Jay’s Pov:
By second period, I had already made my decision.
I wasn’t explaining myself anymore.
The bell rang.
I closed my notebook, slipped it into my bag, and stood.
Before I could leave, Yuri stepped in front of my desk.
Yuri: “Jayjay, please. Just listen to us once.”
I looked at him.
Jayjay: “No.”
He hesitated.
Yuri: “But—”
Jayjay: “I said no.”
My voice wasn’t loud.
It didn’t have to be.
One by one, the others looked up.
Ci-N.
Eman.
Kit.
Calix.
Blaster.
Edrix.
Eren.
Mayo.
Josh.
Denzel.
Felix.
Rory.
David.
They had all been there yesterday.
They had all watched.
I looked across the room.
Jayjay: “Yesterday, you watched someone hurt me.”
Nobody answered.
Jayjay: “Today, you’re suddenly concerned because I’m not smiling at you?”
Mayo swallowed.
Mayo: “We didn’t know what to do.”
I gave him a cold smile.
Jayjay: “Standing there and watching was a choice too.”
David lowered his eyes.
Ci-N looked uncomfortable.
Kit started to speak.
I stopped him with one look.
Jayjay: “Don’t.”
He closed his mouth.
I picked up my bag.
Jayjay: “I’m not asking you to understand me. I’m simply telling you not to expect things to go back to normal.”
I walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
Jayjay: “And don’t mistake my silence for forgiveness.”
I left.
The moment I entered the hallway, my phone vibrated.
KK:
Love.
Jayjay:
Don’t.
Then RK sent a quieter message.
RK:
Baby, we’re not asking because we’re angry.
A second message followed.
RK:
We’re asking because we’re worried.
My expression softened.
Then PK finally messaged.
PK:
Baby, you don’t have to handle everything alone.
I stared at the screen.
For a moment, the coldness disappeared.
Jayjay:
I’m okay.
PK answered almost immediately.
PK:
We know you’re strong.
Then—
PK:
That’s exactly why we’re worried you think you have to be strong every second.
I didn’t know what to say.
My eyes stung slightly.
Before I could reply, T appeared.
T:
Also, if someone makes Love cry, I’m filing a complaint against the universe.
I laughed.
Jayjay:
Idiot.😂
M:
SHE LAUGHED.
K:
Mission accomplished.
Jayjay:
You people are impossible.
KK:
But we’re yours.
That made me smile again.
That was Chaos.
No pressure.
No judgment.
Just people who somehow knew when I needed a joke instead of another question.
When I returned, the classroom became quiet.
I walked straight toward my desk.
Keifer was there.
Our paths almost crossed.
He looked at me.
I walked past him.
No pause.
No anger.
No reaction.
Nothing.
I didn’t even acknowledge his existence.
He had expected anger.
Maybe hatred.
Anything would have been easier.
Instead, I gave him nothing.
Keifer watched me sit down.
Inside, it hurt.
Because hatred would have meant I still cared enough to look at him.
I didn’t.
My phone vibrated again.
PK:
Whatever happens outside this chat, you still have us.
RK:
Always.
KK:
Always.
T:
Always, Love.
K:
No matter what.
M:
No exceptions.
R:
No disappearing.
S:
And no pretending you’re fine when you’re not.
C:
You’re not carrying everything alone.
I looked at the messages.
Then smiled.
A real smile.
Across the classroom, several people noticed.
Nobody understood why.
Nobody knew who was making me smile.
My phone buzzed again.
T:Love, we’re almost there.
I immediately replied.
Jayjay:
Don’t come to school.
K:
Why?
Jayjay:
Because I don’t need nine idiots causing a scene outside my classroom.
M:
We would never.
R:
You absolutely would.
S:
He’s right.
I smiled.
Jayjay:
Send my car instead.
A moment later—
PK:
Which one, Baby?
Jayjay: SP Automotive Chaos.
(check comment for picture )
There was a pause.
T: The Chaos?
Jayjay: Yes.
K: Love, you’re going to cause a disaster.
Jayjay: Not my problem.
RK: One bodyguard?
Jayjay: One.
PK: Fine.
Then another message appeared.
PK: But you’re not walking home.
I smiled.
Jayjay: Deal.
The final bell rang.
Students flooded into the parking area.
I walked outside with my bag over one shoulder.
Then a deep engine sounded.
Everyone turned.
A sleek SP Automotive Chaos entered the parking lot.
The conversations stopped almost immediately.
Phones came out.
Whispers spread.
Student 1: “Whose car is that?”
Student 2: “That’s definitely not an ordinary car.”
Student 3: “Maybe Yuri’s?”
Student 4: “Could be Keifer’s.”
Student 5: “Maybe Aris?”
The car stopped.
A single bodyguard stepped out.
He walked around the vehicle and opened the door.
Then he took the keys and walked directly toward me.
The crowd went silent.
He stopped.
Bodyguard: “Ma’am.”
I took the keys.
Jayjay: “Thank you.”
The parking lot erupted.
Mayo: “WAIT! That’s hers?!”
Josh: “Since when does Jayjay have a car like that?”
Denzel: “Where did you even get it?”
Felix: “And why is there a bodyguard?”
Rory: “Jayjay, seriously?”
Eman: “Are you secretly rich?”
Kit looked completely confused.
Calix kept staring at the vehicle.
Blaster folded his arms.
Blaster: “You’re hiding something.”
I looked at him.
Jayjay: “Everyone hides something.”
That ended the conversation.
Josh hurried forward.
Josh: “At least tell us whose car it is.”
I opened the driver’s door.
Looked over my shoulder.
Jayjay: “None of your business”
I got inside.
The engine roared.
And I drove away.
No explanation.
No permission.
No apology.
I didn’t go home.
Instead, I drove somewhere I hadn’t visited in years.
The gates appeared ahead.
Tall.
Black.
Silent.
The old Mariano Mansion.
The security system recognized the vehicle.
The gates opened.
I drove inside.
For a moment, I simply looked at the enormous house.
The gardens had become overgrown.
The fountain was still.
Dust covered the windows.
Everything looked frozen in time.
But it was still standing.
Waiting.
I parked and stepped out.
The front doors opened.
I walked inside.
My footsteps echoed through the empty hall.
Then my phone vibrated.
PK:
Baby, reached?
Jayjay:
Yes.
RK:
Safe?
Jayjay:
Completely.
T:
Where are you?
I looked around the mansion.
Jayjay:
Home.
K:
Your actual home?
Jayjay:
Yes.
KK:
The mansion?
I smiled.
Jayjay:
Yes.
I walked toward the staircase.
At the top hung an old portrait covered with a white sheet.
I pulled it away.
The Mariano crest stared back at me.
For a moment, memories returned.
Then I walked into the study.
A hidden panel recognized my fingerprint.
ACCESS GRANTED.
The wall opened.
Behind it was a private room filled with screens, files, records, and information that no one outside my inner circle knew existed.
I looked at the screens.
My expression became cold.
Jayjay: “Let’s see who’s been watching Section E.”
The mansion locked itself.
For the first time in years, it was awake.
I spent hours going through the footage.
The watcher appeared several times.
Never close enough to identify.
Never far enough to be accidental.
Then I noticed a symbol.
I had seen it before.
I searched through the old files.
One connection appeared.
Then another.
Section E.
The watcher.
An old name.
And something connected to my past.
I leaned back.
Jayjay: “Interesting.”
I didn’t have the complete answer.
Not yet.
But I had a direction.
And that was enough.
A knock came from the study door.
I turned.
Mr.
William stood there.
The old butler had served the Mariano family for years.
His eyes softened when he saw me.
Mr.
William: “Miss Jay.”
Jayjay: “Mr. William.”
He looked around the room.
Mr.
William: “I never thought I’d see this house alive again.”
I handed him a list.
Jayjay: “Then let’s change that.”
He looked down at the instructions.
Mr.
William: “Everything?”
Jayjay: “Everything.”
I pointed toward the hallway.
Jayjay: “Clean the entire mansion. Restore the gardens. Open the guest rooms. Check the security system. Prepare the kitchen, library, dining hall, bedrooms, and staff quarters.”
He nodded.
Mr.
William: “And the west wing?”
I looked at him.
Jayjay: “Especially the west wing.”
He smiled.
Mr.
William: “It will be done.”
I turned toward the windows.
Jayjay: “I want this place to feel like a home again.”
He paused.
Mr.
William: “For whom?”
I smiled faintly.
Jayjay: “Family.”
I opened the group chat.
The messages were already piling up.
T:
Love disappeared.
M:
Suspicious.
R:
Very suspicious.
K:
Should we send a search party?
S:
She’ll kill us if we do.
C:
Worth it.
I laughed.
Jayjay:
Everyone stop talking.
The chat went quiet.
For two seconds.
T:
Yes, ma’am 😌❤️
I rolled my eyes.
Then I sent the instructions they needed.
Jayjay:
First, arrange the guardianship papers.
PK:
Already working on it, Baby.
RK:
I’ll check everything.
KK:
I’ll review it before anything gets finalized.
I smiled.
That was why I trusted them.
Then I continued.
Jayjay:
Second, prepare the partnership documents.
PK:
Done.
Jayjay:
Third, add the condition we discussed.
The chat paused.
Then M replied.
M:
Oh.
T:
That sounds dangerous.
K:
What condition?
I sent it.
jay : The engagement would be terminated if the partnership was accepted.
Immediately—
M:
LOVE JUST DROPPED A BOMB.
T:
Elegant.
S:
Terrifying.
C:
Beautifully terrifying.
I smiled.
Jayjay:
It’s business.
M:
Of course, Love.
Purely business.
😏
Jayjay:
M.
M:
Yes, Love?
😇
I shook my head.
Then I sent the final message.
Jayjay:
Pack your things.
The chat froze.
KK:
Baby?
Jayjay:
You’re all moving here.
The messages exploded.
T:
WHAT?!
K:
THE MANSION?!
R:
You’re serious?
M:
We’re actually living with you?!
S:
I need confirmation.
C:
I’m already packing.
I laughed.
Jayjay:
Your rooms will be ready in two days.
RK:
Baby, are you sure?
I looked around the empty mansion.
For years, these walls had held nothing but memories.
Now they could hold something new.
A home.
Jayjay:
Yes.
PK:
Then we’re coming, Baby.
KK:
You’re stuck with us now.
Jayjay:
I wasn’t planning to get rid of you.
The conversation quickly became ridiculous.
T:
I’m taking the room closest to Love.
R:
Too late.
K:
I’m choosing first.
M:
Love needs someone responsible nearby.
S:
You?
Responsible?
M:
I can pretend.
C:
I’ll protect Love from all of you.
Jayjay:
You’re all idiots.
T:
But we’re your idiots.
❤️
I laughed again.
Then KK stepped in.
KK:
Enough.
Baby needs rest.
RK:
Agreed.
PK:
Baby, eat something.
I stared at the screen.
Jayjay:
You three are impossible.
PK:
Protective.
RK:
Very.
KK:
And unapologetic.
I smiled.
Jayjay:
Goodnight, idiots.
The replies came instantly.
T:
Goodnight, Love ❤️
R:
Sleep well.
K:
Don’t overthink.
M:
Dream about us.
S:
M, stop.
C:
Goodnight, Love.
KK:
Goodnight, Baby.
RK:
Goodnight, Baby.
And finally—
PK:
Goodnight, Baby.
We’re here.
I locked my phone.
The smile remained.
I returned to the study.
The warmth disappeared from my face.
The mysterious symbol remained on the screen.
I opened the file again.
Another connection appeared.
Then another.
Section E.
The watcher.
The Fernandez family.
Someone connected to an old matter.
It wasn’t random.
It was a pattern.
I stood slowly.
The mansion had waited years for me to return.
Now I was ready to find out why someone had started watching the people around me.
Jayjay: “Let’s see who thought they could play with my life.”
I went to Fernandez Mansion before anyone could notice