Keifer'sPOV
I woke up to a sudden cold emptiness on the mattress beside me. Shifting over, I initially thought Jayjay was just in the bathroom. But after waiting for a while with no sound of running water, suspicion kicked in. I walked over to the bathroom door and knocked firmly. No response.
"Jay? Are you in there?" I called out. Still, silence met my voice.
I knocked again, pushing slightly against the frame. Since the door wasn't locked, it smoothly swung open. The room was completely empty. A knot twisted in my stomach. I hurried downstairs, checking the kitchen, the movie room, the living room, my home office, and even Keigan and Keiran's room—but she wasn't anywhere.
Panicking, I immediately dialed Ci-N's number.
"Is Jayjay with you?" I demanded the second he picked up.
"Whoa, dude, no! But calm down—"
"How am I supposed to calm down when I can't find her?!" I snapped, cutting him off. "Call everyone right now and ask them if she's with any of them!"
I slammed my finger on the screen to end the call and immediately dialed Edrix next.
"Track Jay's location right now," I ordered.
Edrix let out a sleepy groan on the other end. "Right now? It's way too early, man. Where could she even be?"
"Edrix, she's not home. Track her!" I yelled and disconnected the line.
I rushed into my home office where I could access the mansion's main CCTV security footage. Rewinding the tapes, I scanned the screens frantically. At first, there was nothing but empty hallways. Then, my heart dropped. There she was on the camera, quietly walking right out of the front gates. But why? Where could she possibly be going at this hour?
My phone suddenly buzzed in my hand. I checked the screen to find three unread messages from Ci-N and one urgent text from Edrix.
From Edrix: I can't track her phone. It's completely switched off. Maybe just wait a while, she'll probably be back soon.
To Edrix: Ok fine.
I hit send and immediately clicked open Ci-N's thread.
From Ci-N: I called her brothers and all of our guys, but she isn't with any of them. She's nowhere to be found.
From Ci-N: Did she come back yet?
To Ci-N: Did you check with Rakki, Mica, Grace, and the other girls?
From Ci-N: I already called Rakki, Mica, and Grace. She isn't with them. And as for Freya and Ella, I don't think she'd ever go anywhere with them. You remember they aren't on good terms right now.
I stared at the screen. Sometimes, against all odds, Ci-N actually made perfect sense.
To Ci-N: Ok.
I fired off the text, grabbed my keys, and practically ran out to my car. According to the security footage, she had left a whole hour ago. I couldn't help but feel a wave of anger at myself. How deeply asleep had I been that she was able to slip right out of my arms without me even noticing?
Driven by pure adrenaline, I drove straight to the school. I sprinted inside, checking every corridor, the cafeteria, and even the other classrooms, but there was absolutely no sign of her. Finally, I kicked open the doors to Section E's classroom.
The entire squad was already there, lounging around—minus Ci-N, Edrix, and Jayjay. The second I walked in, every single one of them stared at me with wide, blinking eyes. I looked down at myself and realized what a mess I was. I had rushed out so fast that I was still wearing my casual home clothes and a pair of basic house slippers.
"Whoa, bro, what happened?" Rory asked, holding back a smirk. "Did Jayjay literally kick you out of the house in your pajamas?"
I shot him a lethal glare, and he instantly mimicked zipping his lips shut.
"Where's Jayjay?" Felix asked, his expression turning serious and worried. "Ci-N called all of us earlier asking if we'd seen her."
"I don't know either," I admitted, my chest tightening. "She's been missing for an hour. I came here hoping she'd be at school, but she isn't."
The boys all exchanged uneasy, stunned glances before looking back at me. Realizing I was wasting time, I turned on my heel, exited the classroom, and drove straight back to the mansion. The moment I pulled up, I marched right over to the security guard stationed at the main gate.
"When my wife left, where did she go?" I demanded fiercely.
The guard bowed his head nervously. "Sir, I honestly don't know. Ma'am just walked out on foot and strictly told me to inform you that she had some very important work to take care of."
Frustrated, I stormed back into the house. Where are you, Jay? Why are you making me worry like this? Even though I had already checked the entire place and watched the security footage, I began searching through the dark, quiet rooms of the mansion all over again, praying that I had somehow missed her.
I rushed back inside the house, quickly kicked off my slippers, and laced up a proper pair of shoes. Bolting back out to my car, I peeled out of the driveway and drove straight to Aries' house. I rang the bell frantically, but when the maid opened the door, she informed me that neither Aries nor Angelo was home. Knowing only Tita would be there, I didn't waste any time. I sped directly over to the Fernandez Corporation headquarters.
The moment I stepped into the building, I spotted Angelo. He caught sight of me at the exact same time and marched over.
"Is Jay with you?" I demanded before he could even greet me.
Angelo stared at me, his brow furrowing. "She was supposed to be with you."
"I know that! But she slipped out of the house over an hour ago," I said, the panic bleeding into my voice.
His expression darkened instantly, his eyebrows knitting together in pure fury. "Where the hell is she, Keifer?!"
"I don't know! That's exactly why I came to ask you!" I snapped back.
"But she was under your roof!" he yelled.
"You know what? I'm going to go find her myself," I said, turning on my heel. I stormed out of the office and drove straight to Percy's house.
The second the front gate opened, Percy lunged forward and aggressively grabbed me by the collar. I didn't even flinch. I calmly but firmly pried his hands off my shirt and stared straight into his raging eyes.
"Where is my sister?" he demanded, his voice dangerously low.
"I don't know. I came here hoping she was with you," I replied honestly.
Percy gave a tight, tense nod, his protective brother instincts taking over. "We need to find her right now."
He brushed past me, pulling out his phone and barking orders into the receiver as he strode over to his car. After a rapid-fire conversation, he hung up and looked over the roof of his car at me.
"Angelo is already blocking off all the major roads out of town," Percy reported grimly. "The rest of Section E and Aries are currently grid-searching the entire city. We need to move!"
I sprinted back to my driver's seat. Both of our engines roared to life at the same time, and we tore down the street. As I drove, I redialed Jayjay's number over and over again, but the automated voicemail response mocked me every single time.
"DAMN IT!" I roared, slamming my fist violently against the steering wheel. I hit it again and again, letting out all my frustration.
I drove aimlessly through every district in town, pulling up to every single bakery, convenience store, and snack shop I could think of, desperately hoping to spot her buying snacks. But there was no sign of her anywhere.
Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Aries. I snatched it up and pressed it to my ear.
"Keifer, it's not just Jayjay," Aries said without even saying hello. "Ella, Freya, Honey, and Saki are all gone too. None of them are at home."
My brow furrowed in utter confusion. "That doesn't make sense. They wouldn't be together, Jayjay isn't exactly on good terms with—"
"They are together," Aries interrupted firmly. "Think about yesterday at the park. Those five were talking way too much while they were eating their ice cream."
"People talk, Aries. It doesn't mean they ran away together, and I didn't see them talking" I argued, trying to find a logical explanation.
"Yes, they weren't just talking with words, Keifer. They were having a full conversation with their eyes," Aries stated.
Hearing that, I slammed on the brakes, bringing my car to a screeching halt. Right in front of me, Aries' car had pulled over too. I looked up through my windshield, matching his gaze in his rearview mirror.
A chill ran down my spine. What on earth are these five girls planning?
Yuri. Yes, Yuri! A sudden realization hit me. He hadn't been in the classroom either. Maybe Saki was with him, and Jayjay was with them?
I immediately shoved my door open and stepped out of the car. Aries and Percy, who had been driving right behind me, killed their engines and scrambled out onto the asphalt to meet me.
"Yuri wasn't in the classroom today either," I stated, looking at them. "And Saki, his girlfriend, is one of the missing girls."
They both gave a tense, understanding nod.
"Did you call Yuri yet?" Aries asked, looking at Percy.
"No, I didn't. Did you?" Percy turned the question back to me.
"No, I haven't either," I muttered, pulling out my device.
"Well, don't just stand there, call him!" Aries urged.
I quickly dialed Yuri's number and pressed the phone to my ear. The second he picked up, the sound of heavy, ragged panting filled the receiver, as if he had been sprinting marathons across the city.
"Is Saki with Jayjay?!" Yuri demanded frantically, not even waiting for a greeting.
"No, they aren't here," I replied, my chest tightening further. "I was actually calling to ask you if Jay was with you guys?"
"Obviously not! But where the hell are they?!" he shouted over the line.
"I don't know. Ella, Freya, and Honey are completely gone too. We think all five of them might be together," I explained grimly.
"Maybe... but what do we do now?" he asked, sounding completely lost.
Before I could answer, Aries impatiently snatched the phone straight out of my hand. "Okay, listen up, Yuri! We have absolutely no clue where these five girls—who are currently taking years off our lives from worry—have disappeared to, and we don't know what our next move is!" he barked in one single breath.
Right then, the screech of tires echoed down the street. I whipped my head around and saw a sleek car pulling up aggressively right behind Aries. The door flew open, and Edrix stepped out, looking incredibly pale.
"Freya—" Edrix started.
"She's gone too," I cut him off, completing his sentence. He just gave a defeated, tense nod.
Suddenly, another sharp car horn blared down the road. We all looked up as a familiar vehicle rolled up to the curb. It was Yuri's car. He threw his door open and practically ran over to our circle, his expression completely frantic.
"What's the plan now? Where on earth are the five of them? Are they definitely together?!" Yuri bombarded us with questions the second his feet hit the pavement.
"We don't know anything!" the four of us chorused in perfect, frustrated unison.
Yuri ran a hand through his hair, nodding worriedly as the absolute chaos of the situation finally settled over all of us. Five girls, completely off the grid, and a pack of frantic boys with absolutely no lead.
"Yuri, your mom... where exactly is she right now?" Percy asked suddenly, his eyes narrowing in thought.
Yuri shifted uncomfortably, his expression turning incredibly serious. "She... well, she and my dad are divorced. I haven't seen her in ages because, honestly, I don't want to have anything to do with her."
"Every single dot always connects to a middle dot, and right now, that middle dot is your mom," Aries stated firmly, drawing all of our attention. He turned directly to Yuri. "Look, does she even know that Saki is actually your girlfriend now?"
Yuri shook his head slowly. "No, she doesn't."
"Exactly!" Aries snapped his fingers. "She probably still thinks you're in love with Jayjay. She could be using this as a trap to force Jayjay to come and talk to her!"
My fist clenched at my side, my protective instincts flaring up instantly. "How? Jayjay is my wife now. That woman can't do anything to her."
Yuri looked up at me, his eyes wide with a sudden, terrifying realization. "No, no, no, no... you don't understand, Keifer. After the divorce, she married someone else. She might have literally married the supreme boss of a Yakuza gang."
The entire roadside circle went dead silent. We all slowly exchanged stunned, heavy glances as the gravity of Yuri's words settled over us. If a Yakuza boss was involved, this wasn't just a simple misunderstanding anymore—our girls were in serious danger.
Suddenly, right in the middle of our tense silence, Edrix burst out laughing. We all whipped our heads toward him, glaring at him. What on earth was so funny about a potential Yakuza kidnapping?
"You guys are seriously exaggerating," Edrix chuckled, shaking his head at our panicked faces. "Look, from what I know, Ella, Freya, Honey, and Saki absolutely love shopping. And Jayjay? She literally lives for food. They probably just went out together to some new mall or cafe."
He paused, gesturing between Aries and Yuri. "And as for Aries' connecting dots and Yuri's crazy Yakuza theory? Come on. That's impossible. Our girls are definitely not that dumb. There is no way they would ever walk into a dangerous situation or go meet someone suspicious without having massive backup. I know that for a fact because all five of those girls share the exact same fierce, street-smart vibe. They wouldn't do something that incredibly stupid."
The heavy tension in the air instantly evaporated. We all looked at each other and slowly began to nod in agreement. Edrix was completely right. We had let our panic completely take over. Jayjay and the rest of the girls were tough, sharp, and independent—they definitely weren't the type to be easily fooled or captured.
"You only tried tracking Jayjay," Percy pointed out, turning his sharp gaze toward Edrix. "What about the others? If they're all together, they'll have the exact same location."
Edrix pointed a finger right back at him. "I already tracked every single one of them. Every single phone is completely switched off."
A chill settled right back into my chest. Suddenly, Edrix's peaceful shopping explanation didn't make any sense at all. Who on earth goes out for a fun day of shopping with their phones completely turned off?
...
Hours bled into the evening.
Night had officially fallen, and the five of us—me, Yuri, Aries, Percy, and Edrix—had spent the entire day turning the city upside down, but we had found absolutely nothing. My mind was racing, completely unable to process why they would be gone for a whole damn day. Shopping trips don't last this long. Something was definitely, terribly wrong.
We were all sitting in my living room, exhausted and tense, when the doors opened. Angelo walked in, leading the rest of Section E right behind him.
"You five need to take a break and rest. They'll be fine," Angelo stated, looking at our worn-out group.
Aries snapped his head up, glaring at his brother. "Kuya, rest? How the hell are we supposed to rest when they've all been completely missing for the entire day?!"
We all nodded in fierce agreement. The rest of Section E looked over at me and Edrix, taking in our disheveled appearance.
"Whoa... you two look like someone just dragged you through a brutal beating," Drew remarked, trying to lighten the mood.
That was the final straw. Blinded by pure frustration, I grabbed a decorative ceramic flower pot sitting near my chair and launched it directly at them. The boys immediately gasped and scrambled backward as the pot shattered loudly against the wall.
"What the hell, Keifer?!" Angelo shouted, his eyes wide.
"The five of us are literally dying from worry here, and this idiot thinks it's a good time to joke around!" I roared, my voice echoing through the room.
Hearing my outburst, the Section E boys instantly dropped their heads, looking down at the floor in guilty silence.
Angelo let out a heavy sigh, realizing the gravity of the situation. "Fine. You five stay here and keep losing your minds. The rest of us are heading back out to search." He turned on his heel and walked out.
The Section E squad looked at us one last time. "You guys should really try to get some rest. We'll handle this round," Felix said softly before they all followed Angelo out the door—except for one.
Ci-N stayed behind, standing completely still by the doorway. He looked up at us, his eyes turning glossy and swimming with tears. "I need Jayjay... where is she? Please, just find her," he whispered, his voice cracking.
Yuri's expression softened, and he stepped forward, giving Ci-N a reassuring nod. "Go get some rest, Ci. We promise you, we will find your Ate."
Ci-N gave a small, shaky nod, wiped his eyes, and quietly walked out into the night.
Yuri walked back over to the seating area and sat down heavily on the sofa beside us. All five of us just sat there in dead silence, our eyes glued to the front door, desperately hoping and praying that the girls would just walk through it at any second. But seconds slowly turned into agonizing minutes, and minutes bled into hours, and the door remained completely still. They didn't come home. Finally, unable to take the suffocating waiting game any longer, we all decided to stand up, grab our keys, and go tear the entire town apart all over again... when suddenly...
The End 🌸.