JAY JAY POV
While Keifer and Tita were busy laughing over my childhood photos—specifically the one where I'm four years old and literally have a face full of spaghetti sauce—I was already questioning every life choice I've made since birth.
Then—the door opened.
"Ahh, Keifer, I see you're here," Kuya Angelo said, stepping in like he wasn't about to ruin the peaceful vibe of the house.
"Good evening, Angelo," Keifer replied. CEO mode: ON. Polite. Controlled. Billionaire-aura at 100%.
…Too calm. Because the next second—
Kuya Angelo walked straight up to him and TWISTED HIS EAR.
"AHHHH! Let go of me, you demon!" Keifer snapped.
I blinked. Percy blinked. Aries blinked. Even the spiders on the ceiling probably blinked.
"ANGELO! Let go of the boy!" Tita Gemma scolded.
But none of us could move. We were all just standing there, cheeks puffed, trying so hard not to explode from laughing.
Keifer Watson. CEO. The man who handles billions of pesos. Currently being scolded like a kid who forgot to wash the dishes. I felt… relieved. At least I'm not the only one who gets ears-attacked in this house!
Kuya finally let go. Keifer straightened his suit, looking like he was about to sue everyone for emotional damages.
"Why did you do that?" Keifer barked, rubbing his ear.
"She is getting thin," Kuya Angelo said simply, pointing at me. "Feed her more."
"I am feeding her!" Keifer looked genuinely offended.
"I don't care," Kuya cut in. "Next time I see her, I want her chubby. Feed her a whole chicken. Or a goat."
Silence. Dead silence.
"…a goat?" I whispered.
Keifer exhaled like he had officially given up on humanity. And honestly? Same. Before I could process being compared to livestock, the door opened again.
Two teenagers walked in. Kaia and Jace. The twins. Nineteen years old, but emotionally? Still toddlers. Then—the air shifted.
Jeana walked in. My so-called mother. And beside her… Andi. The man she chose over me and Aries
"Jay, you're here finally," Andi said casually. "Angelo convinced you?"
I forced a smile. Not a fake one—a very specific one. I am mentally fine and not unraveling at all smile. "Hello."
Then my eyes landed on Jeana. She looked shocked, like she didn't expect me to be part of the furniture. "Hello, Jay," she said softly.
"…Hello," I replied. Simple. Neutral. Safe.
"I don't understand why we need to be here," Jace grumbled, looking around like he was being punished. Tss. Typical. Kaia and Jace—still bratty, still the center of their own universe.
I glanced at Keifer. He was calm again, but his hand subtly moved closer to mine. That small gesture made the room feel a little less loud.
Andi's eyes landed on Keifer. It was like he'd just discovered a rare species of money. "Keifer Watson," Andi said, his voice dripping with that "I just smelled profit" greed. "Angelo, you never told me you knew Keifer Watson."
Andi stepped forward, shaking Keifer's hand like he was trying to shake gold coins out of his sleeves. I felt my stomach drop. God, please. Not here. Keifer didn't react, but I could feel the atmosphere tightening. The living room was turning into a boardroom.
"Why is this young man here?" Jeana asked, her eyes moving from Keifer to me.
"Oh, Jeana, you didn't know?" Tita said to her sister, her voice blooming with excitement. "Jay and Keifer are married now."
The silence that followed was so loud it was ringing in my ears.
Jeana's face went pale. Like, literally paper-white. Her eyes drifted to my hand, finally noticing the diamond ring that was currently mocking her. She looked at Keifer, then back at me, her lips trembling slightly.
"Married?" she whispered.
Kaia and Jace both froze. Kaia's jaw practically hit the floor, while Jace's "I'm too cool for this" expression shattered into a million pieces.
"You're… you're for real? Married to him?" Jace asked, pointing a trembling finger at Keifer.
Keifer didn't wait for me to answer. He didn't hesitate. He took my hand—properly this time—interlocking his fingers with mine in front of everyone. His hand was warm, solid, and incredibly grounding.
"Yes," Keifer said, his voice smooth but with an edge of steel that made everyone else in the room look small.
Andi looked like he had just won the lottery and lost his mind at the same time. "This is… this is wonderful! Truly! A Watson and a Mariano—who would have thought? We should celebrate! Jeana, isn't it amazing?"
Jeana didn't say anything. She just kept looking at me with that gaze—that weird mix of regret and something I couldn't identify. Guilt? Denial? Or maybe just surprise that the daughter she threw away actually became someone she can't ignore.
"Married," she repeated, her voice cracking.
"Wow," Kaia muttered, her eyes scanning my simple outfit and then Keifer's expensive suit with a look of pure, unadulterated jealousy. "You really stepped up, didn't you, Jay? From a nobody-teacher to a Watson. You sure worked fast."
I felt the sting in my chest, but before I could even open my mouth to defend my honor—
"Kaia," Keifer said.
His voice wasn't loud. It wasn't angry. But it was so cold the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. He didn't even look at her, but the warning was clear. Kaia immediately shut her mouth, looking down at her feet like a student in detention.
"The dining room is ready!" Tita Gemma sang out, sensing the impending nuclear explosion and trying to diffuse it with the promise of food. "Let's go, let's go! Long talk later, sushi now!"
The group started moving toward the dining area, but Jeana stayed behind for a second. She reached out, her hand hovering near my shoulder like she wanted to touch me. I instinctively leaned toward Keifer, avoiding her.
She pulled her hand back, looking hurt.
Hurt? YOU are the one who left us, Jeana! Don't play the victim now!
I felt Keifer squeeze my hand.
"You okay, Teach?" he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.
I looked up at him and gave a small, shaky nod. I was terrified. Complicated. Messy. But as we walked toward that dining table, one thing was for sure—
"Let's just eat," I whispered back. "I need a mountain of sushi to survive this."
Keifer smirked. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you get the biggest plate. Angelo's orders, remember?"
I rolled my eyes. Gago. Truly!
We finally moved to the table. I sat down like a soldier entering a minefield, with Keifer on my right and Aries on my left—basically my two human shields. Percy sat beside Keifer, while Jeana and her perfect new family sat across from us.
The atmosphere was thicker than Tita's gravy.
"How are your studies going, Kaia and Jace?" Kuya Angelo asked, trying to be the mature adult in the room.
"Good enough, I guess," Jace said, looking bored. They're in college now, but let's be real—they still act like they're in the middle of a middle-school rebellion.
"Do you guys have holidays?" I asked them, trying to be the nice "Ate" even if I felt like crying.
Jace just nodded. I don't actually hate Jace and Kaia, but they're… well, they're what I call bitchy. Jace is the better one; we're "stranger-fine," which is the best I can hope for. But Kaia?
Kaia knows. She knows I'm her half-sister. I have no idea how she found out, but ever since she did, she's treated me like a piece of chewing gum stuck to the bottom of her designer shoes.
"So, Keifer," Andi started, leaning forward with that look in his eyes—the one that says "I'm about to ask you for a favor that involves many zeros."
"I heard Watson Group is looking for new local suppliers for the Metro project," Andi continued, flashing a smile that was way too practiced. "Our company has been expanding lately. It would be a waste not to collaborate, especially since we're family now, right?"
I felt my heart sink. Family. He used the word like it was a discount coupon.
Keifer didn't even stop cutting his sushi. He didn't look at Andi. He didn't even blink. He just casually placed a piece of tuna on my plate first.
"My business decisions aren't made at dinner tables, Andi," Keifer said, his voice as smooth and cold as a block of ice. "And last time I checked, family is built on loyalty, not... contracts."
Ouch. I almost felt the burn from across the table.
Kaia let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Loyalty? That's funny coming from this side of the table. Right, Jay?" She looked at me, her eyes narrowed. "I wonder how much 'loyalty' it took for a teacher to suddenly end up with a Watson. Was it your Science lesson plans or did you just get lucky with a blind date?"
I froze, my chopsticks hovering over my salmon. The air in the room didn't just get cold; it turned into the Arctic.
Aries slammed his glass onto the table, but before he could launch himself across the sushi platter to strangle her, Keifer's hand moved.
He didn't yell. In fact, he looked even calmer than before. He slowly set his chopsticks down and finally looked at Kaia. The intensity in his gaze was enough to make a forest fire retreat.
"You have a loud mouth, don't you?" Keifer asked, his voice sounding more like a threat than a question.
I felt my heart stop. Jusko. The temperature in the room didn't just drop—it turned into the literal ice age. I quickly reached out and grabbed Keifer's hand under the table, squeezing it tight. Keifer, control! We are in a dining room, not a boxing ring!
"What are you trying to say?" Kaia snapped, her face turning a sour shade of red. She looked like she wanted to flip the sushi platter, but her eyes were darting nervously toward Keifer's cold expression.
"What he is trying to say is just watch your mouth," Aries cut in, leaning back and crossing his arms. He looked at Kaia like she was a bug he was about to squash. "Nobody wants to hear you talk. You're ruining the flavor of the sushi."
He then glanced at Keifer, giving him a look that I never thought I'd see in a million years
A momentary truce.
"Right, Keifer?" Aries asked.
Keifer didn't hesitate. He actually nodded.
I blinked. Then I blinked again. Wait. Stop the world. Did I just see a glitch in the simulation? My husband and my brother—the two men who usually look at each other like they want to commit a felony—are actually... agreeing?!
They were finally getting along! Well, sort of. It took a common enemy (and a very bratty Kaia) to do it, but I'll take it.
"Enough! Let's just eat!" Kuya Angelo commanded, his voice booming over the table.
He looked like he was one second away from putting all of us in a timeout, regardless of our age. I immediately shoveled a piece of California roll into my mouth, nodding frantically.
"Yes! Food! Let's prioritize the calories!" I mumbled through a mouthful of rice.
Kaia huffed and looked away, finally silencing her inner mean girl, while Jeana just stared at her plate, looking like she wanted to disappear.
Keifer didn't let go of my hand. He kept his fingers interlocked with mine, his thumb grazing my knuckles in a way that made my brain short-circuit for the fiftieth time tonight.
Gago. Truly! How am I supposed to focus on my sushi when he's being all protective and kilig-inducing?
"Eat, Jay," Keifer whispered, nudging a piece of salmon toward me. "You heard your brother. I have to make sure you get chubby again."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the small smile from creeping onto my face.
Life is a mess, but at least the sushi is good.
"How did you two meet?" Jeana asked, her voice sounding thin and uncertain. "When did you meet?"
I paused, my chopsticks lingering over a piece of tuna. I took a deep breath, trying to look as casual as possible. "Last week," I said.
The sound of clinking silverware stopped. It was like I had just announced I was moving to the moon.
"Oh dear god," Jeana gasped, her eyes widening in actual horror. "You two met last week and now you're married?"
I just nodded, popping a piece of sushi into my mouth and chewing slowly. Jusko. If only she knew the Full Recipe of how chaotic that week really was.
"Jay, don't you think it was too early?" she asked me, her tone shifting into that 'motherly concern' voice that she hadn't used in seven years. "You barely know this man. Marriage isn't a game, Jay-jay."
I felt a surge of heat that had nothing to do with the wasabi. I set my chopsticks down and looked her straight in the eye. My heart was thumping, but for the first time, it wasn't out of fear.
"Love makes things happen fast, doesn't it?" I asked, my voice dripping with a sweetness that hit like a slap. "Sometimes you just know. It's better than staying with someone for years only to realize they weren't worth the time... or better than leaving people you're supposed to love just because it got complicated, right?"
The table went so quiet I could hear the hum of the refrigerator. Jeana flinched like I'd actually hit her.
"Jay," Kuya Angelo warned, his voice low and heavy.
I squeezed Keifer's hand under the table, my knuckles white. I knew I was being bitchy, but honestly? I didn't care. The audacity of this woman to give me marriage advice after she Shift-Deleted her own family for a fresh start was enough to make me want to flip the table.
I felt Keifer's fingers interlock with mine even tighter. He didn't say a word, but his presence next to me was like a shield.
"It wasn't too early for me," Keifer said, his voice smooth and cold, cutting through the tension. He looked at Jeana with a gaze that made her look away. "When I see something I want, I don't wait for the world to give me permission. I take it. And I'm never letting go."
Gago. Truly! My heart did a different kind of somersault. If my face got any redder, I was going to be mistaken for a bottle of ketchup.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++