(Jay's POV)
The bitter cold of London had nothing on but the freezing air that slapped us right in the face the moment we stepped out of the airport terminal. I thought we were leaving the winter behind, but the universe clearly had other plans for us. The wind was howling like a dramatic actor in a sad movie, and my teeth were chattering so loud I was afraid they might chip.
I looked at Keifer. He was supposed to be the big, tough, cold CEO of Watson Enterprises, but right now, his nose was bright red and he was shivering like a wet puppy. He did not look like a boss at all. He looked like he wanted to jump back onto the airplane and fly right back to the Philippines.
Good thing that now I am not the only one being human potato!!
"I cannot stand this," Keifer gasped, his voice shaking from the cold. "Jay, I am not spending a single second out here without proper armor. Wait here."
Before I could even answer, he bolted back inside the airport terminal like his life depended on it. He ran straight into a high-end clothing shop. A few minutes later, he walked out holding two massive, thick, heavy winter coats. They were so big we looked like two giant walking teddy bears. He threw one over my shoulders and zipped his own coat all the way up to his chin. I could barely see his face anymore, just his eyes peeking out from a mountain of dark wool.
"Better?" he asked, his voice muffled by the thick fabric.
"Much better," I laughed, waddling toward the car because the coat was so heavy I could barely move my legs. "Now take me home before I turn into a human popsicle."
The ride back to our place was a quiet one. We were both absolutely exhausted from the long flight and the emotional drama of leaving baby Amara behind. My heart still ached a bit when I thought about her crying and pointing her little finger at Keifer, but I knew she was safe and happy with Tita Gemma, Lola, Angelo, Ion, Aries, and Ella. Angelo was probably still crying about Keifer not being there to handle the baby emergencies, which made me chuckle under my breath.
The moment Keifer unlocked the front door of our home, all our energy completely vanished. We did not care about unpacking. We did not care about putting things away. We just wanted to be horizontal.
With a loud groan, I swung my heavy suitcase to the left. It hit the wall with a dull thud. Keifer didn't care about his usual neatness either; he threw his bag to the right, and it tipped over on the rug. Together, we walked like zombies straight to the living room couch. We didn't even take off our giant coats. We just tipped forward and fell face-first onto the soft cushions.
"Do not move me wifey," Keifer muttered into a pillow.
"Do not even speak to me," I replied into my own sleeve.
Within two seconds, we were both fast asleep.The entire afternoon slipped away while we snored on the couch. The house was completely quiet, warm, and peaceful.
When I finally blinked my eyes open, I looked at the wall clock. It was already around 4:00 PM. The sky outside was turning a dull grey, and my stomach was letting out a tiny rumble. I sat up, stretched my arms high into the air, and looked at Keifer.
He was still out cold, sleeping like a prince, his messy hair sticking up in five different directions.
I didn't even know that how was I the one who woke up before him?? God knows!
I smiled. It was time to wake him up with my secret weapon: caffeine.
The only thing I can make !!
I got off the couch and walked into the kitchen, feeling a sudden burst of energy. I decided to make my special coffee. I wasn't just going to pour water into a mug; I was going to make a whole production out of it. I grabbed the beans, the milk, and the sugar, humming a silly song as I worked.
By the time the rich, sweet smell of coffee filled the air, Keifer was finally stirring on the couch. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking highly confused about where he was.
I walked over to the edge of the kitchen counter, holding two glasses of warm coffee, and looked at him with the most dramatic expression I could manage.
"Oh, my Keifer, my fiancé, handsome hot fiancé ," I said, putting on a terrible, exaggerated French accent. I leaned against the doorframe and batted my eyelashes. "When you taste this magical coffee of mine, it will be so delicious, so life-changing, that you will not be able to help yourself. You will literally fall to your knees and kiss my magical hands."
Keifer blinked at me for a second, his sleepy brain trying to process my random drama. Then, a huge smile broke across his face, and he let out a loud, genuine laugh. The serious sleepy keifer was completely gone, replaced by the guy who found my nonsense hilarious.
"Is that so?" he teased, crossing his arms. "A magical coffee?"
"Yes, monsieur!" I shouted, doing a loud, fancy chef gesture in the air. I swirled my hand around like I was tossing a pizza dough, then dropped into a low bow, nearly spilling the drinks. "Bon appétit! Bon appétit!"
Keifer shook his head, laughing as he started to stand up from the couch. "Alright, let me come help the master chef in the kitchen before you accidentally burn the house down with your magic."
He took two steps toward me, ready to join the fun, when suddenly, a sharp, loud ringing sound cut through the air. It was his phone.
Keifer froze. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and stared at the screen. The smile instantly vanished from his face, and his lips formed a tight, straight line. I knew that look. It wasn't his regular office assistant calling about business meetings or stock prices. This was his special assistant. The one who only called when there was highly secret, highly important information that nobody else was allowed to know.
Keifer looked up at me, his eyes filled with a sudden, serious worry. "Jay, this call is very important. I need to take this. I will be back in five minutes, I promise."
"Go ahead," I said, my silly chef mood dropping away. "I will be right here."
(Author's POV)
Keifer nodded quickly and walked down the hallway into his private study, closing the door firmly behind him to receive the call.
On the other end of the line, the voice of his special assistant sounded tense. "Sir, we have tracked and found the information about Clyde," the assistant reported quickly. "But that is not the main reason I am calling you right now. The other thing we found is something completely shocking and unexpected."
Keifer's grip on the phone tightened. His voice turned into his cold, commanding CEO tone.
"What is it? Tell me right now."
The assistant took a deep breath. "Sir, Mrs. Watson's father—Jaspher Mariano—has contacted Watson Enterprises directly. He wants to meet you and Mrs. Watson."
Keifer and Jay are actually only engaged yet u know . They hadn't had a wedding yet. But Keifer was so fiercely protective and proud that he had told every single person working under him to call Jay "Mrs. Watson" instead of "Miss Mariano."
(For those who don't know Jay's past)
(Jay's POV)
------ Flashback------
(My childhood had been a total mess because of my mother, Jeana. She had a terrible habit of getting married over and over again. She had a long line of husbands, and my stepfathers were awful people. They treated me so badly that those dark years eventually caused my severe blood trauma. Whenever I saw blood, my mind would go blank and I would panic. I would eventually become a different person and even Keifer's brother Keigan has the same symptoms. The strange thing was, my brain had actually blocked out the specific bad memories of what those men did to me. The memories were gone, but the deep fear and trauma remained in my body.
Jaspher Mariano was my real, biological dad. He didn't live with my mother, his wife is Reycee Mariano and she's Percy's mom which makes him my stepbrother and my dad hadn't been around for any of that bad stuff. My mother had made sure of that. She absolutely did not want me to ever meet my dad, so she hid me away from him. Because of how she treated me and how she kept me isolated, I practically hated my mother. I couldn't stand being around her, so when I was a teenager, she packed my things and sent me to live with my Tita Gemma, Lola, Angelo, and Aries. They became my real family, the ones who actually loved me and looked after me. I didn't even knew that Aries was my real brother and thought him as my cousin only.
Over the years, I had tried multiple times to find my real dad. I wanted to meet him so badly, to know who he was, but every single attempt failed. My mother warned me not to meet him and even to Angelo too. But when Keifer found out about it, he helped me all way out and also you all know he has his ways! He tried everything. We got many clues of my father.)
------- Flashback ends --------
(Jay's POV)
Back in the kitchen, I had absolutely no idea what was happening on that phone call. I was just standing there, getting bored, looking at the two glasses of coffee. The warm aroma was too tempting. I couldn't help myself. I lifted one glass to my mouth and took a big, greedy sip. Then I took another. And another.
Before I knew it, I had finished half of Keifer's coffee too. I was bouncing on my slippers, holding my full glass in one hand and his half-empty glass in the other, feeling a bit guilty but mostly just enjoying the sugar rush.
The study door clicked open, and Keifer walked back into the living room. His face was unreadable. He looked serious, but there was a strange, soft light in his eyes as he stared at me.
The moment he walked into the kitchen, I froze mid-bounce. I realized I had been caught red-handed. I stopped drinking and held the glasses out like a kid caught stealing cookies. To make matters worse, because I had been drinking so fast, I had a massive, thick, brown coffee moustache sitting right on my upper lip.
I looked at him with big, guilty eyes. "Sorry, Keifer," I mumbled, my voice sounding squeaky. "I got totally selfish and drank half of your coffee. It was just too magical to resist."
Keifer stopped right in front of me. He didn't look mad at all. Instead, a soft, beautiful smile spread across his face. He didn't care about the stolen coffee. He reached out with his thumb and gently, lovingly wiped the coffee moustache right off my upper lip, his touch warm against my skin.
"It is fine, Wifey," he said softly, his voice full of emotion. "I don't mind at all. Because I have a huge surprise for you."
My eyes immediately lit up. I loved surprises, especially food-related ones. "A surprise? Is it ice cream? Did you buy that expensive chocolate ice cream from the shop down the street?"
"No," Keifer laughed, shaking his head. "Not ice cream."
"Oh!" I gasped, leaning in closer. "Is it lechon? Did you somehow order a whole roasted pig from the Philippines and have it flown here in a secret heated box?"
Keifer burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking. "Still no, Jay. No lechon."
"A burger?" I guessed wildly, my voice getting louder.
"A massive double cheeseburger with extra fries?"
"No."
"Pizza? With the stuffed crust and extra cheese?"
"Still no."
"Hotdogs? The ones from the street cart with the sweet relish?"
"No, my wifey" Keifer said, his smile growing wider as he watched me guess every single food item known to man.
I stomped my foot dramatically, throwing my hands in the air, nearly spilling the remaining coffee again. "Oh, come on! Just spill it out already! What is the surprise?"
Keifer took a deep breath, grabbed both of my hands in his, and looked straight into my eyes with a look of pure joy.
"We are going to meet your father tomorrow," he said.
I froze. The glasses of coffee felt heavy in my hands. The room suddenly felt very quiet. My heart skipped a beat, and for a long moment, I forgot how to breathe.
My dad. The man I had been searching for my entire life. We were finally going to see him.
"Really?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
"Really," Keifer smiled, pulling me into a tight, warm hug. "Tomorrow, everything changes."