Chapter 85– Chaos
The convoy left Trinity Hospital just before sunrise.
Bangalore roads were almost empty.
Cool wind through half-open windows.
Tired silence inside the cars.
---
Section E wasn't talking much anymore.
Not after everything they had heard.
Not after everything they now had to process.
---
Percy finally broke the silence.
"…I feel like we just unlocked a hidden storyline."
Mica leaned her head back.
"I feel like I need sleep and therapy."
---
Keifer stayed quiet in the front seat.
Eyes fixed outside.
But not really seeing the road.
---
Because tomorrow.
They were going to meet her.
Finally.
---
And that thought alone made everything else irrelevant.
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The Drive
The cars turned away from city lights slowly.
Highways opened up.
Green stretches.
Less noise.
More distance from reality.
---
And then—
they saw it.
---
A massive gate.
Guard posts.
Security cameras.
Walls that didn't look like walls—more like a boundary between normal life and something else entirely.
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Percy leaned forward.
"…okay what is THIS place."
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Aries frowned slightly.
"This isn't a house. This is a country."
---
The gates opened automatically as their vehicles approached.
---
And as they drove inside—
silence deepened.
---
Lush greenery.
Manicured gardens.
Long private roads.
A mansion that looked less like architecture and more like power turned into stone.
---
Even Felix went quiet.
"…this is insane."
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They parked.
Stepped out.
Looked up.
---
And just stood there.
---
Because it was too big to process immediately.
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The Truth About the Mansion
Care stepped forward first, stretching slightly like she had done this a hundred times before.
Then casually said—
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"Yeah… this is Cole's place."
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Silence.
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Percy slowly turned.
"…Cole who?"
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Care pointed vaguely toward the mansion.
"That Cole."
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Aries blinked.
"…we don't even know a Cole."
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Care nodded.
"Exactly."
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That made things worse.
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Keifer finally spoke.
"…so we're staying in a stranger's mansion."
---
Care looked at him.
"No."
Pause.
"You're staying in JJ's temporary home."
---
That sentence made everyone pause.
---
Because that changed how it felt instantly.
---
Not luxury.
Not mystery.
---
Home.
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Percy raised a brow.
"…okay but why does JJ have access to billionaire estates?"
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Care shrugged slightly.
"She doesn't."
Pause.
"Cole does."
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Silence.
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Felix frowned.
"…who IS Cole?"
---
Care hesitated slightly.
Not because she didn't know.
But because explaining him was always complicated.
---
Then she said simply:
"He's the one who built all this."
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Aries narrowed his eyes.
"…built?"
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Care nodded.
"And somehow decided to share it with us."
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Percy blinked.
"…that's suspiciously generous."
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Keifer's gaze stayed sharp.
"…and he lives here too?"
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Care nodded again.
"Yes."
Pause.
"With Alex Rivera."
---
That name immediately got reactions.
---
Yuri snapped his head.
"…the Alex Rivera from IIM?"
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Care nodded.
"The same one who took your class."
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Silence.
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Percy groaned.
"So JJ is living in a mansion with random billionaires and geniuses and we just found out NOW."
---
Care looked at them calmly.
"You weren't supposed to find out at all."
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That shut Percy up immediately.
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The Walk Inside
The doors opened.
Cool air greeted them.
The interior was quiet.
Elegant.
But lived-in.
Not showroom luxury.
Something warmer.
---
Footsteps echoed softly as they stepped in.
---
And suddenly—
it didn't feel like a stranger's house.
It felt like a place where people had survived things together.
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Aries looked around slowly.
"…this place feels weirdly calm."
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Lyra nodded slightly.
"It's designed to be."
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Keifer stayed quiet.
Eyes scanning everything.
Still calculating.
Still searching.
Still waiting.
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Because somewhere in this place—
JJ was sleeping.
Unaware.
Untouched by this chaos approaching her life again.
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Percy whispered softly:
"…tomorrow we meet her."
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No one answered.
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Because saying it out loud made it too real.
---
And somewhere deep in the mansion—
behind walls, doors, and distance—
the girl they had lost a year ago was finally within reach again.
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Morning came too fast in the mansion.
Too bright.
Too loud.
Too… full.
---
The dining hall had turned into chaos.
Not loud chaos.
Controlled chaos.
The kind where too many powerful people are pretending everything is normal.
---
Rhys was already arguing with Lyra about coffee strength.
Alex was calmly scrolling through hospital reports.
Care was trying to organize breakfast like a battlefield commander.
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And then—
the rest of them.
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Section E had completely taken over half the hall.
Not because they were invited.
But because no one had the energy left to stop them.
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Aries sat beside Ella.
Percy beside Honey.
Mica leaned slightly toward Calix.
Freya and Edrix arguing softly over something stupid.
Rakhi sitting next to Cin, actively threatening him with a fork.
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David, Eman, Rory, Felix—
spread out but alert.
Like they were in a foreign country but still ready for war.
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And Keifer—
Kept completely still at one end of the table.
Not eating much.
Just waiting.
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Because today.
JJ would come down.
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JJ's Entrance
The stairs creaked softly.
Everyone noticed instantly.
Silence didn't fall.
It crashed.
---
JJ walked down slowly.
Still slightly tired.
Still adjusting.
---
Wearing Keifer's hoodie.
The same one she had from Manila.
The same one she never replaced.
---
For a second—
Keifer forgot how to breathe properly.
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Percy blinked.
"…that's his hoodie."
Yuri immediately smacked him.
"Don't say it like that."
"I'm just observing facts."
---
JJ stopped mid-step.
Because suddenly—
she noticed.
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Too many people.
Too many unfamiliar faces.
Too many eyes on her.
---
Her grip on the hoodie tightened slightly.
"…why are there so many people here?"
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Whispers.
Confusion.
Silent reactions.
---
Freya leaned slightly toward Edrix.
"She looks overwhelmed."
Edrix nodded.
"She's not used to crowds."
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Care immediately stepped forward.
Soft voice.
Calm tone.
Grounding presence.
---
"They're here for work connections."
Pause.
"Some are collaborating with Alex."
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Alex gave a small nod from the table.
"Research and medical partnerships."
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JJ blinked slowly.
"…this many people for work?"
---
Rhys shrugged slightly.
"You'd be surprised how chaotic global industries are."
---
But JJ still looked uncertain.
Her eyes shifted again.
Toward unfamiliar faces.
Toward judgment she couldn't place.
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Then Care added gently:
"And some of them…"
Pause.
"…are part of your university group project."
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That made JJ freeze slightly.
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Keifer finally spoke.
Calm.
Low.
Controlled.
---
"…we're in the same project group."
---
JJ turned toward him immediately.
Still cautious.
Still confused.
"…again?"
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Percy muttered under his breath:
"Fate is obsessed with them."
Honey nodded.
"Clearly."
---
Care stepped closer to JJ now.
Softening her voice further.
---
"You don't need to worry."
Pause.
"They're not here to disturb you."
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JJ hesitated.
"…it feels like they already know me."
---
That sentence hit the room differently.
---
Because they did.
But not in a way she remembered.
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The Explanation
Care continued gently:
"They're just your classmates."
Pause.
"Nothing more."
---
Aries looked away slightly at that.
Because it didn't feel like "nothing more."
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JJ slowly nodded.
Still unsure.
Still observing everyone quietly.
---
Then her eyes landed briefly on Keifer again.
---
He wasn't looking away.
Of course he wasn't.
---
But this time—
his expression wasn't intense.
Not scary.
Not overwhelming.
Just… steady.
Like he was making sure she was really there.
---
JJ frowned slightly.
"…why does he keep staring like that?"
she muttered.
---
Percy heard it immediately.
Whispered:
"Ouch."
---
Care quickly interrupted before tension grew.
"Breakfast first."
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And slowly—
the noise returned.
Clinking plates.
Soft conversations.
Forced normalcy.
---
But underneath all of it—
nothing was normal.
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Because JJ sat there in Keifer's hoodie…
surrounded by people she didn't remember…
while everyone at that table carried a year of missing pieces inside their chest.
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And Keifer—
just watched her quietly across the table.
Like if he looked away even once…
she might disappear again.