Author's POV
The harsh, high-stakes storm of the night had completely vanished, leaving behind the peaceful, quiet stillness of the early morning.
Outside the grand windows of the Fernandez estate, the sky was just beginning to shift into a soft, hazy shade of lavender and deep blue.
Jay Jay's eyelashes slowly fluttered open. She instinctively blinked away the heavy fog of sleep and glanced down at the small digital clock resting on her bedside table.
It was exactly 5:23 AM.
She shifted slightly beneath the heavy, warm duvet, her body feeling incredibly heavy, and completely cooked from the relentless speed Keifer had used to claim her until the dawn.
But the moment she turned her head, all the physical aches completely evaporated from her mind.
Keifer was fast asleep right beside her.
Jay Jay rested her chin on her crossed arms, staring intently at his sleeping face as a sudden, overwhelming wave of pure emotion crashed straight into her chest. She fell in love with him all over again. Without his ruthless, cold corporate mask, the giant gorilla boss looked breathtakingly serene.
Her sensitive eyes traced every single detail of his face with absolute adoration. She looked at his sharp, perfectly sculpted nose, and the soft, full shape of his lips that had dominated her mouth for hours. Then, her eyes found the tiny, cute small moles scattered near his jawline , cheeks ,on his upper lip and neck—hidden details that only she was allowed to see and touch. He was her savage protector, but right now, he was just her handsome, peaceful man.
Reaching out a, bare arm, she gently tapped the tip of his sharp nose.
"Wake up, gorilla," she whispered cutely, her voice raspy from the night's screaming moans.
Keifer let out a low, deep rumble of a hum, his dark eyebrows twitching as his long eyelashes slowly blinked open. The moment his intense, sleepy gaze locked onto his marshmallow, a soft, helpless smile broke through his stressed expression. He immediately reached out to grip her bare waist, trying to pull her pantless body back against his chest.
"Morning, wifey," he murmured, his deep register vibrating through the pillows. "Come back here."
"No," Jay Jay mumbled with a short-tempered little pout, though her eyes were shining with pure devotion. She leaned forward, pressing a tender, lingering kiss directly onto his left eye, then his right eye, and finally a soft pop kiss on the tip of his nose. "You have to leave right now, Keifer."
Keifer's smile instantly vanished, his large hands tightening possessively on her waist as he pulled her closer instead. "Leave? Absolutely not. The sun isn't even fully up yet, Jean."
"You must!" she whispered urgently, giving his bare shoulder a petty little nudge. "My brothers are just downstairs sleeping peacefully. Kuya Angelo, Aries, and Percy are all right below us. I don't want you to leave at all—my heart wants to keep you locked in this mattress forever—but I respect them. If Angelo wakes up early and finds the scary CEO hidden under my duvet, he will launch an actual corporate war in the hallway."
Keifer let out a low, defeated huff, his chest brushing flat against hers as he stared down into her eyes with pure, stubborn adoration.
"Fine. But if I'm leaving, I'm taking you with me to the bathroom. Let your husband bathe you first, marshmallow. Your muscles are too tight from last night."
"No!" Jay Jay squealed softly, her cheeks turning a furious crimson as she tried to pull the duvet up to her chin. "No bathing! You will just turn a quick bath into another executive briefing, Watson! I know your roaring instincts!"
"I am being completely professional, CEO Mariano," Keifer chuckled smoothly, his dark eyes flashing with a wicked, stubborn glint as he effortlessly scooped her small, naked body off the mattress and into his massive arms. "An corporate panther never leaves his asset unwashed. You're coming with me."
"Keifer, stop! You are a completely stubborn brute!" she gasped out, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck anyway, her heart melting completely at his sweet, protective dominance as he carried her toward the bathroom.
Keifer's POV
I had her completely cornered in my arms, her small, bare frame lifted against my chest as I marched us toward the bathroom. I was fully prepared to be as stubborn as possible to get my way. But my clever little marshmallow knew exactly how to play the high-stakes corporate game against the Watson Empire.
She glared up at me, her cheeks burning a furious crimson as she delivered her ultimate ultimatum.
"If you give me a bath right now, Keifer, I swear I will lock my territory and I will not let you touch me for one whole week!" she threatened cutely, pouting her lower lip with fierce determination. "But... if you leave right now, fast and without any arguments, I will let you claim me again in... in the evening."
I stopped dead in my tracks right at the bathroom threshold.
Looking down at her determined face, it was clear that the tide of this battle had turned.
Just as the resolve to be difficult was reaching its peak, this unexpected proposal changed everything. The deal was too tempting to ignore, not merely because of the promise of another meeting later that day, but because her unwavering spirit was so captivating. It was fascinating to see her stand her ground and negotiate with such confidence when she felt her back was against the wall.
A slow smile developed as the terms were considered. There was a certain respect for someone who knew how to leverage what they had to reach a compromise.
"You certainly know how to drive a hard bargain," the words came out with a hint of admiration. "Fine. The deal is struck. I will respect your terms and leave for now, but I expect you to be just as ready for our meeting when the sun goes down tonight."
The tension in the room dissipated as she let out a relieved sigh, her eyes bright with the satisfaction of a successful negotiation. She quickly settled back into her space, safe in the knowledge that her boundaries were being respected. "I'll be ready. Now, you should probably head out before someone sees you in the hall."
Author's POV
The rest of the morning passed in a whirlwind of paperwork and corporate signatures. As per the strict executive orders of the Mariano and Watson empires, Jay Jay was officially enrolled in the prestigious Business Administration college to secure her future graduation.
By the time she finally arrived back at the Fernandez estate later that afternoon, the heavy silence of the house had been completely obliterated. A chaotic, booming symphony of loud laughter, banging furniture, and absolute nonsense echoed right from the grand entertainment hall.
Jay Jay blinked her sensitive eyes, pushing the double doors open, and froze in absolute shock.
The entire legendary Section E, along with their inner circle of girls, had completely taken over the room. The space was packed to the brim with Rory, Adrix, Felix, Calix, Blaster, Drew, Eren, Eman, Kit, Mayo, Yuri, Percy, David, Josh, Denzel, and Cin. Scattered across the velvet plush swings and rugs were the girls—Ella, Freya, Honey, Graze, Raki, and Mica. They weren't just hanging out; they had officially barricaded themselves into a massive, dirty-minded bunker, free from the strict eyes of Tita, Lola,Kuya Angelo.
"I am telling you, my intellectual capacity is strictly built for the laboratory!" Kit shouted proudly, adjusting his glasses while lounging right next to Mayo. "I like to take admission in Science! I want to understand the profound biological mystery of life!"
Felix let out a loud, mocking laugh, tossing a sofa cushion directly at Kit's face. "Yes! Exceptional idea, genius! That way, if Mayo gets pregnant, you can personally deliver the baby!"
"Felix, you uncultured swine!" Mayo squealed, his face turning a furious shade of crimson as he aggressively grabbed Kit's arm.
"Biologically speaking, I do not possess the necessary equipment to carry Kit's child! But if I did, our baby would be a flawless masterpiece, unlike your bent spatula face!"
"Oh, please! The only thing Kit is going to deliver in a science lab is an accidental chemical explosion that shaves off his eyebrows," Raki laughed loudly, casually painting her nails on the rug while Ella and Freya giggled hysterically beside her.
Jay Jay's eyes lit up. Her chaotic, foodie soul felt instantly at home. She marched straight into the middle of the room, completely unbothered .
She snatched a handful of sour-cream potato chips from Drew's lap, plopping down cross-legged on a velvet swing.
"Admission talk? Count me in!" Jay Jay crunch-chewed aggressively, pointing a chip bone at the room. "I just got forced into Business Administration. The corporate panther wants me to read financial spreadsheets forever. It's absolute torture for my brain cells."
"Business graduation is a scam for rich people," Calix groaned, dangling upside down from a ceiling swing. "I am taking admission in... in Agriculture. I want to build a high-profile, underground network of automated weed dispensers. It's the future of marketing."
"Calix, you idiot, that's just illegal drug trafficking with a fancy diploma," Drew snapped, his eyes sparkling with corporate greed as he tapped his tablet. "Now, if you let me handle the marketing, we can rebrand it as 'Organic Emotional Stabilizers' and charge the Watson Empire double the price. I am a marketing prodigy!"
"Speaking of high-profile networks," Honey chimed in, leaning against Rory and Adrix, who were both aggressively typing codes onto a shared laptop. "What are our resident digital criminals taking? Hacker administration?"
Rory didn't even look up from the screen, his fingers moving at a terrifying, illegal speed. "Adrix and I are taking Cyber Security. Mostly so we can officially hack into the college database on the first day, erase everyone's tuition fees, and replace the principal's screensaver with a high-definition video of a dancing gorilla."
"Make sure the gorilla has Keifer's face!" Jay Jay added cutely with a triumphant little smirk, her short-tempered aura flaring with pure pettiness. "Let his logistics reports handle that!"
"If we are talking about fine arts, my genius cannot be contained," Blaster interrupted theatrically, jumping onto the glass coffee table with a broomstick in his hand. "I don't need business. I want to be a professional song writer! I have already composed a lyrical masterpiece that will redefine the music industry!"
"Oh God, please don't sing," Percy and David groaned in unison, covering their ears with throw pillows.
Blaster ignored them completely, striking a dramatic rockstar pose and shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star... I wonder how intoxicated you are! High above the corporate sky... drinking vodka till you die!"
"That is literally just a nursery rhyme rewritten by an alcoholic toddler!" Mica yelled, throwing a slipper straight at Blaster's leg, making him tumble off the table with a loud thud.
"Excuse me, that is called artistic license!" Blaster whined from the floor, clutching his leg dramatically.
"If anyone here has a real, tangible skill, it's me," Eman announced smoothly, walking out from the adjoining mini-kitchen holding a massive platter of extra-spicy buffalo wings and a tub of melted cheese. "I am enrolling in Culinary Arts. I am a chef. I create pure comfort food born out of hard, tragic life experience."
"Give me that!" Jay Jay scrambled off her swing like a completely starving, greedy toddler, grabbing three wings and dipping them directly into the melted cheese, stuffing her mouth until her cheeks puffed out like a hamster. "Eman is the only useful member of Section E! The rest of you are just a biohazard!"
"Hey! I am useful!" Cin shouted from the corner, aggressively wearing his signature neon green bucket hat while pretending to fly a drone around Yuri's head. "I am interested in becoming a pilot! I want to fly massive commercial jets through the clouds!"
"Cin, you lose your balance on a flat rug," Yuri muttered coldly, dodging the drone without even blinking. "If you become a pilot, the passenger safety announcement will just be you crying into the microphone because your bucket hat flew out the cockpit window. Percy, David, and I are taking Business for our graduation because we already have empires to run. We don't have time for your childish sky-fantasies."