JAY-JAY'S POV
"Let's just sell it—for a profit."
Who is that? Who are they selling to? Why are they looking at me?
"Are you crazy? I haven't even scored with that mother yet, and you already want to get rid of it?" one of the men said as he lit a cigarette.
The person he was talking to laughed. "I'm selling her."
"That woman is something else. It's like she never even gave birth—her body is still stunning." They glanced at me for a moment. "And That boy — is also a man like her mother."
They exchanged strange smiles. It was terrifying. The man holding the cigarette leaned in and whispered something to his companion. The other man left, and the one with the cigarette remained. He closed the door before walking toward me.
Who are you? Don't come near me!
"Jay, wake up. Move to the room—it's hot in here."
What? I don't want to move. Wait! Why is my body moving on its own?!
"Your mom isn't here yet. Let's go next door," he said, grabbing my arms.
D-don't touch me!
He stood up and held my hand. My body moved against my will, following a man I didn't even know. Until we entered a dark place.
I don't want this! MOM! ARIES! BROTHER! HELP ME!
Why can't anyone hear me? Why can't I scream? What's happening? Why can't I move?!
Please! Somebody help me! — Keifer.
"JAY-JAY!"
A voice shouted, accompanied by strong hands shaking my arms and shoulders. I opened my eyes and saw Aries, Kuya Angelo, and Aunt Gema looking at me.
"She's awake," Aries said, moving back slightly.
Aunt Gema rushed to my side and helped me sit up. I noticed Tito Julz standing at the door, looking as if he was about to make a phone call.
"Jay, what did you dream about? Tell me," she asked gently, wiping my face.
Only then did I realize my cheeks were wet—tears had been streaming down my face. My hands were trembling—no, my whole body was shaking from an unfamiliar fear.
What's happening to me?
Aunt Gema held my hands tightly. Kuya Angelo moved closer and crouched slightly to meet my eyes.
"It's okay. Speak up," he said in a calm but reassuring voice. "Take your time. Just tell us."
Even though I wanted to, I couldn't speak. My tongue felt stiff, as if words refused to form. The more I tried, the more tears fell, and before I knew it, I was sobbing uncontrollably. Aunt Gema immediately pulled me into a hug. And that's when it hit me.
This feeling…
An overwhelming sense of fear. So much fear that my body refused to obey me.
"Sshh… It's okay. We're here. No one will hurt you," Aunt Gema whispered, rubbing my back.
I felt Aries take my hand. Kuya Angelo moved even closer and kissed the top of my head.
"I'll get her some water," Tito Julz said before stepping out.
Still, I couldn't stop crying. I didn't know where that dream came from. But deep inside, I knew—it wasn't just a dream.
It was a part of my past.
I didn't understand why those memories kept coming back. I didn't want to remember them. I didn't want to know what happened to me.
Please, don't let those thoughts return.
"A-aunt… I-I don't want this… Get it out of my head… Please…" I pleaded between sobs.
"Sshh… It's okay. We're here. We won't leave you," she reassured me, continuing to comfort me.
I didn't know how long I cried. By the time Tito Julz returned with water, the maids had also brought food—probably in an attempt to help me calm down.
But they only brought fruit. I wanted fried chicken.
After drinking some water, I ran a hand through my hair. My nose was still stuffy from crying, but I felt a little better.
"Can you talk now?" Kuya Angelo asked.
"I don't want to talk about it, Kuya," I murmured, lowering my head.
He sighed before standing up. "Alright. Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."
He left the room, followed by Tito Julz. Aunt Gema lingered for a moment, making sure I was okay before gently laying me back down. She didn't turn off the bedside lamp. She smiled at me before finally closing the door.
Silence filled the room. And then—crunch.
The sound of someone biting into an apple echoed in the quiet space. I turned to see Aries sitting at the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone while eating.
"That's mine," I muttered, barely above a whisper.
He glanced at me for a moment before returning to what he was doing. "Go to sleep."
I turned onto my side and hugged Snorlax. "I can't sleep anymore."
I heard him pause, setting his plate on the table. Then, his footsteps approached.
"Jay," he called softly before sitting beside me. "Can you tell me about your dream?"
I shook my head. "I don't want to remember it again."
"Okay then, I won't force you," he said and was about to leave, but I grabbed his arm. "Just stay here."
He looked at me before nodding. Then, he lay down on the other side of the bed.
"Did you have a bad dream? And now you don't want me to leave?"
His tone was slightly teasing, but there was still a hint of seriousness in it. I turned to face him. Even though I wasn't looking directly at him, I could feel his gaze on me.
I might melt.
I stayed quiet, and Aries chose to remain silent as well. Because of the dim light from the lamp, I could faintly see the other side of the horoscope room.
I clenched my fists before closing my eyes. I couldn't imagine what might have happened in that dark room. I hope that's all I remember. I hope the past never comes back to haunt me.
Noon.
"Aries," I called out weakly.
"Hmm?" he responded.
"Where were you? When my mom was still with me?"
I felt him shift beside me. "Why do you ask?"
I shook my head. "I just want to know."
It took him a while to answer, as if he was carefully choosing his words—maybe afraid that his response would upset me.
"I was here," he finally said in a low voice.
I knew that. I just wanted to know if he ever thought about me while he was having fun. "Were you with them?"
He didn't reply.
"Yuri, Percy, and Keifer?" Still, he remained silent.
Maybe he had already fallen asleep. It was past midnight, after all. I didn't even know how long he had been helping Kuya Angelo earlier, and then he had to deal with my bad dream.
"You guys are still friends," I continued, even though I knew he was asleep. "You were all chubby before, weren't you? Now, only Percy is still chubby. But he was always the most broken one. Then again, all of you were broken!"
Something suddenly clicked in my mind. When I raised my eyes, I met Aries' gaze. He was still awake.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, annoyed.
I laughed as he rubbed the spot on my head where he had pinched me.
"You really have no intention of sleeping, do you?" he asked, sitting up. "Fine, I'll go to sleep, and you can keep watch over me. Who knows, someone might try to touch me."
My eyes widened as I remembered something. That was just a blanket! I was only teasing Ella. What does she think I am, a pervert? My brother is ridiculous. His mind is filled with nonsense.
"I thought you were going to watch over me," I said, frowning. "That's what you did last time."
He propped his arm up. "Let's switch. Watching over someone is exhausting too."
Oh, wow.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Go to sleep. Your beautiful sister will keep watch over you," I said sarcastically.
He looked at me seriously, frowning as he leaned in slightly.
"I only have one sibling," he said, moving closer, "and she's not beautiful."
I smacked his forehead without thinking. He looked shocked for a second, but then he smiled instead of getting mad.
"You must be feeling better," he said, pulling me into a hug. "Go to sleep. Whatever nightmare you had, I'll make sure it never happens again."
I hugged him back. "Even if I want to sleep, I can't. The stench of your armpits keeps me awake—ahhh!"
He pinched my back. I immediately pulled away, squirming on the bed like a fish out of water.
"That hurts!" I whined, trying to reach the spot he pinched.
"You're full of nonsense," he said, shaking his head. "Even Ella gets dragged into your foolishness."
I sat up, eyes wide. "She reported it? It was just a joke!"
"Be careful," he warned, his tone turning serious. "Next time, you might end up in a real fight."
"Oh no! Johnny, Johnny, no Papa!" I sang, trying to change the subject. He shot me a glare. "It's late, Aries. I'm just getting sleepy," I added.
He reached for my neck, but I quickly raised my arms in defense.
"You! You always have a comeback. I wish you were this quick in your exams," he muttered before walking over to the table.
He picked up a plate he had placed there earlier and handed it to me. The plate was only half full, with some of the fruit missing. This Horoscope is unfair. It wasn't even his, and yet he ate most of it.
"Drink it."
Even if he hadn't told me, I would have done it anyway. I started eating the remaining fruit, but my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
I couldn't help but think about my brother and Ella. Do they really love each other? Their relationship doesn't seem that solid. Aries, on the other hand, doesn't seem too affected. He's not the type to make grand gestures for a woman. He's always grumpy, as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
And her? Damn.
There's something about that girl that I can't quite figure out. She told me she made a mistake before—that she thought she was still in love with Yuri, but it turned out to be Aries.
But something still feels… off.
I glanced at Aries, who was now preparing his bed. I had no real intention of asking about them, but a part of me wanted to know the truth.
"Aries…" I called out to get his attention, but he continued doing what he was doing. "Do you love… Ella?"
He looked up at me for a moment before returning to his task. "Isn't it obvious?"
I nodded. "What is Freya to you? Have you two become… something more?"
He stopped what he was doing, sighed, and sat next to me.
"You might not believe it, but Freya is like my girl best friend. We just fight more often than we get along," he answered.
Girl best friend?
"Next time, don't read other people's conversations," he added, making me look away.
"Oh? What did you read?"
I quickly stuffed the remaining apple slices into my mouth. I didn't want to answer—he might get mad at me forever.
"You left our conversation open. Whatever you read, just tell me so I can explain."
I didn't mean to leave it open. I knew I would fall asleep right after crying. It was the Devil's fault. The pest. The king of snakes! This was all his fault! And Freya's! And Ella's! If they wanted to flirt, why couldn't they do it somewhere far away—somewhere I wouldn't see them?
Ugh, she's acting like she already has a boyfriend. She should focus on studying first!
"Go ahead, ask," he ordered.
I bit my lip. Aries didn't owe me an explanation. It wasn't his fault. So I didn't ask anything. I shook my head after finishing the rest of the fruit on my plate, chewing before swallowing. Then, I handed the plate to him.
"I won't ask anything. Don't overthink it."
He gave me a sharp look before accepting the plate and setting it on the table where he had taken the picture. When he returned, he lay down, using one arm as a pillow.
"Suit yourself," he said with a guilty tone.
"If I do ask something, it'll be about you," I replied. He raised an eyebrow at me. I sat up and faced him. "During the time we didn't see each other—because you were mad at me—what happened to you?"
He took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. "That incident happened. Keifer got mad at me. Yuri and Kuya Angelo tried to intervene, but it didn't help. A lot of the company's investors were upset with me and pulled out. I had to pull some strings to make sure no one could surpass me because I knew people would try to bring me down. I reconnected with my classmates—Rakki became my friend, Freya became my girl best friend, then Ella became my girlfriend. My fights got worse… then you showed up, and the rest is history," he explained as if he were giving a report in class.
Wow, a lot happened.
"Why were the investors like that? Why did they withdraw?"
"Because everyone thought I abandoned Percy. They quickly judged me and assumed I was a bad person. Since they believed Kuya Angelo was my brother, they linked the incident to how he might run the company in the future."
I nodded. Judgmental much? They jumped to conclusions so quickly. Why did they all think the same way? And what gave them the right to decide who was good or bad just because they had money?
That's not fair. Not at all.
But even though I didn't know the full story, I knew Aries would never abandon Percy like that. Percy was important to him, even if he didn't show it. That's why he wasn't there when I needed him—he was busy with his friends.
"I know you never really left him," I said, and he looked at me again. "Because every time you talk about that accident, your eyes give it away."
Like a little star.
He chuckled. "What?"
"Your eyes look like they're about to cry, and then you blink like this," I said, mimicking the way his eyes fluttered. "If you had really abandoned him, you wouldn't have the courage to talk about it… and the pain wouldn't show in your eyes."
Yes! I know things!
He smiled at me. "Maybe. Where did you get that idea? From Percy?"
"No, I figured it out myself. I'm smart, you know."
He laughed softly. "Is that why you're not reviewing? The exam is just around the corner."
I froze, suddenly remembering the upcoming fourth grading exam.
"See? You only asked about the accident," he said. "You're just like Percy—he keeps bringing it up, too."
Those blue eyes?
"Why?" I asked.
"Nothing. He's just… weird. I feel like he wants to talk to me."
Why would Percy keep asking about the accident? He should already know everything Aries does—they were together when it happened. Aries glanced at his phone, checking the time.
"You really don't plan on sleeping?"
I shook my head. "There's no school tomorrow. I don't need to sleep."
This feels nice.
"Whatever. Find a way to keep me from falling asleep," he said, closing his eyes.
I smirked before placing my hand on his stomach, pinching his skin. He immediately jolted awake in shock and pain.
Mission accomplished!
He shot me a murderous glare and clutched his stomach.
"What the hell?! What's wrong with you?!"
"There! Now you're wide awake!" I grinned, proud of myself.
Suddenly, he threw his arm around my neck.
"A-Aries! Let go!" I yelped, hitting his arm.
He didn't respond—he just tightened his grip. He finally let go when I started coughing from lack of air.
"You're such a pain."
Says the one who was about to fall asleep!
I scratched my head and stood up to fix the bed. He did the same. Once we were done, he lay back down while I sat, hugging Snorlax. I noticed him tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable. Annoyed, he finally sat up and looked at me.
"It's your fault I lost sleep," he complained.
"Who is waking us both up? And now I'm the one being blamed," I said sarcastically. "Yes, it's my fault. I'm a sinner."
"Are you like this with your classmates? And with Keifer?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't mention that man!" I snapped, annoyed.
"Why are you suddenly angry?" He wouldn't stop talking. Then, as if something crossed his mind, he looked at me. "Is it because of what Freya and I talked about?"
I didn't answer. I turned away from him and lay down. I had no intention of knowing those things—I would rather hear them directly from him.
"Didn't I say I would explain? Why don't you just ask instead of acting like this?" he said, nudging me with his finger.
He quickly pulled his hand away. "What? I'll just ask him."
He fell silent, and I said nothing more. I felt him lie down beside me. Minutes passed in silence before he spoke again. I had no intention of paying attention, but what he said was a big deal to me.
"Keifer is not the guy. He's not the one Freya is crazy about."