Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Yuri's POV

*Continuation of Flashback*

Keifer screamed repeatedly in pain, his hands gripping his hair tightly.

"We're still waiting for the CT scan and MRI results. For now, we've only given him a pain reliever, which should take effect in a few minutes," the doctor informed us.

"Thank you, Doc," Keiren responded.

"No problem. If you need anything or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

With that, the doctor finally left the room. I sat quietly, watching Keifer as he continued writhing in pain.

Hahaoya approached me and gently said, "Yuri, let's go back to your room. You need to rest."

"Watashi wa koko ni tomaritai." (I would like to stay here.)

"Dakedo—" (But—)

"Hahaoya… onegaishimasu. Watashitachi wa otagai ga ima hitsuyō desu." (Mother, please. We need each other right now.)

She sighed, then gave me a small, understanding smile. "Alright, I understand. But please don't forget to take your medicine."

I nodded. She then left, asking Keiren to come with her, but he chose to stay just like me.

Gradually, Keifer's screams subsided until he finally fell asleep. I sat for a while, but soon, a sharp pain spread through my legs and thighs.

Still, the pain inside me hurt even more.

"Kuya will be okay too, right?" Keiren asked.

I forced a smile. "Of course… it's Keifer."

He stood up from the sofa and moved to sit beside me. His eyes were filled with sadness. With Keigan still missing, and now this happening to Keifer, it was too much.

"I wish Brother Keigan was here," I heard Keiren whisper.

I ruffled his hair. "We're here for you and your brother."

We talked for a while until we both fell asleep. I woke up when I heard movement in the room.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Keifer sitting at the edge of the hospital bed, staring blankly ahead. His eyes looked lifeless. Slowly, I stood up and approached him.

"Keifer… D-does anything hurt? Dextrose—"

"Yuri…" He cut me off. "…Do you remember anything from the accident?"

My mouth went dry. I knew he would ask, but I hadn't prepared an answer yet.

"I-I don't," I blurted out.

Bullshit, Yuri!

I do remember. I remember Percy and Aries being inside. But I don't want to tell Keifer. I know everyone will look for someone to blame.

"How is Aries?" he asked again.

The truth was, I had never visited Aries. The only one I had met was Angelo, and he told me not to see Aries yet. He said Aries still wasn't talking, and seeing us too soon might make him think we were blaming him.

"I'm not sure, but Angelo said he's alright."

Suddenly, Keifer stood up and ripped off his IV drip. Before I could react, he was already rushing out of the room. I tried to go after him, but the pain in my thigh made it difficult.

Just as I reached the door, Hahaoya arrived. Her face was filled with worry as she looked at me.

"Yuri—"

"Please… Please let Keiren go after him first. I'll follow Keifer."

I didn't wait for her response. Despite the pain in every step, I pushed myself to catch up with Keifer. I finally spotted him as he entered the elevator.

"Where is Aries' room?" It was a serious question.

"You need to rest, Keifer! What do you want from him?!"

He didn't answer. He just pressed the button for the floor above ours. I had no idea what he was planning to do. His actions were unreadable.

But I felt nervous!

When the elevator doors opened, he quickly approached the nurses' station.

"Where is Aries Fernandez's room?"

"S-Sir?" The nurse looked at him, startled.

"Where is Aries Fernandez?!"

One of the nurses picked up the phone and dialed a number—probably calling security. I rushed forward to pull Keifer back.

"Let's go see him later. Maybe he—"

"I don't fvcking care!"

"Sir! Calm down!" One of the nurses tried to restrain him.

"Just tell me his fvcking room!"

"Keifer, that's enough!"

Just as some nurses moved closer, someone suddenly grabbed Keifer and shoved him against the wall. We were all stunned. Angelo stood firm, his grip unrelenting, while Keifer glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Angelo asked authoritatively.

Keifer shoved him away. "Where is Aries? I just want to ask him something."

Angelo glanced in another direction, toward what I assumed was Aries' room.

"He's resting. Come back another day," he said firmly.

He was about to push Keifer away, but Keifer grabbed his arm, his calm demeanor vanishing instantly. His brows furrowed.

"What happened? Why did Percy die?" Keifer demanded.

I noticed the nurses watching us, and Angelo did too.

"Do you have a spare room we can use? We just need to talk," Angelo asked them.

A nurse quickly pointed to a nearby room. The three of us headed inside, and I shut the door behind us.

"Damn it! What were you thinking?! You're drawing too much attention!" Angelo snapped at Keifer.

"I want to know what happened! Why did Percy disappear like that?!"

Angelo turned to me as if expecting an explanation. Maybe he was wondering why I wasn't speaking. But I couldn't. I didn't want the words to come from me.

"The car fell off—"

"I already know that!" Keifer cut him off. "I want to know why you two didn't do anything!"

"We did something," I interrupted. "We requested a rescue mission to find—"

"What rescue mission?! Are you telling me there's no body?! Then how can you conclude that he's dead if no body was found?!" His eyes burned with fury.

"I saw the car… My car, to be exact—the one you stole to run off and do your reckless shit!" Angelo shot Keifer a piercing look. "But there was no body inside. With the strength of the river's current and the height of the crash, do you really think anyone could have survived?! Think, Keifer!"

I lowered my head. It was our fault this happened. If we hadn't asked Aries to come with us, none of this would have happened. But it did. There was no point in blaming anyone now.

"Percy is strong! I know he survived! I know—"

"HE IS DEAD!" Angelo's voice was like a slap. "The police have declared it. It's been 72 hours since he disappeared."

A crushing pain filled my chest. It was hard to believe. Hard to accept. He had even called me for a picture while in the car, right before the accident…

"Aries saw you when the car fell—"

"And he didn't even do anything?!"

"Keifer!" I tried to stop him.

"I know you're fvcking devastated right now, but you need to understand! You weren't there. You don't know how hard Aries tried to get Percy out of that car!" Angelo exhaled sharply. "He barely made it out himself. So think about how he feels."

I agreed with what Angelo was saying, but at this moment, Keifer's mind was closed off to any explanation.

"Aries and Percy in the car together?"

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over me when he said that. I looked at Angelo—it wasn't enough for me to yell at him and tell him he was wrong.

No one spoke. A single word from any of us, and Keifer would explode like a bomb. I didn't take my eyes off Angelo, and he did the same with Keifer.

"They were in the car together?!" he asked again.

A few seconds passed before he suddenly turned to face me. He was about to storm out the door, and I knew exactly where he was going—to Aries. I tried to block his way, but he pushed me aside like a mere curtain.

Damn it, Keifer!

I fell to the floor, pain shooting through my thigh and leg. Angelo rushed to help me.

"Go after Keifer!" I shouted, and he did.

I took a moment to recover before heading out. Even from a distance, I could already hear Keifer's furious screams. He was livid, uncontrollable. Even the nurses were struggling to handle him.

People peeked out from other rooms, disturbed by the chaos. Keifer's outburst had caught everyone's attention. As I neared Aries' room, I saw Angelo holding Keifer back as he desperately tried to break free. Aries was on the floor, his face covered in blood.

"Percy died because of you! You let him die!" Keifer shouted in rage.

"Stop it, Keifer!" Angelo yelled, still trying to restrain him.

"I WILL NEVER FUCKING FORGIVE YOU!"

I could see how hard Angelo was struggling to hold him back. Then, finally, a group of nurses arrived and intervened. One of them administered an injection. Within seconds, Keifer's body weakened. Moments later, he lost consciousness.

I just stood there, watching.

I watched my friends—the ones who had been with me through every moment of my life. I watched the friendship that now seemed shattered because of one death.

I wanted to apologize. I had done nothing for them. I felt worthless.

Forgive me, Percy...

*End of Flashback*

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jay-Jay's POV

"That whole mess started because of the issue with Ella and the fight with Aries in the cafeteria," Yuri added.

That was also the reason Section E could no longer go to the cafeteria.

"His mind is really narrow," I said, slightly annoyed. "Kuya Angelo was right! He wasn't there! He didn't see what happened! Why is he blaming everything on Aries?!"

"I can't blame Keifer."

I looked at him. "Why?"

"Because he used to blame himself before. He told me he felt guilty for not being there, for being unconscious while his friend was dying." He took a deep breath and set down the glass he was holding. "...He always does that. When something goes wrong, he blames himself, convincing himself that if he had been there, he could have stopped it."

"He really thinks that way?"

"He told me. When we smoked or drank together."

I snorted. Their closeness was really odd. Bromance is coming. Could they be gay?

"Then why did he fight Aries if he blames himself? Was it just for show?"

He chuckled slightly. "No. He's done blaming himself. Now, he blames the one he thinks is actually responsible."

That made sense.

I had nothing to say to the King of Snakes. But what happened to them must have been really tough. They thought they had lost a friend, and then, one day, he suddenly appeared in front of them—alive and well, as if it had all been a prank.

"What did you feel when Percy showed up?" I asked again.

"A mix of emotions. Shock, happiness, sadness, anger... and threat." The last word was almost a whisper.

I understood. They had told me that when they first found out Percy was alive, they feared he might be planning revenge—and that he would use me to do it.

But that wasn't the Percy I knew. He wasn't like that. He wasn't like Keifer. Something in my chest tightened.

"Are you okay, Jay?" Yuri asked, bringing me back to reality.

"O-Oh... I just feel something in my stomach."

"Maybe you've lost your temper. You're greedy," he teased.

I frowned. "Have you ever been hit in the face with a plate?" I asked sarcastically, holding the plate close to me. "Do you want to try?"

He chuckled and made a peace sign. Thankfully, he's handsome. Too bad if a plate were to hit his face. But it would be a waste—this plate is so shiny.

The kind you can admire for its shine.

We talked for a while about the place. I found out that this resort was his idea. It's actually a beach resort, but it's set a little farther from the sea because the path leading to the beach is planned to be turned into a large infinity pool.

He said he had planned to show me much more, but he decided to finish the garden first since he originally intended to set up a garden dinner. In the end, though, he settled for a picnic-style setup instead.

The effort he put in—impressive.

It was a while before we thought about heading home. Yuri left the utensils and plates we had used, saying the staff would take care of the cleanup. I hugged the bouquet of flowers as we walked back to his car.

"Thanks for dinner. I missed eating sushi," I said, lightly punching his arm.

The sushi was the only thing I really liked!

He winced and rubbed his arm. "You're welcome. Come on, let's go. We still have a long way to drive."

I nodded and got in the car. During the ride, I heard my phone ring several times. I took it out of my bag and checked it.

I had messages from Kuya Angelo and Gagong Baliw. I opened Kuya's first since he had also made several missed calls.

📩

From: Kuya Angelo

Message: Where are you? Why aren't you answering your phone?

A wave of nervousness washed over me, so I quickly replied, letting him know I was on my way home. Then, I opened Gagong Baliw's messages. I was a little surprised—they were sent one after another.

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Hey, I miss you.

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Are you busy?

📩

From: GagongBaliw

I really wanted to talk to you.

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Can I call you?

📩

From: GagongBaliw

C'mon, I want to hear your voice.

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Where are you?

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Who is with you?

📩

From: GagongBaliw

Jasper Jean.

"Who are you texting?" Yuri asked.

I looked at him for a moment before slipping my phone back into my bag.

"K-Kuya... He's looking for me," I answered.

He nodded, accepting my response. I don't know why, but I felt like I shouldn't tell him that I had been texting Gagong Baliw. A big part of me preferred to keep it a secret.

I wanted to know who he really was.

"Have you and your brother talked about... canceling the engagement?" Yuri asked, concern in his voice.

"Not yet," I murmured.

"Has he said anything about it?"

"Nothing."

"He probably won't lecture you," Yuri said with a small smile. "In fact, he even thanked us."

I frowned. Thanked us? For what? That's weird, isn't it? Maybe Kuya Angelo isn't himself.

"Thank you?" I wanted to ask.

I looked at him for a moment before turning my gaze back to the road.

"He said he doesn't want to involve you in the company's problems."

My eyes twitched slightly. I felt like jumping for joy. Kuya really doesn't want me to get married —he was forced into it!

Kuya Angelo is really handsome. Labs, that's my labs!

"Really? He said that?"

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "The truth is, before that, Angelo gave us another business proposal—one that didn't involve marriage. But I told grandad not to accept it."

My smile faded, and I felt as if I had just been punched. For a moment, I thought it was all over. But that was in the past. We're not engaged anymore.

Calm down. Just calm down.

"You did that? You're insane," I said, slightly annoyed.

He let out a small laugh, as if what he did was completely justified. Thank you for ruining everything. If only I could hit him!

I fell silent as a memory suddenly resurfaced—Kuya drunk, looking miserable.

"W-what about the partnership between your company and Kuya's? Isn't that hopeless now?" I asked.

I could see the sadness on his face, even though he remained focused on the road. I already had a feeling what his answer would be.

"I'm sorry, Jay. I didn't let grandpa find out about that anymore."

There it is.

I knew Yuri wouldn't just let Kuya go like that. It seemed his family wasn't pleased that the engagement had been called off.

"...But don't worry, I'll try to talk to Otosan when I get the chance."

Even though his words gave me a little hope, I couldn't help but feel sad. Kuya has been exhausting himself with work, and in the end, he never even had the chance to be in a relationship.

Our trip took a long time because of the distance. It was already 9 p.m. when we arrived home. I didn't let him walk me to the gate—it was too late for that.

Still hugging the bouquet that Yuri gave me, I stepped inside the house. The living room lights were off, but there was a faint glow from the stairs. I was about to head straight to my room when suddenly, the light switched on.

There, sitting on the sofa, was Kuya Angelo, holding a glass in his hand with a bottle of wine on the table in front of him. He looked at me seriously.

"What time is it?" His voice was lifeless.

Hmmm… Time to sleep?

"N-nine o'clock," I answered, almost in a whisper.

His gaze shifted to the bouquet in my arms. He set his glass down and slowly stood up.

"Who gave you that?" he asked as he walked toward me.

I took a step back. "W-why...?"

"Is it from Keifer?"

I shook my head, but he didn't seem to believe me. I was shocked to see the anger burning in his eyes.

"We're practically crawling to survive here because of all these problems, and you still have time to go on a date?" he said, his voice sharp.

I flinched when he suddenly flicked my forehead. The impact was so strong that I closed my eyes in pain. I wanted to scream, but I bit my lip and stayed silent.

"Is he the reason you don't want to marry Yuri?" He flicked my forehead again. "Do you like him more? Just go ahead and choose someone who's more like you."

Scum?

Is that what he thinks of me? I won't lie—it hurt. Like I was some worthless person with no future. Suddenly, he snatched the bouquet from my arms. My tears fell in shock. I was afraid of Kuya and the way he was acting.

He stared at the flowers for a moment before throwing them to the floor. The petals scattered in the air. Not satisfied, he kicked them away.

Then he turned to me, pointing a finger. "Stay away from Keifer."

You idiot! Yuri gave it to me!

I couldn't stand to hear another word. I ran as fast as I could, entered my room, and locked the door. Pressing my hands to my face, I tried to wipe my tears away.

I don't understand Kuya.

The happiness I felt earlier, when Yuri told me Kuya didn't want me to get married, had completely vanished—replaced by fear.