Keifer POV
I slipped out of Jay's house the same way I had entered—carefully, quietly, like I didn't belong there at all.
The early morning air was cool, but my mind wasn't. Her face when she woke up, the way she panicked, then pleaded Aries and Percy to throw me out without getting caught—it should've annoyed me.
Instead, it made me smile.
I checked my watch as I got into the car.
7:10 a.m.
Meeting day.
I drove without music, letting the city wake up around me. Traffic thickened slowly, like the world easing into responsibility while I was already drowning in it.
By the time I reached Watson Enterprises, it was exactly 11:00 a.m.
Perfect.
The conference room was already occupied.
And the moment I stepped in, my steps stalled.
Drew.
He stood near the window,
hands in his pockets, looking like someone who had walked into the wrong room but was too polite—or too tired—to leave.
Our eyes met.
Shock hit us both at the same time.
"You?" we said together.
The room went silent.
I blinked once, then twice. "What are you doing here?"
Drew frowned, clearly just as confused. "I was about to ask you that. Didn't… didn't you call me?"
"I didn't," I replied immediately.
His confusion deepened. "But my loan—Shark Tank called me last night. Said the loan is cleared. Contract's over."
I stiffened. "That wasn't us."
He stared. "Then who paid it?"
Before I could answer, Clyde entered the room with a file in his hand, completely unfazed by the tension.
"Good, everyone's here," he said. "We can begin."
I turned to him sharply. "Clyde. Did Watson Enterprises clear Drew's loan?"
He paused. "No."
That single word made things worse.
I ran a hand through my hair. "Then why is his company here? Why are we investing?"
Clyde sighed. "I don't know.
Uncle Keir approved it."
That made my jaw tighten.
I stepped out immediately and dialed Uncle Keir.
He picked up on the second ring.
"What is it?" he asked calmly.
"Why are we investing in Drew's company?" I demanded. "And don't tell me it's strategy. It's already collapsed."
There was a pause.
Then, "Someone wants us to invest."
"That's it?" I snapped.
"That's all I can tell you right now," he replied evenly. "Focus on the meeting. Focus on your exams. We'll talk later."
The call ended.
I stood there for a second, phone still against my ear.
Great.
The meeting itself was… strange.
Professional on the surface.
Confusing underneath.
Drew kept glancing at me like I had answers.
I kept looking at him like he did.
Neither of us had anything.
When it ended, I didn't waste time.
I made a few calls.
By early afternoon, we were all gathered—Angelo, Yuri, Edrix, Rory, and me.
I explained everything. From the loan. To the investment. To the silence from Uncle Keir.
Rory rubbed his temples. "I can try digging, but my dad's abroad. Without him, my company can't operate internationally."
"So nothing?" Yuri asked.
"Not nothing," Rory replied. "I can give you contacts. Big detective agencies. The kind that don't ask unnecessary questions."
"Do that," I said immediately.
Angelo's phone buzzed mid-conversation.
He glanced at it, then frowned. "My agents checked. The investment trail… it leads to Hapipi Enterprises."
Everyone reacted at once.
"Who?"
"Never heard of them."
"Another shell company?"
"I know them," I said.
The room quieted.
I leaned back slightly. "But that's what doesn't make sense. Hapipi Enterprises is massive. Territory, money, influence—on a completely different level."
I shook my head. "They wouldn't bother with a company like Drew's. It's too small. Too insignificant."
Yuri muttered, "Unless size isn't the point."
No one argued.
We didn't sit there theorizing. No dramatic conclusions. No panic.
Just a quiet, shared understanding.
Something was moving.
And it didn't want to be noticed.
"So we dig," Angelo said finally.
"Silently," I added.
Everyone nodded.
The meeting ended without another word.
Jay POV
After everything—hospital, chaos, shouting, secrets—I finally did something normal.
I took a long bath.
Brushed my hair slowly.
Ate breakfast without anyone interrogating me.
For five whole minutes, life felt… survivable.
Then my phone rang.
Cien.
I already knew it was bad news.
"Jay," he said, not even saying hello, "exams start from Monday."
My spoon froze mid-air.
"…Monday?"
"Yes. MONDAY," he repeated, unnecessarily loud. "Surprise test schedule. Congratulations, your peaceful life is officially cancelled."
My soul left my body.
I stared at the wall, calculating my survival chances. Zero. Absolute zero.
Before I could even mourn properly, he added, "I'm outside your house. Come. Let's review."
I blinked. "Outside… my house?"
"Yes. Shoes on. Brain on. Move."
I sighed, grabbed my bag, and stepped out. "Okay, but where are we reviewing? Somewhere quiet, right? Somewhere safe?"
He smiled.
I didn't like that smile.
"Let's go to Elara's house."
I stopped walking.
"No."
He didn't stop.
"I said no," I repeated, louder.
He waved his hand like my opinion was background noise. "Relax. You'll survive."
I did the only responsible thing—I informed Tita, grabbed my phone, and mentally prepared myself for social embarrassment.
We rang the doorbell.
The door opened.
And for the first time, I actually looked at Elara.
She had a pale, white complexion with a natural pink blush—like someone who had pimples once but somehow turned that into something cute instead of tragic. Her brows were naturally serious, the kind that looked annoyed even when she wasn't. Soft pink lips. Long hair tied neatly into a braid.
She was wearing a blue T-shirt, black lower, and black sneakers—like she was already halfway out of the house.
Before I could even say hi—
Cien charged at her.
"Elaraaaa—"
She stumbled back, nearly fell, but somehow balanced herself like gravity personally respected her.
"WHY are you here?" she asked flatly.
I looked at Cien slowly. "Didn't you… inform her?"
He grinned.
That stupid, criminal grin.
Meaning: no.
I wanted the floor to swallow me.
"We are here for exam review." Cien said.
"I'm so sorry," I said quickly. "We didn't mean to—"
She stared at us for two seconds.
Then stepped aside. "Come in."
I blinked. "Wait—really?"
"Yes," she said.
"By the way, why do you need me to review. You already scored 100" she said pointing towards cien.
"I am not here for me, I am here for jay" he said.
"But you have exactly one hour
After that, I have to go somewhere."
We nodded so fast it probably looked like exercise.
She placed cookies and instant ramen on the table like this was a battlefield and we were soldiers.
"Start," she said.
And she did.
She didn't just teach.
She dismantled confusion.
Her explanations were simple, sharp, and somehow… calm. No unnecessary drama. No extra words. Just logic connecting to logic like puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.
Cien tried to interrupt her twice.
"Hey, what if—"
She looked at him.
Just looked.
He shut up.
I focused. For real.
And when the hour ended, I stared at my notebook in disbelief.
I was… prepared.
Like actually prepared.
I looked up at her slowly. "Your way of teaching is just…"
I couldn't even finish the sentence.
She packed her bag, slung it over her shoulder. "Effective."
That was the word.
And for the first time since exams were announced—
I felt like I might actually survive Monday.