c6 - His sister.

It was already the weekend. Jade stared sadly at Zane’s broken watch, the only thing she had kept from him over the past five years. It was all she had as a remembrance of him. 

She thought she could watch his engagement and feel nothing. She thought she had prepared herself enough to accept that he now belonged to someone else. But after yesterday’s encounter, Jade realized she was not completely immune to the pain.

The engagement, though limited to the elite, had been open to FII’s employees. Mireia had attended. Almost all her colleagues had attended. 

But not Jade. She had chosen to stay away, unwilling to hurt herself even more. Still, deep inside, she was truly happy for Zane. She bore no bitterness over his engagement. She didn’t have the right to feel otherwise anyway. 

Even so, her tears still found their way down her cheeks. It was a good thing Zia had gone to bed early. She didn’t have to explain to her daughter why she was crying.

Jade was about to sleep herself when she heard a gentle knock at the door. She frowned. It was already past seven in the evening. She quickly put on something decent and walked toward the door to check who it could be.

"Mr. Smith?" she said, surprised to see Zane’s assistant standing there.

"Good evening, Ms. Collins," Ryan greeted politely. "May I have a word with you?"

"Yes, of course," she said, opening the door wider to let him in. "What brings you here at this time, Mr. Smith?"

"Is your daughter already asleep?" Ryan asked.

Jade frowned deeper in confusion. "Yes, she is. Why do you ask? Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?"

"Thank you, but there’s no need," Ryan declined. "I’m here on Mr. Frost’s behalf."

"I don’t understand," she said as she sat down across from him, even more puzzled. "Mr. Smith, what do you mean? Isn’t it Mr. Frost’s engagement tonight?"

Ryan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pulled an envelope from his bag and took out a photo, handing it to her.

"Do you recognize the child in this picture?"

Jade’s hands trembled slightly as she took the photo. The little girl in it looked so much like Zia.

"N-no..." she stammered, shaking her head. At that moment, she already wanted to ask Ryan to leave. But courtesy kept her seated.

"Her name is Zaira Frost," Ryan said. "Mr. Frost’s younger sister. She was kidnapped when she was five years old and was never found again."

"Why are you telling me this, Mr. Smith? I have nothing to do with the Frost family..."

Five years ago, when she had the chance, she chose to walk away from Zane.

"Ms. Collins," Ryan pressed gently, "do you know Zaira Frost?"

She knew someone named Zaira. But she was not a Frost.

Before she could answer, Zia’s soft voice interrupted them.

"Mommy?" Zia had woken up and was rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"N-no," Jade said quickly, standing up. "I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, but I have to ask you to leave now."

Ryan stood up, respecting her wish. "Of course. I’ll come back, Ms. Collins. Mr. Frost would certainly appreciate your help with this matter."

She only nodded, eager to send him away. Only after Ryan had left did Jade finally allow herself to breathe.

"Who was that man, Mommy?" Zia asked, her voice small and drowsy.

"Just someone from Mommy’s work," Jade said, crouching down to pick her up. "Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you back to bed."

"Okay, Mommy."

When Zia had fallen back asleep, Jade finally let her tears fall freely again. This time, it wasn’t about her lost love. This time, it was fear. Fear of losing her daughter. Zia, who was Zaira’s daughter.

Zaira had been her best friend. But she wasn’t from the Frost family. She was Zaira Taylor.

They had grown up together in the orphanage, both of them unlucky enough never to be adopted until they were old enough to move out on their own. But even after they left, life had separated them. When Jade was taking care of Zane during those difficult times, Zaira had already been out of her reach. She only saw her again two years later — and by then, Zaira was already pregnant with Zia.

Zaira hadn’t survived childbirth, leaving her newborn daughter behind. Without hesitation, Zia became Jade’s baby. She raised her with everything she had, giving her all the love she could possibly offer.

Who would have thought that Zaira had been Zane’s sister all along?

Jade didn’t need any more proof. That old photo Ryan had shown her said it all. She remembered perfectly how Zaira looked when they were kids. There was no denying it.

Her silent tears soon turned into uncontrollable sobs.

She cried hard, the fear and heartbreak crushing her chest. She knew the life she could offer Zia — simple, modest, full of love, but limited. Nothing like the life the Frost family could give.

If Zia truly belonged to the Frosts, and Jade refused to give her back, would that make her selfish? Would it mean she was denying her daughter a better life?

But if she handed Zia over to them... would that mean losing her completely?

—

Over the rest of the weekend, Jade had not gotten any sleep at all. By Monday, she was close to resembling a zombie. 

“Hey, you alright?” Mireia asked.

She only smiled a little. 

“The engagement was so fun! Mr. Frost and Ms. White, they really are a match made in heaven!” Her friend shared. “You should have attended too. Oh it was such a privilege to be part of their celebration!”

To which Jade only smiled too.

“Jade, what’s wrong?” Mireia toned down a bit.

“Nothing,” she sat on her chair and turned her computer on. 

Jade wondered what she was still doing there. Did she really want another confrontation about Zia? 

What if the Frosts would force her to give Zia back to them?

“Come on, tell me.”

“It’s nothing, really. Don’t mind me, Reia.”

Before that day ended, Jade once again found herself in Zane’s presence. 

He had summoned her to his office when most of the employees had left.

“I’m going straight to the point, Ms. Collins. You should know that I am capable of finding out the truth myself. But for the last time, I wanted to ask you. Do you know my sister?” 

Jade’s eyes stung.