Jay-Jay(POV)
After running after Jay, Percy, and Clyden, I was completely breathless.
I bent slightly, hands resting on my knees while trying to catch my breath.
Right then, Angelo Kuya walked toward us after finishing a phone call.
The moment he saw me like that, his expression changed immediately.
"Jay, are you okay?" he asked quickly, handing me a bottle of water.
"Hm," I nodded weakly while drinking.
The second I finished—
"Are you stupid?" Angelo snapped. "Who asked you to run like that?"
I blinked at him.
"Did you forget you're pregnant?" he continued, glaring at me before turning toward the others. "She's already an idiot, and somehow all of you started acting exactly like her, too."
My stomach hurt slightly from running so much—probably because I was still out of breath.
For a moment, everyone went quiet.
The playful mood from earlier faded little by little.
"Let's go home," Cole said after a while, clearly trying to shift the atmosphere. "It's already late."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Slowly, we started walking through the grand banquet hall again.
Angelo and Kiefer stayed close beside me like they still didn't trust me not to start another fight before the night ended.
Honestly?
Fair enough.
I was still annoyed.
Then—
I saw her.
Across the hall.
The woman who had sent the invitation.
The entire reason I came here tonight.
My steps slowed immediately.
"Kiefer. Angelo Kuya," I said quietly.
Both of them looked down at me at the same time.
"I need to talk to someone."
Jare groaned dramatically behind us. "What now?"
"Hm," I hummed softly, eyes still fixed ahead. "Didn't I come here to meet her?"
Their expressions shifted slightly.
"Now I finally found her."
And before anyone could stop me—
I started walking toward her.
"Mrs. Hanamiachi," I called politely.
She turned slightly.
The moment she recognized me, surprise flashed across her face.
"Oh… you're here?" she asked.
"Of course I'm here," I replied calmly. "Didn't you send me the invitation so I could meet my husband?"
That made her go still.
Behind me, I could already feel everyone quietly paying attention now.
But I didn't look away from her.
"I know," I continued softly, "that when I was engaged to your son…You asked me to choose him. To stay beside him. To make him happy."
My expression softened slightly.
"But I couldn't do it."
A quiet breath left me.
"Because no matter how hard I tried… my heart already belonged to someone else."
Silence.
She looked at me quietly, almost caught off guard that I knew.
So I stepped closer.
"Then why," I asked gently, "are you trying to destroy his happiness now that he finally found it himself?"
For the first time tonight—
She didn't answer immediately.
Her expression shifted slightly.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Tired.
"He needs to become the heir of Hanamiachi," she said after a long pause. "Since childhood, that was his purpose. He was raised for it. Trained for it."
I stared at her silently.
"He gave his entire life to this family," she continued quietly. "Everything he learned… every sacrifice… every expectation… it was all for that position."
"Hm… maybe becoming heir sounds impressive," I said softly. "Or maybe he only chose that path because you wanted him to."
Her expression shifted slightly.
"But did you ever stop and ask him what he wanted?"
Her expression hardened slightly.
"The Yuri I knew," I continued quietly, "never acted like someone obsessed with power or status."
A small smile touched my face briefly.
"He blended in with us so naturally that sometimes people forgot he was even the heir of Hanamiachi."
I looked at her carefully.
"He held Kiefer back whenever things got too violent. He took care of his friends quietly. He carried responsibility without making people feel small because of it."
My voice softened slightly.
"That's the Yuri I know."
A pause.
"And because of that… I know something."
My eyes stayed locked on hers.
"If becoming heir was truly his choice," I said quietly, "then he would be standing here tonight proudly as the heir of Hanamiachi."
Another beat of silence passed.
"But he isn't."
A pause.
"He'd be in the Philippines with his wife."
That hit.
I saw it in the way her fingers tightened slightly.
Then her eyes sharpened again.
"And now you suddenly care about him?" she asked coldly. "Didn't you throw everything away for your so-called love, too?"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Or are you finally scared now?"
I almost laughed.
"Scared?" I repeated softly.
Then I smiled.
Not politely this time.
"Yes," I admitted. "I care about Yuri. He's my best friend who has my back."
My expression softened for a brief second.
"He's someone I shared real happiness with."
Then the softness disappeared just as quickly.
"But don't misunderstand me."
I stepped slightly closer.
"And it's honestly funny that you think I'm scared."
The atmosphere around us shifted again.
"Try laying a finger on me now," I said calmly. "I was seventeen when I got engaged to your son."
A beat.
"I'm not seventeen anymore."
My eyes stayed locked on hers.
"Back then, maybe I stayed quiet. Maybe I tolerated things because I didn't know how dangerous people like you could become."
Another pause.
"But now?"
I smiled faintly.
"I won't hold back."
Silence stretched between us.
Behind me, I could already feel Kiefer's attention completely locked onto this conversation.
And somehow—
That only made me calmer.
"You think Kiefer will sit quietly while you try controlling our lives?" I asked softly.
A dangerous amusement slipped into my voice.
"He's a Watson."
My smile widened slightly.
"And my husband has never been the type to let people walk over him when it comes to his wife."
The ballroom felt colder suddenly.
"Push him too far," I continued quietly, "and he won't just fight back."
A pause.
"He'll burn your entire Hanamiachi clan to the ground if he thinks they're threatening me."
I tilted my head slightly.
"And the scary part?"
My voice softened.
"He'd do it without regretting a single thing."
"But you should have married my son," she said quietly. "If you had… he would already be the heir of Hanamiachi by now."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
"He would have power. Stability. Everything was prepared for him."
A pause.
"Instead… he married the daughter of a yakuza family."
I looked at her silently for a moment before answering.
"If Yuri truly wanted to become the heir of Hanamiachi," I said softly, "then I would help him myself."
That made her look at me again.
"And not just me," I continued. "Kiefer, Percy, Aries… everyone would help him, too."
A small smile touched my face briefly.
"Because he's our family."
I paused.
"Yuri has too much pride to ask people for help," I admitted quietly. "But when it comes to protecting the people we love… none of us know how to hold back."
The ballroom lights reflected faintly across the floor between us.
"And even if I had married him…" I said carefully, "he already knew I would never truly belong beside him."
Her brows pulled together slightly.
"Even before I understood my own feelings for Kiefer," I continued, "Yuri was the first person who realized where my heart already was."
A bittersweet smile appeared on my lips.
"He knew before I did."
Silence settled between us again.
"And now?" I asked softly. "He finally has someone who chose him not because he's the heir of Hanamiachi…"
A pause.
"But because he's Yuri."
My expression softened genuinely this time.
"And he's happy like you wanted."
For the first time, her face wavered slightly.
I noticed it immediately.
"Did you ever really look at him these past few years?" I asked quietly. "If you had…You would've seen it too."
I lowered my voice slightly.
"Yes, he still gets sad sometimes."
That hurt to admit aloud.
"He doesn't say it directly," I continued, "but we know."
I looked at her carefully.
"He misses his mother."
That landed harder than anything else I had said tonight.
"Because despite everything…"
I swallowed softly.
"He loved you more than anyone."
The silence after that felt heavy.
Painfully heavy.
Then I took one slow breath.
"And tell me honestly," I asked quietly, "if Yuri found out everything you tried to do to Kiefer and me…"
My gaze sharpened slightly.
"Do you really think he would be happy about it?"
"Because I didn't marry Yuri," I said quietly, "you thought that if my relationship with Kiefer were destroyed… eventually I would return to your son."
A small smile appeared on my face.
Not warm.
Just tired.
Then I added softly—
" I would rather spend my entire life alone than become anyone's wife other than Kiefer's."
Silence.
Heavy and sharp.
"I never told Yuri any of this," I continued. "Do you know why?"
Her eyes stayed on me.
"Because he loves you more than anything."
My expression softened slightly for the first time during the conversation.
"He defended you even when you weren't there. He missed you even after everything. He still carries hope for you like a child waiting for his mother to come back."
A pause.
"And honestly?" I whispered. "I didn't want to be the reason that hope breaks."
My voice softened even more.
"He told me how much you suffered after stepping into the Hanamiachi clan."
Her expression shifted faintly.
"Yuri believed that if he became good enough… strong enough… successful enough… then maybe you would finally be happy."
I swallowed softly.
"Because to him, you were never just his mother."
A small pause.
"You were his pride."
My eyes stayed on hers.
"And the only person he desperately wanted to protect so you could survive inside the Hanamiachi clan."
The ballroom noise felt distant now.
Almost nonexistent.
"But don't mistake my silence for weakness anymore."
My gaze sharpened again.
"Yuri finally found happiness. Real happiness."
I glanced briefly toward where my family stood waiting for me.
"Kiefer found happiness, too."
Then I looked back at her.
"So don't destroy your son's life because of your greed for power."
Another pause.
"Because if you keep forcing him to choose between being your heir and being happy…"
My voice lowered slightly.
"One day, you'll realize you lost him completely."
Silence stretched between us.
Then I took a slow breath.
"I just want my friend to be happy," I said softly.
My expression softened.
"So please… meet him properly again. Talk to him. Clear the misunderstandings between you."
A small pause.
"This is my request…"
I looked at her quietly.
"As his friend."
Another beat.
"And as his family."
Then slowly—
I bowed deeply to her.
A full ninety degrees.
The way I had learned, people in Japan showed sincere respect.
The movement clearly caught her off guard.
But I stayed bowed anyway.
Because this wasn't for pride.
It was for Yuri, my best friend.
I turned to leave.
But before I could walk away completely—
"I didn't plan it."
Her voice stopped me.
I looked back.
For the first time tonight, she looked shaken.
"Yes," she admitted quietly. "I sent the invitation because I wanted you here."
A pause.
"But drugging Kiefer… none of that was my plan."
Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides.
"I only wanted you to understand how much my son suffered after losing you."
Her voice lowered.
"But after seeing you bow for him like that…"
For the first time, her expression truly cracked.
"I realized Yuri chose good people to stand beside."
Silence.
Then she looked away briefly before continuing.
"It was the elders who planned everything."
A pause.
"I sent the invitation… so I won't deny my part in this."
Her eyes slowly returned to mine.
"Because I was hurt too."
The words came out quieter now.
"I was angry about losing my son."
The ballroom suddenly felt colder.
My expression didn't change.
"I know," I said softly.
Because somehow—
I did.
There was guilt in her eyes, but not surprise.
Like she had realized too late that she had already lost control of something bigger than herself.
Then she stepped closer slightly.
And her next words made my stomach tighten instantly.
"Sorry," she said quietly.
Silence settled between us for a moment.
Then her expression softened slightly.
"And… congratulations," she said softly. "I heard you're pregnant."
My hand instinctively moved toward my stomach.
A small smile appeared on my face without me realizing it.
"Thank you," I whispered again.
But her expression suddenly changed afterward.
The softness disappeared.
Replaced by something heavier.
Something uneasy.
Then—
"You should leave this place early," she said quietly. "It's not safe for you here."
My brows pulled together immediately.
"What do you mean?"
But she didn't answer.
She just looked at me one last time—
Then walked away into the crowd.
Leaving me standing there with a growing sense of unease curling inside my chest.
I stared after her for a second.
Confused.
Something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Slowly, I turned and started walking back toward Kiefer and the others.
My mission was finally over.
I should've felt relieved.
So why did my chest feel tight?
Was it fear?
Or was it because too many people tonight had looked at me like a target instead of a person?
Cassian.
The elders.
The warning.
Everything suddenly replayed in my head at once.
My steps slowed slightly.
And then—
Someone grabbed me.
Strong arms wrapped around me suddenly.
"Kuya—" I started instinctively.
Then his body slammed harder against mine.
Too hard.
Too heavy.
"Jay…" his voice came out strained near my ear.
A whisper.
Broken.
"Run."
My heart stopped.
Warm liquid spread across my hands.
I looked down automatically—
Blood.
There was blood.
Too much blood.
For one horrifying second, my brain refused to understand what I was seeing.
Then—
BANG.
The sound exploded through the ballroom.
Another gunshot.
Then screaming.
People started running instantly.
Glass shattered somewhere nearby.
My entire body froze.
And only then—
I realized Kuya had been shot.
"KUYA"