Jay's POV
The air inside the concrete basement of the Watson Mansion was freezing, smelling heavily of damp earth, old metal, and the unmistakable, terrifying scent of fear. Keizer Watson stood directly in front of us, looking down at Section E as if we were nothing more than insects trapped in a jar.
He looked entirely calm, a cold, aristocratic smirk pinned to his face. Right beside him, Dylan held a tight, bruising grip on Keigan, using the poor boy as a human shield. Every time Keigan tried to shift his weight or take a deep breath, Dylan would tighten his arm, silently warning us that any sudden movement from our side would end in tragedy.
My heart was hammering violently against my ribs, a wild, frantic rhythm that felt loud enough to echo in the small room. I forced my chin up, desperate to keep my gaze locked onto Keizer's eyes.
I refused to let him see the sheer panic clawing at my throat. I refused to let him win the psychological war.
But internally, I was calculating our minutes. We were completely cornered. Keizer's heavily armed guards lined the walls, their fingers resting tightly against the triggers of their automatic weapons.
He had just demanded that Keifer, Serina, and Keiren sign away their entire family asset portfolio along with the highly classified, hidden Mariano files—the very files that contained the dark truths about my own forgotten past.
Keifer had already stepped forward, bravely defying his father, his voice booming as he shielded his mother and the rest of us. But bravado wasn't going to stop a dozen armed mercenaries. We needed a miracle.
The miracle arrived with a sound that felt like the sky splitting open.
CRACK!
A single, deafening gunshot tore through the heavy wooden and metal structure above, followed instantly by a massive, grinding explosion that shattered the reinforced security doors at the back of the basement.
The concrete floor beneath our boots buckled and shook. A tremendous wave of grey dust, pulverized stone, and jagged metal debris erupted inward, blinding the guards and forcing everyone to throw their arms up to shield their faces.
The thick wall of smoke swirled violently in the sudden draft, and for a second, the entire room held its breath, suspended in absolute chaos.
Through the heavy curtain of settling dust, a tall, imposing silhouette stepped forward. His movements were slow, deliberate, and entirely lacking in fear.
A quiet, secret smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, and the crushing weight in my chest suddenly lifted. I knew he would come. The exact moment Keizer had locked us down here and the situation had turned lethal, I had carefully slipped my hand deep into my jacket pocket.
Feeling the buttons blindly, I had typed out a highly specific, emergency distress code to Zoe. I knew she would immediately map my phone's GPS coordinates.
More importantly, I knew she wouldn't come alone. She would bring the person capable of executing an absolute tactical breach without a single drop of hesitation.
As the dust cloud began to thin under the dim basement lights, the figure became perfectly clear. It was Kuya Percy. He stood flat-footed in the center of the ruined doorway, his legs spaced apart in a flawless combat stance, holding a heavy, black tactical handgun with both hands. His grip was steady as stone.
Before Keizer's men could even process his entry, another shadow shifted rapidly from behind the broken door frame. Zoe stepped into the light, her eyes bright and hyper-focused as she scanned the perimeter, a compact weapon raised and ready.
She locked eyes with me through the haze, her voice steady and entirely cool, cutting through the ringing silence left by the blast. "I am on time, baby."
I looked back at her, a rush of absolute gratitude warming my veins despite the freezing air. "Always," I murmured.
I turned my eyes back onto Kuya Percy, waiting for the tension to break.
In any normal situation, if Kuya Percy had just blown through a reinforced security door to pull off a dramatic, last-second rescue, he would have immediately flashed an blinding grin. He would have run a hand through his hair and cracked a ridiculous joke about his own unmatched handsomeness, or complained about how we always managed to ruin his expensive clothes.
I braced myself for his typical lighthearted, cocky attitude, desperately praying for a sliver of normalcy to shatter the terrifying atmosphere of the Watson basement.
But as I looked at his face, a cold shiver ran down my spine. There was no joke. There was no cocky smile.
Percy's eyes were completely consumed by a dark, terrifying fury that I had never seen in him before. They looked like burning black coals.
His jaw was clenched so tightly that the sharp muscles in his cheeks were white and twitching with rage. The playful boy I knew was completely gone, replaced by a dangerous, protective force.
Without saying a word, he adjusted his stance, raising the barrel of his heavy gun until it was aimed precisely between Keizer Watson's eyes.
"How dare you touch my sisters, my bestfriends, and my mom, ha?" Percy's voice wasn't a shout. It was a low, lethal rumble that seemed to vibrate directly through the concrete floorboards.
He took one heavy step forward, his combat boots crunching loudly against the shattered bits of stone. "Suddenly became a man, Watson?"
Keizer's pupils dilated, his face turning a sickening shade of pale as he stared directly into the black void of Percy's gun barrel. For a fraction of a second, his powerful, untouchable posture wavered.
But he quickly forced his cruel, venomous smirk back onto his face, trying to regain control of his own room. "You will regret this, boy," Keizer hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You have absolutely no idea what kind of war you are starting by walking into my house."
Percy didn't even blink. His finger tightened slightly against the trigger, his voice dropping to a sharp whisper that echoed perfectly in the quiet room. "The only thing I will regret is not pulling this trigger right now if you don't shut your mouth. Take one more breath, Watson, and I will make sure you don't live long enough to see tomorrow morning. Look around you. Your little kingdom is entirely broken, and your guards are currently wondering if they are paid enough to die for you."
While Keizer was completely paralyzed under the terrifying weight of Kuya Percy's glare, I knew this was our single, golden window of opportunity. The guards were completely distracted, their attention entirely divided between Percy's weapon and Keizer's frozen stance.
I caught Keifer's eye across the short, dusty distance separating us. I gave him a sharp, sudden jerk of my head—the exact tactical signal we had practiced dozens of times during our training sessions with Section E.
Keifer caught it instantly. Moving with lightning speed and absolute precision, he lunged toward the armed guard standing directly to his right.
Before the man could even register the movement, Keifer grabbed his wrist, twisted it violently until the weapon slipped free, and ripped the heavy pistol clean out of the guard's grip. In a single, fluid motion, Keifer spun on his heel, raising the weapon and pointing it directly at his father's chest.
At the exact same instant, I threw myself forward toward Dylan. Dylan was still clutching Keigan, but his eyes were wide with panic as he watched Percy. I didn't give him a single second to recover his senses.
I reached out, wrapping my fingers around the cold steel of the gun in Dylan's hand, and ripped it away with raw, adrenaline-fueled strength.
With my free hand, I shoved Keigan firmly behind my back, using my own body as a shield, and slammed the barrel of the stolen weapon directly under Dylan's chin.
"This dinner ends here, Keizer Watson," I said, my voice cutting through the basement air like a shard of ice. I stood perfectly tall, keeping my weapon locked onto Dylan while Keifer kept his perfectly steady on Keizer.
Keifer stood firm beside me, his chest heaving as he stared down his own flesh and blood with absolute disdain.
"Move outside already!" Keifer roared, his voice echoing up the stairwell toward the rest of the family and Section E. "Our cars are standing right outside the gates! Go! Get out now!"
Jane didn't waste a heartbeat. She grabbed Keiren's arm, while Tita Serina mmediately moved forward, gathering the boys and ushering them rapidly through the ruined, dusty doorway.
The remaining guards stood frozen, their weapons lowered; they knew with absolute certainty that the moment a single shot was fired, Keizer and Dylan would be the very first to fall. The heavy, frantic sounds of Section E's boots echoed loudly as they fled up the concrete stairs and out into the dark courtyard.
Within a matter of seconds, the basement grew entirely quiet. The frantic shouts and running footsteps of our friends faded away into the distance, leaving only a heavy silence.
Now, only me, Keifer, and Kuya Percy remained standing in the center of the ruined room, forming a final, unbreakable wall of defense against Keizer's remaining men.
Percy kept his eyes locked firmly on Keizer, but he gave us a quick, sharp wave with his left hand. He reached deep into the side pocket of his tactical vest, pulling out a heavy, cylindrical metallic canister.
"Get ready to run," Percy muttered out of the side of his mouth.
With a swift, powerful flick of his wrist, Percy hurled the smoke gas canister straight into the center of the concrete floor. A massive, deafening hiss erupted instantly. Thick, choking clouds of blinding white smoke poured out of the canister at an incredible speed, completely filling the room and erasing Keizer, Dylan, and the guards from our sight within seconds.
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Keifer's PoV
The moment the canister hit the floor, the entire basement vanished into a dense, suffocating wall of pure white smoke. I couldn't see my own hand a single inch in front of my face.
The sharp, burning hiss of the gas filled my ears, followed immediately by the chaotic coughing, shouting, and blind cursing of Keizer Watson guards as they scrambled around in the dark, trying to find their weapons.
A sudden spike of panic seized my chest, but before I could lose my footing or direction in the blinding fog, a firm, familiar hand clutched the fabric of my jacket sleeve.
It was Jay.
"Come on, Keifer! Move!" Her voice cut through the white wall, filled with a sharp, undeniable authority that refused to let me hesitate.
She dragged me forward with surprising strength, pulling me over the jagged concrete debris and through the shattered remains of the reinforced security doors.
I couldn't see her face or her eyes through the thick haze, but the absolute, tight grip on my sleeve was the only guidance I needed. I let her pull me blindly through the darkness, running hard until the thick smoke gave way to the crisp, freezing night air of the outer courtyard.
Everything outside was an absolute blur of flashing headlights, spinning tires, and slamming metal doors. Before I could even open my mouth to ask where she was, I felt myself being pushed firmly toward the open rear door of the main SUV.
Jay's voice was still ringing loudly in my ears, telling me to get inside, telling me to hurry before the guards managed to clear the basement and follow us out.
I scrambled into the back seat, my heart hammering violently against my ribs like a trapped bird. The heavy car door slammed shut behind me, instantly locking out the cold wind and the chaotic noise of the Watson estate.
The moment the lock clicked, I turned my head frantically around the interior to ensure everyone was safe.
Sitting directly beside me was my mother, her face entirely pale and covered in dust, tears spilling down her cheeks as she clutched my brothers tightly against her chest. In the far corner of the seat, Jane was sitting perfectly still, her eyes wide with a mixture of raw terror and immense relief. They were all here. Everyone was safe.
The engine roared to life with a fierce, heavy growl, and the tires screeched loudly against the gravel driveway as the vehicle accelerated away from the Watson Mansion, tearing into the dark night and leaving the nightmare behind us.
I leaned my head back against the leather headrest, closing my eyes as I tried desperately to calm my breathing. I turned my head toward the empty space on the seat next to the door, fully expecting to see Jay sitting there, catching her breath right alongside us. But the seat was entirely empty.
A cold, sharp blade of dread shot straight through my stomach. She must have gone in the other car with Percy, I told myself, my knuckles turning white as I clenched my fists, trying to force down the terrifying panic rising in my throat.
Yes, that makes complete sense. Percy was the one who threw the smoke gas, so Jay probably stayed back for a few seconds to make sure he and Zoe made it out safely to the secondary vehicle and why would she even want to sit in same car as me.
The drive back felt like an absolute eternity, a silent, agonizing stretch of time that wrapped around my chest until I could barely breathe.
Nobody inside the car spoke a single word. We were all trapped inside our own minds, processing the terrifying reality of what we had just escaped. My monster father had been fully prepared to ruin our lives, to take everything from us by force, and we had barely escaped with our lives.
Finally, the SUV pulled through the massive iron gates of the Fernandez mansion. The tires came to a sudden stop in the secure courtyard, and we scrambled out of the vehicle, hurrying inside the brightly lit safety of the large living room.
The rest of Section E was already gathered there, pacing across the hardwood floors, their clothes covered in white dust and sweat.
Tiger threw his hands up into the air, a wild, adrenaline-fueled grin breaking across his face. "Wow! That was amazing!" he shouted, letting out a breathless, disbelieving laugh. "Did you see the way those reinforced doors just blew apart? It was exactly like a movie scene!"
Ion walked straight past him, her expression deeply serious as she approached Percy.
Percy was leaning quietly against the far wall, unbuckling his tactical gear and setting his heavy weapon case down onto the main table.
"How do you have a gun, Percy?" Ion asked, her eyebrows drawing together in deep concern.
Percy didn't even look up, his voice remaining perfectly calm and level as he locked the metal case shut. "It's licensed, Ion. Relax. I don't carry illegal metal when I'm breaking down doors to save my family and friends."
Cin walked into the center of the room, his eyes darting across the gathered crowd as he carefully counted heads. His face suddenly drained of all color, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Guys... where is Jay?"
Percy stopped what he was doing and looked directly at me, his brow furrowing. "She is with Keifer," he replied simply, pointing a finger in my direction.
My heart stopped dead in my chest. The warmth left my body instantly, leaving me completely frozen. "I thought she was with you," I whispered, my voice trembling as I took a sudden step toward him.
Percy's eyebrows snapped together, his expression turning incredibly sharp as a terrifying realization hit him. "No. She led me straight into the secondary car. I saw her pushing you toward the main SUV. I thought she was right behind you, sitting in your vehicle."
"No!" I shouted, the panic completely taking over my mind now, my voice echoing off the high ceilings of the living room. "She did the same exact thing to me! She dragged me through the smoke gas, forced me into the car, and closed the door. I thought she ran back to get into your car!"
A heavy, suffocating silence dropped over the entire living room. We all stood frozen, staring at each other in absolute horror. Jay wasn't in the first car, and she wasn't in the second. She wasn't anywhere in the house. She was completely gone.
Jane's face turned completely white. She slowly turned her head toward Zoe, who was standing quietly near the kitchen entrance, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, staring fixedly at the floorboards. Zoe didn't look surprised at all. She didn't look confused. She just looked incredibly, profoundly sad.
Jane walked straight over to her, her hands shaking violently as she grabbed Zoe by the shoulders, her voice rising in pure desperation. "Where is Jay, Zoe? I know you know where she is. Tell me right now!"
Zoe let out a long, ragged sigh, her shoulders dropping. She finally raised her eyes to look at Jane, tears swimming in the corners of them. "I am sorry, Jane," Zoe whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "This was exactly what Jay wanted. She planned this entire thing the very moment she sent me that distress message from the basement."
Zoe reached deep into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small, silver pen drive, holding it out toward Jane with a trembling hand.
Jane stared at the small piece of metal as if it were a dangerous weapon. "What is it?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Just plug it in," Zoe said softly, her voice heavy with grief.
Jane snatched the drive from Zoe's hand, her fingers clumsy and frantic as she rushed over to the large television mounted on the living room wall.
She plugged the drive into the side port and grabbed the remote control, pressing the input button. We all crowded tightly behind her, holding our breath, praying with everything we had that this was just some kind of cruel misunderstanding or a prank.
The television screen flashed black for a painful, agonizing second, and then an image appeared.
It was Jay.
She was sitting in a dimly lit, completely unfamiliar room, looking directly into the camera lens. She looked completely exhausted, her clothes still covered in dust from the mansion encounter, her hair slightly messy, but her eyes held that same fierce, unyielding determination that I loved so much about her. She took a deep, steadying breath before she began to speak, her gaze locked forward.
"Jane and kuya..." Jay's voice came through the television speakers, sounding incredibly soft but perfectly clear, filling the silent room. "I know you are searching for me right now. I know you are angry, and I know you are terrified for my safety. But I am so sorry. I have to go."
My chest tightened so hard it felt like it was physically breaking, a dull, agonizing ache spreading through my ribs. I stared at her face on the screen, my eyes burning, wishing more than anything in the world that I could reach through the glass and pull her back into the room with us.
"I can't tell you where I am going, or when I will be back," Jay continued on the video, a small, heartbreakingly sad smile touching her lips for a fraction of a second before vanishing. "Because... I honestly don't have the answer to that either. There are things about my past, things involving the Mariano files and what Keizer wants from me, that I have to settle completely on my own. If I stay with Section E or you all, he will never stop targeting you. He will never stop hunting the people I love the most."
She paused, looking forward as if she could see Jane standing right in front of her through the screen. "Ate... I am sorry. I am so sorry for leaving you like this. But I promise you, I will be back soon. I promise. Love you."
With a soft, definitive click, the video file ended. The television screen went completely black, reflecting our stunned, pale faces.
The silence that followed was absolute. Nobody moved a single inch. Nobody even seemed to take a breath.
Zoe slowly walked toward the front entrance of the mansion, keeping her head low, avoiding our eyes. "I have to go, Jane," she said quietly, pausing by the heavy wooden door.
She turned around one last time, her eyes scanning our broken expressions with deep regret. "And yeah... don't bother trying to contact Jay. Her phone is right here with me. She left it behind on purpose so she couldn't be tracked by anyone, anywhere."
Without waiting for another word from us, Zoe turned, stepped out into the dark night, and the heavy front door clicked shut behind her, leaving us in pieces.
I sank heavily onto the nearest sofa, burying my face entirely in my hands as the reality crashed down upon me. A deep, agonizing wave of sadness washed over me, heavier and darker than anything I had ever experienced in my entire life.
How was I supposed to survive without seeing her? Just the thought of waking up tomorrow morning and not seeing her smile, or not hearing her voice down the hallway, made my heart feel like it was being physically torn out of my chest.
My mind raced toward my own immediate future. Already, I had to leave for New York very soon to claim my family inheritance and deal with the massive legalities of the Watson estate. It was an obligation I couldn't escape.
I had been dreading the trip for weeks, but I had constantly comforted myself with the beautiful thought that I would get to spend my remaining days here by Jay's side before I had to board that flight. I thought we would have time to talk, to process our feelings, to just breathe and to ask for her chance to win her back but she vanished into thin air without leaving a single trace.
A terrifying surge of worry crashed over me, replacing my sadness with cold fear. Was she safe right now? Where was she going to stay? Is she aline? Was she cold, or was she hiding from my father's ruthless men all alone in some dark, dangerous corner of the city?
The questions repeated themselves in my head like a cruel, unending loop, and my heart ached with a physical, throbbing pain that made it completely hard to breathe.
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Jane's POV
The walls of my bedroom felt like they were slowly closing in around me, trapping me in the cold darkness. I sat silently on the very edge of my mattress, my hands clasped tightly in my lap, staring blankly at the dark hardwood floorboards beneath my feet.
The rest of the Fernandez mansion had finally gone completely quiet, the chaotic adrenaline of our narrow escape from the Watson estate finally dying down as the exhausted members of Section E retreated to their own house to try and process the trauma of the evening. Angelo friends are still here.
But there was absolutely no rest waiting for me tonight.I was completely, utterly alone in the dark, and the emptiness of the room was loud.I missed Jay so much it felt like a physical weight pressing down on my lungs, making every single breath a heavy struggle.
Every single corner of this bedroom reminded me of her presence. The bright laughter we shared , the tears we shed together, the late-night secrets we had whispered across the small space on our beds—it was all permanently woven into the air of this room, but she wasn't here to share it with me anymore. She had walked out into the danger alone.
"Why, Jay?" I whispered into the dark, empty space of the room, my voice cracking as hot, bitter tears finally spilled over my eyelashes and burned paths down my cheeks. "Where are you right now? When are you coming back to me?"I pulled my knees tightly against my chest, burying my face in my arms as the tears came faster and faster, soaking into my sleeves.
The loneliness was a cold, sharp blade twisting deep in my stomach. "I am feeling so lonely..." I sobbed quietly into the fabric of my clothes, my shoulders shaking violently in the quiet room. "Why did you leave your Ate like this? You promised we would face the situation together. You promised we wouldn't keep secrets anymore..."
I was still entirely lost in the crushing weight of my own thoughts, weeping silently for my missing sister, when a sudden sound cut through the quiet of my room.
It was a voice. Soft, hesitant, but perfectly clear through the silence. I know this voice. It's Yuri.
"I know you are terribly missing Jay, Jane. And absolutely nobody can take her place."
I froze instantly, my entire body locking up.
My breath caught sharply in my throat, and I slowly, carefully raised my head from my arms, my eyes locking onto the closed wooden door of my bedroom. The voice was coming from the hallway, standing just on the other side of the wood.
"I also know that you don't want to see me or talk to me right now," Yuri continued, sounding incredibly fragile, filled with a deep, heavy regret that seemed to bleed straight through the cracks of the door frame. "But... I can't bear to leave you alone again. Not tonight."
I didn't move an inch. I didn't say a single word to answer. I just sat there on the edge of the bed, my heart freezing in my chest as the familiar cadence of the words washed over me in the dark.
"I made a mistake," He whispered, his voice dropping even lower, full of a raw, exposed pain that mirrored the agony in my own heart. "A terrible, unforgivable mistake. And I will make amendments for it every single day. I will spend the rest of my life trying to fix what I broke between us. I just... I just don't want you to be alone tonight. Not like this. Not while you're hurting."
There was a brief, heavy pause in the hallway. The silence hung in the air between us, so deep and profound that I could almost hear him leaning his forehead gently against the other side of the wooden door panel, waiting for a sign."I am right outside the door," Yuri said softly, a quiet, unyielding promise cutting through the loneliness of the dark hallway. "If you feel like talking... just talk. I am listening to you. I won't go anywhere tonight. I'm right here."
I sat perfectly still on my bed, staring intensely at the brass doorknob in the dim light, completely torn between the sharp, defensive anger burning in my chest and the desperate, crushing isolation that threatened to swallow me whole if I didn't turn the lock.
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Author's Note
Hey my beautiful, amazing readers!
I want to deeply, truly apologize for not posting an update for a very long time! As many of you know, August 15th was the Independence Day of India, and because of the fever and school celebrations, I was completely overwhelmed and extremely busy with my school projects, event works, and massive mountains of homework! 📝✨
As I ended up catching a fever right around the same time, which left me behind in my studies. I had to spend the last few days forcing myself to cover all my schoolwork up so I wouldn't fail, which unfortunately meant I could not upload any new chapters for this book.
I deeply, deeply apologize for the lack of uploading lately! 🥺💔
I promise you all that I am feeling much better now, and I will try my absolute best to upload more chapters regularly on this book from now on!
I love my readers so much for being incredibly patient, sweet, and understanding with me during this crazy time. Please forgive me for the delay! 🙏❤️
Please don't forget to drop a comment down below and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!
Do you love seeing the girls join the revenge squad? What do you think they are going to do to Kiko? Your comments give me life!
Target: 60+ comments 🎯
(Sorry if there is any mistake! I wrote the chapter in a hurry )
Love you all so much! 🥰
See you soon 💕
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Bye 👋