Jay‑Jay's POV
Eman's restaurant looked almost normal from the outside — warm lights, soft glow, handwritten menu on the glass. But inside, everything was different. No customers. Just us.
"Tables cleared, back door locked," Eman said, wiping his hands on his apron as Angelo adjusted a small camera in the corner. "You sure about this, Jay?"
"No," I said honestly. "But I'm here anyway."
He smiled. "That's my girl."
Felix, Calix, and Edrix sat at a corner table pretending to casually scroll their phones, but their eyes kept flicking to the door. Freya and Mica were near the counter, whispering backup plans. Eren leaned against the far wall, seemingly relaxed, but his gaze was sharp, watching every angle.
Keifer stood beside me, never more than a step away. His hand brushed mine, not quite holding, but close enough to grab me in an instant.
The clock neared eight.
Every tick felt like a drum in my chest.
Then the door opened.
Yuri walked in like he had every right to be there.
He wore a dark jacket, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. His hair was slightly longer than before, his eyes a little colder, but the twist in my chest when I saw him was painfully familiar — not love, not anymore, but memory.
His gaze swept the room once — the "casual" friends, the empty tables, the way Keifer's body angled in front of mine. A slow, almost amused smile curved his lips.
"Overkill much?" Yuri said. "It's just me, Jay. Not a firing squad."
Keifer stepped forward instantly. "You don't get to call her that anymore."
Yuri's eyes slid to him, sharp and bright. "Still playing guard dog, Keifer? Some things never change."
"Some people don't either," Keifer shot back.
"Enough," I said before it could escalate. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. "You're here. Talk."
Yuri looked at me then, really looked, and for a second the anger in his eyes cracked — just a little. "You look better than the last time I saw you," he said softly. "Less blood."
A chill skittered down my spine. "Whose fault was that?"
He didn't flinch. "Not mine. Not directly." He tilted his head. "But you came anyway, even knowing what my family wants from yours. That's… reckless."
"Or brave," Rakki said from a near table, making him flick his eyes toward her.
He smirked faintly. "Section E. Always in the way."
Angelo stepped out from behind the counter at that. "We prefer the term 'protective.'"
Yuri's posture shifted the moment he saw Angelo, just slightly. "Cousin Angelo," he said dryly. "Didn't think you'd still be playing babysitter."
"I'm not," Angelo said. "I'm here to make sure this doesn't turn into something worse than it already is. You wanted to talk to Jay. So talk."
Yuri's gaze slid back to me. The restaurant felt too quiet.
"Why didn't you just disappear?" he asked suddenly. "You could've stayed gone. Started over somewhere else. But instead you're here — with him. In the same city, the same chaos, the same crosshairs."
Because I'm tired of running, I thought. Because I actually love someone now.
Out loud, I said, "Because this is my life. Not your mission. Not my parents'. Not yours."
Something darkened in his eyes. "You think this is just my mission? They gave me a list, Jay. A list of people they wanted erased — friends, allies, anyone they thought betrayed them. You were supposed to be the last name."
Keifer stiffened. The air turned electric.
"Then don't do it," I said. "You still have a choice."
His laugh was bitter and short. "You don't get it. If I don't, they cut me off. They mark me as the next target. You know how my mother looks at me now? Like I'm already a failure. Like I'm already dead. The only way I get my life back—"
"—is by destroying someone else's?" I snapped. "Do you hear yourself?"
He stared at me, jaw clenched. "I loved you."
"I know," I replied quietly. "And I loved you. But that doesn't mean you own me. It doesn't mean you get to hurt my family because yours is broken."
For a moment, something raw flashed across his face — a hurt boy buried under all that anger.
Then he whispered, "You chose him."
I didn't hesitate. "Yes. I did."
Silence crashed over us.
Keifer stepped closer, almost shoulder‑to‑shoulder with me now. "If you came here to convince her to go back to you, it's not happening. If you came here because Kaizer sent you, walk away now before this becomes something you can't undo."
Yuri's eyes slid to him, burning. "You talk like you're not part of the same rot. Your father and mine are on the same side now. You think you're different?"
Keifer's jaw tightened, but he didn't look away. "I am. Because I'd rather cut every tie I have than sacrifice the people I care about to keep it."
Yuri scoffed. "Easy to say when you still have them."
I stepped in before either of them could move. "Yuri."
He looked at me again.
"You say your parents want them gone. You say they gave you a list. But you're the one standing here," I said. "So tell me the truth — do you really want me dead? Do you really want Keifer dead? Or do you just want someone to finally hurt as much as you do?"
The question hung between us like a blade.
His throat worked as he swallowed. His hands, still shoved into his pockets, balled into fists. He looked away, just briefly, and in that tiny flicker I saw it — doubt.
Before he could answer, something buzzed in Angelo's pocket. He glanced at his phone, and his expression changed.
"Everyone, stay calm," Angelo said, voice low but urgent. "We've got movement outside. Two cars. No plates."
Kaizer.
My heart dropped.
Yuri's eyes flicked to the window, then back to me, sharper than ever. "Looks like I didn't come alone after all," he said softly.
Keifer swore under his breath. "Of course he'd use you to draw us out."
Angelo's tone shifted into command. "Positions. Now. No one acts without a clear threat."
Section E moved almost in sync — Felix and Calix slipping toward the back, Eren and Drake watching the entrance, Rakki tugging Cin down behind a booth. Aries edged closer to me, Percy right behind him, for once not joking.
Yuri stayed where he was, in the middle of the restaurant, gaze locked on mine. There was fear in his eyes now, buried under anger, but visible.
"You wanted to know what I really want?" he said quietly. "You're about to see it."
Lights from outside cut across the floor as car doors opened.
Keifer's hand found mine, grip unshakable. "Whatever happens," he murmured, "stay behind me."
My pulse thundered, but I lifted my chin.
"No," I whispered back. "This time… I'm standing beside you."
The door handle turned.