Jayjay POV
The living room was buzzing, but in a quieter, more settled way. Aunt Gemma and my mom had gone to bed, leaving us to finish the evening in a more relaxed, casual chaos. Most of us were scattered around—some on the dining chairs, some sprawled across the couch. I was sitting next to Keifer, who still had this protective, calm aura, though his arms felt warm around me.
Angelo turned his sharp gaze toward Adrian and Ciel. "Alright… you two. Introduce yourselves to me."
Ciel sat up straighter, adjusting her hair, and gave a small, confident smile. "I'm Ciel Voss Delacruze. I'm 17, born July 8, 2008, in Japan. My hometown is in the Philippines, though I'm also half Chinese. My skills… well, I can code, hack, practice martial arts, dance, and skate."
The room went a little quiet for a beat. Everyone's eyes widened slightly. I could feel the tension break when the Section E boys exchanged impressed looks.
"I speak Tagalog, English, Chinese, Korean, and a little Japanese," she continued, her voice calm and precise. "My parents, Adrian Voss Delacruze Sr. and Mable Voss Delacruze, unfortunately passed away in a plane crash. My grandparents are Mr. Jian Voss Delacruze and Mrs. Liza Voss Delacruze. Our family owns Voss Interactive Arcade Corp, the largest gaming company in the Philippines, and one of the biggest malls here. Most of the games in our company were created by Adrian since he was thirteen, and the company extends overseas."
I caught my breath. My eyes flicked to Keifer, who just raised his eyebrows and smirked slightly.
"Oh… and my personal worth is about 36 million dollars," Ciel finished. A few of the boys whistled softly, and I couldn't help but hide a giggle behind my hand.
Adrian got up from beside her. "I'm Adrian Voss Delacruze Jr., Ciel's older brother. I'm 18, born October 27, 2007, in South Korea. My hometown is also the Philippines, half China. My skills… dancing, basketball, tennis, hacking, tracking, and inverting games."
A couple of jaws dropped when he casually mentioned hacking and game inverting.
"I speak the same languages as Ciel," he added, "and, well… worth-wise, I'm 48 million dollars."
I blinked. 36 and 48 million… that's… a lot. My eyes must've widened because Ciel shot me a teasing look.
"And… since I was thirteen, I've been designing games for our company," Adrian said, with a small grin. Ci-n, sitting cross-legged nearby, perked up instantly.
"You could make a game of me, right?" Ci-n asked excitedly.
Adrian laughed. "Hmm… maybe, if I have the time."
The rest of the boys immediately jumped in with requests. "Make one for me too!" "Don't forget mine!" "Yeah, mine should be the toughest boss!" The room filled with playful teasing and laughter.
Angelo chuckled softly before leaning back. "Alright… I'm Angelo Fernandez, owner of Fernandez Corp. Also Jayjay's cousin."
Keifer leaned slightly closer to me, smirking. "And I'm your future cousin-in-law," he whispered, and I poked him in the side, making him chuckle.
The boys couldn't resist teasing him further, and the laughter bounced around the room. Percy even came over to me, holding my face gently but exaggeratedly, like he was checking if I was okay. I couldn't help but laugh, which only made Aries smirk and smack Percy on the head.
Dinner was lively, filled with chatter about games, languages, and random teasing. Even in the middle of serious introductions, the room somehow felt light and playful.
After dinner, it was time to leave. Keifer pulled me into a tight hug before heading out. I felt safe, warm, and a little sad as he let go.
Angelo, ever the big cousin, turned to Yuri, David, and Ci-n. "Alright, you three, help pull him out of here."
The three boys grinned, teasingly tugging Keifer like he was a child being taken from his favorite toy. Keifer's face twisted like a mock pout, and he flailed dramatically, making everyone laugh as they "escorted" him out.
Once they were gone, Angelo turned to me. "Jayjay… go upstairs. Take a shower and get to bed. Tomorrow will be another long day."
I nodded, my mind still buzzing from the evening. Despite all the teasing, the introductions, and the wealth and skills revelations, one thing was clear—I was exactly where I needed to be.