KEIFER POV
My phone buzzed against the marble countertop, a sharp vibration that cut through the silence of my penthouse. I swiped the screen, expecting a mission briefing or a report from the docks. Instead, my heart did a strange, erratic skip.
Meet me at the beach. 6:00 PM sharp. Wear a white shirt. — Jay.
I stared at the words until they blurred. Jay didn't make "requests." She gave orders, or she made threats. This felt different. It felt like a summons to a trial, or perhaps, a peace treaty.
I headed to my dressing room, my movements uncharacteristically frantic. I pulled a crisp, white button-down from the rack. White.
She wanted me in white. It was a color of surrender, of purity, of beginnings. I fumbled with the buttons, my fingers—which could strip a sniper rifle in pitch darkness—suddenly feeling heavy and clumsy.
I stood before the full-length mirror. I tucked the shirt in, then untucked it. I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows, then rolled them back down. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to tame the dark strands that always seemed to defy gravity.
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"Perfect," I muttered, then immediately frowned. Was it too formal? Was it too casual? I adjusted the collar for the tenth time. I wanted to look like the man she deserved, not the monster I had been.
I wanted her to see me—really see me—without the shadows of the Watson name or the blood of the underworld between us.
I grabbed the keys to my black SUV and drove toward the coast. The sun was beginning its slow descent, painting the sky in bruised purples and burning oranges.
When I pulled up to the secluded stretch of sand she'd pinned, the world was silent save for the rhythmic roar of the tide.
The beach appeared empty at first. Then, I saw it.
In the center of the dunes, a small area had been transformed. Red roses—hundreds of them—were tucked into the sand, creating a crimson perimeter against the pale gold. In the middle stood a lone table draped in silk, with a single, ornate box resting on top.
I stepped onto the sand, my boots sinking slightly. "Jay-Jay?" I called out. My voice was swallowed by the wind.
I approached the table, my pulse hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. There was no sign of her. I reached for the box, my breath hitching. I lifted the lid, expecting a note or perhaps a weapon.
Instead, a dozen white and gold balloons erupted from the interior, soaring into the twilight sky like escaping spirits.I watched them go, momentarily dazed.
"You're late, Watson." The voice came from behind me. I spun around, and the air left my lungs.
Jay was standing there, framed by the setting sun. She wasn't in her usual tactical leather or heavy boots. She wore a white bodycon tea dress that hugged every curve of her frame, the fabric glowing in the dying light. Her hair caught the breeze, and for a moment, she didn't look like the "Bloody Crimson." She looked like a vision.
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"Jay," I breathed, my voice a mere rasp. "What is all this?"
She didn't answer immediately. She walked toward me, her gaze steady, stripping away every defense I had left. She stopped just inches away, the scent of her perfume mixing with the salt air.
"Mark Keifer Watson," she said, her voice clear and resonant. "I forgive you."
The weight that had been crushing my chest for months—the guilt, the fear of losing her, the agony of our past—simply vanished. I felt light, almost dizzy.
But she wasn't done.
Before I could speak, Jay—the Queen, the woman who knelt for no one—dropped to one knee in the sand. My heart stopped.
She pulled a ring from the folds of her dress. It caught the last rays of the sun, flashing brilliantly.
"Will you marry me, Keifer?" she asked. Her voice trembled just a fraction, a raw sliver of vulnerability that broke me. "Will you be my King of Uplongs?"
Shock rippled through me. I had expected a conversation, maybe a tentative step toward reconciliation. I never expected this. I never expected her to claim me so boldly.
I didn't speak. I couldn't. I reached down, my hands trembling as I gripped her waist and lifted her off the sand. I spun her around, the world becoming a blur of white fabric, red roses, and the purple sky.
"Yes!" I roared into the wind. "Yes, a thousand times yes, my Queen! Thank you... thank you for forgiving me."
I set her down, my forehead resting against hers. I took the ring from her hand and slid it onto her finger—a perfect fit. I didn't wait for permission.
I leaned in and kissed her, a desperate, searing kiss that tasted of salt and salvation. It was a seal on a new life.
When we finally broke apart, Jay leaned back, a mischievous, smoky look entering her eyes as she scanned me from head to toe.
"You look freaking hot in that shirt, Keifer," she purred, her fingers tracing the line of my collar. "I really wanted to see how you'd look in white. It suits you."
I felt a familiar heat stir in my gut. I smirked, pulling her closer by the small of her back. "You're looking freaking hot too, Jay. But to be honest? I prefer to see you in another way."
She arched a brow, a blush creeping up her neck. "Oh? And what way is that?"
I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. "Nude."
She pulled back, swatting my arm even as her face turned a deep shade of crimson. "Shameless," she muttered.
"Only for you, baby," I whispered, nipping at her jawline.
The moment was interrupted by a cough. A waiter, looking incredibly out of place on the sand, approached with a small, elegant cake on a silver tray. He set it on the table and vanished back toward the dunes.
We stood together, hands intertwined, and cut the cake. I took a small piece and fed it to her, watching the way her lips parted. When it was her turn, she smiled—a sweet, innocent smile that should have warned me.
She leaned in, pretending to feed me, but at the last second, she swiped her finger through the frosting and smeared it thick across my neck.
I froze. "You didn't just do that."
"I did," she laughed, already backing away, her eyes dancing with challenge.
I scooped up a handful of whipped cream from the side of the plate. "You're going to pay for that, Queen."
"Catch me if you can, Watson!"
She bolted. She ran across the sand, her white dress fluttering like a flag. I didn't hesitate. I gave chase, my longer strides eating up the distance. I caught her near the water's edge, my arms wrapping around her waist as we both collapsed into the soft sand, laughing like children who had forgotten the world was a dark and dangerous place.
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JAY POV
Hours later, the adrenaline had faded into a deep, buzzing warmth. I sat on a blanket we had spread out, leaning my back against Keifer's chest. His arms were wrapped around me, his chin resting on my shoulder.
The white shirt I'd asked him to wear was now rumpled and stained with sand, but he had never looked more handsome.
I stared out at the ocean, thinking about how I'd gotten here.
Just days ago, I had been sitting in my room, staring at the wall. I had been replaying everything. The way Keifer had stayed by my side during Grace's labor. The way he looked at me—not as a weapon to be used, but as a person to be protected. The way he had become my anchor in the storm of my own making. The way he always stay my side.
I realized then that holding onto the grudge was like drinking poison and expecting him to die. I loved him. And if I was going to do this, I was going to do it my way. No half-measures. No secrets.
"Keifer," I said softly, my voice barely audible over the waves.
"Hmm?" He pressed a kiss to my temple.
"I want to tell you everything. No more masks. No more secrets."
I felt him stiffen slightly, then relax. "I'm listening, Jay."
I took a deep breath, the air cold in my lungs. "I built JJM when I was thirteen. It wasn't for power or money. It was for protection. I was a child who realized the world was full of monsters, so I decided to become the biggest one of all. I created it to give people like us a place where we weren't prey."
I told him about the League. I told him about the weight of the "Bloody Crimson" title. I told him about the promise I made to Sam—the debt of blood and loyalty that had dictated my life for years. I told him about the scars he couldn't see, the ones etched into my soul from a decade of war.
I talked for what felt like hours. Keifer didn't interrupt. He didn't flinch. He just held me tighter, his heartbeat steady against my spine.
"I learned to kill because it was the only way to make the world stop touching me. I'm not a hero. I'm a girl who grew up in the dark and realized she liked the taste of blood better than the taste of tears."
I turned to look at him, my eyes raw. "How can you love a woman who was broken by the very people meant to protect her? I'm a graveyard of secrets, Keifer."
A heavy silence settled over us. I waited for the judgment. I waited for him to see me differently.
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Keifer POV
Every word she spoke felt like a serrated blade across my soul. Her mother's betrayal, the stepfather's cruelty—it sparked a fire in me that threatened to consume the world.
I remembered my own father. I remembered the belt, the broken glass, and the way he'd sneer that I was a "monster" just like him. I remembered my mother, cowering in the corner, unable to save me.
For years, I believed I was unlovable—a beast meant for nothing but war.But then I met Jay.She was the only one who didn't look at me and see a Watson monster. She saw me. And now, hearing what she endured, the rage in my heart crystallized into a singular, lethal purpose.
"Jay," I said, turning her in my arms so she had to look at me . "I don't care about your past. I don't care about the League or what you did when you were thirteen."
"But—"
"No," I cut her off, my thumb brushing her lower lip. "What I care about is you. Right now. This moment. Our present, and every second of the future we're going to build. That's enough for me. More than enough."
I leaned in, my forehead touching her. "I love you, Jay. Until the scientists find the end of the universe."
A tear slip down her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away.
"I love you too, Keifer," she whispered, "Until the last galaxy fades into darkness."
I pulled her into a crushing embrace, my voice dropping to a low, blood-oath promise."I am your King, and you are my Queen. From this moment on, no one touches you. No one speaks your name without fear. I will be your sanctuary, your shield, and your vengeance. I love you, Jay—until the last star burns out and the universe goes cold."
We sat there in the sand, two monsters who had found their heaven, watching the stars come out one by one.
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A/N
💍 THE PROPOSAL! Jay finally took the plunge and claimed her King! I'm every story Keifer proposed first. I want it to be different so here is it. Do you like it ??
Do you think the underworld is ready for a Watson-Crimson power couple?
🎯 Tell me your favorite line from the proposal!