Jay’s POV The piles of paperwork never seemed to end.
Every time I finished one file, three more somehow found their way onto my desk.
It was exhausting, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
A part of me didn’t even care enough to get up and take care of myself anymore.
I just had to keep moving.
Had to keep working.
If I stopped…
I’d start thinking.
The paperwork felt like mountains pressing down on my shoulders, making my head throb from exhaustion.
My eyes burned from staring at the same pages for hours, but I forced myself to keep reading anyway.
Knock.
Knock.
“Come in,” I called, not even bothering to look up from the file in my hands.
“Planning on working yourself to death, bestie?” My breath caught in my throat.
That voice…
I slowly looked up.
“Sakura?” She stood by the doorway with a small smile, balancing a tray filled with food and a steaming mug.
The smell alone reminded me that I hadn’t eaten anything since…
honestly, I couldn’t even remember.
“I thought you were coming tomorrow,” I said quietly, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.
She walked over without saying a word and gently placed the tray on the only empty corner of my desk, carefully avoiding the mountains of paperwork.
“I heard what happened,” she said softly.
“Marcus told me.” Her expression softened as she looked at me.
“Jay…
Kate’s okay.
She’s safe.” I stayed silent.
She sighed before continuing.
“You need to relax, even if it’s just for a little while.
You’ve been carrying everything on your own again.” She gave me a small smile.
“You still have me…
and Ezra.
You don’t have to do this alone.” I let out a quiet sigh, leaning back in my chair.
“Speaking of that idiot…” I muttered, squinting at her.
“He disappeared into another world or something.” Sakura let out an awkward laugh.
“Honestly…
you’re not wrong.” She shrugged.
“Who knows where that idiot ran off to?
Probably dragged his family on some random vacation without telling anyone.” For the first time all day, the corner of my mouth twitched into a tiny smile.
It didn’t last long.
Then something hit me.
School.
Inheritance.
My eyes widened.
Crap.
Sakura noticed the way all the color seemed to drain from my face.
“…Jay?” I let my head fall onto the desk with a loud thud.
I groaned into the wood.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” “What happened?” Sakura asked, sounding concerned.
I shot upright so fast my chair nearly tipped over.
“Inheritance!” I blurted, throwing my hands into the air.
I can’t let him take them away!” Sakura’s smile slowly disappeared.
She looked at me for a long moment before speaking.
“…Kuya Angelo is your brother, Jay.” I looked away, clenching my fists.
“I know, Sakura.” My voice came out quieter at first before anger took over.
“I know he’s my brother.” I slammed my fist onto the desk, making a few papers slide off the pile.
“But if he gets custody…” I swallowed hard.
“Jeana gets to keep them too.” The thought alone made my stomach twist.
“I don’t fucking trust her.” I glared at the floor, my jaw tightening.
“She’s a monster.” The room fell silent.
Even saying her name out loud made my blood boil.
There was no way…
No way in hell I was letting Marcus and Kate end up anywhere near her again.
I grabbed my car keys from the desk without wasting another second.
“I’ll head to school and pick up a few things,” I muttered, mostly to myself.
“Probably my homework too.” I turned back to Sakura before reaching the door.
“…Please take care of them while I’m gone.” She gave me a reassuring smile and nodded.
“Don’t worry.
I’ve got them.” I gave her a small nod in return before leaving.
A few minutes later, I was driving toward school.
The roads were familiar, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.
Every thought felt heavier than the last.
Custody.
Inheritance.
Kate.
Marcus.
School.
Everything was piling up at once, and I felt like I was carrying the weight of the whole world on my shoulders.
By the time I parked and walked through the school gates, I already felt exhausted again.
“Ah, Jay-Jay!” I looked up.
It was Sir Alvin, smiling as he walked toward me with a stack of papers in his hands.
“Here are your assignments,” he said, handing them over.
“Since you’ve been away for a while, make sure you catch up.
I know you can do it.” “Thanks, Sir.” We talked for a couple of minutes about school, my missing classes, and a few upcoming projects.
It was a nice distraction…
but only for a little while.
As we parted ways, I started walking toward the parking lot.
I just wanted to go home.
Then a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.
“I have a plan!” I froze.
I knew that voice.
…Keifer Watson.
*************************************** Keifer’s POV Aries’s cousin.
Just hearing those words was enough to make my blood boil.
My fists curled into tight balls beneath the desk.
My jaw clenched so hard it almost hurt.
Then…
An idea crossed my mind.
Slowly, the corner of my lips lifted into a smile.
“I have a plan,” I announced to the whole of Section E.
Almost everyone turned to look at me.
everyone except Cin and David, who were absent today.
Josh raised an eyebrow.
“What plan?” I leaned back in my chair, the smile on my face growing wider.
“I’ll make her fall for me.” The classroom went silent.
“…What?” Josh asked, staring at me like I’d lost my mind.
“I’ll make her fall in love with me…” I said slowly.
“…and then I’ll mess her up.” My eyes darkened.
Every thought in my head was consumed by one thing.
Revenge.
Yuri frowned.
“I don’t think that’s right,” he said quietly, making sure only I could hear.
I shot him a glare.
“And I don’t care.” Edrix let out a slow sigh, leaning back in his chair.
“That’s…
dangerous.” Maybe it was.
Maybe it wasn’t.
I’d looked through her school records.
They were a complete mess.
Warnings.
Detentions.
Troublemaker.
Bad girl.
But none of that mattered to me.
Bad girls could still fall in love.
And when they did…
They could still get their hearts broken.
Lately, though…
Yuri had been acting weird.
Ever since Jay transferred here.
It didn’t make sense.
Jay was Aries’s cousin.
So why was Yuri suddenly okay with her?
Why wasn’t he angry like the rest of us?
The thought alone made my blood boil.
I tightened my fists.
I was going to break her heart.
Aries still loved Jay.
I could see it every time he looked at her.
The pain in his eyes wasn’t something you could fake.
A satisfied smile spread across my face.
Then I glanced at Yuri.
His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
His jaw was locked.
He looked away without saying another word.
For some reason…
He looked angry.
Not at Jay.
At me.