Chapter 8: The Night On The Cliff.
New York City
(Jay-jay's POV)
Running a company was strangely similar to surviving Section E.
You needed confidence.
Strategy.
And the ability to stare people down without blinking.
The conference room inside the Mariano headquarters in New York City was quiet again.
But this time the silence felt different.
Respectful.
The executives were no longer looking at me like a child.
They were waiting.
"Next proposal," I said calmly.
A manager stood and began presenting financial projections.
Across the table, Jaspfher Mariano watched me carefully.
Not interfering.
Just observing.
Testing.
Beside the window, Percy Mariano leaned against the wall scrolling through his phone.
"Wow," he whispered loudly.
"Do you mind?" I said.
"No," he replied.
The room almost laughed.
Even the executives were starting to get used to him.
The presentation ended.
I closed the folder.
"Approved," I said.
A few executives exchanged impressed looks.
My father finally spoke.
"The meeting is finished."
People began leaving.
When the last executive exited, Percy dramatically dropped into a chair.
"My sister is terrifying."
"I'm not your sister."
"Step-sister."
"Still not."
"Emotionally we're siblings."
I ignored him and walked toward the window.
The city stretched endlessly below.
For a moment I almost forgot everything else.
School.
Section E.
The boys.
The fights.
Then Percy suddenly said something that pulled me back.
"You know… if Keifer saw you now…"
My heart skipped.
"What about him?"
Percy smirked slightly.
"He'd panic."
"Why?"
"Because the girl he tried to protect is now powerful enough to protect herself."
London
(Keifer's POV)
The Watson mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
I was reviewing legal files when a call came in from Aries.
I answered immediately.
"What happened?"
Aries sighed.
"You really went full businessman."
"What do you want, Aries?"
He hesitated.
"Something strange happened."
My attention sharpened.
"Explain."
"Felix said something today."
Felix.
Felix Collins.
"What about him?"
"He mentioned Percy."
I froze.
Percy.
The name we hadn't spoken in years.
"He said Percy is alive."
Silence filled the line.
"That's impossible," I said.
"That's what I thought too."
My jaw tightened.
"We saw the car fall."
"Yes."
"Into the ocean."
"Yes."
"And Percy was inside."
Aries' voice lowered.
"Unless he wasn't."
My mind started racing.
The accident.
The cliff.
The screams.
Yuri shouting.
The car slipping.
Everything replayed again.
"Aries," I said slowly.
"Yes?"
"If Percy was alive…"
"…why didn't he come back?"
New York City
(Percy's POV)
Jay-jay had gone to another meeting.
Which meant I was alone in the penthouse.
I leaned against the balcony railing looking at the city lights.
Four years.
Four years since the acciden
Four years since everyone believed I died.
A soft voice spoke behind me.
"You're thinking about them again."
I turned.
Standing near the door was Jaspfher Mariano.
He was holding a glass of water.
"When did you start spying on people?" I asked.
"When I adopted a boy who pretends to be dramatic but carries too many secrets."
I laughed.
"Fair."
He stepped beside me.
"They still don't know you survived."
"Nope."
"And you plan to keep it that way?"
"For now."
Jaspfher studied me.
"You sacrificed yourself to save Aries."
I shrugged.
"Heroic moment."
"But that's not the full truth."
My smile faded slightly.
"Of course it isn't."
He didn't push.
But he already knew.
Because the truth about that night was darker than anyone realized.
I looked at the city again.
"You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"The person everyone blamed for the accident…"
My voice dropped.
"…wasn't actually responsible."
Jaspfher didn't react.
But he understood what that meant.
Somewhere far away…
Two boys were still hating each other for a lie.
London
(Keifer's POV)
The rain finally stopped.
I stood outside the Watson estate looking at the night sky.
Percy alive.
The thought refused to leave my head.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Another message from Aries.
"Felix said Percy lives in New York."
My chest tightened.
New York.
The same city as Jay-jay.
I stared at the screen.
Two ghosts from my past…
Both alive.
Both connected.
Both waiting.
And suddenly I had a strange feeling.
The past we thought was buried on that cliff…
Was about to come back and destroy everything.
— Present
(Percy's POV)
Rain tapped lightly against the glass walls of the penthouse in New York City.
Funny.
Rain always reminded me of that night.
Four years ago.
Four stupid fourteen-year-old boys.
One stolen car.
And a cliff that changed everything.
Behind me, the elevator opened.
Footsteps entered quietly.
"You're thinking about the accident again."
I didn't need to turn around to know it was Jaspfher Mariano.
"Wow," I said lightly.
"You're getting good at reading my mind."
"I don't need to read your mind," he replied calmly.
"You stare at the city like someone remembering ghosts."
I laughed softly.
"Fair."
He leaned against the table.
"You should tell them the truth."
"Not yet."
"They deserve to know."
I looked out at the city again.
"They deserve a lot of things."
My voice dropped slightly.
"But the truth about that night…"
"…will destroy one of them."
4 Years Ago — The Cliff Road
(Past)
The car engine roared loudly.
Music blasted through the speakers.
Wind rushed through the open windows.
Inside the car were four boys who thought they were invincible.
Aries was driving.
He had stolen Kuya Angelo's car earlier that night.
"Relax!" Aries shouted.
"We're just going for a drive!"
In the back seat sat Yuri Hanamitchi.
Arrogant.
Calm.
Too calm.
Behind aries sat Keifer Watson and yuri hanamitchi
Percy leaned forward between the seats.
"If Angelo finds out we took his car we're dead."
Aries laughed.
"Relax!"
Keifer smirked.
"Focus on the road."
The car sped along the narrow cliff highway.
Ocean waves crashed far below.
Then suddenly—
A loud HONK echoed behind them.
A truck appeared around the curve.
Too close.
Too fast.
"Aries!" Percy shouted.
Aries jerked the wheel.
The tires screeched violently.
The car swerved.
For one terrifying second…
Everything went silent.
Then the car smashed into the guardrail.
Metal screamed.
Glass shattered.
And the vehicle tilted halfway over the cliff.
Half the car hung over empty air.
The ocean roared below.
Inside the car nobody moved.
Everyone was breathing hard.
Then Keifer groaned.
Blood ran down his forehead.
Yuri turned toward the back seat.
"Keifer?"
Keifer didn't respond.
He had been thrown forward during the crash.
Unconscious.
Percy grabbed the door handle.
"We need to get out!"
Aries panicked.
"I can't move!"
The car shifted slightly.
The front wheels were barely holding onto the road.
Yuri quickly unbuckled his seatbelt.
He crawled out of the passenger door.
Now he stood outside.
Safe.
From there…
He could reach them.
Percy pushed Aries.
"Move!"
"I'm trying!"
But Aries was frozen in shock.
The car shifted again.
The back wheels slipped closer to the edge.
Percy looked at Yuri desperately.
"Help us!"
Yuri stepped forward.
He reached toward Aries.
Then he stopped.
For one second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Fear filled his face.
He froze.
Percy realized it immediately.
Yuri wasn't moving.
He wasn't helping.
He was just staring.
The car slipped another inch.
"YURI!" Percy shouted.
Yuri's hand trembled.
But he still didn't move.
That moment changed everything.
Percy made his decision instantly.
He grabbed Aries.
"Sorry, man."
"What—?"
Percy shoved Aries hard toward the open door.
Aries tumbled out of the car onto the road.
Safe.
But the sudden movement shifted the car's weight.
The vehicle tilted further over the cliff.
Now Percy was the only one inside.
Yuri shouted.
"PERCY!"
Percy looked at him.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Take care of them."
The car finally broke the guardrail.
It fell.
Metal twisted as it dropped toward the ocean.
Yuri screamed.
Aries ran toward the edge.
But it was already too late.
The car disappeared into the darkness below.
Everyone believed Percy died that night.
Present — London
(Keifer's POV)
I stood by the window in my office in London.
The memory of that night had never left me.
But something felt wrong now.
Something incomplete.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Felix Collins.
"Percy is alive."
I stared at the screen.
If that was true…
Then everything we believed about that night…
Was wrong.
New York City — Present
(Percy's POV)
The car didn't kill me.
That was the part nobody knew.
When the car hit the ocean…
The door broke open.
The current dragged me out.
I almost drowned.
But someone found me.
Someone unexpected.
Jaspfher Mariano's wife.
She pulled me from the water.
Saved my life.
And brought me here.
To New York City.
Where I stayed hidden.
For four years
Behind me Jay-jay's voice suddenly appeared.
"Percy?"
I turned.
There stood Jay-jay Mariano.
She looked confused.
"You were in a car accident with Keifer, Yuri, and Aries?"
I smiled slightly.
"Well…"
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Looks like the secrets are finally catching up."