Percy (POV)
Everyone was relieved.
The baby was safe.
Jay was safe.
For the first time since arriving at the hospital, everyone was finally breathing properly again.
Some were crying quietly out of relief.
Others were thanking God repeatedly.
Even the tension around Section E had lessened a little after the doctor confirmed that both Jay and the baby made it through safely.
But me?
I couldn't relax.
Because no matter how hard I tried—
I couldn't erase the image burned into my head.
The second Mia screamed.
"Blood—!"
Everything after that kept replaying over and over inside my mind.
Jay collapsing.
Kiefer catches her before she hits the ground.
The panic in his voice.
The way he shoved my hand away when I tried to help.
And the thing that haunted me the most—
The fear in his eyes.
I had known Kiefer for years.
I had seen him angry.
Cold.
Violent.
Completely emotionless.
But never like that.
Never terrified.
It didn't even feel like I was looking at the same person.
He looked exactly like the boy who lost his mother years ago.
Lost.
Shaking.
Hopeless.
Like the world was about to rip everything away from him again.
I leaned back against the hospital wall slowly, rubbing my face tiredly.
Then my gaze shifted toward the hallway.
Toward Kiefer.
He was still sitting in front of the ICU.
His face was buried in his hands, his knees pulled close to his chest like he was trying to hold himself together.
And I finally understood something.
Kiefer was never scared of dying.
He was scared of surviving without Jay.
The sight alone felt unreal.
I closed my eyes, thinking about what happened after Jay left.
Everything happened too fast.
Kiefer lifted Jay into his arms and ran toward the entrance without saying a single word.
Everyone moved at once.
Section E rushed after them immediately.
Orders.
Footsteps.
Shouting.
Then silence swallowed the mansion whole.
Now only my brothers and their wives remained standing there, frozen in place—
As if none of us remembered how to breathe.
"Kuya… she'll be okay, right?" I asked quietly, my eyes fixed on the entrance Kiefer disappeared through.
Nobody answered.
Not a single word.
The silence alone terrified me more than anything.
Slowly, I turned toward Angelo.
"Kuya…" my voice cracked slightly. "I think you went too far."
The moment I said it, everyone looked at him.
Angelo let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair before glaring at me.
"Really?" he snapped. "You think I went too far?"
His voice echoed sharply across the room.
"You don't know everything we've been hiding."
His jaw tightened painfully.
"Mr. Mariano was hospitalized because of a heart attack after hearing what happened."
The room fell silent again.
"And you almost lost your father," he continued, his voice rougher now. "So don't stand there and defend your friend like he did nothing wrong."
His words were harsh.
But when I looked at him properly—
I realized his eyes were filled with pain.
Not anger.
Pain.
Fear.
Exhaustion.
He was scared, too.
I swallowed hard before speaking again.
"But Kuya…" I said quietly, "Everything already happened."
My hands clenched at my sides.
"I'm scared we might lose two people tonight."
My voice trembled slightly.
"I was angry at Kiefer, too. I still am."
I looked down at the blood left on the floor.
"But we know Jay."
Everyone stayed silent.
"And maybe…" I whispered, " We chose the wrong time to fight them."
"Jay doesn't know everything," Clyden Kuya suddenly said.
My brows furrowed immediately.
"What do you mean she doesn't know?" Jare asked sharply.
Clyden exhaled slowly before answering.
"I heard it from Cassian," he said quietly. "Kiefer already told Jay the truth."
The room became still.
"He told her that, to the rest of the world… she was basically dead."
Nobody interrupted him.
"And after finding out everything, she wanted to come back here immediately," Clyden continued. "But before she could…"
His jaw tightened.
"Kiefer got into an accident."
Silence crashed over us again.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
So that was why everything became a mess.
Why Jay disappeared.
Why did Kiefer become even more unstable?
Why did both of them look exhausted every single time we saw them?
Then suddenly, Cole spoke.
His voice was quieter than usual.
"She trusted us."
Everyone looked at him.
"And she loves us," he continued painfully. "But instead of asking her what she went through…"
He swallowed hard.
"We blamed her for not choosing us."
The words hit harder than anyone expected.
"And we blamed her for not trusting us…" he finished softly.
Nobody knew what to say after that.
Because deep down—
We all knew he was right.
"You can continue your arguments later!" Amy Ate suddenly shouted, her voice trembling. "Right now, Jay needs all of you."
That snapped everyone back to reality.
"Let's go."
I opened my eyes and pushed myself away from the wall before walking toward Kiefer.
He was still sitting there in front of the ICU, unmoving.
"Hey, Kiefer," I muttered.
I nudged him lightly with my knee, still irritated at him for everything that happened.
Not at Jay.
Never at Jay.
But the second I touched him—
His body suddenly collapsed sideways onto the floor.
"Kiefer!"
My heart dropped instantly as I dropped to my knees beside him.
His breathing was uneven.
Weak.
I grabbed his shoulder quickly, and the moment my hand touched his skin—
I froze.
He was burning.
"What happened?" Clyden asked sharply, rushing toward us.
"He has a fever," I answered immediately. "A high one."
"This idiot…" Clyden cursed under his breath.
Together, we quickly lifted Kiefer, throwing one of his arms over our shoulders before dragging him toward the ER.
Even unconscious, he looked exhausted.
Like his body had finally given up after forcing itself to stay standing for too long.
The nurses rushed toward us as soon as we entered.
"Put him here!"
They laid Kiefer down on the hospital bed while doctors started checking him quickly.
Then one of the nurses carefully started removing the bloodstained gauze wrapped around his side.
Before anyone could say anything else, Angelo suddenly walked into the hallway carrying the baby carefully in his arms.
His expression still looked exhausted, but the tension in his face softened slightly as he looked down at the child.
Then he glanced toward Kiefer lying unconscious on the hospital bed and let out a tired sigh.
"Both of them are troublemakers," he muttered.
A weak smile appeared on Amy Ate's face.
"Married to each other perfectly."
A few quiet laughs escaped the room for the first time that night.
Small.
Shaky.
But real.
Even Clyden rubbed his forehead while shaking his head.
"Honestly," he muttered, "he really becomes a beast when the topic is Jay."
Angelo snorted softly.
"Of course he does," Angelo said while adjusting the baby carefully in his arms. "He's a monster."
Then he shook his head in disbelief.
"I punched him while he was already injured… but he still carried Jay through the entire hospital."
His eyes shifted toward the ER room where Kiefer was being treated.
"And he still refused to let her go until now."
Cole smirked slightly before nudging Angelo's shoulder.
"Is that why you said you trust him?"
Angelo narrowed his eyes immediately.
"Say that again," he warned dangerously. "You want to see what I can still do?"
A laugh escaped Cole.
"Why? Are you going to deny it?"
He crossed his arms while grinning.
"You practically raised him."
The others immediately looked at Angelo.
"And honestly," Cole continued, "what did you expect from your student?"
Clyden already started rubbing his forehead like he knew where this conversation was heading.
"You burned down your own school when you were younger," Cole reminded him shamelessly.
Aries and Jare nearly choked.
"Really?!" Jare blurted out while staring at Angelo in disbelief.
Aries looked equally shocked.
"You never told us that!"
Angelo immediately glared at Cole.
"COLE."
But Cole looked far too entertained now.
"Hm, looks like you guys don't know how much of a troublemaker Angelo really is," Cole said proudly. "Let me educate you."
Amy Ate gasped loudly.
"COLE—"
"Why? I'm just saying the truth," Cole defended shamelessly.
Then he pointed dramatically toward Angelo.
"So what can you expect from your pupil?" he continued while gesturing toward the ER room. "You burned down a school…"
He paused before pointing toward Kiefer.
"And now your student is out here trying to burn down London."
Then suddenly, even Cassian covered his mouth to hide a laugh.
Angelo stared at Cole in disbelief.
"You little—"
Before Angelo could finish, the baby suddenly started crying loudly in his arms.
Instant panic crossed Angelo's face.
"Wait—wait—why is he crying?!"
And just like that—
"Because your face looks grumpy," someone from Section E said casually.
The entire hallway froze for one second.
Then Angelo slowly turned his head.
"Who said that?" he demanded.
Nobody answered.
Section E immediately looked in different directions like innocent civilians.
"I swear I heard it from this side," Angelo muttered suspiciously while narrowing his eyes.
Then suddenly—
The entire hallway burst into laughter.
Even Amy ate; Mia had tears in her eyes from laughing too hard.
Meanwhile, Angelo still looked offended while the baby continued crying dramatically in his arms.
Before anyone could tease him further, a doctor stepped out from the ER.
Everyone immediately straightened.
"He's stable now," she said.
The relief in the hallway was instant.
But then her expression shifted slightly.
"The gunshot wound was deep," she added carefully. "So please don't stress him out too much once he wakes up."
And with that, she left.
Silence fell again.
This time is heavier.
Cole frowned immediately.
"What does she mean by gunshot wound?"
Clyden crossed his arms tightly.
"I don't know," he admitted quietly. "Kiefer said it was a car accident."
Then suddenly, Cassian stepped forward.
"Kiefer got shot."
Everyone looked at him instantly.
Without another word, Cassian pulled out his phone and showed them the video.
The hallway became deadly silent as the footage played.
Gunfire.
The crash.
Kiefer is bleeding.
Angelo's expression darkened completely.
Then slowly, he lifted his eyes toward Cassian.
"I didn't get the chance to ask earlier," Angelo said coldly. "But why are you here?"
Cassian didn't even flinch under his stare.
"I'm here for my brother and my friend," he answered calmly.
I frowned immediately.
"Since when did Kiefer become your brother?"
Cassian glanced toward the ER room before answering.
"We're cousins," he said. "So technically, we're brothers."
The hallway went quiet again.
"And Jay…" His voice softened slightly. "Jay was my friend."
Cole narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Did Kiefer actually agree to that?"
To everyone's surprise—
Cassian nodded.
"He did."
That shocked all of us more than it should have.
Because Kiefer never let Cassian get close to Jay.
Not after everything.
Not after Cassian openly admitted he once wanted to take Jay away from him.
So how in the world did Kiefer agree to this?
I stared at Cassian in disbelief.
Even Angelo looked confused for once.
Because everyone knew how possessive Kiefer was when it came to Jay.
He barely trusted people to stand near her—
Yet somehow, he trusted Cassian enough to call him family?
None of it made sense.
I was about to ask another question when suddenly—
The doctor stepped out into the hallway again.
Everyone stood instantly.
"Miss Jay has been transferred to the VIP room," the doctor informed us with a tired smile.
"You can see her,"
Relief crashed through the hallway immediately.
Before he even finished speaking, everyone started moving at once.
Chairs scraped.
Footsteps echoed.
Even Angelo nearly forgot he was still holding the baby.
"Careful!" Amy Ate hissed while fixing the blanket around the child.
But despite the chaos—
I noticed something.
Cassian didn't move immediately.
His eyes shifted toward the ER room where Kiefer still hadn't woken up.
And for the first time that night—
He looked genuinely worried.
When we entered the VIP room, Jay was asleep.
Motionless.
The sight made my chest tighten painfully.
Her face had gone pale, almost blending into the white hospital sheets wrapped around her.
She looked so fragile compared to the Jay we knew.
Kiran, Kai, Kiegen, and the rest of Section E immediately rushed toward her bedside.
"Ate—"
"Kiefer is going to freak out when he wakes up—"
"She looks too pale…"
"Sir," the nurse interrupted firmly, already looking stressed, "the patient needs rest, so please do not make too much noise."
"We'll take care of it," Cole said quickly.
The nurse looked unconvinced for a second before finally nodding and leaving the room.
The moment the door closed—
The room filled with voices again.
Section E surrounded Jay protectively while talking over each other.
"She scared us to death."
"I still can't believe Kiefer carried her while bleeding."
"Honestly, they're both insane."
Kai carefully adjusted Jay's blanket while Kiran checked if her IV line was bothering her.
Meanwhile, Jare stood near the corner holding the baby while Amy Ate kept reminding him not to hold the child like "a sack of rice."
"I am holding him carefully!"
"The baby's head is upside down!"
"That's because he keeps moving!"
A tired laugh escaped the room.
Soft.
Warm.
Alive.
For the first time since arriving at the hospital, the atmosphere no longer felt suffocating.
It almost felt normal again.
But underneath the soft laughter, the quiet conversations, and the relief of seeing Jay alive—
There were still questions none of us could ignore.
Questions waiting for Kiefer to wake up and answer.
Who shot him?
And why?
The elders were already dead.
The people who once wanted Kiefer gone had already been buried long ago.
So who was making moves again?
Who was powerful enough to corner Kiefer like this?
My eyes slowly shifted toward the window.
Toward the dark city outside.
A bad feeling settled heavily in my chest.
Because Kiefer was not someone easy to attack.
If someone managed to shoot him—
And I realized something else.
Whoever did this—
They knew where to find Kiefer.
My chest tightened instantly at the thought.
Because Kiefer was careful.
Too careful.
After Jay disappeared, he trusted nobody with information about her, not even us.
Even Section E only knew limited details.
Every movement was monitored.
Every location was changed constantly.
So how did someone manage to find him?
Unless—
My stomach dropped.
They already knew Jay was alive.
I slowly looked around the room again.
At everyone laughing quietly.
Jay is sleeping peacefully.
The baby is resting safely in Jare's arms.
And suddenly, none of it felt safe anymore.
Because if someone truly discovered Jay was alive…
Then that meant one thing.
Kiefer's secret had already been exposed long before tonight.
But that made another question even more terrifying.
If Kiefer handled everything so carefully…
Then how did they find out?
A leak?
A traitor?
Or someone close enough to watch him without being noticed?
The thought alone made my skin crawl.
Because Kiefer trusted very few people.
And if someone still managed to reach him—
Then whoever was behind this was already closer than we realized.
"What are you thinking about, Percy?"
I blinked and turned my head.
Aries was standing there now, with Yuri beside him.
"Nothing," I answered quickly.
Yuri narrowed his eyes immediately.
"But your face is saying something else."
I scoffed dramatically.
"Why? Did my handsomeness increase again?"
"Tss," Yuri clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Aries kept staring at me suspiciously.
"I saw wrinkles," he said seriously.
I looked at him in disbelief.
"You saw what?"
"Wrinkles," Aries repeated while pointing at my forehead. "Right here."
Yuri instantly burst out laughing.
"Oh no," he muttered. "He's aging from stress."
"Excuse me?" I said offended. "I'm still young."
"Not after tonight," Yuri replied immediately.
Even Kiran snorted from the corner.
Aries crossed his arms confidently.
"You were thinking too hard. Your forehead folded like an old man."
"Wow," I muttered dryly. "Thank you for the emotional support."
"You're welcome."
I stared at him for a second before shaking my head.
Idiots.
All of them.
But somehow…
Their stupid conversation pulled me away from the dark thoughts in my head for a moment.
And honestly—
Maybe that was exactly what I needed.