JAY JAY POV
The moment I parked, Aries didn't even wait for the engine to fully die. He threw the door open and bolted inside the house like he was being chased by ghosts.
"Aries!" I called out, reaching for him, but he was already halfway up the stairs. The sound of his bedroom door slamming echoed through the hallway like a gunshot.
"Aries!" Tita Gemma called out, coming from the kitchen with a worried look on her face. She stopped when she saw me entering, her eyes darting toward the stairs. "What happened to him, Jay?"
"Poor Aries," a voice drawled from the living room sofa.
I looked over and saw Jeana
reclining there, looking perfectly polished while I looked like I'd been dragged through a forest—which, technically, I had. I rolled my eyes so hard it made my head ache.
"What happened to him?" Jeana asked, tilting her head with that fake-innocent look that always made me want to reach for a slipper.
I ignored her and turned to Tita Gemma, my voice softening. "Tita... Ella and Aries had a breakup. A bad one."
Tita Gemma gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my... his first real heartbreak. How will he take it? You know how that boy is, he loves with everything he has."
I nodded at Tita Gemma, but I could feel Jeana 's eyes on me like a hawk watching its prey. She stood up from the sofa, the silk of her dress rustling as she stepped into my personal space.
"How was school today, dear?" she asked, her voice dripping with that fake, sugary sweetness that made my skin itch. "I heard a little rumor that Jare decided to show his face at school today. Is that true?"
I stopped in my tracks. I was tired, I was hungry, and I had just watched my brother's heart get stomped on in the dirt. I didn't have the patience for her games.
I turned to her, my expression cold
"Look, if you want to meet him, then go meet him," I said, my voice sharp enough to cut. "Stop acting like you're just 'curious' about a rumor."
Jeana 's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, her perfectly manicured hand tightening around her designer clutch.
"After all," I leaned in closer, making sure every word hit its mark, "you are his biological mother. If you want to see the son you haven't seen in years, don't use me as your bridge. Walk across it yourself."
The silence that followed was heavy. Tita Gemma gasped, frozen near the kitchen door
Jeana didn't move. Her eyes narrowed, the "sweet mother" act flickering out to reveal the cold, calculating woman beneath. "You have quite the tongue on you, Jay-Jay. Just like your father. But be careful... sometimes the truth burns the one who says it."
The mention of my father made something inside me snap. I didn't care about the consequences anymore.
"Don't you dare talk about my father," I hissed, my voice low and dangerous. "You have no rights to talk about my father or even mention his name."
Jenna didn't flinch. Instead, she leaned back and let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. "Raycee really raised you right, didn't she?"
My vision blurred with heat.
"Talk about my mom one more time," I said, stepping closer and pointing a finger directly at her face. My hand was shaking, but it wasn't from fear. It was from the effort of not lunging at her.
"What? I'm only saying the truth," Jenna said, acting like she was the victim.
"Jay..." Tita Gemma pleaded, reaching out to stop me, but I brushed her off.
"Do you want to talk about the truth? Then fine!" I yelled, the words pouring out of me like venom. "Let's talk about how Mom—my real mom—took care of me for fifteen years! Let's talk about how she protected me while you," I pointed at her chest, "as my biological mother, couldn't even protect me for two years!"
"JAY-JAY!"
A booming voice came from the doorway. Kuya Angelo. He had just come home, and the look on his face was pure horror. But I wasn't done.
"So instead of talking about my Mom, why don't you look at yourself in the mirror and see why nobody wants you here?!"
PAKK!
The force of the slap sent my head spinning to the side. My cheek burned instantly, the stinging heat radiating through my jaw. The hallway went dead silent.
"Jenna!" Tita Gemma cried.
"Tita!" Angelo roared, stepping toward us.
I stayed like that for a second, my head bowed, my hair covering my face. I could feel the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Slowly, I turned my head back to look at her. My eyes weren't crying. They were cold. Dead cold.
"Touch me one more time," I said, my voice eerily calm, "and I will forget you're older than me. I will forget you're even related to me."
Jenna looked at her hand, then at me, a flicker of something—regret or shock—passing through her eyes. But it was too late.
"Jay, come here," Kuya Angelo said, reaching for me, his voice trembling with anger directed at Jenna.
"Don't," I muttered, pulling away. "I'm fine."
I turned around and walked up the stairs, my heart thumping against my ribs so hard it felt like it would break. I didn't look back at Tita's pale face or Jenna's trembling hands.
I slammed my bedroom door and locked it. I leaned against the wood, my breath coming in short, jagged gasps. My phone buzzed in my pocket.
From GagonBaliw: My queen.
"Not now, idiot," I hissed at the screen. My hand was still shaking from the confrontation downstairs. I didn't have the energy for some random crazy person or another one of Keifer's rivals playing mind games.
To GagonBaliw: What the hell do you want?
The reply came back almost instantly. This guy was either obsessed or had nothing better to do than haunt my inbox.
From GagonBaliw: My queen, I want to talk to you.
I let out a harsh, dry laugh. Everyone wanted to talk to me. Jenna wanted to talk, Tita Gemma wanted to talk, the Kings wanted to talk. I was the star of a tragedy I never signed up for.
To GagonBaliw: Asshole, I don't even know who you are?!
I stared at the screen, waiting for him to reveal himself.
From GagonBaliw: I'm your Future
To GagonBaliw: fuck you
From GagonBaliw: Ahh how I wish to fuck you right now 🥵💋
Leche. My jaw dropped. This wasn't some high-stakes criminal mastermind. This was a literal pervert. A total bastos! My skin crawled at the sight of the emojis.
"Idiot," I hissed, my fingers flying across the keypad so fast I almost cracked the screen.
To GagonBaliw: You're lucky I don't know who you are! The moment I find out who you are, I will kill you, you fucking bitch! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
I threw the phone onto the bed like it was radioactive. I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch something. Why is every guy in my life either a King, a liar, a protective brother, or a total psycho?!
My stomach woke me up at midnight, growling like a hungry beast. I guess crying and getting slapped really burns a lot of calories. I checked the kitchen, but since our house is currently a war zone of secrets and drama, the fridge was as empty as my social life.
Mini market here I come.
I threw on a hoodie to hide the handprint on my cheek, squeezed through the gate, and trudged down the quiet street. I grabbed some instant noodles and a chocolate bar—basically the diet of champions. I was just heading for the exit when I saw a shadow leaning against a parked car.
My heart didn't skip a beat for a good reason; it skipped a beat because I was annoyed.
Jason.
I rolled my eyes so hard I'm surprised I didn't see my own brain. Of all the people to run into during a midnight snack run, it had to be the guy who reminds me of the "old me."
"Jay-Jay," he said, his face lighting up with a smile as he pushed off the motorbike and walked toward me.
"What the fuck do you want?" I asked, not even bothering to be polite.
Jason stopped, his smile faltering as he looked me up and down. "Wow, Jay. You really aren't the same as when you were fifteen years old. You used to be so nice... so kind. You didn't even curse back then."
I let out a dry, mocking laugh. I tightened my grip on my plastic bag of junk food.
"Newsflash, Jason: fifteen-year-old Jay-Jay is dead," I snapped, stepping closer so I could look him in the eye. "The 'nice and kind' girl got tired of being everyone's punching bag. After everything that had happened did you really expect me to still be Maria Clara?"
Jason looked hurt, but I didn't feel a single drop of pity.
I tried to walk back toward the house, but he lunged forward and grabbed my hand, his grip like a vice.
"Jason, what the fuck! Let me go, asshole!" I screamed, twisting my wrist to get free. "You're acting like a creep!"
"Jay, listen to me!" Jason's voice was frantic, his eyes darting around the empty street. "Your life is in danger!"
I stopped struggling for a second and looked at him like he had grown a second head. "Why is everyone saying that? Jare, Mia... now you? Is there a group chat about my death that I wasn't invited to?"
"Because it is!" he hissed, pulling me closer. "You messed with my brother and now he wants you dead."
I blinked. Brother? "Who the hell is your brother?"
"Ram," he said.
"Oh, shit," I whispered.
Ram the guy I hurt when I went crazy
"No need to say sorry for what you did to my brother... he deserved it," Jason said, his voice dropping an octave.
I let out a harsh laugh. "In your dreams I will say sorry! Your brother did deserve it. He deserved more, actually."
"Let me go! You're digging your nails into my hand!" I yelled. He finally realized how hard he was squeezing and let go, leaving red crescent marks on my skin.
"Jay, be safe. Ram and Sato both want you dead," Jason warned.
I rubbed my wrist, feeling a headache coming on. "Who is Sato now? Is he part of a boy band? Because I don't have time for another enemy."
Jason looked at me like I was the stupidest person on earth. "Sato? He is your fucking fiancé's enemy."
For fuck's sake.
My "fiancé." Yuri
"Is that it?" I asked, leaning against the cold wall of the mini-market. "Ram wants me dead, Sato wants me dead did I miss anything? Is there a dragon I need to slay tomorrow morning?"
"This isn't a joke, Jay!" Jason said, stepping forward
"JASON."
The voice was cold, deep, and heavy enough to make the air vibrate. I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. The King of Section E had arrived.
"What the fuck, Keifer?! Why are you always here?" Jason asked, his voice dripping with annoyance. He looked like he wanted to fight, but deep down, everyone knew you don't just casually square up against Keifer Watson at midnight.
"I already told you not to talk to her or go anywhere near her," Keifer said, stepping into the dim light of the streetlamp. He looked like a predator that had just found a stray dog sniffing around his territory.
Jason let out a frustrated huff, but he knew when he was outmatched. He slowly backed away toward his motorbike, but he couldn't resist one last jab.
"Bye, Jay. See you soon, baby," Jason said with a wink.
My brain short-circuited. Baby?!
I didn't even think. I reached down, grabbed a jagged rock from the edge of the pavement, and chucked it at him with all the strength I had.
"Asshole! Call me your baby one more time and I will kill you!" I screamed at his retreating back.
The rock missed his head by inches, clattering against the metal of his bike. Jason just let out a loud, mocking laugh, kicked his engine into gear, and roared away into the night, the red light of his taillight disappearing like a taunt.
I stood there, panting, my fist still balled up and my noodles swinging in the plastic bag. I felt a presence behind me. A very large, very angry presence.
I turned to look at Keifer. He was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes burning with a mixture of possessiveness and pure rage.
"What?!" I snapped, annoyed that I was being cornered for the second time in ten minutes.
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💙🔥 AUTHOR'S NOTE — TYPO FIX 🔥💙
Hi guys!
Let me fix this mistake real quick 😭💀
My dumb brain did NOT know how to spell Jeana, so I kept typing Jenna instead 😭🤦♀️
I'm so sorry for that typo 😭✨