"So that's it?" Timothy asked Mel, adjusting the lapel mic as a crew member signaled they were off-air.

"Yes, that's it," Mel replied with a warm smile. "We've concluded the interview. Once again, thank you for your time, Mr. Guerrero. Your insights about the economy, energy, and politics… they're going to spark conversations nationwide."

Timothy gave a polite nod. "I appreciate the platform. It's rare to be allowed to speak openly on national TV."

Mel chuckled lightly. "Well, it's not every day we get someone who actually says something meaningful. Most guests come here to dodge questions."

"Old habit of politicians," Timothy said dryly.

Mel laughed softly, shaking her head. "Good thing you're not one."

"God forbid," he muttered.

A sound tech approached to remove Timothy's mic. Hana stepped forward immediately to assist, her movements professional, smooth, almost instinctive after months of working with him. When she was done, she handed him his suit jacket, which he slipped on with a quiet sigh.

One of the producers walked over, shaking Timothy's hand. "Sir, that interview was… something else. I don't think we've had anyone speak that candidly about politics and energy policy on national TV in years."

"Then that's a sign something needed to be said," Timothy replied.

The producer chuckled nervously. "Prepare for social media to explode. In a good way… maybe."

Hana crossed her arms. "If people get angry at basic truth, that's their problem."

Timothy smirked. "Let them talk. They always do."

"We are going to pay your appearance fee," the producer added suddenly, almost as an afterthought, though his expression showed he'd been rehearsing the line in his head.

Timothy paused mid-step and turned slightly toward him.

"Appearance fee?" he repeated, genuinely curious. "How much are we talking about?"

The producer straightened his blazer, pulling out a small envelope and a printed voucher. "Standard rate for prime-time guests is ₱120,000… but considering the spike we're already seeing on viewer engagement, the network approved an additional bonus. Total would be ₱300,000 for tonight's appearance."

Hana blinked, mildly impressed. Even for a major network, that was generous.

Timothy, however, simply nodded as if the number was perfectly logical. "Reasonable," he said. "Your business earns from engagement, ratings, and ad impressions. I provided content that will trend for days. Compensation is fair."

The producer looked relieved that Timothy wasn't going to object or deflect with the usual Oh no, it's okay, I don't need that.

"Exactly, sir. The analytics team just sent me early projections. Your segments are already getting clipped internally for online upload. We're expecting at least 3 to 5 million views on Facebook alone within the first 24 hours."

The producer let out a shaky laugh. "We'll wire the payment directly to your corporate account, unless you prefer another channel?"

"Corporate is fine," Timothy replied. "Send the breakdown to this lady. She handles all my administrative work and filings."

Hana nodded with a small bow. "I'll arrange everything."

"Thank you again for tonight, Mr. Guerrero," the producer said, offering another respectful handshake. "The network owes you one. In a way… you probably saved our ratings this week."

Timothy chuckled under his breath. "Then I'm glad I could help."

As the producer walked away, the envelope still in hand, Hana leaned closer and whispered, "You know, for someone worth billions, you accepted that pretty quickly."

Timothy shrugged, almost amused. "Money is money. Business is business. If they're earning from me, I should earn too. That's how the world works."

Hana laughed softly. "Fair enough."

They exited the studio together, the cool air of the hallway brushing against them as the lights and murmurs of the newsroom faded behind. Timothy loosened his collar slightly, letting the warmth of the spotlight drain off him. Interviews always demanded composure, but this one had taken more emotional weight than he expected.

Hana walked beside him, tablet in hand, scrolling through the first waves of public reaction already popping up across social media.

"Comments are everywhere," she murmured. "Twitter's exploding. Half are praising you, half are arguing with each other. The usual."

Timothy smirked. "If both sides are arguing, it means I hit the center."

"Or triggered everyone equally," she shot back.

"I consider that a skill."

They reached the end of the corridor, stepping into the elevator along with a few crew members heading home from their shift. Timothy nodded politely while Hana positioned herself between him and the crowd, something she did instinctively in public spaces.

As the elevator descended, Hana's tablet buzzed intermittently from rapid notifications. But she ignored them for the moment.

The doors slid open to the ground floor lobby.

The moment they stepped out, a few staff who had watched the interview live greeted them with small bows and shy smiles. Some whispered Timothy's name under their breath, surprised he was actually there in person. A couple looked tempted to approach for photos but held back, unsure if it was appropriate.

The security guards opened the glass doors for them, and the warm Manila night greeted them with city noise.

Parked right at the curb was the TG Horizon, its smooth LED strip glowing in a soft blue idle mode. The security escort near the vehicle quickly stepped aside and opened the rear passenger door.

Timothy entered first, settling into the leather seat with a soft sigh. Hana followed, placing her tablet on her lap.

The Horizon pulled away from the curb almost silently, merging onto the busy Quezon City traffic heading south toward BGC. Inside the cabin, ambient lighting shifted to a calm teal, the vehicle's AI recognizing it was nighttime.

For a while, neither said anything. The soft hum of electric motors filled the quiet as buildings passed by in blurred reflections.

Hana finally broke the silence.

"You did good," she said simply. "People needed to hear that."

Timothy leaned back. "Let's hope the right people heard it."

"They did," she replied. "Trust me."

Her tablet buzzed again—this time, not from social media pings, but from a new email alert. Hana glanced down casually…

…and her eyes widened.

"Tim."

"What is it?"

"You need to see this." She turned the tablet toward him. "Email from NuScale."

Timothy straightened abruptly.

"What does it say?"

"Hmm…it's long but to summarize, they are curious to why we are curious to them."

Timothy's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Prepare a video conference for tomorrow morning," Timothy instructed. "Let's meet them virtually."

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