Chapter 7: The Rise Of The Mariano Heiress
New York City
(Jay-jay's POV)
I was starting to realize something terrifying.
My life before New York was simple.
School.
Friends.
Drama in Section E.
But here?
Everything felt like a chess game played by people far more powerful than me.
The penthouse elevator opened and I stepped out slowly.
Behind me, Percy Mariano dramatically threw his coat onto the couch.
"I hate enemies," he announced.
"You love enemies," I said.
"They make me look heroic."
I rolled my eyes and walked toward the window.
The city lights were bright again tonight.
But my mind wasn't on the city.
It was on the message from earlier.
K. Watson
Even thinking about Keifer Watson made my chest feel strange.
Percy noticed.
"You're doing the tragic heroine stare again."
"I'm thinking."
"That's worse."
Before I could respond, the elevator opened again.
Heavy footsteps entered the penthouse.
My father.
Jaspfher Mariano.
He looked more serious than usual.
Percy sat up immediately.
"Oh good. Another dramatic announcement."
Jaspfher walked toward us.
"This concerns you both."
That got our attention.
"What happened?" I asked.
He placed a document on the table.
A contract.
I frowned.
"What is this?"
"A mistake," he said calmly.
Percy leaned over the table.
Then his eyes widened.
"Oh wow."
"What?"
He turned the paper toward me.
At the top were the names.
Jay-jay Mariano
and
Yuri Hanamitchi
My stomach dropped.
The past engagement.
The one arranged between my family and the Hanamitchi empire.
"I thought this was over," I said quietly.
"It is now."
Jaspfher picked up a pen.
Then he signed the bottom of the document.
The signature echoed louder than it should have.
"Effective immediately," he said.
"The engagement is cancelled."
Percy blinked.
"Well."
He leaned back dramatically.
"This is going to cause chaos."
My father nodded once.
"That is unavoidable."
London
(Keifer's POV)
The rain hadn't stopped all week.
Typical London.
I was reviewing legal documents about the Watson inheritance when my assistant rushed in again.
"Mr. Watson."
"What now?"
"There's breaking news from New York."
I barely looked up.
"What kind of news?"
He placed a tablet on the desk.
I read the headline.
For a moment…
My brain stopped working.
"Mariano Empire Cancels Engagement Between Jay-jay Mariano and Yuri Hanamitchi."
Silence filled the room.
Then my assistant said carefully,
"Sir?"
I leaned back slowly.
A strange feeling spread through my chest.
Relief.
Pure relief.
I didn't even realize I was smiling until my assistant looked confused.
"Cancel the next meeting," I said.
"Why?"
I stood up and walked to the window.
For the first time since arriving in London…
The rain didn't bother me.
"Because today," I said calmly,
"is a very good day."
Somewhere Else
(Yuri's POV)
The glass shattered against the wall.
My office was silent except for my breathing.
Across the room, the television repeated the same headline.
Jay-jay Mariano — Engagement Cancelled
My engagement.
Gone.
Just like that.
I clenched my fists.
"Jaspfher Mariano," I muttered.
Then I picked up my phone.
Dialed a number.
The voice on the other side answered calmly.
"Yes?"
"Prepare the jet."
There was a pause.
"Destination?"
I looked at the city skyline outside my office.
My voice became colder.
"New York."
New York City
(Jay-jay's POV)
Percy was lying upside down on the couch again.
"Chaos is coming," he announced dramatically.
"Stop saying that."
"I'm serious."
I sighed.
"Why do you care so much?"
Percy looked at the ceiling.
"Because everything happening right now…"
His voice became quieter.
"…started years ago."
I turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
Percy sat up slowly.
"Have you ever wondered why Keifer, Yuri, Aries, and I stopped being friends?"
My heart skipped.
Felix once mentioned something like that.
But no one ever explained.
"It was an accident," Percy said.
"A cliff road."
My chest tightened.
"We were fourteen."
He stared at the floor.
"For a long time they thought I died."
The room suddenly felt colder.
"Wait… what?"
Percy laughed softly.
"Yeah."
Then he added quietly,
"And the truth about that night…"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"…would destroy everything between them."
I stared at him.
"What truth?"
But Percy just smiled again.
That annoying dramatic smile.
"Another day," he said.
"You're not emotionally ready for that story."
London
(Keifer's POV)
My phone vibrated.
A message from Aries.
Short.
Direct.
"The engagement is cancelled."
I stared at the screen for a moment.
Then I typed back.
"I saw."
A few seconds later he replied again.
"You look happy."
I smirked slightly.
Even through text he knew me too well.
Across the ocean…
Somewhere in New York…
Jay-jay was finally free.
And for the first time in weeks…
Hope didn't feel impossible anymore.
New York City
(Jay-jay's POV)
The next morning felt different.
Not emotionally.
Strategically.
I was sitting in the top conference room of the Mariano headquarters in New York City.
Forty floors above the streets.
Executives filled the table.
Investors.
Advisors.
Lawyers.
People who had probably been running billion-dollar operations before I even finished high school.
And somehow…
They were waiting for me to speak.
Across the table sat Jaspfher Mariano.
My father.
Calm as always.
Watching.
Not helping.
Not interrupting.
Testing me.
Beside me, Percy Mariano leaned toward my ear.
"Remember," he whispered dramatically.
"What?"
"Look intimidating."
"I'm not intimidating."
"You're the daughter of an international business emperor."
He adjusted my blazer slightly.
"You're terrifying."
I rolled my eyes but looked back at the executives.
The screen behind me displayed the Asian shipping expansion project.
My project.
One executive spoke first.
"Miss Mariano, with respect… this expansion requires a leader with years of experience."
Another nodded.
"It involves negotiations with powerful families."
Translation:
They didn't trust me.
Fair.
I leaned forward slightly.
"Then it's good I'm not negotiating alone."
They exchanged confused looks.
I tapped the screen.
New data appeared.
Projected trade routes.
Cost restructuring.
New port contracts.
"We move the shipping hub from Singapore to Manila," I explained calmly.
"That reduces tax costs by fourteen percent."
Another executive frowned.
"That's risky."
"Yes," I agreed.
"But profitable."
Silence spread across the room.
Percy whispered beside me,
"Oh wow. She's cooking."
I ignored him.
"Second," I continued, "we stop competing with mid-tier companies."
A man raised an eyebrow.
"And instead?"
I met his eyes.
"We compete with empires."
Across the table…
My father smiled very slightly.
London
(Keifer's POV)
The Watson estate meeting had just ended when my assistant approached me again.
"Mr. Watson."
"Yes?"
"There's an incident in New York."
My attention sharpened immediately.
"What kind?"
"The Hanamitchi heir attempted to enter the Mariano headquarters."
I already knew who that meant.
Yuri Hanamitchi.
"What happened?" I asked.
"He was stopped by security."
Good.
My assistant continued.
"The Mariano security team refused him entry."
I looked out the window at the gray skyline of London.
That meant only one thing.
Jaspfher Mariano was protecting her.
Or controlling her.
Hard to tell the difference.
"What did Yuri do?" I asked.
"He demanded to see Miss Mariano."
Of course he did.
"And?"
"He was escorted out."
I exhaled slowly.
At least for now…
She was safe.
New York City
(Jay-jay's POV)
The meeting ended two hours later.
The executives looked less skeptical now.
Some even impressed.
Percy dramatically collapsed into a chair.
"I just witnessed a corporate assassination."
"Relax."
"No," he said seriously.
"That was terrifying."
Across the room my father approached.
"You handled that well," Jaspfher Mariano said.
"Thanks."
Then a security officer entered quickly.
"Sir."
My father turned.
"Yes?"
"There was an incident downstairs."
My stomach tightened.
"What happened?"
The guard answered calmly.
"Yuri Hanamitchi attempted to enter the building."
Percy sat upright immediately.
"Oh boy."
I froze.
"He's here?"
"He was," the guard clarified.
"We refused him entry."
My father nodded once.
"Good."
I looked at him.
"You blocked him?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
His voice remained calm.
"Because emotional confrontations during corporate negotiations are inefficient."
Percy whispered,
"Translation: dad mode."
I crossed my arms.
"He deserved an explanation."
My father looked at me carefully.
"No," he said.
"He deserved distance."
The room went quiet again.
Finally Percy stood up dramatically.
"Well!"
He stretched his arms.
"That was a lot of emotional tension."
He pointed toward the elevator.
"Who wants coffee?"
No one answered.
So he sighed.
"Fine. I'll get coffee alone like a tragic side character."
London
(Keifer's POV)
Later that night I sat in my office reviewing inheritance documents.
But my thoughts weren't on business.
They were on her.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from Aries.
"Yuri tried to see her."
I replied immediately.
"Did he?"
A few seconds passed.
Then:
"No. Security blocked him."
Good.
Another message appeared.
"She's running meetings now."
I paused.
Running meetings?
Aries sent another text.
"Looks like your girl is becoming a CEO."
I leaned back in my chair.
A small smile appeared before I could stop it.
Of course she was.
Jay-jay never stayed weak for long.
Across the ocean…
In New York…
She was building her empire.
And somehow…
That made everything feel a little easier.
New York City
(Jay-jay's POV)
Later that night I stood alone in the office again.
The city lights stretched endlessly outside the window.
I looked at the contracts on the desk.
Shipping routes.
Investments.
Strategies.
My life was changing fast.
Too fast.
But one thought kept repeating in my mind.
Keifer.
I didn't know what he was doing in London.
I didn't know what war he was fighting.
But something told me…
When we met again someday…
Neither of us would be the same people who stood in Section E.
And maybe that was a good thing.
Because the girl who once cried in that classroom…
Was slowly becoming someone much stronger.
The future CEO of the Mariano Empire.