Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Aries's POV

I was currently watching my reflection in the elevator. Ella said I had changed a lot the last time we talked.

Maybe it's because I keep going back and forth to the hospital. I just got out, but now I'm going back in, only to leave again soon. I touched the side of my body where my scar was.

She saw my scar.

But she doesn't seem to have a clue—not even a trace of fear or concern in her eyes. It looks like she's not interested in knowing more since she doesn't ask.

Maybe she really doesn't remember, or maybe she just doesn't care at all.

That incident still haunts me almost every night. I closed my eyes, trying to erase the memory of her gaze from my mind.

Her lifeless eyes. Her bleeding fist. The way she punched the glass wall. The sound of shattered glass falling to the floor. And if she had picked up a large shard and used it to stab… me.

The sound of the elevator bell snapped me back to the present. The doors slid open, and I immediately stepped out.

I don't want to think about that incident anymore. But I can't stop myself because every time I see Jay-jay, I remember how she once pressed the plug against my chest.

It hurt. A maddening kind of pain.

I walked straight to Kuya Angelo's office door. His secretary greeted me with a smile before standing up.

"Is Sir Angelo inside?" he asked.

I nodded, and he pressed a button on the intercom, informing Kuya of my arrival.

"Let him in," I heard Kuya reply.

The secretary gestured toward the office door. I thanked him before stepping inside.

The first thing I noticed was the mountain of paperwork. Besides the executive desk, there was also a coffee table and a set of sofas.

"Why are you here?" he asked in an authoritative tone without looking up.

I crossed my arms and took a step closer. I had skipped my afternoon class just to talk to him. It was a good thing he didn't have a meeting.

"I just want to ask you something," I said. He remained silent, waiting for me to continue. "...About the pictures."

His hands stopped moving, but he still didn't look at me.

"Why do you have those?"

He met my gaze with an unreadable expression, but there was still a trace of intensity in his eyes.

It was intimidating.

"It's very simple, Aries. And I know you would have done the same," he replied before returning to his work.

He was right. I would have blocked them too if I had seen them. Kuya must have checked the contents before they reached Jay-jay.

"Have you taken any action?" I asked again.

He stopped what he was doing and looked at me seriously. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to a table where his briefcase was placed.

He pulled something out of it and handed it to me without stepping closer, forcing me to move forward to take it.

A manila envelope?

I opened it and examined the contents—photographs and several documents.

"Ryosuke Sato. The only son of a well-known Yakuza family in Japan. Yuri's rival," Kuya said, leaning against the table as he reached into his pocket.

I looked at the pictures. I had never seen him before.

"If Yuri is his enemy, why is he sending death threats to Jay-jay?"

"He probably knows Jay-jay is important to Yuri."

So, in the end, this is all his fault. But blaming him is useless now. I flipped through the documents—general information about Sato, though nothing particularly revealing.

22 years old. Had a case in Japan, so he fled to the Philippines. Involved in multiple gambling incidents in illegal casinos.

But there is no record of how he faced Yuri. The details are too lacking—not enough.

"Do you have any plans?" I asked Kuya.

"I tried to find him through my connections, but that person is crazy."

I put the papers and pictures back into the brown envelope and dropped it on the table. I washed my face. It's so hard—we can't think of anything to do.

"I talked to Yuri," I said, and he looked at me. "...I told him what I saw."

"What did he say?"

"He said he's known about it for a long time. He's trying to watch over Jay-jay as much as he can."

"But he can't be with Jay-jay all the time."

He was right. There were times when they weren't together. During those times, Sato could make his move.

Yuri also told me that the entire Section E knew what was happening, so they were helping too. But that wasn't enough—the entire section wasn't enough.

Damn it!

I shouldn't be in trouble like this. Why can't I avoid it? I let out a deep breath.

"You look worried," Kuya Angelo said.

I looked at him. He was observing me, his gaze different.

"What?!" I asked, annoyed.

"You're no longer mad at her?"

I flinched. He knew I didn't want to talk about that. I cleared my throat a few times, but I still felt the tension inside me.

Kuya leaned away from the desk and walked in front of the glass window of his office.

"You know, Aries..." he started. "...I've always taken care of you and Jay-jay as if you were my own flesh and blood. I try my best to discipline both of you and provide for your needs..." He loosened his necktie. "...I try to do many things a real father would do. Because I don't want you to experience what I felt growing up without a father."

I shook my head. "You didn't fail."

"I did," he answered quickly and smiled. "...because if I hadn't, you both would still love each other the way you used to."

"It's a different story."

"I tried to fix things between you two, but you were both stubborn. Tell me, Aries... what is the real reason for your hatred toward Jay-jay?"

I clenched my fists. I knew he would ask that. I wasn't sure if this was the right time, but he would never stop asking.

I had to explain everything.

Slowly, I unbuttoned my polo shirt from the bottom. Then, I lifted my undershirt to show him the scar below my chest.

"What's with your scar?"

I took a deep breath. "She..." I closed my eyes. "...she stabbed me."

I let go of my shirt and slowly opened my eyes. Kuya's face showed shock.

I understood. I had never told him the truth.

It happened back then. Even Keifer, Yuri, and Percy—who were my friends at the time—knew. Everyone thought I got it while trying to escape from the man who kidnapped Jay-jay and me.

From my own father.

"H-how?"

"She wasn't herself. I called her name several times. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't listen to me."

Kuya was obviously confused. His expression was full of questions.

"I don't get it."

"She wasn't herself. I know you know about that incident. She doesn't remember anything she did."

He cursed under his breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. I knew Jay-jay's condition had been a problem for him for a long time. I never wanted to take her to a doctor. She said she was afraid... maybe because she was scared of finding out that she was crazy.

"...Because of her, I can't do a lot now. I always have to take medication before doing anything." I held my breath. "...Because of her, I got sick."

"You can't blame Jay-jay like that."

"I have a lot of reasons to hate her."

Kuya shook his head. "And she has a lot of reasons to be mad at you."

I was stunned. Kuya looked at me deeply, as if he were saying that my reason was shallow.

"...You are her big brother, yet you made her feel neglected! Jay-jay came to me several times asking about you, but I couldn't give her an answer..." His eyebrows furrowed. "...For how many years have you ignored her? She feels alone, and you weren't there to comfort her."

I looked away, lowering my head. Am I wrong? Is it wrong to feel angry about everything I've been through?

"You let her suffer! Tell me, Aries… isn't that enough to compensate for the pain she caused you?! Your sister needs you."

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Try to fix everything before it's too late," he added.

Can I really repair what we had? I wish it were that easy. But that's not the only reason I'm angry with her.

Can I forget all the anger I hold against her?

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

Jay-Jay's POV

Yes! Be like that! Keep pretending you don't care!

Go ahead… ignore me.

"Hey! What?! You're really like this?!" I said, annoyed at Yuri.

He glanced at me for a moment before turning away again. I wanted to tease him loudly, but I held back. Lunch was over, yet nothing had changed—he still paid me no attention.

After our first afternoon class, the teachers were called into an emergency meeting. We missed class, but only for an hour.

Yuri suddenly walked to the side of our building, where it was crowded. He sat on the bench we used to sit on… the same bench where we had our first kiss.

Ugh… memory!

I shook my head, trying to erase that thought from my mind. I didn't want that to be the first thing I remembered every time I saw that bench.

I whistled at him and sat down beside him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Do you need something?" he asked indifferently.

"N-no. Just sitting down. Why? Do I need a reason to sit and get some fresh air?"

He raised an eyebrow again. "Really?"

"What? You think I'm paying attention to you? I'm not!"

Yeah, right. Keep fooling yourself, Jay.

"Oh no," he muttered, but I still heard him.

"Absolutely not," I echoed.

He didn't say anything else and just remained seated. I heard him sigh before standing up and preparing to leave again.

I quickly grabbed the end of his polo shirt. "Where are you going?!"

"I'm moving to another spot. You're annoying," he said, tugging his shirt away from my grip.

Wow!

Annoyed, I stood up and glared at him.

"You look like an idiot!" I shouted.

He stopped and slowly turned to face me, his brows furrowed in clear irritation.

"I look like an idiot?!" he shouted back.

"Don't you?! I keep getting closer, and you keep pulling away!"

"Because I hate you!"

"That's it?! That's all?! I've punched you countless times before, but now you're holding a grudge?!"

He suddenly hesitated, sighing before responding.

"I'm just trying to figure out what you really want! I'm waiting for you to make a move, but you're too proud."

"Fine, sorry!"

"'Sorry' with that kind of attitude?! Are you always like this?! Sometimes, you should learn to be humble!"

Ouch…

My eyebrows knit together, not out of anger, but because his words hit me hard. I couldn't even bring myself to argue. Maybe my pride really is too high—I can't even give him a simple, sincere apology.

I lowered my head, and he quickly realized that his words had affected me. He stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No. It's okay," I cut him off before he could say more. "...Actually, you're right. My pride is too high—it's not even funny anymore." I removed his hand from my shoulder. "...I'm going back inside so I don't disturb you."

I walked away from him, but just as I was a few steps ahead, someone suddenly grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

"Jay... S-sorry," he said softly, gently turning me toward him. "...I'm just being careful with you. I don't mean anything else."

I lowered my head, avoiding his gaze. He held my chin, trying to make me look at him, but I turned away.

"Jay-Jay," he murmured.

He cupped my face in both hands, forcing me to face him. He succeeded, but I immediately shut my eyes.

"Open your eyes," he ordered.

I kept them closed.

"Don't make me count."

I remained silent.

"Jay-Jay. One."

I tried to pry his hands off my face.

"You really don't want to? Two."

I pressed my eyelids shut even tighter.

"You'll regret this. Three."

I counted the seconds in my head, expecting him to act. Before I could react, my eyes flew open in shock.

He kissed me.

At first, my body refused to move, but when my senses returned, I pushed him away with all my strength.

We both gasped for air as we pulled apart. I wiped my lips, unable to believe what had just happened. He had taken advantage of the moment.

"Y-Yuri..." was all I could manage.

I wanted to fight back, to scold him. It was wrong! We had talked about this—so why did he do it?

"Jay... I'm—"

"Nice. Keifer just lost his moves."

We both turned toward the voice. Standing there, fists clenched, was Edrix, looking at us with an unreadable expression.

"E-Edrix..." I stammered.

"Ma'am is here. Come inside," he said coldly before turning away.

Damn it. Why am I so nervous?

I glanced at Yuri for a moment before hurrying inside. I almost chased after Edrix, who was walking ahead of me, but before I could stop him, he turned to face me.

His expression was serious. "If it's okay with you... I'd also like to ask for some time to explain my side of things."

I nodded hesitantly. He was about to turn away when I grabbed his arm.

"E-Edrix... What you saw earlier—"

"Let's not talk about it," he interrupted, then completely turned away.

I let him enter the room first. I felt a presence behind me—I knew it was Yuri. Quickly, I spun around to face him.

"Why did you do that?!" I demanded, frustrated.

He lowered his head. "S-sorry. I just got carried away."

I was about to walk away when he spoke again.

"...Are you scared?"

His voice held no emotion—neither accusation nor mockery. It was serious, yet devoid of anger.

"A-what—"

"Are you afraid that he'll report you to Keifer?" he asked, still not looking at me.

S-scared?

I wasn't sure, but the feeling of fear was there. Fear of what, exactly? Was I afraid that Keifer would find out...?

I turned away, confused. "I-I don't know."

I rushed inside the room, my steps quick and unsteady. As soon as I sat down, Ci looked at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"H-Huh?"

I stared at him with a frown, swallowing hard because of the sudden tension I felt. I tried to avert my gaze until suddenly…

PPPRRRROOOUUUUTTTTTT!

"THE STENCH!"

"Animal! Who farted?!"

"Putcha! It's like this idiot hasn't pooped in a year!"

"This is disgusting!"

"Potah! It's like all the bad vibes have been released at once!"

"Cancel class!"

"Jay-Jay farted!" Ci shouted, pointing at me.

Son of a—!

"N-No! I didn't!" I protested.

"Seriously? It stinks! How long have you been holding that in?" David asked.

I quickly looked at him. Did he really believe what this brat just said?

"What the hell, Jay! You're not acting like a girl at all!" Eman said, irritated.

"I think you want us to die." Felix added.

"That's enough. Just inhale it so it disappears faster," our teacher said, waving his hand in front of his face.

This is crazy!

It's as if a bomb just went off. I had no choice but to fan the air to get rid of the smell. I turned to Ci and noticed that he was laughing.

I smacked him. "You farted!"

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while holding up a peace sign with the other.

Annoying!

This brat is a menace. And yet, I'm the one taking the blame for his nonsense—while I'm practically being poisoned by his foul gas.

The smell is suffocating. It feels like my lungs are being strangled by the stench, as if every atom in my body has absorbed it.

I stopped fanning when Yuri entered the room. I didn't look at him as he walked past and took his seat.

His question echoed in my mind.

Am I really afraid?

Am I afraid that Keifer will find out?