reaction.
"Yes?" Ceres asked, looking at Rafael with mild curiosity. She found it odd that Ryzel's best friend, who also happened to be Ryza's boyfriend, was approaching her, of all people.
Rafael awkwardly scratched the back of his head, clearly debating whether to go through with whatever he was about to say.
"Hey, moron, if you're just going to stand there looking like an idiot, maybe you should do it over by the entrance," Diana deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
Diana had a particular disdain for people who wasted time by standing around aimlessly, especially when they expected others to read their minds.
"Dee," Ceres gently chastised, though she didn't entirely disagree. Rafael was disturbing their quality time.
She then arched a brow at Rafael, her expression clear, "Spit it out, or leave."
Rafael cleared his throat, swallowed hard, then finally mustered the courage to place a sealed envelope on the table in front of her.
Ceres frowned.
"I was trying to schedule a meeting with your father, but his secretary said the earliest available appointment is two months from now," Rafael explained.
"Okay?" Ceres replied flatly, already piecing together his intention.
It was obvious, he wanted her to bypass Romos Monteverde's strict schedule and arrange a meeting on his behalf.
"I was hoping you could do me a favor and help me get an earlier appointment," Rafael asked hesitantly.
Ceres didn't even blink before responding. "I only do favors for close friends. I don't remember being close with you, nor do I recall us being friends."
A light flush of embarrassment crept onto Rafael's face.
Rolling her eyes, Ceres grabbed the envelope and pulled out the documents inside.
"Get a chair and sit down. You look ridiculous standing there like that," she said casually.
Rafael quickly complied, and Ceres flipped through the paperwork.
It was a project proposal.
"You're looking for an investor," she stated rather than asked.
Rafael nodded. "Yes. I thought Mr. Monteverde might be interested and could give the project a chance."
Ceres hummed, scanning the details. "But my dad specializes in real estate. This falls under infotech, right?"
"Yeah," Rafael admitted. "But I figured maybe he'd see potential in it."
Ceres barely glanced up before questioning, "Why not ask Ryzel? His business is literally in infotech."
Rafael's silence said everything.
Ceres caught the flicker of sadness in his eyes before he could mask it.
She knew Ryzel either didn't think Rafael's idea was worth his investment, or worse... he saw the potential but didn't want to risk being outshined.
Ceres sighed, folding the documents neatly.
"I'll show this to my father, but I doubt he'll gamble on something outside his expertise."
Rafael's shoulders slumped slightly.
"However," Ceres continued, "I'll also show it to Zeus."
Rafael's eyes widened with excitement.
"But," she added sharply, "I don't know anything about business. All I know is how to spend money. So don't get your hopes up. And as I said earlier, I don't do favors for free."
Rafael visibly tensed.
"So," Ceres smirked, leaning back in her chair. "If I manage to convince one of them to invest in your project, what will you do for me?"
"Anything," Rafael blurted out immediately. "Anything you want me to do, I'll do it."
Ceres' smirk deepened.
"Even if I asked you to murder someone?"
Rafael stiffened, his face paling.
Diana burst out laughing. "Idiot. Don't say 'anything' so easily, you might regret it."
Rafael gulped, still looking nervous.
Ceres chuckled, tucking the papers back into the envelope.
"I'll show it to them within the week." She met his gaze. "If the week ends and you don't hear anything, take it as a sign that they're not interested. Understood?"
Rafael nodded quickly. "Yes! Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Whatever." Ceres waved dismissively. "Now, if you have nothing else to say, leave. You're interrupting our coffee date."
Rafael, not needing to be told twice, immediately stood up and left.
Ceres watched as he practically bolted out of the café, not even daring to glance back. As soon as he disappeared, Diana grabbed the envelope he had left behind and scanned the proposal inside.
"This is…?" Diana's voice trailed off, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. Then, slowly, she turned her gaze toward Ceres, suspicion written all over her face. "What exactly are you planning?"
Ceres smirked. "Why ask when you already know? Of course, chaos."
Diana snorted. "I want front-row seats."
"VIP seat for Dee, reserved." Ceres winked, and the two of them burst into laughter.
They continued their conversation, effortlessly shifting from fashion to gossip, exchanging tidbits of juicy information about people in their social circle.
It wasn't until they both had other matters to attend to that they finally parted ways.
But Ceres still had plenty of time to kill.
So, she decided to pay a visit to Falcon Empire and personally show Zeus the project proposal.
Ceres walked into the Falcon Empire building like she owned it.
And, in a way, she did.
From the moment she stepped through the revolving doors, every employee who saw her immediately shifted aside, either moving to the edges of the hallway or outright changing their direction to avoid crossing paths with her.
Even the security personnel, who were typically strict with visitor appointments, did not hesitate.
One of the guards stationed by the exclusive elevator leading to Zeus's private floor instantly pressed the button upon spotting her, his hand simultaneously reaching for his transceiver.
"Miss Monteverde is here." His voice was calm and professional, but the slight tension in his stance betrayed his nerves.
Ceres barely acknowledged him with a nod as she stepped inside the elevator.
The doors slid shut, and within moments, she was being transported straight to the thirty-fifth floor, where Zeus's office was located.
When the elevator chimed open, Tyla, Zeus's secretary, was already standing there, her hands nervously clasped in front of her.
Even though Ceres hadn't done anything yet, the woman looked pale.
"Good afternoon, Miss Monteverde," Tyla greeted, her voice polite but tight. "Mr. Falcon is currently in a board meeting, but he asked me to inform you that he will be done in less than thirty minutes. He requested that you wait in his office."
"Okay," was all Ceres said before casually walking past the secretary, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
Despite her silence, Tyla still trailed behind her as if expecting Ceres to demand something from her at any moment.
Ceres ignored the receiving area.
Instead, she made a straight beeline for Zeus's swivel chair and sat in it.
She leaned back against the leather upholstery, stretching her legs out slightly as she spun the chair in slow circles.
She used to do this all the time in her father's office when she was a child, whenever Romos was too busy to entertain her.
A small smirk tugged at her lips at the memory.
"Would you like some coffee or a pastry, Miss?" Tyla asked, standing stiffly near the door.
Ceres barely glanced at her. "No thanks. I just had coffee. You can leave."
Tyla hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I'll be outside if you need anything."
Ceres didn't bother responding. She simply closed her eyes and continued spinning the chair slowly, lost in thought.
She was humming, an absentminded tune that filled the quiet space of Zeus's office. Her mind drifted, again and again, to him, to them.
They had no label.
But did they even need one?
Zeus loved her. That much, she was sure of.
He never failed to show it, not just in the way he looked at her, not just in the way he touched her, but in every action, in every decision he made, big or small.
He was devoted to her. Completely.
And she?
All she did was take.
Even when he told her every single day that he loved her, she would just smile or nod, never giving him the answer he truly wanted. Never returning those words.
Diana's question from earlier stirred something inside her.
Could she really be in love with Zeus?
The first time they slept together, she had been drunk as hell.
But Ceres wasn't the type to forget.
She had always believed that people never truly lost their memories just because of alcohol. They just used it as an excuse, as a way to avoid responsibility for things they wouldn't have done sober.
She might have regretted the hangover, the headache that split her skull open the next morning, but she never regretted that night.
Not once.
Because she had willingly given to Zeus the one thing Ryzel had tried to take from her over and over again.
Ceres sighed deeply.
"That's your fourth sigh, love."
Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Zeus's voice.
At some point, he had entered the office without her noticing.
And before she could even process his presence, he turned the chair around so that she was now facing him.
Then, without a second thought, Zeus kneeled on the floor in front of her.
"What's bothering you?" His voice was soft, tinged with concern. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
Ceres hesitated. But only for a second.
"Dee asked me something," she admitted truthfully. "But I couldn't answer her because I didn't know the answer."
Zeus tilted his head slightly, his concern deepening. "What did she ask?"
Ceres looked directly into his eyes.
Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Zeus stiffened slightly, caught off guard by the intimate gesture.
And then, she dropped the bomb.
"She asked me when I started liking you."
Zeus felt the world tilt.
His ears burned.
His heart pounded so loudly he was sure she could hear it.
But he tried, he really tried, to act normal.
"You… like me?"
Zeus never stuttered.
But right now, he was stuttering like a fool.
Ceres narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. That's why I told you, I didn't have an answer."
Zeus swallowed hard. "Why… why would she ask that?" His voice cracked, he hated that it cracked.
Ceres pursed her lips, deep in thought, completely unaware of the absolute meltdown happening inside Zeus's chest.
"She said you make me smile. The kind of smile that makes my eyes sparkle."
And just like that, Zeus was done for.
He could feel it, the rush, the intensity, the overwhelming storm inside him.
She didn't know it.
But she was confessing.
Indirectly. Unknowingly.
She spoke as if she was solving a math problem she couldn't quite figure out.
While Zeus?
Zeus felt like he was about to have a heart attack.