Chapter 99 – "The Engagement"
The Diwali dinner had ended.
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The lights still glowed across the mansion.
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The garden still smelled faintly of fireworks.
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And somehow—
despite having eaten enough food for three days—
nobody wanted to sleep.
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Which was how they ended up making the worst decision of the night.
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Horror Movie Night
"Let's watch a horror movie."
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The sentence came from Rory.
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And immediately should have been rejected.
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Unfortunately—
everyone agreed.
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A mistake.
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A massive mistake.
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Because thirty minutes later—
the "brave" people were not brave anymore.
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JJ
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The first jumpscare happened.
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JJ screamed.
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And immediately grabbed Keifer's arm.
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"NOPE."
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Keifer laughed.
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"You wanted to watch this."
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"I WAS MISLED."
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"You chose the movie."
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"I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS SCARY."
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"IT'S LITERALLY A HORROR MOVIE."
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Percy
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Percy claimed he wasn't scared.
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Then a ghost appeared.
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And he almost threw the popcorn bowl.
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Honey stared.
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"Not scared?"
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"That was tactical."
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"No."
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"Yes."
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"No."
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Aries
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Aries kept saying horror movies were unrealistic.
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Until the lights flickered in the movie.
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At the exact same moment—
one of the mansion lights flickered.
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Aries immediately sat upright.
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Everyone saw it.
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Nobody let him forget it.
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Freya
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Freya spent half the movie hiding behind Edrix.
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While still insisting she wasn't scared.
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"Freya."
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"I'm not scared."
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"You are literally behind me."
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"Coincidence."
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Care
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Care was watching calmly.
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Completely unfazed.
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Until a particularly loud jumpscare happened.
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She jumped.
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Only slightly.
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But Cole saw it.
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And smiled.
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Care immediately pointed at him.
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"You saw nothing."
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"I saw everything."
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Lyra
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Lyra was a neurologist.
A doctor.
A scientist.
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And yet—
every creepy sound made her move closer to Alex.
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Rhys noticed.
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Immediately.
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Because Rhys noticed everything.
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"Ohhhhh."
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Lyra threw a cushion at him.
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Direct hit.
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The Call
Around midnight—
the movie was finally over.
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Everyone was alive.
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Mostly.
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Then—
JJ's phone rang.
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The room quieted instantly.
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Because the caller ID displayed one word.
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Kuya.
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Angelo.
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JJ smiled immediately.
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"Kuya!"
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She answered.
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And put it on speaker.
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The familiar voice came through.
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"...Jay."
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"Death."
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"Don't call me that."
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"I'm absolutely calling you that."
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The room laughed.
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And for a few moments—
everything felt normal.
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Then two other voices appeared.
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"ATE!"
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"ATE!"
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JJ's face immediately brightened.
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"KEIGAN!"
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"KEIREN!"
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The twins instantly started talking over each other.
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Neither waiting for answers.
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Neither breathing.
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Neither making sense.
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The usual.
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JJ laughed harder than she had all evening.
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Keifer watched quietly.
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Because this was one of the things he had missed the most.
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The way her face lit up around family.
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The way she sounded younger.
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Lighter.
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Happier.
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Eventually Angelo interrupted.
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"Enough."
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The twins groaned.
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"Kuya."
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"Enough."
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"No."
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"Yes."
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The argument continued for several minutes.
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Until finally—
something changed.
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The mood.
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Subtly.
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But enough.
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JJ noticed first.
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Because Angelo's voice became quieter.
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More serious.
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And that almost never happened without reason.
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"Jay."
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Immediately—
the room grew still.
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Because everyone heard it too.
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The change.
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JJ sat up straighter.
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"...what happened?"
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Silence.
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Then Angelo spoke.
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Carefully.
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Like he had rehearsed this conversation.
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"I need to discuss something important."
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Nobody liked those words.
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Not one person.
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JJ's smile faded.
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"What is it?"
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A pause.
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Then—
Angelo said it.
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"I've finalized your engagement."
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Silence.
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Complete.
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Absolute.
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Silence.
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Nobody moved.
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Nobody breathed.
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Nobody blinked.
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JJ stared at the phone.
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Like she had misheard.
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"...what?"
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Across the room—
Keifer went completely still.
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The kind of stillness that wasn't calm.
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The dangerous kind.
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Angelo continued.
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"You're twenty years old now."
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The room remained frozen.
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"I've found someone suitable."
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JJ's face slowly lost all color.
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Suitable?
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Someone?
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What someone?
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Who?
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Why?
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Every question crashed together.
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At once.
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Across the room—
Percy looked horrified.
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Honey looked horrified.
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Aries looked horrified.
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Ella looked horrified.
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Everyone looked horrified.
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Even Cole raised an eyebrow.
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Which was practically shock.
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Angelo continued.
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"He's capable."
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Silence.
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"Responsible."
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More silence.
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"A CEO."
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Nobody dared look at Keifer.
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Nobody.
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Not a single person.
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Because they knew exactly what expression they'd find.
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And nobody wanted to see it.
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JJ finally found her voice.
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"...Kuya."
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Her voice shook.
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"What are you talking about?"
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Another pause.
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Then Angelo answered.
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The answer somehow made everything worse.
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"It's already decided."
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Silence.
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JJ stared at the phone.
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The room stared at the phone.
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The entire mansion seemed to stop breathing.
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Because Angelo almost never made decisions lightly.
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Never.
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And if he said it was decided—
he meant it.
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JJ whispered:
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"...you already decided?"
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"Yes."
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The single word echoed through the room.
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Cold.
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Final.
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Unmovable.
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JJ looked completely lost.
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Keifer hadn't moved.
Not once.
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Not since the word engagement.
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Then Angelo spoke again.
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And this time—
his voice carried something none of them could identify.
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Not anger.
Not coldness.
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Something else.
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"He's someone I trust."
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Silence.
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"Someone capable of protecting you."
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More silence.
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"Someone I believe can take care of you for the rest of your life."
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Nobody knew what to say.
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Nobody knew what to think.
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And before anyone could ask the most important question—
the obvious question—
the one everyone was desperately thinking—
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Who?
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Angelo said:
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"We'll discuss the details when we meet."
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The line went quiet.
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And the call ended.
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Just like that.
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Leaving behind twenty stunned people.
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Twenty people staring at a dark phone screen.
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And one completely motionless Keifer Watson.
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Because only one question remained.
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One question that now hung over the entire mansion.
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Who was the man Angelo had chosen for JJ?
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And why did it sound like the answer was about to change everything?
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The silence after Angelo's words didn't last.
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Because the moment the call ended—
the mansion didn't feel like a home anymore.
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It felt like a courtroom.
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Like a verdict had already been passed.
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The Aftershock
JJ was still holding the phone.
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Frozen.
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Keifer hadn't moved at all.
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Percy looked like he forgot how to blink.
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Honey whispered:
"…engagement?"
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Aries immediately stood up.
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"No."
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Yuri slowly shook his head.
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"This is not something you decide over a call."
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Alex was already dialing something.
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Rhys looked at JJ first.
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Then at the others.
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Then said quietly:
"…this is not normal."
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Even Cole's expression had changed.
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Not anger.
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Not shock.
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Something colder.
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The Second Call
Then—
JJ's phone rang again.
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Same name.
ANGELO.
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Her hand shook slightly as she answered.
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"Kuya…"
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Angelo didn't waste time.
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"I'm not repeating myself."
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Silence.
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Then he continued.
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"You're all coming to London."
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The entire room froze.
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Even breathing stopped.
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JJ whispered:
"…all?"
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"All of you."
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Aries blinked.
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Percy sat up.
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Honey's grip tightened.
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Keifer finally spoke.
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"Why."
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Angelo's voice didn't change.
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"Because the engagement is in three days."
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Silence.
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Absolute silence.
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Even the air felt heavy.
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JJ's voice cracked.
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"…three days?"
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"Yes."
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Another pause.
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Then Angelo added something worse.
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"You're on holiday anyway."
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Percy immediately exploded.
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"THAT'S NOT THE POINT—"
Honey slapped his arm.
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"Quiet!"
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But it didn't matter.
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The shock had already spread.
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London Invitation
Angelo continued calmly.
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"You will arrive tomorrow."
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"I've arranged everything."
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Flights.
Security.
Accommodation.
Everything.
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Then—
the final sentence.
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"You'll meet the family there."
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Silence again.
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Because that meant something none of them liked.
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This wasn't a discussion.
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This wasn't a request.
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This was already decided.
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The Mansion Reaction
JJ slowly lowered the phone.
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Her face pale.
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Keifer looked at her.
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Then at the phone.
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Then at the others.
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Aries spoke first.
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"This is insane."
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Yuri nodded.
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"Agreed."
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Percy stood up.
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"We're just going?"
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Honey frowned.
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"This feels wrong."
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Ella whispered:
"…we don't even know the boy."
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Alex was already walking away.
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"I need to make a call."
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Rhys followed immediately.
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"Same."
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Cole stayed still.
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Watching JJ.
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Only JJ hadn't spoken.
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Not yet.
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Her voice finally came out small.
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"…he already decided everything."
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Keifer stepped closer.
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"Jay—"
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But she didn't look at him.
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Not anyone.
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Because for the first time—
this wasn't about Diwali.
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This wasn't about family chaos.
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This was something else.
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Something bigger.
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Something controlled.
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And she hated that feeling.
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Outside—
the Diwali lights still flickered softly.
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Inside—
twenty people stood in silence.
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Processing what had just been said.
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London.
Three days.
Engagement.
Already decided.
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And somewhere in that silence—
Keifer finally spoke again.
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Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just low.
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"…we're going."
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Aries turned instantly.
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"We don't have a choice."
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Keifer's eyes didn't leave JJ.
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"No."
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Pause.
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"We go because now we need answers."
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Silence.
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Because that was the truth nobody wanted to admit.
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This wasn't just an engagement anymore.
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It was a setup.
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And as JJ stood there staring at the dark phone screen—
one thing became painfully clear.
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London wasn't just a destination.
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It was where everything would finally be revealed.
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And none of them were ready for what Angelo had been hiding. 🇬🇧💍⚠️