Jay-Jay POV
They walked in like they owned the place.
Jenna, James, Maria — all smiles, all polished, all fake.
Then Aries strolled in with Ella, radiating sunshine and soft chaos. He spotted me and pulled me into a hug like he hadn't just threatened my emotional stability last week.
"Welcome home, monkey," he said.
"I'm not a monkey, horoscope," I shot back.
He blinked.
I pretended I hadn't just called him a zodiac sign.
Then his eyes landed on Keifer.
"What is he doing here?"
Keifer, the menace, smiled like he was already part of the family. "Good to see you too, Brother-in-law."
Kuya Angelo and Aries both looked like they were mentally calculating how many years they'd get for murder.
And honestly?
I wasn't going to stop them.
"Kids, dinner's ready!" Tita Gemma called from the kitchen.
We shuffled in — half hungry, half emotionally wrecked.
Keifer sat beside me like he belonged there.
Kuya Jare had already claimed the other side.
Jenna tried to talk to Jare.
He didn't give her the chance.
He was too busy talking to everyone but her.
She didn't like that.
So she pivoted.
Turned to Keifer.
"So, Keifer, how are you?" she asked, voice dipped in sugar and steel.
"I'm fine," he replied, polite but distant.
She smiled wider. "This is my daughter Maria," she said, gesturing like she was unveiling a prize goat. "She just turned seventeen."
Keifer blinked. "Uh… okay."
"I heard you're the CEO of Watson's Enterprise," she added.
"You heard right," he said, proud and oblivious.
And then—
She dropped the bomb.
"My daughter is single and ready to mingle," she said. "So what do you say?"
Silence.
The kind that wasn't quiet.
The kind that screamed.
Percy stopped chewing.
Aries blinked.
Kuya Angelo looked like he was about to throw a fork.
Jare choked on his soda.
Ella whispered, "Oh my god."
And me?
I stared at Jenna.
Then at Maria.
Then at Keifer.
Who looked like he'd just been hit by a truck made of awkward.
He glanced at me.
Panicked.
I raised an eyebrow.
Dared him to answer wrong.
He cleared his throat. "I'm… already mingled," he said, voice steady.
Maria blinked.
Jenna blinked.
I smiled.
Sharp.
Deadly.
And for the first time all night?
I felt like I'd won something.
"Who?" Jenna asked, voice tight and suspicious.
The table froze again.
Every eye turned to me.
Waiting.
Judging.
Calculating.
So I did what I do best.
I dropped the emotional grenade.
"Bebe," I said sweetly, turning to Keifer, "can you pass me the mashed potatoes, please?"
Silence.
Then chaos.
Keifer blinked.
Shocked.
Then smiled.
Like I'd handed him a trophy, a kiss, and a lifetime subscription to happiness.
I swear, the table exploded in twenty different reactions at once.
Kuya Jare choked on his drink.
Luna bit her lip so hard trying not to laugh, she looked like she was in pain.
Aries blinked like he'd just witnessed a felony.
Kuya Angelo dropped his spoon.
Ella gasped.
Percy whispered, "Oh my god."
Maria looked like she'd been personally betrayed by the universe.
And Jenna?
Jenna looked like she was calculating how fast she could get me legally disowned.
Keifer, still glowing, stood up and handed me the mashed potatoes like he'd just been knighted.
"Here you go, babe," he said with a wink.
Dinner carried on — loud, crowded, slightly unhinged.
Tita Gemma passed rice like it was currency.
Kuya Angelo and Percy were arguing about garlic ratios.
Aries was trying to stop Ella from feeding the dog under the table.
And me?
I was trying not to combust.
Jenna kept watching us.
Maria kept sulking.
And Jare?
Jare kept whispering jokes to Luna like he hadn't just watched me emotionally detonate.
Then James — Jenna's husband, the human wallpaper — cleared his throat.
"So, Keifer," he said, "how serious are you about Jay?"
The table froze again.
I blinked.
Keifer blinked.
Jenna smiled like she'd just lit a match.
"I mean," James continued, "you're young. CEO. Busy. Surely you're not thinking long-term."
Keifer opened his mouth.
I beat him to it.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, voice sweet and sharp. "Are you asking if he's serious about me while sitting next to a woman who tried to set him up with her daughter five minutes ago?"
Jenna gasped.
Maria dropped her fork.
James blinked.
Keifer looked like he was watching a live-action soap opera.
Aries muttered, "Here we go."
Tita Gemma whispered, "Not the chicken, please."
Jare leaned forward. "I vote we let her finish."
I stood up.
Because sitting felt too small for the rage blooming in my chest.
"You don't get to question his intentions," I said, voice shaking. "Not when you've spent the entire night treating me like I'm disposable."
Jenna stood too. "JayJay, that's not fair—"
"No," I snapped. "What's not fair is you pretending to care while trying to replace me at the same table."
Maria looked like she wanted to disappear.
James looked like he regretted breathing.
Keifer stood beside me.
Put a hand on my back.
Didn't say a word.
Just stayed.
And somehow?
That helped.
Jare stood too.
"Okay," he said. "Before someone throws a fork, I'm calling it. Jay, Keifer — go. My vote is you spend the night at his place. Eat ice cream. Watch bad movies. Forget this circus."
I blinked.
Keifer nodded.
Jenna looked like she was about to combust.
Aries didn't stop us.
Kuya Angelo handed me a container of leftovers like a silent blessing.
And as we walked out?
Maria tried to speak.
Probably to explain.
Or defend.
Or say something syrupy and useless.
I didn't let her.
"Don't," I said, voice low.
She blinked. "I wasn't—"
"I said don't."
The hallway went still.
I looked at Jenna.
Then at Maria.
Then at Tita Gemma.
And finally at Aries.
"Next time?" I said, voice steady. "Don't invite me if they're coming."
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Keifer squeezed my hand.
Jare gave me a nod.
Percy looked proud.
And me?
I walked out.
Not angry.
Not dramatic.
Just done.
Because some boundaries don't need to be shouted.
They just need to be drawn.
And this one?
It was permanent.