The car's hum was the only sound accompanying Danielle's thoughts as they wound through the roads leading back to Antipolo. Outside, the December air was crisp, but inside, her mind churned with one word that Axel had sent: "Enjoy."
Enjoy? The cold sarcasm clung to her skin like the night fog outside. It wasn't a message—it was a challenge, a warning, a dagger disguised as a casual ping but it's her overthinking.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as she glanced at the piles of shopping bags packed haphazardly in the backseat. Leo was quietly humming Steve's Chicken Lava on her carseat, oblivious to the storm brewing in her head.
I'm doing what I can. What else is left to do?
At home, the apartment greeted them with the same quiet emptiness it always did. Danielle sighed, shifting bags from the car to the hallway in a tired rhythm.
Inside, she stared at her wardrobe—a slim, barely there frame that held just a handful of clothes. Tangina, hirap talaga isipin how bare it looked compared to Leo's drawers, stuffed to the brim with dresses, shoes, and tiny sweaters she'd carefully picked out today.
One more thing to add to the mental list: get myself a new wardrobe.
She pulled out a few shirts from her old drawer, holding them up against the dim light filtering through the window. The fabric hung awkwardly, the memory of days when clothes fit right flashing in her mind.
Leo's laughter floated from her room, warm and bright, a reminder of what mattered most. Danielle closed her eyes for a moment, then set the clothes down with quiet determination.
No matter how hard it gets... this is for us..A few days later..
"Pasko na? Bakit parang ang dami kong atraso?"
December 5.
Danielle's calendar notification pinged with ruthless efficiency, reminding her it was time to "Bring cheer or fake it." She hadn't changed the label from when she created it as a joke. Now, it felt like a cruel dare.
It had been three months since she reshuffled Horizon's structure—rerouted ops, redlined deliverables, and rerolled people like chess pieces. And now, she had to talk about a holiday break like this was a normal company.
"You're their manager now. So manage. Even if you barely had time to breathe," she muttered to herself while pulling up the Zoom call.
The meeting began: 23 managers across countries, faces blinking into screens, waiting for cues. Waiting for her.
"Good evening, everyone," Danielle began, "Or good morning, depending on where you are. I'll keep this short and clear."
She paused.
After Danielle's greeting, the Zoom gallery flickered with quiet tension. Most managers sat frozen, processing the unexpected clarity of the voice they were hearing for the first time.
Wait... that's a woman? someone whispered in disbelief.
Only Nadia and Caden exchanged knowing glances—both had heard Danielle's voice before, and knew what to expect. Nadia gave a slight nod, almost smiling behind her serious demeanor.
Caden, sitting a few cubicles away, leaned back with a small, impressed smile. She sounds calm, but with steel underneath.
The others, unfamiliar with her, shuffled papers nervously. The voice was softer than they anticipated—but those words held a sharpness that cut through their doubts like a blade.
One manager murmured, Sweet but deadly… unsure whether to feel reassured or alarmed.
"Operations will pause from December 14 to January 7. You have one week to close any major loops. No pending shipments, no unreplied escalations, no confused suppliers. Think of this as a soft reboot. Use the time. Come back human."
The silence that followed was thick. The words seemed to hang in the air, their meaning sinking into the team with disbelief.
For the first time in Horizon's history—since its founding in 1998—those words were said aloud. A company-wide pause. A holiday break that Axel would never have allowed. How could she? The managers exchanged glances, the collective doubt heavy in the air.
Danielle's calm command had already shifted the room's energy: this wasn't just another leader. This was someone who would quietly reshape everything.
"So, no campaigns until after January 7?" one manager asked, voice tinged with confusion.
"Will we notify logistics partners?"
"Can we schedule internal trainings during the break?"
The questions were rapid, probing, trying to find a reason in this madness.
"No," Danielle replied firmly, cutting off any room for negotiation. "Break means break. For all of us."
She didn't say it out loud, but the truth was, she needed the pause just as much as they did. To think. To breathe. To negotiate. She was still very much carving out her own place in this chaos.
The meeting ended with a ripple of murmurs, but the faces on the screen were frozen, as if processing the impossibility of what had just happened.
One manager blinked slowly, mouth slightly open, as if waiting for a punchline.
Another ran a hand through their hair, jaw clenched, eyes darting to colleagues as if searching for reassurance.
A third manager leaned back in their chair, exhaling sharply. A break? A full month? The sheer audacity was almost laughable—if it weren't so terrifying.
In muted whispers, questions and doubts began to bubble beneath the surface, unspoken but thick in the air.
As the call disconnected, Nadia and Caden gathered their things, sharing a brief laugh as they left the conference room.
Nadia shook her head with a smirk. "She's got balls of iron—or she's simply crazy. A break that long? That'll break Axel and ops before anyone else."
Caden chuckled, eyes glinting with a mix of admiration and worry. "Yeah. Either way, it's going to shake things up. I'm curious to see how Axel handles it."
They walked out together, the tension of the call lingering but tempered by a rare moment of levity.
Danielle's phone buzzed just as the meeting ended. She swiped it open with a frown.
Meeting Request:
Urgent: Managers' Sync on Post-Break Operations
She tapped it and read the message:
Danielle,
We've scheduled a separate meeting to discuss the status of operations during the break. There are a few concerns we want to address before proceeding. We'll update you once we're aligned.
No salutation. No names. The tone was blunt—an unspoken warning heavy in every word.
The managers weren't celebrating. They were bewildered. This break—her decision—felt strange to them, a risky, audacious move. Not even Axel would have dared something like this.
And now, they were gathering to figure out how to handle it. How could they not?
Danielle leaned back in her chair, trying to shake off the unease. She had made the decision in the spirit of giving everyone space to breathe, to reset. But the weight of their doubts sat heavily with her now. What had seemed like a necessary step for herself and the team might just be viewed as a gamble in their eyes.
After the call, Danielle opened another tab: a blank draft email addressed to Axel Real de Lara.
Subject: Proposal: Holiday Operations Freeze & New Year Realignment
Body:
Hi Axel,
Following the recent restructuring and operational shifts, I'm proposing a complete operations freeze from December 14 to January 7. This pause is critical for several reasons:
Our packaging and warehouse teams have been working extremely long hours over the past three months, pushing themselves beyond sustainable limits.
The Customer Success team has just regained footing after realigning closely with logistics and warehousing, stabilizing their processes.
All our key suppliers will be on holiday during this period, and there will be no incoming shipments.
We anticipate all outbound products to be delivered by December 9, meaning inventory will be managed and cleared well ahead of the freeze.
Given these factors, the break isn't just a nice-to-have; it's necessary for the health and efficiency of the teams and operations. This pause will allow us to reset, recharge, and prepare for a strong start in the new year.
During the break, I plan to build the framework for a new Customer Success department aimed at addressing post-sale gaps, client education, and retention strategies. I aim to finalize the structure and scope by Q1, pending your alignment on budget and resources.
Please let me know when you're available for a sync to discuss this further.
Best,
Danielle
She hovered over the Send button, fingers tense, heart beating faster than usual.
This wasn't just a break. This was her building a future she could live in.
Click. Sent.
Danielle had barely finished her email to Axel when her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, already knowing who it was. Axel's name flashed across the display with a venomous urgency she hadn't expected.
Without hesitation, she answered. "Axel."
His voice was sharp, like a blade cutting through the quiet of her office.
"Danielle." The growl in his tone made her straighten in her chair. "What the hell was that?"
She took a breath, preparing herself. She knew Axel's temper could go from zero to sixty in seconds. But this? This was something else.
"I—"
"No," Axel snapped, cutting her off. "You don't get to explain this to me. I get to ask. Why the hell would you shut down operations without telling me first? A fucking Christmas break? Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
His words slammed into her like a freight train, but Danielle kept her voice steady. "I've thought this through, Axel. The team is overwhelmed. We're not just burning out—we're breaking. I'm trying to give everyone some space to reset. We can come back fresh in January."
"Fresh?" His laugh was bitter, low. "Fresh?"
She could hear him pacing, his anger filling the space between them.
"Don't you dare tell me what's best for this company," Axel continued, his voice now colder than before. "I built this empire. This isn't a damn holiday retreat. People are expecting results, not nap time, Danielle. You've had how many months with them now? And this is how you handle it? You've just handed over control to the fucking managers for a month."
"I didn't hand over anything." She almost hissed, but managed to keep her tone calm. "I'm giving everyone a break so they can come back stronger."
"Stronger?" Axel's voice was now a growl. "They're not fucking tired from working too much—they're tired from dealing with your chaos. I haven't seen a single person look the same since you came in here. You've been rearranging my house of cards for months, and now you give them time to sit back and let it all fall down? You've fucked with every single department's rhythm, and now—what? You're taking a holiday?"
Danielle's eyes narrowed as she set her jaw, but she didn't raise her voice. "It's not just a holiday." She held her ground. "This break is a reset. People are working themselves into the ground because they're afraid to slow down. I won't let them burn out. You wanted me to lead. So I am. And that means stepping in when I see something breaking."
There was silence for a beat before Axel's voice returned, dangerously low.
"You think you're some fucking savior now, don't you?"
She exhaled, knowing there was no getting through to him right now. "No. I'm not a savior, Axel. But I'm making decisions because this company needs someone who's willing to stop the bleeding before it becomes a hemorrhage."
Axel's voice softened just a fraction, though the edge was still there. "You have no idea what the fuck you're dealing with, do you? This isn't just about taking a break. This is about control. You don't have the luxury of taking a step back. If you think they'll come back stronger after a month off, you're living in a dream."
Danielle stood up, eyes now hard. "You don't get to decide that for me. I've worked my ass off to get us here, Axel. This is my call."
She let the silence hang for a moment, before finishing, "The break is happening. And when they come back, we'll be ready for what comes next. Trust me."
Axel let out a sharp, frustrated breath. "Fine," he spat, voice still simmering. "But this doesn't end here. You've just put yourself in the firing line, Danielle. So when the shit hits the fan—and it will—you better hope you've got the answers."
The line went dead with a soft click.
Danielle stared at her phone for a long moment, her pulse quickening. She'd made her decision, but Axel's words lingered in the air, dark and heavy.
Danielle sat back in her chair, the phone still warm in her hand, Axel's last words echoing in her mind like a thunderclap."You better hope you've got the answers."Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence, Axel.
But then her thoughts shifted. Was he really furious just because of the break? Or was there something else — something she'd rather not face?
That week… The very same week she'd swiped her card more times than she'd care to admit. Over a hundred and fifty thousand pesos gone in seven days. New gadgets, office plants, wardrobe upgrades for Leo — and maybe one or two "accidental" online splurges on shoes she didn't need but definitely deserved.
She smirked to herself. Maybe Axel's not just mad about the company shutting down. Maybe he's fuming because I'm single-handedly trying to bankrupt Horizon's credit card.
Her inner voice sneered, "Nice going, boss lady. Next time, try not to trigger a corporate meltdown AND a personal finance crisis in one week."
Leaning forward, Danielle grabbed her phone again and typed a quick note to herself:
"Mental note: Next time Axel calls, have a budget plan ready. Or just hide the credit card."
She laughed quietly. Maybe chaos management needed a side hustle in damage control.
The holiday break wasn't going to be as peaceful as she hoped.