Jay's Pov
Twenty-four hours.
That's all it had been since Mama and Papa dropped the heir bomb.
Twenty-four hours to process, prepare, and put on a dress that cost more than most people's cars.
"This is insane," I muttered, staring at myself in the mirror.
The dress was black. Elegant. Fitted in all the right places. It made me look like a grown-up. Like someone who belonged at a gala.
Like someone who wasn't dying inside.
Jare appeared behind me in the mirror. He was in a tuxedo. Looked annoyingly handsome.
"You clean up okay," I said.
"You look..." He paused. "You look like a queen."
"Don't make me cry. My mascara is waterproof but not THAT waterproof."
"Noted."
We stood there for a moment. Twins. Heirs. Broken.
"You ready for this?" he asked.
"No. You?"
"No."
"Same thing."
"Don't use Keifer's lines."
"They're MY lines now."
He almost smiled. I almost smiled.
Almost.
The ballroom was HUGE.
Chandeliers. Flowers. Tables with white cloths. People in expensive clothes holding champagne glasses and talking in that fake rich-people way.
I hated it already.
Mama Reycee floated over. "Jay! Jare! You look BEAUTIFUL!"
"We know," I said.
"So humble," Jare added.
"Humble is boring."
Mama Reycee laughed. Actually laughed. It had been a while since I'd heard that sound.
"Tonight, you'll be announced as the heirs. Then you'll mingle. Talk to people. Be charming."
"Charming isn't my brand."
"Tonight it is."
I sighed. "Fine."
We waited backstage.
My heart was pounding. Not from nerves about the announcement. From something else. Something I couldn't name.
Jare looked at me. "You okay?"
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know. I just... feel weird."
"Gala weird or something else weird?"
"Something else."
He studied me. "Jay... what if they're here?"
"Who?"
"Watson Enterprises. They're a big company. They might be invited."
My blood froze.
"No."
"It's possible."
"No."
"Jay—"
"JARE. No."
He held up his hands. "Okay. Okay. Just... prepare yourself."
I couldn't prepare for that.
I couldn't prepare for HIM.
The Announcement
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the heirs of Mariano Enterprises—Jasper Jare Mariano and Jasper Jean Mariano!"
The curtain opened.
The lights hit us.
I walked forward. Jare beside me.
The crowd applauded. Polite. Expected.
I scanned the room automatically. Years of training from Keifer? Or just instinct?
Then I saw them.
A table near the front.
Watson Enterprises.
Tita Serina. Victor. Keigan. Keiren.
Mia.
And HIM.
Keifer.
In a tuxedo. Looking like he'd stepped out of my dreams.
My world stopped.
My heart stopped.
My BREATH stopped.
He was here.
In London.
At MY gala.
Looking at me like I was the only person in the room.
The same way he always looked at me.
Liar.
It was all a lie.
But his eyes—they weren't cold. They weren't empty.
They were... desperate. Hopeful. Scared.
I felt tears prick my eyes.
No. No crying. Not here. Not now.
I blinked rapidly. Forced them back.
Beside me, Jare grabbed my hand. Squeezed.
"You're okay," he whispered. "Keep walking."
I kept walking.
Made it to the microphone.
Opened my mouth.
Somehow, words came out.
"Thank you all for coming. I'm Jasper Jean Mariano. This is my twin brother, Jare. We're honored to be here tonight. Honored to carry on our family's legacy."
Polite applause.
I didn't hear any of it.
All I heard was my heartbeat.
All I saw was HIM.
After the announcement, we came down from the stage.
People swarmed us. Congratulations. Handshakes. Business cards.
I smiled. Nodded. Said thank you.
But my eyes kept finding him.
He hadn't moved from his table. Just sat there. Watching.
Like a statue. Like he was afraid to approach.
Good.
He SHOULD be afraid.
Then Keiren appeared.
Little Keiren. Seven years old. In a tiny tuxedo. Running toward me with his arms open.
"ATE JAY!"
I froze.
He hugged my legs. Tight.
"You're here! You're here! I missed you SO MUCH!"
I looked down at him.
He didn't know. He was just a kid. A kid who loved me. A kid who had nothing to do with the plan.
I couldn't ignore him.
Couldn't be cold to him.
I knelt down. Hugged him back.
"Hi, baby dinosaur."
He pulled back. Eyes shining. "Why did you go away? Kuya Keifer was SO SAD. He didn't eat or sleep or anything!"
My heart twisted. "He was?"
"Yes! He just stared at your jacket and cried! I saw him!"
He cried?
HE cried?
"He loves you, Ate Jay. He loves you SO MUCH." Keiren's little face was serious. "I don't know why you're mad, but he really really loves you."
I didn't know what to say.
So I just hugged him again.
Keifer's Pov
She walked on stage like a queen.
Because she IS a queen.
The dress was black. Elegant. Perfect.
Her hair was different. Grown out. Styled.
But her eyes?
Her eyes were the same.
And when they found me, they filled with tears.
She still feels something.
She still cares.
I wanted to run to her. Grab her. Kiss her.
Mia grabbed my arm. "Don't."
"She's CRYING."
"She's holding it together. You go up there, she'll break."
"I want to hold her when she breaks."
"You can't. Not yet."
I hated that she was right.
She gave her speech. Voice steady. Perfect.
Like nothing had happened.
Like I hadn't destroyed her.
But I saw the tremor in her hands. The way she gripped the podium.
She's not okay.
I made her not okay.
After the speech, people swarmed her.
I stayed at the table. Watched.
Jare was beside her. Protective. Good.
Mia was watching too. "She's so beautiful."
"I know."
"She's hurting."
"I know."
"She still loves you."
I looked at Mia. "How do you know?"
"Because she hasn't looked away from you once. Every time someone talks to her, her eyes find you again."
I looked.
Mia was right.
Every few seconds, Jay's eyes flickered toward me.
Like she couldn't help it.
Like I was a magnet.
Then Keiren ran to her.
My heart stopped.
Please don't push him away. Please don't hurt him.
She didn't.
She knelt. Hugged him. Talked to him.
He was probably telling her everything. How I cried. How I didn't eat. How I stared at her jacket.
Traitor.
Best little brother ever.
She looked up. Toward me.
Our eyes met.
For one second—just one—the coldness was gone.
She looked at me like she used to.
Like I was her person.
Then it was gone.
She stood up. Walked away.
But that one second?
That one second gave me hope.
Yuri appeared beside me. "She looked at you."
"I know."
"Really looked."
"I know."
"That's progress."
"Is it?"
"It is." He paused. "Also, you're staring."
"I know."
"Stop staring."
"I can't."
"Keifer."
"YURI."
He sighed. "You're hopeless."
"Completely."
It's not fair.
Jare and Mia are right there. Together. Holding hands. Talking.
They still have each other.
They didn't have to push anyone away.
But me? I had to push away the person I love most in the world.
And now she's here. Ten feet away. And I can't touch her. Can't talk to her. Can't do anything.
This is the worst kind of torture.
The gala continued.
People talked. Drank. Networked.
I stayed in my seat. Watched her move through the crowd.
She was graceful. Poised. Perfect.
But every now and then, her eyes would find me.
And every time, they glistened.
She's holding back tears.
For me.
Or because of me?
Both, probably.
Later, in the Car
We drove back to our hotel.
Keiren was asleep. Keigan was on his phone. Mom and Victor were talking quietly.
Mia looked at me. "You okay?"
"No."
"She still loves you."
"I know."
"That's good, right?"
"It's complicated."
"It's always complicated with you two."
I almost smiled. "Yeah."
I put my phone down.
I looked out the window at London's lights.
She was here. In the same city.
She still loved me.
She still had the dinosaur.
Maybe... maybe there was hope after all.