Chapter 4 – I Know What You're Planning (And I'm Letting You)
Jay's POV
The comments stopped pretending.
They didn't tease anymore.
They didn't joke.
They explained.
"Jay finds out last,It breaks her."
That one appeared while I was brushing my hair.
Simple. Final.
I stared at my reflection.
"No way," I whispered.
But the comments didn't care.
"Fernandez Corp is collapsing."
"Angelo is running out of options."
"Tita Gema knows."
"Jay is the contingency."
"The Mariano-Fernandez's sacrificial lamb."
My chest tightened.
I live with kuya Angelo.
I see the stress lines that weren't there last year.
The late-night calls.
The way Tita Gema prays longer now.
It wasn't a stretch.
It was math.
Then that name appeared again.
"Hanamitchi heir."
"Yuri."
I dropped the brush.
Yuri?
Quiet. Polite. Untouchable Yuri.
The one who never panicked.
The one who always watched instead of acted.
"He suggests the engagement."
"He lies about why."
"He wants control."
My hands shook—not from fear.
From clarity.
School Feels Like a Chessboard Now
Section E was loud as usual.
Kit yelling.
Blaster throwing something illegal.
Josh stealing Edrix's seat.
But now I could see it.
"They're connected."
"This class isn't random."
"Section E protects its own."
Keifer caught my eye.
Immediately.
His jaw was tight.
Like he was holding words hostage.
"He knows about London."
"Inheritance."
"45 days."
My throat closed.
London.
Leaving.
"He wants to tell her."
"He's can't yet,He doesnt even know if Jay loves him yet."
I looked around again.
David.
Rory.
Felix.
Drew.
All watching.
All waiting.
Like they were hiding something huge.
Aries Confirms What the Comments Already Said
Aries walked beside me after school, hands in his pockets.
"Leave that stupid section of yours," he muttered.
I smiled. "No way."
He stopped walking.
"Jay," he said quietly, "when things happen… don't fight right away then."
There it was.
"Aries knows."
"He's trying to protect her."
"Why?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Which was enough.
The Final Pieces
That night, the comments came fast.
Not emotional.
Not dramatic.
Clinical.
"New Year's Eve engagement."
"She accepts."
"Keifer confesses minutes later."
"Both love each other."
"Timing ruins everything."
I sat on my bed, knees pulled to my chest.
So that's how they planned to break me.
"Yuri set it up."
"Truth comes out on the school trip."
And then—
The one comment that changed everything.
"Jay doesn't have to stop it."
I looked up.
Another followed.
"She can control how it ends."
Silence.
Then I laughed.
Soft. Calm. Certain.
They thought I'd panic.
Beg.
Rebel.
They were wrong.
My Decision
I won't say yes to the engagement.
I won't expose Yuri yet.
I won't force Keifer to confess early.
Because now I know:
Who is lying
Who is protecting me
Who loves me
And who thinks I'm a bargaining chip
I'll let the plan move forward.
But when the truth comes out—
when Keifer leaves for London—
when Yuri's lie cracks—
I won't be reacting.
I'll be choosing.
And that's the part no one planned for.
"She's not doomed."
"She's dangerous."
I smiled to myself.
Yeah.
I am.
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A chapter as a gift to yall.