JAY, GET THE HELL UP!
Aries's voice shattered my sleep like a rock through glass.
I jolted upright in bed, heart pounding against my ribs. "What happened? Who died?" I asked, voice still half caught in a dream.
"No one died, idiot. Come down fast!" Aries barked from downstairs.
I groaned, throwing my blanket aside. What a way to wake up. I scrambled for a hoodie and quickly tied my hair in a lopsided bun. My legs felt wobbly from the panic was it an emergency or just Aries being his usual self?
As I rushed down the stairs, my mind raced with every worst-case scenario. Did Keifer do something dumb again? Did Kuya Angelo finally snap and burn the house down? Was this about Percy? That one worried me more than I'd like to admit.
But what I found at the bottom of the stairs wasn't flames or carnage. It was…worse.
Mom stood near the dining table, arms crossed, looking like she hadn't blinked in hours. Kuya Angelo sat at the head of the table, brows furrowed in that scary way he had. Papers were stacked in front of him. Aries stood to the side, looking just as confused as I felt, despite being the one who dragged me out of bed.
"Aries, what happened?" I asked.
"Even I don't know," he replied, frowning. "I just called you, cause they said to."
"Okay, let me speak." Kuya Angelo raised his hand and the room went dead silent.
I stood straighter. His tone meant business—literally.
"Jay, remember I told you there was something else I had to give you? You too, Aries," he began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I've worked hard for Fer-Corp, and so has everyone in this family. But both of you are old enough now to understand what that really means."
I blinked. Was this…an inheritance talk? A company succession meeting? Why was it at 6.30AM?
"Our company has faced challenges before and recently," he continued. "Hanamichi's business affected us more than we anticipated. We weren't exactly thriving. But we got help."
"Help?" Aries repeated. "From who? And why didn't I know?"
Kuya Angelo looked like he wanted to say no names. But then he sighed and dropped the bomb. "It's the Watson. Keifer Watson."
My heart skipped. Wait, what?
"The one who's apparently in love with our Jay Jay and has gone absolutely mad," Angelo added, half-exasperated.
Mom side-eyed me so hard I almost choked on air.
"He's now our business partner. Despite my hesitation…I won't lie. He's good at what he does," Kuya admitted, pulling out a folder and placing it in front of us. "These are the papers."
Aries stiffened beside me. "So you're fine with Keifer being involved in our company? You trust him? He's a Watson."
"That's rich coming from you," Kuya snapped lightly. "You trust him more than you ever trusted Yuri."
Ouch.
Aries looked like he bit into a lemon. "Still…"
"Still nothing. I've watched Keifer grow up. He may be intense and unpredictable, but he's not reckless with what matters," Kuya said. "And more importantly, he's already put something at stake for us."
Their words echoed in my head, heavy and surreal. Keifer helped Fer-Corp? Without telling me?
Maybe it was time I came clean too.
I glanced at Mom, then Kuya. "I have something to tell you both."
Kuya raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Me and Keifer…we're dating."
Aries groaned dramatically. "No shit."
"Language," Mom snapped at him.
But Kuya Angelo just gave me a long, unreadable look. Then—"I figured."
I blinked. "Wait, you knew?"
"You don't hide things as well as you think and you and him dating isn't going to be easy, I'm not fond of you both dating." he muttered. "But I appreciate your honesty."
"So…what's going on? Why are we being called down like we're in a board meeting?" I asked, shifting on my feet.
"Well, nothing bad," Kuya said, softer this time. "Jay, you're eighteen now. And it's time you step into Fer-Corp officially. I want you to join."
"Wait, what about me?" Aries cut in.
Mom gave him a firm smile. "You too, of course."
Kuya handed each of us a thick envelope.
"These are the inheritance documents," he said. "From the Fernandez side. It's yours—both of yours. And before you panic, this doesn't mean you'll be CEOs tomorrow. But you're part of this now. Your roles will depend on your efforts, not your age or gender."
The words sank slowly into my skin. Inheritance. Power. Legacy. This was real. This wasn't just about helping out when needed. This was our future too.
"Jay," Kuya continued, eyes locked with mine. "You made sacrifices before…especially when you agreed to that engagement with Yuri. I'm sorry we put you through that."
I smiled faintly. "It's okay, Kuya. I understand now."
He reached into the envelope again and pulled out another folder.
"This," he said, "is from your father's side."
The room chilled. I froze.
"…Mom?"
She didn't speak right away. Then, finally "You're a Mariano too, Jay. Just like Percy. And it's time you receive what's yours. You deserve that much."
My hands trembled as I took the papers.
Aries opened his own and nearly choked. "This is…a lot."
I flipped through mine. My breath caught.
Shares. Properties. Overseas holdings. Stocks with my name printed next to them like I was born for this.
Aries looked at me, stunned. "Jay, your inheritance from your dad's side is basically equal to the Watsons and Braseltons. And you have the Fernandez shares too?"
I looked back at him. "You're not any less. You've got a fortune too."
Aries smirked. "That bastard Percy was rich this whole time and couldn't even buy us food for a treat. What a food digger."
"Hey!" I laughed. "That's still my brother. He always paid for me."
"Step-brother, Jay. He's not your brother like me," Aries muttered, crossing his arms.
I rolled my eyes. "Where is he anyway?"
Mom answered quietly. "He's with your father."
My heart thudded again. "They…have a good relationship don't they."
She nodded. "They do."
"And I'm…glad. Even if I'm jealous of Percy."
"How do you know?" she added sharply.
I shrugged. "I have my ways."
Aries elbowed me, leaning close to whisper, "Sounding a lot like Keifer right now."
I blushed, smacking him lightly.
"Anyway," Kuya Angelo interrupted, standing. "We're heading back to the province. Pack your bags and your books."
"Wait—what?!" me and Aries shouted at once.
"You need to understand what handling a business really means. You need to see it firsthand."
Mom stepped in too. "Jay, there's a reason I kept your father at arm's length. But that doesn't mean you're not part of the Mariano world. Their industry is massive, here and overseas."
I swallowed. "I know. But…what should I do?"
"You learn to be a lady," Mom said, her tone soft but firm. "And enough with the fooling around. You need to be strong, independent, and smart. You are the future of two empires, Jay. And that comes with pressure."
My throat tightened. Two names—Mariano and Fernandez—pressing down on my shoulders like a crown made of stone.
"You're not going to school for the next three days," Kuya added. "You'll be studying from there. And when finals come, you better ace them."
He pointed at me. "Especially you, Jay. No excuses."
Mom nodded. "Get ready. We're leaving soon."
Packing felt like war.
I stood in my room, bags half-open, throwing in everything from textbooks to oversized hoodies and pants to my favorite lip gloss like I was fleeing the country.
Aries kept barging in with random things. "Should I bring the PS5? Or will this be like jail?"
"Dude, it's not prison. It's the province and I lived there."
"With aunt and grandmother, Might as well be."
I stared out the window, heart aching in the weirdest way. I thought being eighteen would make things easier. But it just added more expectations. More weight.
My phone buzzed. A message from Keifer.
Keifer:
You okay? What are you doing? When are you reaching school?
If you need me, I'll drop everything and come get you..?
I smiled, tears stinging my eyes.
Me:
I'm okay. Just nothing. I have something to do. Kuya told me you helped Fer-Corp…why didn't you tell me?
Also…they know about us now.
He replied instantly.
Keifer:
Because I didn't want you to think I was doing it for you. I was doing it because I care about you. And your family.
Tell me what you need. I'll be there. Always.
I clutched the phone to my chest. I haven't told about me going yet to keifer, maybe later.
Maybe I didn't have it all figured out. Maybe I wasn't ready for all the business suits and boardroom talks. But I had my people and Keifer, Aries, even Percy in his weird food-digger way.
I looked in the mirror, brushing back my hair.
"Okay," I whispered to myself. "Let's go learn how to be a boss type I guess."