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The gala had stretched long into the night, but Section E's laughter still echoed through the golden halls of S & J. Chandeliers shimmered like stars, and even the air buzzed with stories of Jay — the CEO who had just turned the corporate world on its head.
But while most of the world was still reeling from her revelation, Section E's chaos had already returned to normal levels of madness.
That was, until Drew's phone buzzed.
He stepped a little away from the group, half expecting another ridiculous notification from Percy's meme group chat. But his face shifted the moment he read the message. His grin faded; his brows furrowed.
"Outstanding debt: 0.00 — Paid in full. Transaction approved by: Jasper J. Fernandes Mariano."
His throat went dry. "No way…" he whispered.
"Drew, what's with that face?" Felix asked, leaning over.
He turned the screen toward them silently. One by one, everyone froze.
"Wait," Kit said slowly. "That's your betting debts."
"And the amount—" Mica blinked. "That's… a lot of zeroes."
"Bro, she paid everything?" Percy asked, jaw dropping.
Drew could only nod. His voice cracked. "Every single thing. Jay paid all my debt."
The group went quiet — rare, for Section E.Then Yuri, sipping her drink, sighed dramatically. "Of course she did. Typical Jasper move. Chaos and kindness wrapped in Prada."
Cin's eyes softened. "She's been doing this all along, hasn't she? Helping everyone quietly."
"Yeah," Keifer murmured from beside Jay's empty seat. "That's her way. Loud heart, silent hands."
Before anyone could say more, laughter from the other side of the hall sliced through the air.A cluster of overdressed girls — heirs of influential families — stood near the dessert table, whispering in sharp, sugary tones.
"Can you believe that she's the CEO?" one of them sneered, voice dripping with envy."The illegitimate one. Nobody even knows who her real father is."
"Please," another giggled. "Her mother ran off years ago. Probably couldn't handle the shame."
"And now she's pretending to be all powerful because she's surrounded by boys," a third added. "She must think acting tough will hide the fact that she doesn't belong here."
"Exactly," the first girl smirked. "Girls like her climb by pretending. It's pathetic."
Section E heard every word.
Percy's smile vanished. Mica slammed her glass down. Cin's expression darkened, and Keifer's jaw tightened visibly — that soft charm gone in an instant.
Jay, who had just returned from greeting a diplomat, paused mid-step. Her eyes, calm but cold, flicked toward the group of girls. The temperature around their table seemed to drop.
"Say that again," Cin said evenly, standing up.
The gossipers exchanged glances, feigning innocence. "We're just talking. Freedom of speech, right?"
"Freedom doesn't cover stupidity," Felix muttered.
Keifer stood too, voice low but dangerous. "You might want to stop before I forget this is a gala."
Jay lifted a hand, stopping him. Her expression was steady, almost detached. "It's fine," she said softly. "I've heard worse."
But there was something in her tone — that calm right before a storm.Section E knew her enough to stay alert.
The girls weren't smart enough to notice.
"Oh, come on," one of them laughed. "Don't act all high and mighty. You probably faked half your achievements. Some people just get lucky—"
"—and some don't know when to shut up."
The voice didn't belong to Jay.
It came from behind them — smooth, deep, and commanding enough to still the entire ballroom.
Every head turned.
At the entrance, a tall man in a sharp black suit walked in, his steps deliberate, his aura radiating quiet authority. His eyes, a calm stormy grey, locked directly onto the girls.
Rafael.
The crowd's whispers started immediately.
The prodigy who vanished three years ago.The boy whose family name once ruled half the business world — until it all collapsed in scandal, betrayal, and debt. The family had been the kind of dynasty people bowed to — until one day, their empire vanished overnight, taking reputations, lives, and billions with it.
He stopped right beside Jay, gaze unreadable. "Still letting people talk nonsense, little lion?"
Jay blinked once — surprised, then smiling faintly. "You're early."
"Couldn't help it," Rafael said softly, eyes still on the gossipers. "Heard someone barking."
The girls paled instantly. Rafael turned to them fully, voice dropping an octave.
"For those who think they can define Jasper Jean Mariano…" He took a step closer, calm but lethal. "She built what your fathers couldn't, earned what your families inherited, and carries scars none of you could survive. You're not even in the same league — literally."
The silence was deafening.
"And about her being illegitimate?" His voice sharpened. "If a lion is born outside the jungle, does it make him less of a lion — or more dangerous when he returns?"
No one dared breathe.
Rafael adjusted his cufflinks, tone suddenly light. "Next time you gossip, at least have achievements to stand on. Or a better vocabulary."
He turned back toward Jay, his expression softening instantly. "You okay?"
Jay smiled faintly. "You didn't have to do that."
"I did," he said. "Some people need reminding."
Angelo's breath caught as memories clawed at him. The old batch, the silence, the night of the expulsion…He remembered Rafael as he had been — calm, sharp, brilliant — but dangerous in that too-quiet way that made you wonder what he was really thinking.
Raefael stopped at the entrance, his eyes scanning the crowd. They were still the same — icy grey, emotionless — yet older now, heavier, as if he'd seen too much.
"Long time no see, Angelo," he said softly.
Angelo blinked, straightened, and forced a smirk."Well… if it isn't the ghost of bad decisions past."
Jay looked between them, confused. "You two know each other?"
Wait— wait—" Percy's voice cracked. "Is that… no freaking way."
Aries nearly dropped her glass. "It can't be."
Cin frowned. "Who?"
Percy turned slowly, eyes wide. "That's Raefael freaking De Santos, the one from our old Section E batch. The genius, boss's bestfriend and love rival , the nightmare of the administration, the guy who once wrote a 30-page rebuttal to a math teacher just to prove one decimal wrong!"
Aries nodded, expression stunned. "Yeah. And the one who vanished after the De Santos downfall. Everyone thought he'd left the country or gone underground."
The tension spread like wildfire.
Across the table, Angelo's smirk froze halfway. His jaw twitched. Ion went still beside him, fingers tightening around his glass.
"Well, well," Angelo said, voice dripping sarcasm. "If it isn't the ghost of the good old batch — come back to haunt us."
Ion didn't say anything, but his eyes darkened.
Cin blinked, confused. "Okay, pause. What's going on here?"
Percy whispered, "Oh boy. History. Bad history."
Jay glanced at Angelo — his expression said enough. The same look he got right before punching someone in the sparring room.
Angelo leaned back in his chair, fake-relaxed. "Didn't think you'd have the guts to show up here, Rae. Thought you'd be busy cleaning up your family's mess."
Raefael stopped just a few feet away, calm as still water."I don't clean messes," he said smoothly. "I clear them."
Ion scoffed. "Still talking like you're the smartest person in the room."
Raefael's eyes flicked toward him — cold, unreadable. "Still proving me right."
"OHHH — SOMEONE GET POPCORN," Percy whispered loudly.
Cin smacked his arm. "Not helping!"
Angelo stood, voice sharp. "You ruined my record. You cost me a position, a reputation—"
Raefael cut him off quietly. "And you earned every consequence you got. I didn't ruin you, Angelo. Your temper did."
That stung. The silence after was heavy enough to drown in.
Keifer shifted beside Jay, muttering, "Do I need to punch him or something?"
"Don't," Jay said lightly, eyes on Raefael. "This isn't about us yet."
Aries, trying to defuse, said with a shaky laugh, "Okay, wow, this feels like a reunion episode nobody signed up for."
Percy nodded. "Yeah, the kind where someone ends up throwing a champagne bottle."
Cin whispered to Yuri, "Who's winning?"
"Depends," Yuri said. "If silence was a weapon, Jay's winning. If tension was currency, we're all rich."
Angelo glared at Raefael, voice low. "Why are you here?"
Raefael's answer was simple. "Because not everyone gets to disappear forever. Some of us come back to finish what was left undone."
Ion finally spoke, quiet but edged. "You shouldn't have come back."
Raefael's faint smile didn't reach his eyes. "I could say the same to you."
Percy winced. "Oh yeah, this is going downhill fast."
Rory leaned over to Cin. "Should we intervene?"
Cin shook her head. "Nope. Let the men fight their emotional trauma out. It's free entertainment."
Keifer muttered, "This group needs therapy."
Yuri: "And a soundproof room."
Jay finally stood, calm and composed, her heels clicking against the marble. The air seemed to shift.
"Enough," she said quietly — but it was enough to silence the whole circle. "This is a gala, not a war zone."
Angelo looked at her, jaw still tight. "You don't understand—"
"I do," Jay interrupted smoothly. Her eyes flicked to Raefael. "More than you think."
For a second, Raefael's expression softened — a flicker, gone in a blink.
Section E exchanged looks.
"Wait," Percy whispered to Cin, "why does it feel like they know each other?"
Cin's eyes widened. "No. No way."
Aries gasped. "Oh, this just got interesting."
Jay just smiled — that calm, controlled, unreadable CEO smile.
And as Raefael inclined his head slightly — respectful, knowing — one thing became clear to everyone in the room:The storm wasn't over. It had just found its eye