Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Jay-Jay's POV

"...Just admit it, Pre! You're really weak!" Blaster teased.

"Say that again!" Eman snapped, clearly annoyed.

They had been going at it for a while now—arguing nonstop from the cashier to the parking lot.

I could feel the curious stares from people passing by, probably amused or weirded out by their antics.

"Whoa! Virgin!" Blaster suddenly shouted, making me burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha..." It wasn't that what he said was wrong—I just found his reaction hilarious.

"You idiot! Cut it out already!" Eman yelled, his face turning red.

Why is it always funnier when guys get teased? If it were a girl, people would call it inappropriate or serious.

"What? Are you embarrassed? Is it because you're a virgin too?" Blaster teased again.

Eman looked like he wanted to disappear but was trying to hold back.

Just then, my phone rang. Ignoring their bickering, I answered the call.

"Hello?"

["Done shopping?"] King's voice came through.

Ugh. I should've checked the caller ID first.

"Uh… yeah."

["Don't go anywhere. I'm coming to pick you up."] He said before hanging up.

So rude!

How does he even know where I am? These two must've told him.

Speaking of them, they were still arguing. I decided to step in before things got out of hand.

"You guys go ahead. I have somewhere else to be," I told them.

"Where? I'll drop you off," Eman offered.

"It's nearby."

They nodded, and I took the lollipop jar from them before saying goodbye. Blaster mentioned he had something else to do, so they both left.

I watched their car disappear before King's sleek Nissan GTR pulled up in front of me.

Wow, Rich Man!

"Get in," he said, opening the door for me.

Wow. He actually opened the door? How gentlemanly of him.

As soon as I got in, the shameless guy sped off.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Home."

I just nodded. What was this all about?

The drive didn't take long, thanks to how fast he was going.

He parked his car next to another one, and I immediately noticed the difference.

"Keifer… you're rich. Can I have one?" I asked, pointing at his cars.

He gave me a serious look. "Which one?"

Wait, seriously?!

"Are you for real?!"

"Yeah… Just promise you won't marry Yuri. I'll even give you my house," he said, crossing his arms. ❤️

I glanced at his cars, then at his house.

Hmm… I don't want to marry Yuri anymore. It's a big exchange! Heeee! Just kidding!

"Bleeehhh…" I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.

"Shh," he sighed. "...Even without all this, you could still come to me." 💕

So arrogant!

"Dream on!" I shot back.

He just laughed, shaking his head. His confidence was through the roof.

I followed him inside, where Keiren immediately greeted me.

I ignored him and walked past, remembering how he scolded me last time.

Keifer just being Keifer.

"Naughty," I muttered under my breath before catching up with him.

We headed down to the basement—the secret hangout spot of the Snakes.

Keigan had taken me here before when I was looking for Felix.

"What's that?" Keifer asked, eyeing the jar in my hands.

I handed it to him, and he looked at it curiously.

"It reminded me of the first time I saw you—you had a lollipop in your mouth," I said with a smile.

He paused for a moment as if reminiscing.

"I remember… that was when I was trying to quit smoking," he finally said, lifting the jar slightly. "I used these as a substitute, but it didn't work."

I nodded. Right! Back then, neither Yuri nor I ever saw him smoke.

"...But thanks anyway. Though it's a bit much," he added.

I looked at him. "Too much?"

"These aren't the sweets I wanted to replace cigarettes with," Keifer said, holding up the jar of lollipops. "I prefer Lips." 😂

The first thing that came to mind was the Lips candy, but something about the way he said it felt different.

"W-why?" I stammered.

"Because your lips are much sweeter than any lollipop," he replied with a wink. ❤️😂

It's King!

I knew it! This guy wasn't talking about candy. I shot him a glare but couldn't help laughing at his audacity.

We continued walking, and as we entered their usual hangout, Edrix, Rory, and Felix greeted me.

"Hey, Jay!" they chimed.

"Hey, what's up? What are you all doing here?" I asked, settling beside them.

"Why? Is that a problem? Or did you want some alone time with Keifer?" Edrix teased.

In response, I smacked him hard on the back of his neck. Idiot! I was just asking a normal question.

"Ow! That hurt…" he grumbled, rubbing the spot.

"Serves you right. Now answer my question properly."

Rory and Felix chuckled as Keifer took a seat across from us, swirling a glass of wine in his hand.

Wine again!

Does he ever go a day without drinking? It seems like he always has a bottle or a glass in his hand. But weirdly enough, he never gets drunk easily. His liver must be made of steel.

"We wanted to show you something," Keifer said, nodding toward Edrix.

Edrix pulled out a laptop, placed it in front of me, and opened a file. A picture of a man sitting in a car appeared on the screen.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Your dad," Edrix replied.

Instead of feeling happy or emotional, I immediately felt irritated.

"Are you messing with me?" I asked, annoyed.

"Huh?"

"How can that be my dad? He's turned away in the photo!"

Edrix glanced at the screen and clicked something.

The next image loaded, and my irritation faded. My eyes were glued to the screen.

It's Dad!

He was wearing a golf shirt, looking off into the distance. I couldn't tell where the picture was taken, but there was no doubt—it was him.

Another image appeared. This time, he was dressed in business attire, sitting across from another man in a similar outfit.

More photos flashed by—him at a long table, surrounded by other businessmen.

I didn't want Edrix to stop. I wanted to keep looking, to see more. But soon, the pictures started repeating. It seemed he didn't have many.

"W-where did you get these?" I asked.

"Some are from business magazines, others from news websites," Edrix answered.

Magazines? Websites?

"W-why is my dad's picture in these places?"

"I did some digging," Rory said. "Turns out, he's the son of a business tycoon. He and his family have a strong reputation in the business world, both here and overseas."

I was stunned. Business? Dad is wealthy?

If he's capable of so much, then why… why hasn't he done anything to find me?

My head started to ache. The more I learned, the more distant he felt.

"...And," Rory added, "he's currently in New York."

My heart grew heavier. I had no idea what kind of life he was living.

"That's not all," Felix spoke up. "There's something else we need to show you."

Edrix clicked on another folder. This time, the pictures weren't just of my dad—he was with someone else.

P-Percy?

I turned to Felix. He remained expressionless, but I could tell he had questions too.

"W-why is he with Percy?"

Edrix scrolled through more images. They looked like a family—playing golf, laughing, eating at restaurants.

They were close. Closer than I had ever been with my dad.

Besides confusion, jealousy crept in. I wanted to be in those pictures. I wanted to spend time with my dad like that.

"Percy Rey Mariano—that's the name he's known by," Rory explained.

So what does this mean?

Are we somehow connected? But how? Felix once showed me Percy's father, and it wasn't my dad.

"...That's all we could find. Information about them is limited," Rory said.

I ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't even realize tears were falling.

It hurt. I finally had a lead on my dad, but instead of finding answers, I was left with more questions.

"Jay…" they called softly.

"I'm fine… It's just a lot to take in," I said, forcing a smile.

Felix handed me a tissue. I glanced at Keifer, who was watching me seriously.

"Thank you… At least now I have something to go on," I said.

"But you don't look happy about it," Keifer observed.

"I am… I'm just frustrated. Instead of answers, I only have more questions."

"I get it. It's overwhelming."

I nodded. That was exactly it. I was drowning in questions with no clear answers.

"...But no matter what happens, we'll help you find the truth," Keifer said firmly.