The next morning - After everything changed
Keifer POV
Section E and I were seated at Eman's restaurant, the familiar noise of clinking cutlery and low chatter filling the air. The place smelled of coffee and warm food—comforting, almost celebratory.
David leaned back in his chair, a grin stretching across his face.
"So," he said, "finally, Keifer. You two are engaged."
Felix smirked, nudging his glass. "I'm just waiting for permission to call Jay, Mrs. Watson."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "She deserves happiness too."
A chorus of teasing "ooohs" followed immediately.
"Alright, alright, leave it," I said, pretending to be annoyed, though I couldn't stop smiling.
Rory leaned forward. "Did you call Yuri?"
"Yeah," I replied, taking a sip of my drink. "He said he'll come this week."
Josh frowned slightly. "Can he walk now?"
"Yes," I said. "He can."
Just then, a familiar voice cut through the noise.
We all turned at once.
"Yuri—!" everyone shouted.
He stood there, smiling like he'd never left, walking toward us with steady steps.
"Missed me?" he asked.
" Off course. " David replied.
" Finally Hanamichi is back."
" Yuri, the Hanamichi heir ."
Yuri came towards me and sat beside me ," So engaged ."
" Yes finally," I said small smile tugging at my lips .
" Well you guys are here alone, where is Jay ?" He asked.
" She is with Freya , Ella, Rakki and Mica ."
" So she is on girls outing and you are here . " He replied.
I nodded.
" Missing her ?" Felix teased .
" I do." I said without any hesitation.
" Awww ... " Ci-n teased.
" Yuri , you missed Jay's birthday , she will be angry ." Eman said.
" She was already angry at you, she told me that she is not going to talk to you ." I said .
"I know how to reduce her anger ." He replied .
" How ? " Edrix asked .
" Simple - Sushi ." He said .
Everyone started laughing .
"Well, really, Keifer," Kit said with a smirk, "she loves food more — more than you."
I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.
David suddenly stiffened. "Wait… isn't that Jay's father?"
The room seemed to pause.
We all turned in the direction he was pointing.
He stood there near the café entrance, tall and unmistakable, speaking quietly to a woman beside him. His posture was calm, almost too calm, as if this moment had been planned long before we noticed him.
"What is he doing here?" Yuri asked under his breath.
"Yeah," someone added, confused. "He was supposed to be in New York."
Before anyone could say anything else, he started walking toward us, the woman following closely.
As he entered, his eyes lifted—and met mine.
For a second, everything else faded.
He leaned toward the woman, whispering something I couldn't hear, then straightened and continued forward.
And just like that, the past stepped into the present.
"Keifer?" the man called out.
I looked up at once. "Yes, sir."
"Mind if we join you?"
"Not at all," I replied.
They took the seats across from me, their presence instantly commanding attention.
"I think you already know me," the man said calmly. "But still, I'm Jaspher Mariano—Jay's father. And this is Reycee Mariano , Percy's mother."
"Hello," Aunt Reycee said quietly, her voice warm.
He folded his hands on the table and looked directly at me. "Well, congratulations," he said.
"Thank you, sir."
Aunt Reycee studied me for a moment before speaking. "Keifer, I'm not Jay's real mother," she said gently, "but I consider her my own daughter."
Her tone softened, but her words carried weight.
"So I'm warning you," she continued, a faint smile touching her lips, "take good care of her. Otherwise—"
She let the sentence hang, unfinished, yet perfectly understood.
" I will, I won't repeat my mistake. Not now , not in the future." I said ," Sir , I wanted to ask something . Can I ?"
" Sure Keifer but firstly no need to call me sir now you are my future son-in-law so call me dad ." He replied.
" Ah - Pa - Papa." I replied.
" Yes son ."
These words hit me harder than I expected . My father never loved me , never talked to me sweetly but I think now I can get father's love because of Jayjay, my Jay .
" You are supposed to be in New York right , so you in the Philippines how ?" I asked .
His smile faltered and Aunt Reycee looked away and swallowed.
" Mom ! "
We all turned, Percy was there .
Aunt rose from her seat and crossed the room without hesitation. She pulled him into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping around him as if grounding herself.
"Percy, are you okay?" she asked softly.
He hugged her back, warmth returning to his smile. "Yes, Mom. Your handsome son is perfectly fine."
She laughed under her breath and gently pushed him away. "Come on, sit here."
Percy obeyed, settling beside her.
"Why did you call me here so urgently?" he asked, his tone turning curious.
"It's something important," she replied, her voice carefully measured.
Then Jay's father stepped forward. "Keifer, I'm here to give all of you a responsibility," he said.
The word still caught me off guard.
"What responsibility, Dad?" I asked.
"Eces."
The room seemed to echo with confusion.
"Eces?" Section E repeated in unison.
Percy frowned slightly. "Tito… is she back?"
Aunt nodded. "Yes, Percy. Eces is back. She'll be coming to the Philippines tomorrow."
Percy leaned back, a grin spreading across his face. "Why's she coming here? Did she miss my handsome face?"
I groaned inwardly and smacked my own forehead, shaking my head at him.
"Percy," Dad said firmly, the humor draining from his voice, "she's coming here because both she and Jay need protection."
The grin vanished instantly. Percy straightened, his expression serious.
"I got it."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"Can someone please tell us what's going on?" I finally asked.
"Yes—and who exactly is Eces?" Yuri added.
"And what do you mean by 'protected'?" David leaned forward, his brows drawn together.
Percy's gaze shifted to me. "Keifer, you read the inheritance papers, right?"
"Yeah," I said slowly. "I did. That's actually what I was going to ask… who is SSM?" ( SSM mentioned in chapter 16 )
Aunt inhaled deeply.
"Keifer… SSM," she said, pausing as if choosing her words carefully, "is our daughter."
The room fell silent.
"What daughter?" Section E asked, their voices barely above a whisper, shock rooting them to the spot.
"Yes—daughter," Dad said, his voice steady but heavy with truth. "Mine and Reycee's daughter."
My brows knitted together. "But even Angelo didn't know about her."
"Keifer, that's because no one ever really met her. Even I only saw her on rare occasions—birthdays, festivals. That's all," Percy explained quietly.
"Why?" Edrix pressed. "Why does no one know her?"
"Because she lived in India."
The words settled over us like a sudden chill.
Instinctively, every head turned toward the gate.
They were all there—standing still, as if time itself had paused.
Ella. Freya. Rakki. Mica. Honey. And then… her , Jay.
"Jay…" Dad whispered, his voice trembling.
"Pa," she replied softly.
He rose from his seat, taking a hesitant step forward, as though afraid she might disappear if he moved too fast.
She didn't hesitate.
Jay ran toward him and threw her arms around his chest, clinging to him as if letting go would break her.
"Papa," she cried, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt.
For a moment, it felt like the world narrowed to just the two of them.
Dad's hands trembled as they wrapped around her. He pressed his lips to her hair, his breath shaking.
"Oh God… I've been waiting for this."
No one spoke. No one dared to.
We watched in silence as father and daughter held on to each other, mending something that had been broken for far too long.
"Dad, don't leave me again," she sobbed, her voice muffled against his chest, her grip tightening.
His shoulders shook. Tears slid down his face, unchecked.
"I won't," he whispered. "Never again."
Tears burned my eyes.
God… neither Jay nor I had ever truly known a father's love. My mother had been taken from me, and Jay's mother had left her when she needed her the most. The ache of it sat heavy in my chest.
But I made myself a silent promise.
I would give our children the love we never had.
I would never leave them alone.
Slowly, Jay's sobs softened. Dad brushed the tears from his face with the back of his hand, still holding her close, as if afraid the moment might slip away.
Then once after crying, they calmed down.
Dad took a slow breath, the kind that comes before a truth that can't be taken back.
"SSM doesn't mean security," he said quietly.
Something in his tone made my chest tighten.
"It never did," he continued. "It stands for Serina Sofi Mariano."
The name hit me first—sharp and sudden.
Serina.
My mother's name.
For a split second, the room blurred.
"Eces," Dad added.
Jay stiffened beside him. "Eces…?"
Dad nodded. "Your sister."
It means she doesn't remember her .
Silence crashed down around us.
"My… sister?" Jay whispered, her voice breaking. "But—"
"She's younger," Dad said gently.
I barely heard the rest.
Serina.
I swallowed hard, memories rising without permission—my mother's soft voice, the way she used to brush my hair back when I was younger, the name I hadn't said out loud in years, they way that monster killed her .
Jay staggered back a step. "Then why was she hidden?" she asked. "Why didn't I know about her?"
Aunt Reece's hands trembled as she folded them together. "Because she was vulnerable. And because the danger didn't end with you."
Dad's jaw tightened. "When things started getting worse, we had to make a choice. Jay was old enough to understand silence. Serina wasn't."
"So you sent her away," Jay said.
"Yes."
The word felt heavy.
"All this time," Jay said quietly, "I thought I was alone."
"You weren't," Dad replied. "She asked about you every year. Every birthday. She grew up knowing she had an elder sister."
Jay's knees buckled, and Dad caught her just in time.
"She knows about me?" Jay asked, barely audible.
"Yes."
I watched Jay break in a way I'd never seen before—and suddenly, something inside me broke too.
Serina.
A sister with my mother's name.
Fate was cruel like that—circling back, reopening wounds you thought had healed.
"Where is she now?" I asked, finally finding my voice.
Dad looked up, his gaze steady. "She's coming home."
Jay clutched Dad's shirt. "I just want my sister."
Dad pulled her close. "And you'll have her."
I stood there, heart pounding, the name echoing again and again in my head.
Serina.
My mother's name.
Jay's sister.
Somehow, it felt like the past and the future had collided in a single moment—and I knew, with quiet certainty, that when this younger Serina arrived, nothing in our lives would ever be the same again.
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Sorry for late update 😞
Liked the mystery of SSM unfolded.
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