Chapter: Five Years Later
(Jay's POV)
Five years.
It sounds like a long time.
But sometimes it feels like it passed in a blink.
And sometimes…
It feels like an entire lifetime.
The large balcony outside my father's house overlooked the quiet streets of our neighborhood in the Philippines. The same house. The same garden. The same warm lights glowing from the windows.
Everything looked the same.
But nothing really was.
I leaned against the railing, the night wind brushing against my hair as I checked the reports on my tablet.
Numbers.
Contracts.
Routes.
Profits.
Everything perfectly organized.
Exactly the way I liked it.
Behind me, the living room lights were still on. Dad was probably watching the late-night news, while Mom had most likely fallen asleep on the couch again.
Some things never changed.
But I had.
Completely.
Five years ago…
I was just a university girl trying to survive classes, annoying friends, and a confusing love life.
Now?
I was the CEO of ELVIOLN Corporation.
A company that started small but grew faster than anyone expected.
International logistics.
Private investments.
Security operations.
And connections in places most people never even heard about.
The business world respected the company.
The people in the shadows…
Feared it.
And at the center of it all—
Was me.
"Still working this late?"
I didn't need to turn around to know that voice.
"Aries."
He walked out to the balcony beside me, loosening the tie around his neck.
He had changed too.
The playful, chaotic Aries from university was still there sometimes…
But now he was also the powerful CEO of his own company.
One of the fastest growing tech and finance firms in the country.
Aries leaned beside me and glanced at my tablet.
"Another deal?"
"Yes."
"You're going to buy half the world at this rate."
"Only the useful half."
He laughed softly.
"You've become scary, Jay."
"I prefer efficient."
Aries studied my face for a moment.
Five years ago he used to tease me constantly.
Now…
He watched me more carefully.
Like he was trying to understand the person I had become.
"Percy called earlier," he said.
"What did he want?"
"He closed the Tokyo deal."
"Good."
Percy had followed his own path too.
His company now controlled a large portion of international agricultural exports. FER Crop had expanded massively under Angelo's leadership, and Percy had turned it into something even bigger.
The three of us.
Running different empires.
Funny how life worked.
Aries suddenly crossed his arms.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"You're colder now."
I didn't react.
"People change."
"That's not just change."
His voice softened slightly.
"That's armor."
I looked back at the city lights.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe not.
Either way…
It was necessary.
Because the world I worked in now wasn't the same as the one I lived in five years ago.
ELVIOLN Corporation had influence in places normal businesses avoided.
Information networks.
Security forces.
Underground negotiations.
Deals that never appeared in public records.
Some people called it business strategy.
Others called it something else.
The underworld had its own rules.
And I had learned them well.
Aries spoke again.
"Angelo said he's coming over tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Family dinner."
I nodded.
Normal enough.
But then Aries added quietly,
"Someone else might be coming too."
I didn't ask who.
I didn't need to.
There was only one person who could make Aries sound that careful.
My expression didn't change.
"Doesn't matter."
Aries watched me closely.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
But inside my chest…
Something shifted slightly.
A memory.
A hospital room.
A slap.
A hug.
A voice saying—
I never stopped loving you.
I pushed the thought away immediately.
That was five years ago.
Another lifetime.
Another version of me.
The girl who cried easily.
The girl who believed too much.
That Jay didn't exist anymore.
Now…
I was someone else entirely.
Cold.
Sharp.
And powerful enough that no one could ever hurt me again.