JAY'S POV —
The HQ was louder than usual when I walked in.
"MJ!!!"
"Happy birthday!!"
"YOOO THE QUEEN IS HERE!"
Hands ruffled my hair, arms wrapped around me, someone even lifted me for a second before I yelped and kicked the air. Laughter echoed everywhere — my crew, my second family, all shouting, teasing, celebrating.
Zack shoved a cupcake into my hand immediately.
"Eat. You look like you haven't eaten since 2004."
Alex flicked my forehead.
"Don't be dramatic, Zack. She's fine."
Then to me, softer, "But seriously — happy birthday, kid."
I smiled, warmth blooming in my chest.
They were always rough… but always gentle with me.
Then suddenly Zack's hand landed on my shoulder.
Not teasing. Not loud.
Firm. Steady.
"Come with us, MJ."
I blinked. "Where?"
He didn't answer.
Alex fell into step beside me, unusually quiet.
And that's when I knew.
This wasn't a normal birthday surprise.
My heartbeat stilled as they guided me through the hallway…
past the training rooms,
past the main office,
past the noise.
To the door I hadn't stepped inside since—
Cole.
Zack placed a hand on the doorknob, glanced back at me.
"You ready?" he asked, voice softer than I'd ever heard from him.
My throat tightened.
I swallowed.
"…Yeah."
He opened the door.
Cole's office looked exactly the same.
The faint smell of his cologne.
The perfectly arranged desk.
The books he never finished reading.
The chair he used to spin in when he thought no one was watching.
My eyes burned instantly.
Alex gently nudged me forward, his voice a warm whisper.
"He would've wanted you here today."
I stepped inside slowly, my fingers brushing the edge of Cole's desk.
Something was placed neatly on top — a small black box with my name written in his handwriting.
My breath caught.
Zack moved closer.
"He left that for you. Told us to give it to you on your birthday."
My heart shattered and healed at the same time.
With shaking hands, I opened the box.
Inside…
was a ring.
Simple. Silver. Engraved on the inside:
"My brightest star. — C."
A quiet sob escaped before I could stop it.
Zack and Alex didn't speak — didn't tease — didn't move.
They just stood there, letting me feel everything.
I pressed the ring to my chest, whispering into the quiet:
"Thank you, Cole… for still thinking of me."
The room was silent, holding me gently.
Like he was still here.
Like he never left.
And for a moment…
I swear I felt him smiling.
I was still standing there, clutching the ring so tightly it almost hurt, when the door opened again.
A soft knock followed.
Zack and Alex turned immediately — defensive by instinct — but relaxed when they saw who it was.
Damian.
Cole's attorney.
Always dressed in immaculate black suits, always composed, always carrying an air of quiet dignity. I'd seen him a few times before… mostly standing beside Cole during serious meetings.
But today…
His expression was different.
Softer. Gentler. Almost sad.
"Jay," he said quietly, stepping inside. "Happy birthday."
My voice barely worked. "T-Thank you…"
He gave a faint smile — respectful, careful — then held up a leather envelope and a sealed white folder.
Zack straightened. Alex's jaw tightened.
Damian stepped closer, offering them to me with both hands.
"These," he said, voice steady, "were entrusted to me by Cole. He instructed that they be given to you only when you turned eighteen."
My entire world went silent.
"What… what is it?" I whispered.
Damian's eyes softened with a heaviness that made my chest tighten.
"His second letter," he said gently, tapping the leather envelope.
"And…"
His fingers brushed the white folder.
"…his will."
My breath caught so sharply it shook.
Cole's will.
For me.
My legs almost gave out.
Zack immediately stepped behind me, one hand on my back.
Alex moved to my side, steady and wordless support.
Damian waited a moment — giving me space, giving me breath — before speaking again.
"Cole… cared for you more deeply than you may ever fully understand."
He paused, exhaled slowly.
"He made decisions with you in mind. Prepared things… for your future."
My fingers trembled as I accepted the documents.
The leather envelope felt heavier than anything I'd held in my life.
"Y-you're sure… this is meant for me?" I whispered.
Damian nodded without hesitation.
"He was very clear. Very specific."
The room tilted slightly.
Emotion swelled so fast it hurt.
Damian's voice softened even further.
"If you'd like… I can stay while you read. Or give you privacy. Whatever you need."
I shook my head, grounding myself against the warmth of Zack's hand on my shoulder and Alex's steady presence beside me.
"No… I'll read it later," I managed, voice breaking. "I… I need a second."
Damian nodded respectfully and stepped back.
Before leaving, he hesitated at the door — the first time I'd ever seen him do that.
"He was proud of you, Jay," he said quietly.
"So proud. Remember that today."
Then he left.
The moment the door closed, the dam inside me cracked.
I hugged the envelope to my chest and choked out a tiny, broken whisper:
"Damn it Cole,why do you still love me this much… even from the other side?I don't need this I need you..."
My voice shattered.
Zack pulled me gently into his arms.
Alex placed a hand behind my head, grounding me.
And there in Cole's office, surrounded by memories, letters, and last wishes…
I cried.
Not because I was broken.
But because I was loved — fiercely, endlessly — even by someone who wasn't in this world anymore.
When Zack and Alex finally stepped out — giving me space, giving me silence — I sank slowly onto the edge of Cole's leather chair.
His chair.
His scent still clung faintly to it. Warm. Familiar. Painful.
The envelope in my hands suddenly felt like a living thing — like it had a heartbeat, like it was breathing with me.
My fingers trembled as I slid it open.
The paper inside was thick, smooth, and his handwriting hit me like a punch straight to my ribs.
"Hi Birthday girl ,
If you're reading this, then you made it to my office probably in my chair.. Hehe
I wish I were there to say it to your face, to tease you about finally catching up to me, to hand you your favorite drink and pretend I didn't plan the whole day around you.
But if you're reading this…it means I can't.
Not the way I wanted.
So this is my second letter to you only if Stella didn't forget to give you the first one (Ps.I doubt it :) )
So yeah The first one was for comfort.
This one… is for truth.
There are things I never told you because I didn't want to weigh you down while I was still here. I wanted you to live like a teenager should — loud, messy, full of laughter, full of arguments, full of life.
But eighteen is different.
You're stepping into a world where the decisions you make are your own.
And I wanted you to walk into it with the things I prepared for you — things I knew you would never ask for, things you might think you don't deserve.
But you do.
Jay, I left you a portion of my will because you were the only person who ever made me feel like I wasn't just surviving — but living.
You made my days lighter.You made my choices clearer.You reminded me why I fought so hard for the future.And I wanted to make sure you had one too.
Not a perfect one.Not an easy one.
But one where you were never trapped, never powerless, never alone.You always tried to take care of everyone else — even when you were hurting.You never thought of yourself first.
So I did.
Everything in that folder was chosen carefully.
Not to burden you.To free you.To make sure you could study wherever you wanted.
Live wherever you felt safe.
Walk away from anything or anyone who tried to dim you.I didn't leave you these things because you needed them.
I left them because you deserved them.
Because even on the days you doubted yourself, I never doubted you — not once.
You might cry reading this.You might get angry.You might refuse to open the will for weeks.That's okay.Take your time.
It's yours.
Just like every hope I had for your future.
And Jay… one last thing.
The most important thing.
Be happy.
Not for me.Not because it's what people expect.But because your smile was the only proof I ever needed that there is good in this world and tell keifer that if he ever hurt you again I'm gonna haunt him in his dreams hehe
(Ps.I think he'll lowkey kill himself before doing anything to hurt you..)
You were — and always will be — one of the brightest parts of my life.
Happy birthday, baby girl.
Make this year yours.
— love Cole...
For a long moment…I couldn't breathe.
Not because the words hurt —
but because they felt like him.
Warm.
Careful.
Protective in that way only Cole ever managed to be without making me feel small.
My eyes blurred halfway through the first paragraph.
By the time I reached the part where he said he wanted me to live loud and messy — like a teenager should — the tears were already slipping down my face.
"Damn it, Cole…"
My voice cracked, but it wasn't angry.
It was soft.
Breaking.
But full of a strange warmth too.
Because it wasn't grief that hit me hardest.
It was love.
The kind he gave so naturally — the kind that wrapped around me like a worn-out hoodie I'd stolen from him a hundred times.
Cole never treated me like a responsibility.
Never like a burden.
He treated me like—
family.
The sister he never had.The kid he tried to guide without ever saying he was guiding.
The girl he wanted to see rise, not because he expected it…but because he believed she would.
And reading his words now…
I finally understood just how much he planned.
How much he thought ahead.
How much he worried about me even when he pretended not to.
He didn't leave me the will because he pitied me.
He didn't leave it because he thought I needed saving.
He left it because he wanted me to be free.
Because he wanted me to have choices.
Because he wanted my future to be mine, not shaped by fear or limits.
"He really…"A small, shaky laugh escaped me."…he really never stopped looking out for me,even now."
Even from the other side.
I pressed the letter to my chest, letting myself feel it —all of it.
The heaviness.
The gentleness.
The way he said "baby girl" not to flirt, not to stake any claim, but because he'd called me that since the first day he patched me up after a fight and scolded me like a big brother.
My tears were warm against my palms.
But for the first time in a long time…
they didn't hurt.
They healed.
Cole wasn't gone.Not really.
He'd left pieces of himself everywhere —
in memories,
in stupid inside jokes,
in the way Zack and Alex still looked at me like they were following his orders,
and now, in this letter.
His last gift wasn't the money.Or the instructions.Or the protection.
It was the reminder:
I was loved.Deeply.Platonically.Fiercely.
By him.
By the boys.
By everyone he left behind for me to keep.
I folded the letter carefully — like it was glass — and slipped it back into its envelope.
The white folder with the will stared at me from the desk.
My hand hovered over it…
then pulled back.
"No," I whispered softly. "Not yet. I'm not ready."
And that was fine.
Cole said it was fine.
He always gave me time when I needed it.
So I took the folder, tucked it under my arm, and headed home quietly — the letter warm against my ribs, like a heartbeat that wasn't mine but felt like home.
The house was silent when I entered.
My room looked normal — the same messy-sweet chaos as always.
Except…
There was something laid gently across my bed.
A dress.
Soft. Elegant. My style but… elevated.
Midnight blue.Smooth fabric.Delicate straps.
And on top of it —
a note.
Written in handwriting I recognized instantly.
"Your night awaits, my queen.
— K."
My breath caught.
Light.Warm.Alive
Like the universe was shifting again —
from goodbyes to something newwaiting just outside my door...