Jay-jay's POV
Can't they just argue some other day? Did they really have to pick this moment to fight? They seem to have forgotten that Yuri needs help more than anything right now.
"How did you get in?" Aries asked the two irritably.
"From the gate," Percy answered.
"Through the gate," the so-called King replied.
What brilliant answers.
If it were me, I would've slapped them already. I turned my attention back to my brother when he asked another question.
"No one saw you come in?"
"Your housekeeper did. In fact, they even showed me the way here," my stepbrother explained.
My Horoscope of a brother let out a frustrated sigh. "If Kuya finds out—"
"He's not here," the two answered in unison.
Where could he be?
"I saw him leave just before I got here," Percy added.
"I saw him in his car driving away," the idiotic King said.
Aries sighed again and glanced at me and Yuri briefly before facing the two once more.
"If you're here for Yuri, then take him with you," he ordered.
I grimaced. Just like that? He made it sound like Yuri wasn't even a person—like they were taking out the trash.
"I'm here to see Jay-jay," the crazy King quickly said.
"Same here," Percy added, raising one hand.
I pointed at myself. "Why me? Yuri's the one who needs help."
"Damn it, Felix said something happened to you and Yuri." He even glanced behind us. "Looks like something else entirely happened," he added with a teasing grin.
It was clear what he was implying. I was about to snap back at him, but someone beat me to it.
"NOTHING HAPPENED TO THEM!" the idiotic, demonic King quickly countered.
We were all stunned by his outburst. Percy clutched his chest like he was having a heart attack. Aries raised an eyebrow, and I was left gaping.
"Chill... No one's attacking you," Percy tried to calm him down. "Relax, okay? Relax."
"Nothing really happened. I was just dressing Yuri when you arrived," I explained, hoping to end the speculation.
"See? I was right. I trust my Jay-jay, so I knew she wouldn't do anything like that," the stupid King said proudly.
His Jay-jay?
"My sister is not yours. And if you trust her so much, why are you even here?" Aries challenged.
"I want to know what happened here," he defended.
"What did happen?" Percy asked, finally steering the conversation back to the real issue.
They all looked at me, clearly waiting for my answer. I scratched my head, feeling the weight of their expectations.
"He came here covered in blood. He said someone attacked him. Then he passed out," I explained.
"Attacked?" Aries repeated, confused.
I nodded.
"Why did he come here? What if he was followed?" Percy asked, worried.
"Yuri isn't careless. This house is probably the last place they'd think he'd run to," Keifer defended.
Of course, it's him.
"He also said he didn't even realize he ended up here," I added.
The King seemed to consider my words, probably thinking about what had happened to Yuri and why he was attacked. I'd been wondering the same thing.
"What kind of trouble did he get into this time?" Percy asked in frustration.
He moved closer to the sink and immediately noticed the bloodstains left from our clothes. He ran his finger over them and inspected it.
"Is this... blood?" he asked for confirmation.
"I told you, he arrived covered in blood. But he didn't have any wounds," I repeated.
The King of Snakes looked at me. "You handled that?"
I knew he meant the blood. I shook my head.
"I threw up. And Percy stepped right in it," I said.
Percy immediately started hopping around, shrieking like he'd seen a frog.
What an idiot.
"That's disgusting, sister!" he scolded me.
"Is it my fault you don't watch where you step?" I shot back sarcastically.
"You didn't give me a warning! It would've been fine if you were vomiting gold like me!"
Gold?
"Your face! Since when do people puke gold?"
"I'm not just any person." He flicked his hair dramatically. "With how handsome I am, I'm practically Aphrodite's child."
I grimaced. Aries shook his head, and Keifer let out a deep sigh. As if we didn't already have enough problems, now we had to deal with his nonsense, too.
I swear, he's the human embodiment of a typhoon. Worse than the monsoon winds.
We decided it was best to ignore him. The King of Snakes turned to me and started moving closer, but Aries quickly switched places with me.
"She's obviously fine now. You don't need to worry about Jay-jay anymore. You can take Yuri home," my brother said and stepped aside to clear the way toward the unconscious Yuri.
"And where exactly should I take him?" Keifer asked irritably.
I raised an eyebrow. "To his house."
"He doesn't go home anymore."
I straightened up at his words.
"What do you mean he doesn't go home?"
"I waited for him once to talk, but he never showed up. I asked his lady butler, and that's what she told me," he explained.
I glanced at Yuri, worry creeping back into my chest.
"Since when?" I asked.
He gave me a meaningful look and shrugged. "No clue."
I looked at Yuri again, my concern deepening. The fear of not knowing what was happening to him grew stronger. What was he getting himself into?
I had a strong feeling this was only recent. I'd visited his room just the other day and even ran into Freya.
"You don't have to worry about him," Aries said softly, his eyes following mine toward Yuri. "He's smart. He won't be careless, especially when something important is at stake."
"Do you know what's going on with him?" I asked.
He nodded slightly. "Kuya told me some things, but not everything he knows."
"What's going to happen to him?"
"Who knows," he murmured.
Our conversation was cut short by the sound of Aries' phone ringing. He showed me Kuya's name on the screen.
I quickly shut my mouth as Aries answered the call.
"Kuya..." He glanced at me. "Yes, she's right here." He listened quietly. "I understand."
When the call ended, he turned to the two guys. I followed him, sensing something important was about to be said.
"You need to get Yuri out of here before Kuya arrives," Aries said, worry evident in his voice.
"No," the King refused.
"Why?" Percy asked.
"Why?" I echoed.
"Those who attacked Yuri... they're not ordinary people. They're members of the Yakuza, and they're after his head," Aries explained. "We're all going to be in big trouble if Kuya finds out he came here."
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. I'd heard of the Yakuza before, but I didn't know much about them—just that they never let their enemies live.
Are the Yakuza after Yuri now? But why? I'm so confused. I know Yuri is Japanese, but I didn't know he'd get involved with those kinds of people.
"If I leave now, will I stay out of Boss's anger?" Percy asked innocently.
I immediately grabbed his shirt just as he was about to take a step away. You can't leave us.
"You can't leave us. Help us carry Yuri," I said, a hint of pleading in my voice as my eyes widened.
"Sis, my shirt. I know I'm handsome, but I never dreamed of being a porn star," he replied, trying to pull his shirt back so it wouldn't come off.
I let go of him but stayed right by his side in case he decided to run.
We all turned our eyes to the King of Snakes. He needed to help, too — first, because Yuri was his best friend; second, because we couldn't handle this alone; and third, because he was already here — it would be a waste of his trip.
"I'm not helping him," Keifer quickly said, sensing what we wanted from him.
"Keifer, come on," I said, a little annoyed.
"Look, Angelo can help him. Let's just tell the truth that he's here with us."
"Have you forgotten how my brother thinks?" Aries asked him. "And Yuri wouldn't ask him for help either," he added, pointing at Yuri.
Keifer sighed before looking at me. I stared back, and we held each other's gaze for a few seconds — until I decided to use my forbidden technique.
I winked at him.
I saw him quickly look away, his cheeks slightly flushing. He even turned around and rubbed his face before facing us again.
"Okay… I'll help. But how?"
"Take him home with you first. Take care of him, feed him, bathe him, dress him, rock him to sleep. If you're feeling bold, make him your wife," Percy suggested regarding Yuri.
What kind of suggestion was that?
I immediately elbowed Percy in the stomach. He winced softly before shooting me a glare.
"Fine," Keifer said, and I almost objected.
Was he really going to make Yuri his wife?
"I'll take him home and ask my butler to take care of him," Keifer added, which calmed me down.
I really thought he was going to take Percy's suggestion seriously. What was going on in my mind? Why was I even considering such ideas? This island is messing with my head.
"That's good. Now, lift him," Aries ordered, making Percy frown.
"He's heavy," Percy complained.
"You haven't even lifted him yet," I retorted.
"Just by looking at him — he must weigh 50 kilos."
"There are two of you," I said, pushing him toward the door.
Keifer followed, and together they managed to lift Yuri. They had to link arms on either side of him just to get him standing properly.
"He's completely out cold," Percy commented, flicking Yuri's nose.
I smacked Percy's hand to stop him, but he just laughed. Aries led the way, followed by Keifer, Yuri, and Percy, while I stayed at the back in case something went wrong.
The household staff kept glancing at us, probably wondering where we had been and why the red-haired guy with us was unconscious.
We were about to exit the gate when Aries suddenly came back inside, pale and clearly anxious.
"My brother — he's just around the block."
What? How did he get here so fast?
We all panicked, and Percy immediately let go of Yuri, pushing him toward Keifer. The two nearly fell over if I hadn't stepped in to support them.
"What do we do?" Percy asked frantically, as if we'd committed a huge crime.
Aries looked just as panicked until his eyes landed on the house's door.
"Inside. Get inside," he ordered.
We were all confused but followed his command anyway. Percy helped lift Yuri again, and we hurried inside the house, waiting for Aries's next instructions.
"Where?" I asked.
"U-upstairs," he stammered, pointing at the stairs.
We did as told, and I could already hear my brother's car horn outside. A maid was about to open the gate for him, but I quickly ran up to her and grabbed her arm.
"Please, Ate! Don't say anything to my brother," I pleaded.
She looked confused but nodded.
"Just do what she said," Aries added, making her nod even faster.
I ran up the stairs to catch up with Keifer and the others — and was surprised when they went straight into my room, even though Aries had already opened his.
"H-hey, that's my room!" I called after them, but Keifer, Yuri, and Percy were already inside.
"I know," the King replied, making my brows furrow.
How did he know which room was mine?
Aries and I followed them inside, and I quickly locked the door behind us.
Good thing I had already replaced my door's lock — Aries had a knack for breaking locks whenever he got into one of his tantrums.
All three of them were now sprawled on my bed, clearly exhausted from carrying Yuri and rushing up the stairs. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them.
"Now what?" Keifer asked irritably, but his eyes quickly landed on my open wardrobe.
I immediately rushed over, shoved my clothes back inside, and closed it properly. I noticed the smirk playing on his lips as his eyes drifted toward my feet.
Following his gaze, I saw my bra lying on the floor.
It's from Avon.
I snatched it up and stuffed it into the wardrobe, then checked the floor for any other stray underwear.
"We wait for him to go into his room. Then you all leave," Aries said.
"When will that be?" Percy asked, grabbing one of my Snorlax plushies to use as a pillow.
That's from you.
"Who knows," Aries replied lifelessly.
"What the fvck," Keifer muttered under his breath. "What if he doesn't go to his room and decides to stand guard instead?"
"Let's just hope he doesn't," Aries said.
I sighed, my eyes drifting to Yuri's unconscious form. I walked over to him, and Keifer quietly moved aside to let me adjust Yuri's position. I also smoothed out his slightly crumpled clothes.
I froze when I noticed Percy watching me intently. His eyes were serious, but a small smile played on his lips.
"Are you quick to forgive?" he suddenly asked.
"M-maybe… yes," I replied, confused.
"I might be, too. I think I could forgive," he said, glancing briefly at Yuri before lying back down.
My brows furrowed in curiosity, but I decided to let it go. I knew Percy was angry at Yuri, but I wasn't entirely sure why. It didn't seem like it was just because of what Yuri did to Freya — it felt like there was more to it.
"I'm heading out. Hold your phone at all times so you can read my message," Aries told me, and I nodded.
He quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him. Silence enveloped us. I continued tending to Yuri until I thought of wiping his face.
I grabbed a towel and went straight to the bathroom to wet it. When I came out, I immediately approached my target and wiped his face. There were still a few splashes of blood around his neck.
"Be gentle with the wiping — it might get shinier," said the King of Snakes.
"Or maybe a genie will come out. You'll get three wishes," Percy added with a mischievous grin. I immediately smacked him with the towel, making him jump up unexpectedly. The King laughed softly at what he witnessed, so he became my next target.
"What?" he asked in surprise.
"You're both messing with me!"
He smiled slightly, and I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. The jerk really had no flaws in his looks. I wanted to punch him, but it would be a shame if his face got scratched. Maybe I'll just scratch his body.
I coughed lightly to clear my thoughts and went back to what I was doing, but I froze when I noticed Yuri stirring. I also heard his faint groan. I went closer and gently shook him.
"Yuri..." He moved and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times before fully coming to his senses.
"J-Jay?" he called me while trying to sit up. "W-where am I?"
I helped him and adjusted the pillows so he could lean on them. "In my room," I answered.
He looked around and frowned when he saw the two idiots with us. Keifer raised an eyebrow at him, while Percy greeted him with a fake smile.
"What happened? H-how did I end up here?"
"I think that question is meant for you," Keifer said, grabbing our attention. He had a point. Yuri massaged his forehead, clearly trying to remember what happened and how he ended up at my house.
"Jay? Can I have a glass of water?" he asked me. I quickly stood up and left the room, half-walking, half-running until I reached the stairs. I slowed down when I saw my older brother talking to Aries in the living room.
My brother even signaled me with a questioning look when he saw me. I gestured for water with my hand. He nodded, and I went straight to the kitchen without being noticed by Kuya Angelo.
I grabbed a pitcher and three glasses. I quickly returned to my room, still unnoticed by the people in the living room. When I got back, the three of them were quiet. I handed Yuri a glass of water, which he accepted.
"Don't you have any food? I'm starving," Percy asked while rolling around on the bed.
Looks like I'm heading back to the kitchen. "You should've said so earlier," I said irritably and left the room again. Back in the kitchen, I looked for something to feed my idiot stepbrother. I found some cake and carbonara. I took those along with some plates and forks and carried them back to my room.
Once again, the three of them were silent when I arrived.
My shameless brother immediately dug in, while the other two remained quiet.
"Do you want something to eat, Yuri?" I asked. "Maybe some soup."
I blinked. Wow! Now I had to cook soup. I didn't want to refuse, though — that would be rude.
"S-sure."
Then I faced the King of Snakes. "How about you? What do you want to eat?"
"You—"
I cut him off right away. "I'm not food!"
"Pizza."
I pouted and quickly left the room again, heading back to the kitchen. Since I didn't know how to cook, I went to the housemaids for help. "Manang, can you please make some homemade pizza and soup?" I pleaded. She scratched her head. "But it's almost dinner time." "I just want some snacks first." She had no choice but to grant my request, though it took a while since she was also preparing dinner.
While waiting, my brother and Aries suddenly entered the kitchen. We both froze.
"What's that, Manang?" my brother asked.
"Pizza. Miss Jay-jay asked for it — she said it's for her snack." He raised an eyebrow at me. "We know you're a glutton, but we won't accept it if you hit 70 kilos."
Wow, rude!
"I'm not even 60 kilos yet."
"When was the last time you weighed yourself?"
I shook my head. "Not yet."
"That's why you don't know you already look like you're 60 kilos," he said, making my jaw drop. I grabbed my tummy. It's not even 30 kilos. It just looks heavy, but it's actually light. I can even fold it. I could probably hold coins in there while walking. Special talent.
"It's up to you if you want to get fat because of your gluttony," my brother said before walking away.
Thank goodness he finally left. Just in time, the oven dinged. The pizza I asked for was ready, as well as the soup. I carefully carried them back to my room.
Even before entering, I could hear the three of them talking inside. So when I opened the door, I expected them to still be chatting — but they went silent, and the atmosphere became so awkward it felt like you could hear crickets.
Why do I feel like they're keeping something from me?