The Climax at the Blackwood VIP Lounge
Inside the VIP lounge, the bass was thumping, the neon lights were flashing, and the alcohol was flowing freely. Jay Jay, who had been a quiet robot all week, was now half-drunk and giggling non-stop.
A handsome young man in a designer jacket had stepped into their booth, leaning down to talk directly to her.
"You have a really beautiful smile," the guy said, flashing a charming grin. "Can I buy you another drink?"
"Oh! Hehe, no thank you! My fiancé makes me drink water after every glass," Jay Jay slurred happily, waving her hands in the air. She found everything hilarious right now and laughed out loud at her own joke.
Right next to her, Mica and Graze were also talking and laughing cheerfully with another group of guys who had joined their table.
"You guys are so funny!" Graze laughed, completely unaware of the digital tracking that had just ruined their night.
Freya leaned over to Raki, pointing a finger at the guy talking to Jay Jay. "Hey, look at that one. Seriously, that guy is actually so hot."
Suddenly, the air in the VIP section grew freezing cold. The ambient light seemed to dim as seven tall, terrifyingly handsome men in dark, expensive suits walked into the lounge. They didn't look like they were out for a fun night—they looked like a corporate mafia squad ready to execute a hostile takeover.
Ella was the first one to glance toward the entrance. Her eyes locked onto Aries' towering figure. Her heart dropped straight to her shoes.
In pure, unadulterated panic, Ella's hand shook violently. She accidentally spilled her entire cocktail right onto Raki's face.
"Oh my gosh! Ella!" Raki shrieked, wiping the sticky alcohol from her eyes. "What is wrong with you—"
Raki followed Ella's frozen, terrified gaze. Her jaw dropped.
One by one, the dominoes fell. Freya stopped talking mid-sentence. Mica and Graze's laughter instantly died in their throats. The men standing around their table felt the sudden, crushing pressure of seven deadly glares and immediately took two steps back.
Jay Jay, still half-drunk, blinked sleepily through the neon lights. She squinted at the massive silhouette standing directly in front of her table. It was Keifer. His dark eyes were fixed on her with an expression of pure, possessive jealousy that could melt steel.
The seven boys stood in a perfect, intimidating line, their arms crossed, looking down at their significant others.
Breaking the sudden silence of the booth, the boys spoke perfectly together, their deep registers dropping into an icy, sarcastic chorus.
"Girls' party in Ella's house?" they all said in unison.
The girls sat in absolute, paralyzed shock. The ultimate cover story had blown up in their faces.
"A-Aries..." Ella stammered, her face turning pale as she looked up at her boyfriend. "What a... what a wild coincidence to see you here!"
"A coincidence?" Aries repeated, his voice dangerously smooth as he stepped closer to the table. "Funny. I thought you were currently wearing a facemask and watching a movie at your place, sweetface."
"Edrix!" Freya gasped, trying to hide her drink behind her back. "How did you even find us?!"
Edrix held up his sleek tablet, a cold smirk on his lips. "You really tried to hide from a cyber-security specialist? Bold move, Freya. Also, who was the guy you just called 'hot'?"
Freya swallowed hard, completely trapped.
Meanwhile, [ Calix walked right over to Mica, while Danzel stood over Graze, their expressions tight with burning jealousy.
"You looked like you were having the time of your life laughing with those guys, Mica," Calix muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Care to share the joke with me?"
"It was nothing! We were just being polite!" Mica squeaked, shrinking back into the plush leather sofa.
Danzel looked down at Graze, adjusting his cuffs. "As my wife, Graze, I think you forgot to mention that 'pajama party' is code for a VIP lounge filled with single men."
"Danzel, honey, I can explain..." Graze whispered, holding her hands up in surrender.
[Angelo]( stepped forward next, his eyes locked onto Honey. "So, movies and popcorn look like cocktails and random guys hitting on you now? Good to know, Honey."
"Angelo, wait, we didn't do anything wrong!" Honey pleaded, her eyes wide with panic.
Keifer's Move and Jay Jay's Drunk While the rest of the couples were bickering, Keifer didn't waste any time on words.
He walked straight past the trembling guys who had been talking to Jay Jay. The men quickly scrambled away, recognizing the heir of the Watson Empire instantly.Keifer leaned down, his large hands gripping the edges of the booth's table, trapping Jay Jay in her seat.
His face was just inches from hers."You're laughing, marshmallow?" Keifer murmured, his voice a low, raspy growl filled with intense devotion and possessive anger. "You're half-drunk, wearing a dress I've never seen, and letting other men entertain you?"
Jay Jay pouted, her cheeks flushed bright red from the alcohol. All the fear she felt toward her brothers earlier had completely vanished, replaced by pure, unfiltered drunken confidence.
She looked at Keifer, hiccuped, and booped his nose with her finger."Keifer! You're blurry! Why are there two of you? That's amazing, now I have a backup fiancé," Jay Jay giggled, waving her hands wildly.
She tried to lean around his massive frame to look for the guy who had been talking to her.
"Wait, where did the nice designer jacket man go? Keifer, move your big shoulders! He was telling me a really funny story about his pet goldfish. He is so entertaining, Keifer! Let him come back, I want to talk to him more!"
Keifer's jaw clenched so hard a vein popped on his temple. The pure jealousy in his chest was driving him absolutely insane. "You want to talk to him more?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.
"Yes!" Jay Jay nodded aggressively, nearly losing her balance. "He says my smile is beautiful. You only call me a marshmallow. Marshmallows are squishy and white, Keifer. Am I a marshmallow? Look at my dress! I am a sparkling princess tonight! Let me go talk to the goldfish guy!"
She tried to wiggle out of the booth, completely oblivious to the fact that her brothers, Angelo and Aries, were staring at her with their jaws dropped, their protective brother instincts clashing with total disbelief at her sheer boldness.
"Did she just call him goldfish guy?" Angelo muttered, rubbing his face.Keifer didn't say another word. His heart was melting from how cute she was, but his possessive side had reached its absolute limit. He straightened up, unbuttoned his expensive suit jacket, and slid it off his shoulders.
He draped the large jacket completely over Jay Jay, covering her stunning dress and wrapping her up tightly like a burrito to make sure no other man could look at her.
"Hey! Let me out! I am a free bird!" Jay Jay muffled into the jacket, kicking her legs.
"We are going home," Keifer commanded softly, bending down to smoothly scoop her up into his arms, carrying her bridal-style.As Keifer lifted her, Jay Jay wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shirt.
"Fine, but your suit smells like expensive cologne and jealousy. It's very suffocating, Mr. Watson."
Angelo and Aries stepped in front of the exit path, checking on their sister. "Is she okay, Watson?" Angelo asked, his eyes still sharp.
"She's drunk," Keifer replied flatly, holding Jay Jay securely against his chest. "I'm taking her to my car. You two can handle the rest of the cleanup here."
As Keifer walked out of the pub with a sleepy, mumbling Jay Jay curling into his chest, Aries turned back to face Ella and the rest of the squad."Alright, girls," Aries said, a dark, victorious smile spreading across his face.
"The party is officially over. Get in the cars."
The interior of Keifer's custom luxury sedan was completely silent, except for the soft hum of the engine and the heavy, suffocating atmosphere of pure jealousy. Keifer sat in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the leather steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were stark white. His jaw was locked. His dark eyes were fixed straight on the road ahead.
Right next to him in the passenger seat was Jay Jay. Wrapped tightly in his oversized, expensive suit jacket, she looked like a tiny, adorable burrito. The alcohol had completely stripped away her usual shy, submissive demeanor, replacing it with a sudden burst of hyperactive energy. She couldn't stop talking.
"And then! Keifer, listen to me, you're not even listening!" Jay Jay whined, kicking her legs against the dashboard. She turned her flushed, red face toward him, her sleepy eyes blinking rapidly. "He said his name was Julian. Or Justin. Or... Julie? Anyway! He was so nice, Keifer. He had this really smooth voice, kind of like yours but less scary. And he had a little dimple right here on his cheek when he smiled! Did you see his dimple? It was so cute!"
Keifer's foot pressed down harder on the gas pedal. The car surged forward into the night.
His chest felt like it was literally on fire. "I didn't notice his dimple, marshmallow," Keifer muttered, his deep register dropping into a dangerously low, raspy growl. "I was too busy deciding which part of his face to break first."
"Oh, stop being so grumpy! You always want to fight people," Jay Jay giggled, waving a loose hand in the air. "But the story, Keifer! You have to hear the story about his goldfish! It's an emotional rollercoaster, okay?"
Keifer squeezed the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned. He didn't want to hear a single word about another man, let alone an emotional rollercoaster about a damn fish. But Jay Jay was completely unstoppable.
"So, he bought this goldfish, right? And he named it... Captain Bubbles!" Jay Jay announced dramatically, gasping as if it were the most shocking revelation in history.
"And Captain Bubbles only swims in counter-clockwise circles! Isn't that wild?! Julian said it's because the fish has a deep, philosophical soul and rejects the normal rules of the ocean! He was telling it so beautifully, Keifer. He used his hands like this—" She tried to mimic the hand gestures, but only succeeded in hitting herself in the face with the oversized sleeve of Keifer's jacket. "Ouch. But anyway! He was just so incredibly entertaining! He made me laugh so much. My stomach actually hurt!"
Keifer's jaw twitched. A hot wave of territorial anger rushed through his veins. He had spent the last week carefully preparing her meals, feeding her with a fork, watching her sleep, and treating her like a fragile glass doll. And yet, here she was, completely captivated by a random guy at a pub talking about a deformed fish.
"He's an idiot, Jay Jay," Keifer hissed, his voice dripping with venomous jealousy. "Goldfish don't have philosophical souls. They have a three-second memory span. Just like you right now."
"Hey! Don't insult Captain Bubbles!" Jay Jay pouted aggressively, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at him with her sleepy, heavy eyes. "And don't insult Julian! He was a perfect gentleman. He even offered to show me a video of the fish swimming! I wanted to see it so badly, but you just came in like a big, scary, jealous patato and scooped me up! You ruined my social life, Mr. Watson!"
Mr. Watson. She only called him that when she was trying to push his buttons.
Keifer suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the empty, dark road. He slammed the gear into park and turned his entire body toward her. The raw, possessive intensity radiating from his dark eyes made the temperature inside the vehicle skyrocket.
He leaned across the console, his massive frame completely towering over her, trapping her against the passenger seat. His face stopped just inches from hers, his hot breath fanning across her flushed cheeks.
"Let's get one thing straight, jean," Keifer whispered, his voice dangerously dark, vibrating with intense passion and burning jealousy. "I don't care about Julian. I don't care about his dimples. And I definitely don't care about his counter-clockwise fish. You are my fiancé. The only man allowed to entertain you, make you laugh, or buy you drinks is me. Do you understand?"
Jay Jay blinked, completely dazed by his sudden closeness. The rich scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the dark heat of his jealousy completely overwhelmed her senses. Instead of being scared, she just giggled sleepily, reaching up to rest her small, warm hands against his sharp jawline.
"Wow... your eyes get really, really dark when you're jealous," she whispered softly, her thumb gently tracing his tense jaw. "It's kind of hot, Keifer. But you're still a bully. Julian was way nicer..."
Keifer let out a low, defeated groan, his forehead dropping to rest against her shoulder. She was actively destroying his sanity. He wrapped his strong arms around her burrito-wrapped body, pulling her impossibly close against his chest as he took a deep, shaky breath.
"You're going to be the death of me, Jay Jay," Keifer murmured into her neck, his grip tightening protectively. "Just wait until you sober up tomorrow."