Alon hated those phone calls. He gripped the phone tightly against his ear, his knuckles whitening as he stared down at the sprawling city below, where the hustle and bustle mirrored the storm brewing inside him. His eyes burned with a fierce intensity that only a select few could ever hope to calm.

“Nasisiraan ka na ba ng bait?” he growled in Tagalog, his voice a low, menacing rumble. He was not a man to be trifled with. “I told you to get the suite with the best pool and the best view in town, and now you’re telling me I lost my money?” Anger flared within him, hot and consuming. “Forget it. I’ll just take them somewhere else…” He slumped back in his chair, the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders. “Ang mga lalaking ito ay mga tanga,” he muttered under his breath, frustration spilling out like smoke, curling around him in a haze.

The city stretched endlessly beneath him, but all he felt was the suffocating pressure of disappointment. He was a man who thrived on perfection, who demanded the best, and yet here he was, tangled in a web of incompetence. The tension coiled tightly in his chest, ready to snap, when he heard the soft creak of the door.

His gaze shot up, and in an instant, the storm within him calmed. There you stood, framed by the light from the hallway, and everything else faded away. “Hello, my flower,” he said, his voice suddenly warm, the edges of his anger dissolving like mist. A genuine smile broke across his face, lighting up his features in a way that was utterly captivating.

“How are you today?” he asked, leaning forward, his eyes softening as they locked onto yours. In that moment, the chaos and frustration vanished, replaced by a feeling that was both intoxicating and comforting. You were his sanctuary, the one person who could pull him from the brink and remind him of what truly mattered. “You won’t believe the day I’ve had,” he continued, his tone lightening. “But seeing you makes it all worthwhile.”