--: Author's POV: --
The drive back from the school after the first exam was a nightmare of silence. The Section E convoy didn't head to their usual hangouts or the Watson residence. Instead, they veered toward the heavily guarded gates of the Fernandez Estate. As the cars pulled into the driveway, the raw, explosive energy of the group finally boiled over.
Keifer hauled Jay Jay inside, followed by the rest of the gang. They marched straight into the grand lounge where Angelo, Aries, and Percy were already waiting.
"Talk!" Eman yelled, slamming his fist against a marble pillar. "Yuri is back at school acting like a villain, and Jay Jay is acting like she's seen a ghost. Someone tell me why Yuri is still breathing after what he did to us!"
The rest of Section E—crowded around, their faces red with genuine fury. They truly believed Yuri had sold them out to Kaizar.
--: Keifer's POV: --
I threw the crumpled note that Yuri had passed to Jay Jay onto the central table. Aries leaned forward, scanning the jagged handwriting before passing it to Angelo.
"Kaizar is out," I said, my voice like a blade. "And he didn't do it alone."
"How?" Rory asked, his eyes darting around. "The video we leaked was a death sentence for his reputation! No one would touch him!"
Angelo stepped forward, his face a mask of cold authority. He pulled a thick folder from his desk and tossed it next to the note.
"I received a call from an old contact in the Ministry an hour ago," Angelo said, his voice low and steady. "The order for Kaizar's release didn't come from a lawyer or a bribe. It came from the top. The paperwork was pushed through using the Hanamitichi family seal."
The room went dead silent. Angelo looked at Jay Jay with a complicated expression. "Yuri's grandfather personally signed off on the 're-evaluation' of Kaizar's case. He's using his political weight to turn a criminal back into a free man."
"Why would he do that?" Blaster asked, confused.
"Because of the failed engagement," Percy added, his voice sharp, not joking as usual. "The Hanamitichi patriarch doesn't care about Kaizar. He cares about the 'insult' we gave his family by calling off the wedding. He pulled Kaizar out of jail to be his wild dog. If Kaizar destroys us, the Hanamitichis get their revenge without ever getting their own hands dirty."
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
The room went cold as the truth sank in. My friends looked at me, their anger at Yuri slowly turning into shock.
"Yuri isn't a traitor," I whispered, my voice finally steady. "Look at the North building next time you're at school. There are scouts watching us, but yeahh! Don't make it obvious. Yuri told his grandfather he would be the one to 'break' us so he could stay close to the scouts and feed us info. He's buying us time. Every day he spends acting like a villain, he's actually being our shield."
The shock on the boys' faces was instant. Mayo looked at his hands, realizing he had almost swung at our friend for no reason.
"We have to keep playing the game," Angelo said, his voice commanding the room. "The scouts need to see a fractured Section E. If they see even a hint of friendship toward Yuri, he's dead, and you're next. You finish these exams. You act like you hate him. You give Yuri the cover he needs to keep you alive."
"And for the rest of this week, you're all staying here. I'm not letting you go back to your house until these exams are over. I need all of you under one roof where I can ensure your safety. Also, Keifer-bring your bothers here."
--: Author's POV: --
The week that followed was a grueling test of endurance. Every single morning, regardless of how exhausted she was, Jay Jay woke up at 4:00 AM. In the quiet of her room, she studied by the dim light of a desk lamp. The trauma of seeing Yuri—at school every day was a heavy weight, but she channeled that fear into her books, refusing to let Kaizar win.
At school, Section E played their parts perfectly. They treated Yuri like an outcast, their voices loud and full of "hatred" whenever they were near the windows of the North building.
Friday: The Final Bell.
As the last exam ended, the tension reached a boiling point. Jay Jay walked to the parking lot, catching Yuri's eye on the balcony one last time. He gave a tiny, almost invisible nod—the signal that the protection of the school was over.
--: Keifer's POV: --
As we pulled away from the gates, my phone vibrated. It was a restricted text:
💌From, [Unknown]
The scouts are pulling back. Kaizar is off the leash. Midnight the war will starts.
I looked at Jay Jay. Her eyes were hard, the "student" version of her gone, replaced by the fighter I knew.
"The 'So-Called Traitor' just sent the signal," I said to the group. "No more books. No more acting. We're going to end this tonight."
--: Author's POV: --
The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in a bruised purple. The Fernandez estate was no longer a home; it was a fortress. Inside the main hall, the air was thick with the metallic click of equipment and the low, urgent murmurs of Section E. The textbooks had been tossed aside, replaced by the tools of survival.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I stood in the center of the lounge, my heart thumping a steady rhythm. After a week of waking up at 4:00 AM to study, my body was running on pure adrenaline.
Angelo stopped in the middle of the room, his eyes locking onto mine, then shifting to Keiran and Keigan, who were standing near the staircase. "The perimeter is breached. Keifer, get them into the safe room. Now."
"What? No!" I stepped back, shaking my head. "I'm not hiding while you guys are out here. I'm part of Section E, I can help—"
"Jay, stop," Keifer said, his voice firm.
"I won't! I'm staying!" I argued, my stubbornness flaring up. I wasn't going to let them face Kaizar alone while I sat in a box.
--: Author's POV: --
Keifer didn't have time for a debate. Time was a luxury they didn't have. Without another word, he stepped forward and, in one swift motion, hoisted Jay Jay off her feet, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
"Keifer! Put me down! This is kidnapping!" she yelled, her fists pounding against his back.
Keifer didn't flinch. He looked at his brothers. "Keiran, Keigan—move. Fast."
The two younger brothers didn't hesitate. They followed closely behind Keifer as he marched toward the hidden wing of the mansion. He reached a nondescript wood-paneled wall, pressed a hidden catch, and a heavy, reinforced door swung open to reveal the secret room.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
He finally set me down inside. I immediately spun around to bolt back through the door, but Keifer caught my shoulders, pinning me gently but firmly against the cool wall.
"Listen to me," he said, his eyes burning with an intensity that stopped the words in my throat. "Kaizar isn't coming for a fair fight. He has Hanamitichi professionals with him. If you are out there, I'll be looking for you instead of watching my own back. Please. Stay here. For me."
I looked at him, seeing the raw fear for my safety behind his tough exterior. My defiance crumbled. "Fine," I whispered. "I'll stay."
Keifer breathed a shaky sigh of relief. He glanced over his shoulder at Keiran and Keigan, who were watching the scene with wide, nervous eyes.
"You two, turn around" Keifer commanded.
Keiran and Keigan immediately spun around, facing the back wall of the room. Keifer turned back to me, cupped my face in his hands, and leaned in, giving me a quick, firm kiss on the lips. It was brief, but it carried all the weight of the things he couldn't say.
"Take care of yourself," I whispered as he pulled away. "And please... take care of everyone else. Don't let anything happen to them."
"I promise," he said. He stepped out and the heavy door hissed shut, locking with a final, mechanical thud.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The moment the door locked, the "Brother and Lover" in me was gone. I sprinted back to the lounge where the rest of Section E was waiting.
"Section E—positions!" I yelled.
I looked at the gate monitors. The lead SUV door opened, and Kaizar stepped out. He was holding a crowbar, swinging it casually. He looked up at the camera and grinned—a chilling, jagged expression that meant he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Angelo! They're here!" I shouted.
--: Author's POV: --
As if on cue, a massive explosion rocked the west side of the mansion. The sound was deafening, vibrating through the floors even into the secret room. The power flickered and died, plunging the estate into a terrifying, pitch-black darkness.
"Here we go," Angelo whispered in the dark, the sound of a safety being clicked off echoing through the silent room.
The war hadn't just started. It had smashed through the walls.
The explosion didn't just rattle the windows; it felt like the earth itself had split open. The West Wing of the Fernandez estate was engulfed in a cloud of dust and debris as the Hanamitichi "Cleaners" blew the reinforced side-entry.
Inside the mansion, the world went black. There were no lights here—only the oppressive, heavy darkness of a home under siege. The only illumination came from the faint, flickering blue glow of the security monitors within the secret room and the cold moonlight filtering through the dust in the hallways.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
The room shook so violently that I nearly fell. My heart wasn't just racing; it was hammering against my ribs so hard it hurt. My hands were trembling, and for a second, the sheer terror of that explosion almost made me scream. I was terrified—more than I had ever been in my life.
But then I felt the two smaller bodies press against me. Keiran and Keigan let out sharp gasps, their breathing coming in shallow, jagged bursts. They were shaking uncontrollably, their eyes wide and glassy with a fear that broke my heart.
I took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing my own hands to go still. I had to be the strong one. I had to be their anchor.
I pulled them both into a tight, protective hug. They clung to me, their fingers digging into my sweater like I was the only thing keeping them from being swallowed by the dark.
"It's okay, it's okay," I whispered urgently, my voice barely a thread but steady enough to ground them. I pressed my cheek against Keiran's hair. "Stay quiet. We have to be completely silent. Nothing is going to happen to us. Angelo and Keifer are out there. They won't let anyone through that door."
"Are they going to hurt Kuya?" Keigan whimpered, his voice muffled against my shoulder.
"No one is hurting anyone," I lied, swallowing the lump of fear in my own throat. "We just need to stay still and be quiet. Like a game, okay? A very important game."
I held them until their shaking began to subside, then I turned my eyes to the bank of monitors, the blue light reflecting the unshed tears in my eyes.
--: Author's POV: --
On the screens, the world was rendered in ghostly green night-vision. Shadows moved with lethal precision through the dark hallways. These weren't street thugs; they moved in formation, silenced weapons raised, scanning every corner of the Fernandez home.
Suddenly, a flash of movement appeared on the screen labeled Main Gallery.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The darkness was my best friend. I pressed my back against the cold marble pillar, feeling the vibration of heavy boots on the floor. I didn't need light; I knew every inch of this mansion.
"Keifer, on your right !!" Angelo's voice crackled in my earpiece, barely a whisper.
I lunged.
The first intruder didn't even have time to raise his weapon. I caught him in a chokehold, using his own momentum to slam him against the wall. To my left, Calix and Eren emerged from the shadows like ghosts. There was no shouting—just the brutal, muffled sounds of a fight for survival in the pitch-black hallway.
"Clear" Calix whispered, his breathing heavy.
"They're bypassing the lounge," I realized, looking toward the West corridor. "They're heading for the internal power hub. They want to kill the electronic locks on the secret room."
My blood ran cold. They weren't just here to kill us. They were here for the leverage. They were coming for Jay.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I watched the monitor in horror. Two men in tactical gear were setting something on the wall outside our door. I squeezed Keiran and Keigan tighter, my palms pressing over their mouths to dampen any sound. My own heart felt like it was going to stop.
"Please, Keifer," I breathed, staring at the screen. "Please be fast."
On the screen, a shadow dropped from the ceiling vent directly behind the two men. It was Keifer. He looked terrifying in the green light of the camera—fast, silent, and merciless. He took down the first man with a strike to the neck and tackled the second before he could reach for his sidearm.
The fight was a blur of violence. Keifer was fighting with a desperation I had never seen before. He wasn't just defending a house; he was defending us.
--: Author's POV: --
In the main foyer, the front doors groaned. Kaizar walked in, stepping over the glass shards as if he were an invited guest. He held a flare, the red light casting long, dancing shadows on the expensive paintings and marble walls.
"Section E!" Kaizar's voice echoed, loud and taunting. "I know you're in here! Why hide? The exams are over! Let's see who really passes the final test!"
Angelo stepped out into the red light of the flare, his silhouette imposing and calm. He didn't look like a brother or a businessman. He looked like the head of the Fernandez house.
"You're on the wrong property, Kaizar," Angelo said, his voice echoing with a terrifying stillness. "And you've made a very big mistake."