Chapter 3 Mai's POV
1343 Words
15 Years Later Mai’s POV
“Mai!!!!!! What is taking you so long for crying out loud?!” Asha yelled from downstairs.
I rolled my eyes dramatically as I adjusted my earrings in the mirror one last time.
“Why do you always have to shout?” I shouted back while walking down the stairs carefully in my heels.
The moment I stepped into the living room, every single head turned toward me.
Asha folded her arms. “Do you even have to ask? We’ve been waiting for you for three hours!”
I gasped. “Excuse me? It was only thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?” Kalista snorted. “Mai, the sun almost set while waiting for you.”
“Why do you always make a mountain out of a molehill?” I muttered while grabbing my purse.
Everyone stared at me.
I sighed dramatically. “Okay fine, maybe I took a little long. But look at me.” I spun around proudly. “At least it was worth it.”
Clarita burst out laughing. “Girl, you look like a pig.”
“A WHAT?!”
I immediately kicked off my heels and charged toward her.
“I said pig!” she screamed while running around the couch.
“You better start praying!”
The entire living room exploded into chaos as I chased her around the chairs.
“Why are you people running up and down like children?” Grandma asked as she walked into the room.
“Grandma!” Clarita pointed at me between laughs. “Mai is angry because I called her a pig.”
Grandma adjusted her glasses and looked me up and down thoughtfully.
“Oh dear,” she said sweetly. “But you look like a very cute pig.”
The room erupted with laughter.
“Grandma!” I whined, pouting dramatically.
Clarita held onto my arm. “Come on, Mai, I was joking. You look hot as usual.”
I instantly smiled. “See? Now that sounds better.”
Asha shook her head. “Your mood changes faster than lightning.”
“That’s because I’m special,” I replied proudly.
Kalista suddenly smirked from the corner. “You do know KJ isn’t going to be there, right?”
I froze for half a second before recovering.
“b***h, who is KJ to me?” I asked casually while checking my nails.
The entire room gasped.
Even Grandma looked scandalized.
Kalista placed a hand on her chest dramatically. “Girl, KJ is my hot brother. The same boy you’ve been crushing on since childhood.”
“I did not crush on him.”
“You literally wrote Mrs. KJ Jace on your notebooks,” Clarita exposed.
My jaw dropped. “TRAITOR!”
Asha nearly fell off the couch laughing. “And remember when she cried because KJ danced with another girl at Auntie Rosa’s party?”
“That happened one time!”
“You threatened to poison the girl,” Alex added while walking into the room.
“I WAS EIGHT!”
Everyone laughed louder.
I sighed dramatically and flipped my hair. “Fine. Maybe he was cute.”
“Was?” Kalista repeated.
I shrugged carelessly. “Okay, damn, he’s hot.”
The girls screamed and laughed while I buried my face in embarrassment.
“Ladies!” Grandpa’s deep voice echoed through the hallway as he grabbed his coat and car keys. “What is taking you so long? Do you want to miss your own graduation?”
“Well,” Asha immediately said, “Mai took three hours to get dressed.”
“How is it my fault that I’m fat and need extra time to bathe and moisturize my beautiful body?” I defended myself seriously.
Grandpa stared at me for a second before shaking his head with amusement.
“Mai, you will never change.”
“That’s because perfection can’t be improved,” I replied proudly.
“Your confidence needs to be studied scientifically,” Alex muttered.
“What the hell did we miss?” Auntie Rosa asked as she entered the house with Almira beside her.
“Everyone is bullying Mai again,” Clarita answered dramatically.
“Deserved,” Almira said instantly.
“You people are fake,” I grumbled.
Grandpa laughed. “Alright, enough talking. Let’s go before the ceremony starts without you children.”
“Finally!” I grabbed my phone quickly. “I do not plan on missing my graduation because of you people.”
“We’re the problem?” Asha asked in disbelief.
“Yes.”
Everyone laughed again as we headed outside.
Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Rosa left in the first car while the rest of us squeezed into the second one.
Alex drove while Almira controlled the music.
“No sad songs today,” Almira warned. “This is our day.”
“Play something dramatic,” I suggested.
“Everything with you is dramatic,” Alex said.
“That’s because I’m the main character.”
“More like the main headache,” Asha replied.
The entire ride was filled with teasing, singing terribly, and arguing over music choices.
By the time we arrived at the university, excitement buzzed through the air.
The campus looked breathtaking.
“Oh my goodness,” Almira whispered while stepping out of the car. “What the hell is this place?”
“This,” Alex said proudly, “is heaven.”
Beautiful flowers lined the pathways while golden decorations shimmered under the sunlight. Families filled the grounds, taking pictures and celebrating together.
For a moment, I simply stood there taking it all in.
We actually made it.
After all the sleepless nights, stressful exams, breakdowns, and endless assignments…
We were graduating.
“There’s my mom and dad!” Kalista waved excitedly toward a couple near the fountain. “I’ll see you guys later!”
She ran off immediately.
Clarita’s family arrived moments later, surrounding her in loud hugs and endless pictures.
Meanwhile, Grandma practically attacked us with her camera.
“Stand properly!” she scolded. “Mai, stop making faces.”
“I’m posing!”
“You look constipated.”
“Grandma!”
Everyone laughed again.
Grandpa soon wandered off after spotting a few of his business partners.
“Look at him,” Asha said while crossing her arms. “Business mode activated already.”
Grandpa stood with a group of men in expensive suits, speaking seriously while gesturing confidently.
“Who’s he talking to?” Almira asked.
“Mr. Jace, I think,” Alex answered.
I stared dramatically. “Imagine discussing business on your grandchildren’s graduation day.”
“Come on,” Alex defended. “As a business tycoon, you need to stay prepared all the time.”
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. “So even on your wedding day, you’ll still talk about business?”
“Of course,” Alex replied confidently.
We all stared at him.
He shrugged. “I’m going to enjoy the wedding, obviously. But business is what feeds me.”
The silence lasted two seconds before Asha burst out laughing.
“You are definitely Grandpa’s photocopy.”
“Prototype version,” Almira added.
“Business Edition,” Clarita laughed.
Alex bowed proudly. “Thank you, thank you.”
“God help your future wife,” I muttered.
“She’ll have to schedule appointments just to kiss him,” Asha added.
“I hate all of you,” Alex groaned while laughing.
Still smiling, we finally made our way toward our seats as the ceremony was about to begin.
And somehow, deep inside me…
I felt like today was not only the beginning of our future—
but the beginning of something that would change all our lives forever.
Things are about to get chaotic for Mai.
What do you think will happen when Mai and KJ meet again? Will KJ change his perspective of her, or will he hate her just like when they were kids?
Read the next chapter to find out what is in store for Mai.
- Writer
