--: Author's POV: --
The London sunrise was a muted affair, a thin veil of pearlescent grey filtering through the heavy velvet curtains of the master suite. The penthouse, which had felt like a battlefield only hours ago, was now eerily still. The frantic shouting, the sound of splintering wood, and the jagged sobs had been replaced by a silence so profound it felt like the building itself was holding its breath.
Inside the suite, the air was warm, smelling faintly of the expensive rain-scented candles that had burned out overnight and the deep, grounding scent of cedarwood that clung to the sheets. The war was over for the night, but the casualties were still resting.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I didn't open my eyes immediately. I wanted to stay in that drift between sleep and reality, where the world felt soft and the weight in my chest wasn't so heavy. But the memory of the "Serpent" was a persistent ghost.
Clyde's voice—oily, mocking, and full of poisoned truth—echoed in the back of my mind.
Second place.
I felt a sharp pang of anxiety and instinctively tightened my hand. My fingers were stiff, still buried deep in the fabric of a T-shirt. I felt a chest rise and fall beneath my knuckles, a steady, rhythmic heartbeat thrumming against my palm.
I blinked my eyes open. The room was bathed in a soft, hazy light. I was tucked so closely against Keifer that there wasn't a breath of space between us. His arm was a heavy, protective weight draped over my waist, pulling me into his heat as if he were afraid I'd evaporate if he let go.
I looked up at him. He was already awake. He wasn't looking at the window or his phone; he was just looking at me. His eyes were bloodshot, the sharp lines of his face weary, but the expression in them was so raw and fiercely possessive it made my breath hitch.
"You're awake," he rasped. His voice was a low, sleep-roughed growl that vibrated against my forehead.
"I am," I whispered, my voice sounding small and fragile in the vast room. I looked at my hand, still clutching his shirt. I slowly began to uncurl my fingers, feeling the ache in my joints. "I'm sorry... I think I've been holding onto you all night... I'm sorry that I.. I believe Clyde and not you."
"Don't," he said, his grip on my waist tightening. "Hold on as long as you want. I'm not going anywhere, Jay. And don't say sorry for that idiot."
For a moment, we just lay there. The expensive clock on the mantle ticked away the seconds, but for the first time since we landed in London, the "Watson time" didn't matter. There were no meetings, no mergers, no elders—just us. But then, the reality of the house outside this door flooded back.
"Keifer..." I started, my voice trembling. "Is he... is Clyde still here? Downstairs?"
I felt Keifer's entire body go rigid. The tenderness in his eyes didn't vanish, but a dark, lethal coldness settled over his features. The Lion was waking up, and he was hungry, not for food, but for someone else.
"Yes," Keifer said, his voice dropping to a lethal, flat register. "He's still here. He's probably downstairs right now, feeling very proud of the mess he made."
I shivered, the memory of Clyde's smirk making my stomach turn. "He told me so many things. He made it all sound so... real. The ring, the wedding plans..."
Keifer shifted, sitting up and pulling me with him so I was leaning against the headboard, safe within the circle of his arms. He took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.
"Listen to me, Jay-Jay. And listen well," he said, his gaze pinning me with an intensity that demanded belief. "Clyde is still here for now, but not for long. As soon as we go down those stairs, I am throwing him out of this penthouse. I don't care if his own house isn't finished. I don't care if he has to sleep on the London pavement. He is done. He will never breathe the same air as you again."
I looked at him, seeing the absolute finality in his jaw. "But.. But the elders? The board members? Won't they be angry if you kick him out?"
Keifer let out a harsh, dry laugh. "Let them be angry. I just saved their precious merger while my cousin was busy trying to dismantle my life. I have the leverage now. If they want their CEO to keep their billions safe, they play by my rules. And my first rule is that no one—no one—disrespects you and stays under my roof."
He leaned in, kissing my forehead, his lips lingering there. "He tried to make you feel like an outsider, Jay. But he's the one who's leaving. This is your home as much as it is mine. Now, let's go finish this."
--: Author's POV: --
The walk down the grand staircase felt like a royal procession, but with the tension of a walk toward a firing squad. Keifer didn't let go of Jay-Jay's hand for a single second. He walked with a calculated, heavy stride, his face a mask of cold, unyielding stone.
As they reached the living area, the scene was already set. Section E was gathered near the breakfast bar, looking like a pack of silent guardians.
Aries had his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the hallway.
Percy was uncharacteristically quiet, standing next to a very solemn-looking Honey.
Angelo and Ion were by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the atmosphere between them strained and quiet.
And there, sitting at the head of the long marble dining table, was Clyde.
He was dressed in a crisp navy suit, looking perfectly put together, sipping a cup of coffee while scrolling through a tablet. He looked up as they entered, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his face.
"Ah, the happy couple joins us," Clyde drawled, his voice echoing in the silent room. "I trust you both had a... restful night? Or was the room a bit too crowded with the ghosts of someone?"
Keifer didn't stop until he was standing directly at the foot of the table. He didn't pull out a chair. He didn't offer a greeting. He just stood there, towering over Clyde, radiating a dark, suffocating power.
"Clyde," Keifer said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper, yet it carried to every corner of the room. "Your luggage is already at the door."
Clyde's smile faltered, just for a fraction of a second. He set his coffee cup down with a deliberate clink."Excuse me? I believe we had an agreement. Two days. My house isn't ready, cousin."
"The agreement died the moment you opened your mouth to her, and put wrong things in her mind."Keifer replied, his eyes narrowing. "You have sixty seconds to stand up and walk out of that door on your own feet. If you are still in this room at sixty-one seconds, my security will ensure you leave—and I promise you, they won't be half as gentle as I'm being right now."
"You're making a mistake, Keifer," Clyde sneered, standing up slowly, trying to maintain his height. "The elders won't like this. You're showing weakness. You're choosing a girl over family loyalty."
"No," Keifer stepped into Clyde's personal space, his shadow completely engulfing the smaller man. "I'm choosing my Queen over a snake. There is no 'family' here, Clyde. Just a rival who failed. Now, get out. I don't care if you sleep in your unfinished house, a hotel, or a pavement. You should not be near us, and especially near her." He said pointing at Jay Jay.
The room was deathly silent. Jay-Jay stood behind Keifer, her hand still tucked into his, feeling the tremors of his rage. She looked at Clyde, and for the first time, she didn't feel small. She saw him for what he was: a man who had to use lies because he had no truth of his own.
Clyde looked around the room. He saw Aries cracking his knuckles. He saw Angelo's cold, gaze, as if he was ready to kill him, just as Keifer if he didn't move. He saw Section E standing like a wall. He realized the "vibe" he had tried to curate had backfired completely.
"Fine," Clyde spat, grabbing his tablet. He straightened his tie, trying to salvage some shred of dignity. He walked toward the door, stopping only when he was level with Jay-Jay. He leaned in as if to whisper one last poison, but Keifer's hand shot out, grabbing Clyde by the lapel and shoving him backward toward the foyer.
"Don't even look at her," Keifer hissed.
Clyde stumbled back, a look of genuine fear finally flickering in his eyes. He didn't say another word. He turned, grabbed his suitcase from the terrified-looking maid at the door, and vanished into the hallway. The heavy thud of the penthouse door closing felt like the final chord of a long, dissonant song.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The silence that followed was heavy, but it wasn't the bad kind. It was the silence after a storm. I felt the tension bleed out of Keifer's hand. He turned to me, his expression softening instantly.
"He's gone," Keifer said.
"He's gone, finally," I repeated, feeling a massive weight lift off my shoulders.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud, dramatic sniffle. We turned to see Percy wiping his eyes with a silk napkin.
"That was so metal," Percy sobbed. "The 'get out'! It was like a P-drama but with more expensive furniture!"
The tension broke. Aries let out a breathy laugh, and even Angelo offered a small, tired nod of approval. Ion stepped forward, her eyes soft as she looked at me.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Jay-Jay," Ion said quietly. "But he's right. You belong here. Never doubt that again."
I looked at all of them—my friends, my family, and the Lion standing by my side. The London fog was still thick outside, but inside, the air was finally clear. We had survived the Serpent, and as Keifer pulled me into a side-hug, burying his face in my hair, I knew that no matter what the Watson elders planned next, they would have to get through all of us first.
--: Author's POV: --
The breakfast that followed was the first real meal they had shared since arriving. There was laughter, there was bickering, and there was the chaotic energy of Section E that finally filled the sterile, luxury space.
Keifer sat at the head of the table, his hand never leaving Jay-Jay's. He watched his friends, he watched his brothers, and he watched the girl he had almost lost to a lie. He knew the war for the Watson legacy was far from over. The elders were watching, and the merger was only the beginning.
But as he looked at Jay-Jay, who was currently laughing at one of Percy's ridiculous stories about his handsomeness, he knew he had already won the only prize that mattered. The Serpent was gone, the truth was out, and for the first time in London, the Lion felt truly at peace.
--------
--: Author's POV: --
The heavy thud of the penthouse door echoed for several seconds, a final punctuation mark to Clyde's unwanted residency. For the first time since landing in London, the air didn't feel static or charged with hidden agendas.
The "Serpent" had been purged, and while the cold fog still pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, the interior was rapidly warming up.
The atmosphere had shifted from a high-stakes corporate thriller to something much more familiar: the beautiful, loud, and utterly nonsensical chaos of Section E. The transition was jarring but welcome. The sterile, modern kitchen—designed for silent espresso sipping and hushed power plays—was now being invaded by the clatter of silverware and the smell of a breakfast that was far too large for the number of people present.
Keifer remained at the head of the table, his posture finally relaxing. His hand was still anchored to Jay-Jay's, a silent vow that he wasn't letting her go again. But even his "Lion" intensity was no match for the sheer absurdity currently unfolding at the other end of the marble island.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I watched, half-amused and half-exhausted, as Percy stood up on his chair, brandishing a piece of sourdough toast like it was a sacred relic. After the terror of the night before, seeing him back to his usual self was the best medicine I could have asked for.
"You guys don't understand the burden I carry," Percy sighed dramatically, clutching his chest. "Clyde thought he was the most dangerous thing in this house? Please. He hasn't seen me in a well-lit mirror at 3:00 AM. My own reflection once tried to file a restraining order against me because I was 'distractingly radiant.'"
"Percy, please eat your eggs before you choke on your ego," Aries muttered, though I saw the corner of his mouth twitching.
"No, listen!" Percy insisted, leaning over the table toward a very skeptical-looking Honey. "I once walked past a pond in the countryside, and the fish didn't just jump out—they evolved legs, walked onto the shore, and handed me a handwritten thank-you note just for letting them perceive my jawline. Scientists are still studying the phenomenon. They call it 'The Percival Effect.'"
"I'm pretty sure those were just frogs, Percy," Felix chimed in, muffled by a mouthful of bacon.
"Frogs with taste, Felix! Frogs with taste!, and its Kuya for you not Percy." Percy countered, tossing his hair back. "And don't even get me started on the time I went to the zoo. The lions didn't roar at me. They collectively decided to start a fan club. They even tried to braid each other's manes to look like my signature undercut. It was a logistical nightmare for the zookeepers."
I couldn't help it; a genuine laugh bubbled up in my throat. It was so stupid, so completely senseless, but it washed away the last traces of Clyde's poison. I looked at Keifer, expecting him to be annoyed, but he was actually watching Percy with a faint, rare smile.
"See?" Percy pointed at me triumphantly. "My Baby Sistah is laughing! My beauty has healing properties! I should be covered by international health insurance!"
--: Keifer's POV: --
I leaned back, feeling the tension finally leave my shoulders. Percy was an idiot, but he was our idiot. His ridiculous stories about his "handwritten fish notes" were exactly what Jay-Jay needed to hear to realize that the world wasn't just made of Watson family contracts and hidden fiancées.
I squeezed Jay-Jay's hand under the table, bringing it up to my lips for a brief, lingering kiss.
"You okay?" I whispered, ignoring Percy as he started a new story about how his eyelashes once caused a minor solar eclipse in Manila, Like what the hell is wrong with this guy.
"I am," Jay-Jay replied, her eyes bright and focused on me. "I think the 'Percival Effect' is actually working."
"Good," I said, my voice dropping an octave. Atleast his joke is making my baby laugh.