Jay-Jay POV
As soon as I reached the Hamamtich estate, the first thing I saw was that red rooster.
Yuri.
Standing by the entrance like he was waiting for divine forgiveness.
He looked guilty.
He should be.
"Jay, you look good," he said, voice soft. "Please don't mess this up."
Excuse me?
Last time I checked, he's the one who detonated the engagement like a toddler with a matchbox.
I opened my mouth to respond — something sharp, something final — but his mother appeared.
"Jay," she said, voice trembling. "Please come. Can I speak to you privately?"
I nodded, mostly out of curiosity.
We walked into a side room — velvet chairs, fake flowers, too much perfume in the air.
I sat.
She didn't.
She looked at me like I was holding her son's fate in my hands.
"Please, Jay," she said. "Don't mess this up for my son. I know you don't like him, but… he's hurting. He almost died in King's Ground when he couldn't get that Ella."
Her eyes were red. Her voice cracked.
I didn't flinch.
"Look," I said, calm and cold. "I don't like your son. And what happened to Ella? That's on you. You told Keifer to keep her away from Yuri. You built the wall. Don't cry about the distance."
She blinked.
And just like that, the softness cracked.
Her expression shifted — no more trembling voice, no more pleading eyes. Just steel.
"Look," she said, voice clipped and cold. "I'm trying to be nice here. So listen to me and marry my son. Or else it'll be the end of Fer-Crop."
I stared at her.
"Are you blackmailing me?" I asked, voice flat.
She didn't flinch.
"If that's what you want to think," she said, lips curling. "Then go ahead. Assume I'm blackmailing you."
I leaned back in the chair, arms crossed, heart steady.
"Fine," I said.
She looked smug — like she'd won.
But then I spoke again.
And her expression cracked.
"Go ahead," I said. "Destroy Fer-Crop. And I'll ruin your son's life."
Her eyes narrowed. "How?"
I tilted my head, smirked like I already held the detonator.
"His affairs with Freya," I said. "What do you think will happen when the world finds out the Hanamichi heir was sleeping around and wrecking a girl's life in the process?"
She froze.
I didn't blink.
"Your son," I continued, voice like ice, "is not a victim. He's a scandal waiting to happen. And if you push me — if you try to force me into this engagement — I will make sure every headline screams his name."
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
I stood slowly, boots clicking against the marble like a countdown.
"You came here thinking I was weak," I said. "You forgot I'm a Mariano."
And then I left her there — stunned, silent, and suddenly very aware of who she'd just threatened.
I walked straight to the Hamamtich headmaster's office, heels clicking like a countdown.
"I'm canceling the engagement," I said, voice sharp, eyes steady.
He blinked, tried to ask a question — something about protocol or paperwork — but Yuri's mother cut him off.
"No need," she said, voice tight. "Let her go."
I didn't wait for applause.
I walked out like I owned the building.
Outside, I pulled out my phone and called Kuya Percy.
"Is the document ready?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "I wrote it with my beautiful fingers."
I rolled my eyes. "Good. Come pick me up. The engagement is officially canceled."
"Thank God," he said. "Because I thought my beautiful hand was about to crave blood."
I sighed. "I just can't with you."
"Come with Kuya Jare," I added.
Percy snorted. "As if he'd stay home. Tell him he can't come and he'll show up in war paint."
I hung up and waited.
Ten minutes later, a sleek black car pulled up.
Kuya Percy in the driver's seat, sunglasses on like he was starring in a mafia film.
Kuya Jare beside him, arms crossed, jaw set, ready to burn kingdoms.
I climbed in.
No words.
Just fire.
We drove straight to the Fernandez estate.
Because if the Hamamtiches thought they could play me—
They forgot I came with backup.
And we don't lose.