(A/N: Before I start this chapter I just wanted to tell you all that there will be mix in events from the og book.
And since the events will be the same as the og I won’t be adding it because I don’t want you all to be bored to death.
So now!
This scene will take place after two events.
After Jay helps cin claiming she was the one who stole the money.
And after she helped Eman at the restaurant.) *****************************o((>ω< ))oo((>ω< ))oo((>ω< ))o************************************** Jay’s POV I sat at the dining table, aggressively cutting into the roasted chicken on my plate with far more force than necessary.
The poor thing had done absolutely nothing to deserve my frustration, yet my fork and knife kept attacking it as if it were personally responsible for the chaos in my life.
If anyone had walked in without context, they probably would’ve thought I was trying to declare war on dinner.
Honestly…
What was that king of ulupong’s problem?
So what if Kiko confessed to me?
It wasn’t like I liked Kiko in the first place.
He was nice enough, sure, but that was it.
And if I was being brutally honest…
his accent could definitely use some work.
Yet somehow, Keifer had acted as though Kiko’s confession was some personal attack against him.
The nerve of that guy was unbelievable.
“ATE!” I jumped so hard that my fork slipped from my hand and clattered against the plate.
Blinking, I looked across the table to find Marcus staring at me with his eyebrows raised, while Kate giggled softly beside him.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.
Marcus continued staring at me for another second before letting out a small sigh.
“Were you even listening?” A guilty feeling crept into my chest.
I looked down at my plate and swallowed.
“…No.” “I wasn’t.” Marcus sighed dramatically, shaking his head like he was the older sibling instead of me.
“I’ve been talking about school for, like, five minutes.” “I know.” I let out a weak laugh.
“Sorry.” The truth was…
I couldn’t focus.
No matter how hard I tried, Keifer’s face kept forcing its way into my thoughts.
His stupid smirk.
Everything about him irritated me.
So why couldn’t I stop thinking about him?
I gripped my fork tighter.
It didn’t make any sense.
He’d admitted it himself.
Getting close to me had been nothing more than part of his revenge.
A plan.
Every moment that made me question him…
The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I hated him for it.
“…Ate?” “Hm?” “I think the chicken’s already dead.” Kate burst into laughter.
Despite myself, I rolled my eyes and let out a small sigh.
“…Yeah.” “I think it is too.” Whatever it was…
I couldn’t fall for him.
I refused to.
No matter how many times Keifer’s face found its way back into my thoughts, I couldn’t let myself forget the truth.
Everything had started as a plan to him.
Revenge.
“I hate your friends.” Marcus’s voice cut through my thoughts so suddenly that I looked up from my plate.
He was staring straight at me from across the dining table, his arms folded tightly across his chest.
Beside him, Sakura quietly nudged his elbow as if silently telling him to stop, but Marcus didn’t even spare her a glance.
My lips parted in surprise.
“…B-Bakit?” The question escaped me before I could stop it.
Marcus let out a quiet sigh, his serious expression making him look older than fourteen.
For a few seconds, he didn’t answer.
He simply looked at me, disappointment written all over his face.
Even Kate had stopped eating.
She lowered her spoon onto her plate, her small shoulders drooping as she glanced between Marcus and me.
“You’ve been too distracted lately, Ate,” Marcus finally said, his voice calmer now.
“Ever since everything started happening with your friends…
you barely pay attention anymore.” His words made my chest tighten.
“You don’t laugh with us like you used to.
When we tell you stories, you nod…
but you’re not really listening.” He looked down at his plate before speaking again, much quieter this time.
“It’s like…
you forgot we exist.” The room fell silent.
I stared at Marcus, unable to find the right words.
I wanted to tell him he was wrong.
But I couldn’t.
Because he wasn’t.
Sakura reached for the glass of water beside her and drank it in one go before setting it back on the table with a soft sigh.
She looked at me with gentle, worried eyes but didn’t interrupt.
For the first time that evening…
I realized just how much my siblings had been hurting while I’d been too busy drowning in my own thoughts.
My fists slowly curled beneath the table.
Marcus was right.
Somewhere along the way, I’d become so caught up in everything happening with Section E—the endless drama, the arguments, Keifer, the inheritance, and everything in between—that I’d started neglecting the two people who mattered most.
Marcus.
Kate.
The two children I’d promised to protect no matter what.
Guilt settled heavily in my chest as I bit down on my lower lip, trying to push back the lump forming in my throat.
I slowly lifted my eyes and looked at them.
Marcus sat quietly across from me, pretending to be interested in the food on his plate, while Kate absentmindedly swung her legs beneath her chair.
They were still just kids.
And somehow…
I’d made them feel forgotten.
A small, apologetic smile found its way onto my face.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered before taking a slow breath.
“Since Sakura has to leave for Japan soon, I’m staying home tomorrow.” Both Marcus and Kate looked up at me.
“No paperwork.
No meetings.
No Section E.
No work.” I smiled a little wider, warmth finally returning to my voice.
“No phones either.
It’ll just be the three of us.
We’ll spend the whole day together.” Kate’s eyes lit up almost instantly.
She tilted her head, looking at me as if she wanted to make sure she’d heard correctly.
“So…
Kuya and I don’t have to go to school tomorrow?” she asked hopefully.
I couldn’t help but laugh softly.
I shook my head.
“No school tomorrow.” The biggest smile spread across Kate’s face.
“Yay!” Without another word, she jumped off her chair, ran over to Marcus, and grabbed his hand with both of hers.
“C’mon, Kuya!” she laughed excitedly.
“We need to sleep early!
Tomorrow is sibling day with Ate!” Marcus let out an amused sigh, though the corner of his mouth finally lifted into a genuine smile.
“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, letting his little sister drag him toward the stairs.
Before disappearing upstairs, he glanced back at me.
“…Thanks, Ate.” Those two simple words were enough to make the tightness in my chest ease.
I watched the two of them disappear around the corner, Kate happily chatting about all the things she wanted us to do tomorrow while Marcus patiently listened.
Only after they were gone did I let out the breath I’d been holding.
Maybe…
Tomorrow was exactly what all three of us needed.
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