Chapter Fourteen: The Confession
The morning after the oil incident, the mansion felt different.
Quieter. Softer. Intimate in a way it hadn't been with the chaos of guests filling every room.
Jay woke in Keifer's arms, warm and content, and smiled against his chest.
"Morning," he murmured, voice rough with sleep.
"Morning."
"You're smiling again."
"Can't help it."
"Don't ever stop."
She lifted her head, kissed him softly. "Never."
---
Breakfast was a quiet affair—just the four of them around the massive kitchen table. Keiran chattered about his dreams, something involving dinosaurs and flying cars. Keigan scrolled through his phone between bites. Keifer made coffee exactly the way Jay liked it.
Normal. Domestic. Perfect.
But the office waited.
"We need to go in today," Keifer said reluctantly. "There's a meeting I can't miss."
Jay nodded. "I know. I've been neglecting my actual job duties."
"You've been recovering from an accident. There's a difference."
"Still. We should go."
Keifer looked at his brothers. "You two okay here?"
Keigan shrugged. "School online. I'll be fine."
Keiran nodded solemnly. "I'll protect the house, Pappa. Rex helps."
Jay knelt beside him. "You're the best protector a house could have, baby."
"Mamma comes back?"
"Soon. I promise."
He hugged her tight, and her heart swelled.
---
The drive to Watson Enterprises was peaceful.
Keifer held her hand over the console, thumb tracing patterns on her skin. They didn't talk much—didn't need to. The connection between them hummed steady and warm.
At a red light, he lifted her hand, kissed her knuckles.
"What was that for?" she asked softly.
"Because I can. Because you're here. Because I love you."
She smiled. "I love you too."
---
The office greeted them with whispered speculation and barely concealed curiosity.
The elevator incident. The accident in Batangas. The way their CEO looked at his assistant like she hung the moon. Everyone had theories. Everyone had opinions.
Jay ignored them all.
She had work to do—emails to catch up on, files to organize, schedules to coordinate. Keifer had meetings. Back-to-back, according to his calendar.
He paused at her desk before disappearing into the conference room.
"Two hours. Maybe three. Don't disappear."
"I'll be right here."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
He kissed her forehead—right there, in front of everyone—and walked away.
The whispers intensified.
Jay hid her smile behind her computer screen.
---
Two hours passed.
Jay lost herself in work, catching up on everything she'd missed. Her head didn't hurt anymore. Her wrist was almost healed. Life was good.
She was deep in a spreadsheet when a voice interrupted.
"Excuse me? Jasper?"
She looked up.
A young man stood at her desk—mid-twenties, handsome, with an easy smile and kind eyes. He wore a Watson Enterprises badge and held a tablet.
"It's Jay, actually," she said automatically. "Can I help you?"
"Jay. Sorry." He smiled wider. "I'm Marcus. From marketing. I've seen you around but we haven't officially met."
They hadn't. She'd been too busy with Keifer, with the accident, with everything.
"Nice to meet you, Marcus. What can I do for you?"
"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to grab coffee sometime. Or lunch. Whenever you're free."
She blinked. "Coffee?"
"Coffee. Lunch. Whatever works for you." He leaned against her desk, confident and charming. "I've been wanting to introduce myself for a while. You seem... interesting."
Jay opened her mouth to respond—
"JASPER JEAN MARIANO."
The voice cut through the office like a blade.
Every head turned.
Keifer stood at the entrance to the conference room, his expression thunderous. His eyes were fixed on Marcus. On his hand on her desk. On the way he was leaning toward her.
Jay's heart stuttered.
"COME TO MY CABIN. NOW."
The command echoed through the suddenly silent office.
Marcus stepped back, clearly confused. "I didn't mean to—"
Keifer's gaze flicked to him—just for a second—and Marcus actually paled.
"I'll... uh... I'll go." He disappeared faster than Jay thought possible.
Jay stood slowly, legs shaky.
Every eye in the office followed her as she walked toward Keifer's cabin.
---
The door closed behind her with a click that sounded terrifyingly final.
She turned—
And found herself pinned against the wall.
Keifer's body pressed against hers, his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. His eyes were wild—dark, possessive, burning.
"Keif—"
He kissed her.
Not gentle. Not soft. Demanding. Claiming. His lips crushed hers, and she gasped against his mouth, and he swallowed the sound completely.
His hands moved—one tangling in her hair, tilting her head back. The other gripped her waist, pulling her closer, eliminating any space between them.
She kissed him back, helpless against the onslaught.
He broke away just long enough to breathe, "Mine," before attacking her neck.
His lips found her earlobe—grazed it, tugged it, and she moaned. He growled in response, a sound so primal it sent shivers down her spine.
"Keif—"
"I don't want to share." His voice was rough, desperate. His lips trailed down her neck, kissing, sucking, marking. "I don't want to share what's mine."
"Yours—I'm yours—"
He pulled back just enough to look at her. His eyes were dark, pupils blown, chest heaving.
"You're mine, Jay." His voice was barely a whisper, but it filled the space between them. "Only mine. Forever mine."
"Yes—"
He kissed her again—softer this time, but no less intense. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers.
"I love you." His voice cracked. "I love you until the scientists find the end of the universe."
She blinked, tears springing to her eyes. "Until they find the end of the universe?"
"It's the longest time I can imagine. Scientists are always finding new things. New galaxies. New possibilities. They'll never find the end." He cupped her face. "That's how long I'll love you. Until they find something that doesn't exist. Forever."
She kissed him—pouring everything into it.
When they broke apart, she was crying.
"That's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever said to me."
"Good. Because it's true."
---
They stood there for a long moment, foreheads together, breathing each other in.
Then a knock came at the door.
"Mr. Watson? Your three o'clock is here."
Keifer closed his eyes. "Five minutes."
"Yes, sir."
Jay laughed softly. "You have a meeting."
"I don't care."
"You have to care. You're the CEO."
"I'm the CEO who just claimed his woman. The meeting can wait."
"Keif—"
He kissed her once more—soft, sweet, a promise.
"Tonight. We're talking about this. All of it. What we are. Where we're going." He looked at her. "I want forever, Jay. Not just until scientists find the end of the universe. Forever."
She smiled through her tears. "I want that too."
"Good." He kissed her forehead. "Now go back to your desk before I keep you here all afternoon."
"Would that be so bad?"
He groaned. "You're killing me."
She laughed, fixing her hair, straightening her clothes.
At the door, she paused, looking back at him.
"I love you, Mark Keifer Watson. Until the end of the universe and back."
His smile could have lit the entire building.
---
She walked out of his cabin to find the entire office staring.
Marcus was nowhere to be seen.
Yuri, who had apparently arrived at some point, was filming from behind a plant.
Jay raised an eyebrow at him.
He gave her a thumbs up.
She shook her head, smiling, and returned to her desk.
The whispers would be legendary.
She didn't care.
---
Hours later, they drove home together.
Keifer held her hand the entire way. Neither spoke much. Neither needed to.
At a red light, he lifted her hand, kissed her knuckles.
"Today was—"
"Intense?"
"Perfect." He glanced at her. "You're perfect."
"I'm really not."
"You are to me."
She leaned over, kissed his cheek. "You're pretty perfect too."
The light turned green. He drove on.
---
Back at the mansion, Keiran attacked them the moment they walked in.
"MAMMA! PAPPA! You're back! You came back!"
"Promised, didn't we?" Jay scooped him up, kissing his cheeks until he giggled.
Keigan appeared in the hallway, nodding a greeting. "Everything okay?"
"Everything's perfect," Jay said.
Keifer wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Perfect."
Keigan raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Okay then. Keiran's been asking about you all day."
"I made him a snack," the housekeeper added, appearing behind them. "He's been good."
Jay kissed Keiran's forehead. "Of course he has. He's the best."
"THE best," Keiran agreed.
---
That night, after Keiran was tucked in and Keigan had retreated to his room, Jay and Keifer sat on the patio.
The city glittered below them. The stars glittered above.
"Today was..." Jay searched for words.
"Possessive? Intense? Slightly unhinged?"
She laughed. "I was going to say romantic. But those work too."
He pulled her closer. "I'm sorry if I scared you. When I saw him—touching your desk—leaning toward you—I just... snapped."
"I know." She looked at him. "I liked it."
"You liked me being possessive?"
"I liked knowing you wanted me that much. That you couldn't control it." She touched his face. "I've never had anyone want me like that. Like I'm worth losing control over."
"You're worth everything, Jay." He kissed her palm. "Everything."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while.
Then: "Until scientists find the end of the universe?"
He smiled. "It's the longest promise I could think of."
"It's perfect." She leaned into him. "I love you."
"I love you too. More than galaxies. More than stars. More than anything."
She kissed him under the stars, and the city glittered below, and somewhere in the mansion, two boys slept peacefully.
Life was good.
Life was perfect.
Life was theirs.
---
End of Chapter Fourteen