Jay's POV
The morning's domestic bliss shattered the moment the encrypted vibration hummed against Jay's thigh. The lighthearted teasing about Percy's secret romance and the warmth of the children's laughter evaporated, replaced by the cold, familiar weight of responsibility.
Then my phone buzzed.
The message on the screen was brief, stark, and written in a code only Alex and I used: "Level Red breach. Office. Now."
My heart did a double-thud, not from fear, but from the sudden adrenaline spike. I didn't have time to explain the intricacies of my 'other' life to Keifer or my overprotective brothers, Aries, Kyle , Percy and Angelo.
I bolted upstairs, shedding the soft silk of my morning outfit for dark, reinforced tactical gear. When I came back down, the room was a blur of concerned faces.
"I'll be back," I promised, my voice clipped. I caught Keifer's gaze—intense, searching, and filled with a possessiveness he couldn't quite hide. I squeezed his hand once before the roar of my engine drowned out the questions following me down the driveway.
The drive to the office was a blur of high-speed lane splitting. My mind raced through possibilities. An internal leak? A physical break-in? When I skidded into the underground parking and took the private elevator to the top floor, Alex was already waiting, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.
"Boss," he started, holding up a tablet. "It was a false alarm. A glitch in the new biometric update triggered the Level Red protocol. I've already isolated the bug."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, the tension leaving my shoulders in a painful rush. "A false alarm, Alex? You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Better safe than sorry," he muttered. "But since you're here... we actually have those backlogged security meetings and the contract reviews for the overseas branch."
I groaned, checking my watch. I was already here; there was no point in rushing back just to be interrogated by Angelo and Keifer about where I'd been. "Fine. Let's get through it."
The meetings were grueling. We tore through security protocols, re-checked every firewall, and vetted the new hires. By the time I finally leaned back in my office chair, the city skyline was a sea of glittering lights. I checked the time: 12:00 AM.
"Go home, Alex," I said, rubbing my temples. "We're done for today."
The silence of the parking garage was eerie as I climbed into my car. The adrenaline was gone, replaced by a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
All I wanted was to crawl into bed and feel Keifer's arms around me. I pulled out of the lot and merged onto the deserted highway, the hum of the engine the only sound in the night.
Suddenly, my phone rang. The caller ID showed Keifer's name, but I knew the rhythm of the house at this hour. If it was this late, they weren't just calling to chat; they were worried.
I snapped the phone into the dashboard holder and swiped to accept the video call.
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Keifer's POV
The mansion was suffocating.
For twelve hours, the atmosphere had been a toxic mix of Angelo's brooding silence, the kids' relentless questions, and my own mounting anxiety. Every time I looked at the door, I expected Jay to walk through it. Every time she didn't, my temper flared a little higher.
Aion was sitting on the edge of the sofa, clutching my phone. He looked smaller than usual, his brow furrowed with a seriousness that didn't belong on a child's face.
"I'm calling her," Aion declared, his voice trembling only slightly.
"Aion, give me the phone," I said, though my heart wasn't in the reprimand. I wanted to call her too. I wanted to scream at her for leaving without a word.
Before I could reach him, his finger swiped the screen. The ringing tone echoed through the silent living room. Angelo and others stood up from the corner, their dark eyes fixed on the device. Even Percy and Honey, who had stayed late in the chaos, hovered nearby.
The screen flickered. A grain of light appeared, and then—Jay.
She was in her car, the interior dimly lit by the dashboard glow. She looked exhausted, her eyes heavy, but the moment she saw us, a small, tired smile touched her lips.
"Jay!" Aion cried out, leaning into the camera. "Where are you? Why aren't you home?"
"I'm coming, Aion," she said, her voice soothing through the speakers. "I had some things to fix at the office. I'm driving home now."
Angelo pushed past me, his face appearing in the frame next to Aion's. "Jay? Are you driving?"
"Yes, Kuya," she answered, her eyes flickering briefly toward the road before returning to the screen.
"Don't talk while you're driving, Jay. Hang up and just get here," Angelo commanded, his voice thick with the authority of a protective older brother.
"I'm fine, Kuya. The road is empty. I just wanted to see your faces," she teased gently.
Then, her eyes shifted, finding mine in the background. "Keifer?"
I stepped into the light, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Yes, Jay. I'm here."
"I'm sorry about today," she whispered, her expression softening into something incredibly intimate, even through the digital screen. "I was going to say... I love you, and I—"
She stopped. Her eyes suddenly widened, reflecting a sudden, blinding flash of white light from her side window.
SCREECH.
The sound of tearing metal and shrieking tires exploded through the phone speakers. The camera tilted violently.
"Jay?" I yelled, my blood turning to ice.
"Jay! Answer me!" Angelo screamed, his hands gripping the back of the sofa so hard the wood groaned.
Then came the sound that will haunt my nightmares forever—a sickening, heavy THUD.
The phone screen spun, a blur of dark asphalt and shattered glass, before hitting the ground. The last thing we saw was a flicker of orange flame in the distance and the eerie silence of a disconnected line.
"JAY!"
The scream tore from my throat, raw and panicked. The phone fell from Aion's hands, clattering onto the rug. The silence that followed was worse than the crash. It was the sound of a world ending.
No. This couldn't be true. Not her. Not now.
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A/n
Talk about a 180! 📉 We went from morning tea to a total nightmare in seconds. I hope you guys are as hyped (and terrified!) for the next chapter as I am.
Are you excited to see what happens next? 😱 Drop a comment and let me know your theories! 👇✨
See you soon 💕
Love you all 😘