Jare (POV)
It had been seventeen days since Jay went missing.
Seventeen days.
And still—
Nothing.
I was discharged after three days, but none of that mattered. Since then, we've been staying at Angelo's condo.
Kuya. Kiefer. Angelo.
They didn't stop. Not once.
They chased every lead.Checked every place.Tracked everything they could.
Section E joined in, too.
Everyone was searching.
But it felt like Jay had disappeared completely.
Like she had never existed at all.
…
C-IN said Kiefer had spotted her in London.
Now they were tracking a lead in Manali.
But even that felt uncertain.
Like we were chasing shadows.
…
Percy had changed.
He still joked around.Still acted normal.
But sometimes—
He would go quiet.
Too quiet.
Like something was weighing on him… and he wasn't ready to say it out loud.
…
The doorbell rang.
I walked over and opened it—
And froze.
Section E.
All fifteen of them.
Standing outside like they owned the place.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Kiefer said Jay might be in Manali," C-IN said casually. "So we came to help."
Felix stepped forward. "He's heading to Manila soon."
Before I could respond—
"Jar—"
Percy walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of pancakes.
Big mistake.
The second Section E saw the food—
They attacked.
"Thanks, Kuya!""Move—move—""Give me that—"
Within seconds, the kitchen turned into chaos.
Food gone. Plates gone.
I just stood there… watching.
Then slowly closed the door.
…
A few minutes later, everyone settled down.
Edrix and Rory started explaining what they found—airport footage, timelines, movement tracking.
Trying to figure out how Kiefer even found Jay in the first place.
For the first time—
It felt like we were getting somewhere.
Like maybe we weren't completely lost.
…
Then—
The doorbell rang again.
"I'll get it," C-IN said.
He opened the door.
A second later—
"I found something!"
Everything stopped.
He walked in holding a small envelope.
"Outside," he added.
I stepped forward and took it.
It felt light.
Too light.
I opened it.
Inside—
A single card.
Plain.
Blank.
No name.
No message.
Nothing.
…
And somehow—
That felt worse than anything.
Cole (POV)
We had just landed in Manila when my phone rang.
Jare.
"Kuya… where are you?"
"We just landed."
"We got something. An envelope. It might be a clue to Jay."
I didn't hesitate.
"On my way."
I hung up and looked at Angelo.
We didn't need words.
We moved.
…
The moment we stepped into the condo—
It was packed.
Section E. Aries. Everyone.
"Where is it?" I asked.
"Here," Jare said, handing me the card.
I looked at it.
Blank.
Completely blank.
"Put it under the light," someone said.
I moved toward the lamp and tilted the card slightly—
And froze.
Something appeared.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
108724, 1239451Find me here.
Angelo stepped closer. "What is it?"
"Coordinates…" I muttered.
"Did you find anything else?" I asked.
"Nothing," Jare replied.
Percy stepped forward.
"That's not all," he said quietly.
I looked at him.
His expression had changed—sharp, serious.
"We found her," I said quietly. "She's with Clyden."
Jare's brows furrowed. "Who is that?"
I paused for a second.
"Kiefer's cousin."
The room went silent.
"Then this—" Aries started.
"—is from him," Angelo finished.
Now it made sense.
But not completely.
"Why send this?" Jare asked.
"Why not just call?"
No one answered.
Because we all felt it—
Something wasn't right.
…
"Split it," I said.
Voices rose immediately.
"108… 724—""123… 9451—""No pattern—""Reverse it—"
Frustration built quickly.
"This is useless—""He wouldn't send something useless—"
"Wait."
C-IN's voice cut through everything.
"I've seen something like this before…"
"What if this isn't a code…"
A pause.
"…but a location?"
That changed everything.
Edrix moved instantly.
"Give me that."
He grabbed the phone and started typing.
Everyone watched.
Seconds passed.
Then—
"…Got it."
"What?" Angelo stepped closer.
Edrix turned the screen toward us.
A map.
A single point.
In the middle of the ocean.
Silence.
"Latitude and longitude," he said.
Jare swallowed. "An island…"
Angelo exhaled. "So that's where she is…"
I pulled out my phone and messaged Kiefer.
Kiefer (POV)
I was in the middle of a meeting in Japan.
Investors. Numbers. Deals.
None of it mattered.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced at it—
And everything stopped.
We got Jay. She's on the island. — Cole
For a second—
I didn't breathe.
Then I stood up so suddenly my chair scraped against the floor.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Watson?"
I didn't answer.
Because I couldn't.
My chest felt tight—
Like something locked inside me for days had finally broken free.
"I need to leave," I said, voice steady but cold. "My brother will handle the rest."
I walked out.
Fast.
Too fast.
The moment I stepped outside, I loosened my tie and pulled it off.
It felt suffocating.
Everything did.
I called for a private jet.
"Immediate departure. No delays."
My grip tightened on the phone.
"I don't care what it takes. Just get it ready."
I ended the call.
Seventeen days.
Seventeen days of nothing.
And now—
She was there.
Within reach.
"I'm coming," I whispered.
My fingers curled into a fist.
"I'm going to get you."
And whoever did this—
Would not walk away.
Not this time.
Jare (POV)
We reached the island.
Far from Manila.
Too far.
That's why we couldn't find her.
He chose this place carefully.
Hidden. Isolated.
If he hadn't sent that—
We would've taken much longer.
Only five of us made it first—Kuya, Angelo, Percy, Aries, and me.
The rest of Section E was coming later.
No one spoke.
We were already focused.
The air felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too calm.
Then—
We saw it.
A house.
Not too big.
But enough.
We slowed down without realizing it.
And then—
We saw her.
Jay.
Standing outside.
Holding a water gun.
Laughing.
Laughing.
For a second—
I forgot how to breathe.
She was running.
Chasing him—
Clyden.
Water splashes everywhere.
Her laughter echoed across the open space.
Free.
Light.
Untouched.
That was the smile I had been searching for.
The one I thought was gone.
But it was still there.
Alive.
And in that moment—
I made a promise.
No matter what happens—
I will protect that smile.
Even if it costs me everything.
"Jay—!"
My voice cut through the air.
Both of them turned.
She froze.
Clyden didn't move.
He just looked at us—
And smirked.
That smirk snapped something inside me.
I stepped forward—
But before I could reach him—
Cole and Angelo moved first.
Fast.
Two clean punches.
Clyden hit the ground.
"HEY—!"
Jay rushed forward instantly.
"Stop!"
She pushed them away.
Then stepped in front of him.
Shielding him.
Protecting him.
Her hands were shaking.
But she didn't move.
She stood there—
Between him and us.
And when she looked at us—
It wasn't relief.
It wasn't recognition.
It was fear.
Confusion.
Anger.
"Why are you hitting my kuya?!" she shouted.
Silence.
Everything stopped.
My chest tightened.
"…What?"
Her voice trembled.
"Who are you?"
That word—
Kuya.
It didn't just hurt.
It shattered.
Because the way she said it—
She meant it.
She chose him.
And in that moment—
I understood something I wasn't ready to accept.
We didn't just find her.
…
We lost her.