Chapter 70 — The Version Of Jay They Knew
The island stopped feeling private the second Jay's friends arrived.
Not louder exactly.
Just… fuller.
Like the air itself changed.
Jay was sitting sideways on the couch inside the villa while scrolling through her phone lazily, one leg thrown over the armrest. Keifer was near the kitchen counter trying to cut fruits properly while Noah stood beside him eating half of them before they even reached the plate.
"You're unbelievably annoying," Keifer muttered.
Noah pointed at him dramatically. "And yet your girlfriend likes me."
Jay looked up immediately. "Nobody here is my boyfriend."
Keifer smirked without even looking at her. "That sounds defensive."
"That sounds delusional."
Noah gasped loudly like a dramatic auntie. "OH MY GOD. They're flirting aggressively."
"We are not," Jay snapped.
"Right," Matthew muttered while walking past them. "And I'm emotionally stable."
Jay pointed at him instantly. "Shut up, Leo."
Matthew stopped walking slowly.
Then turned around with genuine disappointment in his eyes.
"Why," he asked quietly, "do you insist on disrespecting me spiritually?"
"Because it's funny."
"No," Matthew replied flatly. "It sounds like a rich woman's dog."
Noah barked immediately.
Matthew closed his eyes briefly.
Keifer nearly laughed into the cutting board.
Honestly this entire group felt insane.
One minute they looked like terrifying billionaires who owned half the world.
The next minute Noah was barking at Matthew while Aurora threatened to throw a coconut at Adam for saying something stupid.
Jay looked completely relaxed around them though.
That's what Keifer noticed most.
Not the money.
Not the influence.
Her.
She looked lighter.
Still sarcastic.
Still emotionally violent.
But lighter.
Like these people knew exactly how to exist around her without exhausting her.
Aurora walked into the villa carrying drinks before placing one beside Jay automatically.
"You still haven't eaten properly."
Jay looked offended immediately. "Why is everybody attacking me today?"
"Because you disappear and survive on caffeine."
"That's called independence."
"That's called concerning behavior."
Keifer looked toward Jay slowly. "You don't eat properly?"
Jay pointed at Aurora dramatically. "See? This is why I don't bring people together. They unionize against me."
Aurora ignored her completely before sitting down near Chloe, who was peacefully reading a book while absolute chaos happened around her.
Keifer genuinely didn't understand how Chloe stayed calm all the time.
Then again—
Maybe somebody in this group had to be mentally stable.
Noah suddenly dropped beside Jay on the couch dramatically.
"You know," he said while grinning, "she talks about you."
Jay froze instantly.
Keifer looked interested immediately. "Really?"
"Noah," Jay said slowly.
"She threatened a businessman because he interrupted her while she was texting you."
Keifer turned toward her with a smirk.
Jay looked horrified. "Why are you people exposing me like I'm a documentary?"
"It's funny," Adam replied from the kitchen.
"It was one time."
"It was three times," Sarah corrected.
Jay looked betrayed. "Whose side are you on?"
"Entertainment."
Keifer couldn't stop smiling now.
Which honestly only made Jay more irritated.
"You look too happy," she muttered at him.
"You threatened businessmen for me. I'm touched."
"I threatened them because they were annoying."
"Sure, Watson."
Jay threw a pillow directly at his face.
Keifer caught it easily while Noah suddenly sat up like he had just received divine inspiration.
"Oh my God."
"No," Jay said immediately.
But it was already too late.
Noah jumped onto the couch dramatically and started singing horribly.
"🎵 Ms. Grumpy is in loooveeeeee~ 🎵"
The entire villa went silent for one second.
Then Noah pointed dramatically toward Keifer.
"🎵 Ms. Angry got a riiiiich maaaannnn~
She went from emotional damageeee~
To holding hands in saaaandddd~ 🎵"
Jay looked ready for murder.
"I hate you."
Noah ignored her completely.
"🎵 She used to fight peopleeeee~
Now she fights people while in looooveeeee~ 🎵"
Matthew looked physically exhausted. "That song genuinely injured me."
"Everything injures you, Leo."
"STOP CALLING ME LEO."
Noah immediately pointed at him and sang louder.
"🎵 Leooooo the emotional support golden retrieveeeerrrrr~ 🎵"
Matthew grabbed a nearby cushion and threw it directly at Noah's head.
Noah collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
"Violence," he whispered weakly. "In front of my future children."
"You're never reproducing," Sarah replied flatly.
The entire room burst into laughter after that.
Even Chloe lowered her book while laughing quietly.
Aurora was shaking her head like she regretted knowing any of them.
Sebastian looked deeply disappointed in humanity.
And Jay—
Jay was laughing too.
Actually laughing.
Not the sarcastic fake laugh she used around most people.
A real one.
Short.
Bright.
Natural.
Keifer stared at her for a second too long.
Because honestly?
He didn't think he'd ever seen her like this before.
Comfortable.
Not guarded every second.
Not looking over her shoulder emotionally.
Just… happy.
And somehow that hit him harder than anything else.
Then Chloe looked toward Jay softly.
"You laugh more now."
The room quieted slightly after that.
Jay blinked once. "What?"
"You used to look exhausted all the time," Chloe continued gently.
Aurora nodded slightly. "You still do sometimes."
"But less," Sebastian added quietly.
Jay suddenly looked uncomfortable.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Just caught off guard.
Like she didn't know what to do with people noticing she was getting better.
Keifer watched her carefully.
Then Noah ruined the emotional moment again by lifting his head from the floor dramatically.
"THAT'S BECAUSE SHE'S IN LOOOOOVEEEEEE—"
Jay threw another pillow directly into his face.
This time harder.
Noah screamed dramatically while falling off the couch entirely.
And somehow—
The villa felt warmer after that.
Messier.
Louder.
Alive.
Keifer leaned back against the couch while watching Jay argue with Noah again, her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment while everyone else laughed around them.
And for the first time since meeting these people—
Keifer realized he wasn't jealous of their money, power, or history with her.
He was jealous that they got to know this version of Jay before he did.
Because sometimes love doesn't arrive quietly… sometimes it walks into your life laughing loudly while healing parts of you nobody else noticed were broken.