Keifer POV
My phone wouldn't shut up.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
I ignored it the first five times. Then the sixth. By the ninth, my jaw was clenched so tight it hurt. On the tenth buzz, I stopped walking, turned sharply, and answered.
"What the hell is your problem?" I snapped the moment the call connected.
"Thank God," Clyde's voice rushed through. "Finally. Keifer, listen to me—I don't have time for your anger right now."
"That's funny," I growled.
"Because you're wasting mine."
"Tomorrow. You need to attend a meeting. Philippines."
I laughed—short, sharp, humorless.
"I'm not going."
There was a pause. Then Clyde spoke slower, firmer.
"Uncle Keir said if you refuse…
you answer him yourself."
That did it.
My chest tightened. Uncle Keir didn't ask. When he spoke, things moved—people, money, borders.
"I'm busy," I said coldly. "My family is in a hospital."
"And that's exactly why he wants you there," Clyde replied. "That's all I'll say."
The call ended before I could respond.
I stared at my phone like it had personally betrayed me.
I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaled slowly, then turned back toward the hospital.
Jay was inside. She didn't need to see this on my face—not yet.
Jay POV
Keifer had stepped outside to take a call.
He hadn't come back yet.
We were all sitting there, trying to keep things light, when Drew's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen, answered quietly, and turned a little away.
"Yeah… okay," he said. "I'm coming."
He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.
"I have to go home," he said calmly.
Cien frowned. "Now?"
Drew nodded. "Yeah."
Elara looked at him. "Everything okay?"
He gave a small smile. "It will be."
No on
e pushed him.
He picked up his bag, nodded once at us, and walked out.
Elara left first.
No warning, no explanation—she just stood up and walked out like the air inside suddenly annoyed her. I noticed, but I didn't comment. Hospitals do that. They squeeze people until silence feels safer.
A few seconds later, something else clicked.
Keifer wasn't there either.
I stood up immediately. "I'll be right back," I said, already moving.
I slipped out into the corridor.
The hospital hallway was long and washed in pale white light. The smell of antiseptic hung in the air, mixed with the low hum of machines and distant footsteps. I scanned left, then right, half-expecting to see Keifer pacing like he usually did when he was annoyed.
Instead, I spotted Elara first.
She was sitting on one of the metal benches near the windows, elbows resting on her knees, staring outside as if the city had personally offended her. One foot tapped lightly against the floor.
Of course.
I slowed my steps, debating whether to announce myself or pretend I was just casually passing by. Before I could decide, she spoke without looking at me.
"If you're searching for your boyfriend," she said dryly, "he's coming back from the right."
I stopped. "You didn't even look."
"I don't need to," she replied. "You walk louder when you're worried."
I opened my mouth to deny it, then shut it again. Annoying. Accurate.
I leaned against the wall beside her bench. "You okay?"
She shrugged. "Hospitals aren't my favorite places."
"Same," I said quietly.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then I saw Keifer at the far end of the corridor, phone already back in his pocket, shoulders squared like he'd locked something away.
I straightened instantly and walked toward him.
"Hey," I said when we met in the middle.
"Hey," he replied, eyes flicking over my face like he was checking something.
"That call didn't look friendly," I said.
He exhaled, not dramatic, just tired. "Meeting tomorrow."
My lips pressed into a thin line. "Oh."
"Yeah."
The reminder that he'd be busy again hit harder than I expected. "I'll miss you," I said softly, meaning it more than I planned to admit.
Something in his expression shifted—gentler, warmer. He stepped closer, his hand sliding naturally to my waist like it belonged there.
"That's dangerous," he murmured. "Saying things like that."
I felt my face heat. "What? I can't miss my own—"
"Don't finish that sentence," he warned, amused.
Before I could react, he tugged me closer just enough that I had to tilt my head up to look at him.
And then—
"Unbelievable."
Elara's voice sliced through the moment like a blade.
I turned. She was still on the bench, arms crossed now, staring at us with pure irritation.
"You know," she said, "some of us came here for air, not to witness a live romance serial."
Keifer didn't move away. If anything, his grip tightened slightly.
"She's mad," he observed calmly.
"I am offended," Elara corrected. "There's a difference."
I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. "You were spying on us."
"I was sitting here first," she shot back. "You invaded my peaceful silence."
Keifer leaned closer to me, deliberately. "Since I'll be gone tomorrow, shouldn't I at least enjoy this moment?"
Elara dropped her head back against the bench. "Are you both determined to do this stupidity in front of me?"
"Yes," he said instantly.
I elbowed him lightly. "Stop teasing her."
He whispered, "I like seeing her annoyed."
She stood up abruptly. "I regret every life choice that led me to this corridor."
I looked at him, grinning. "You're scared of her, aren't you?"
He paused, considering. "I don't know… she feels like an elder sister who yells when you mess up."
Elara froze mid-step and turned slowly. "Good. Then listen to your elder sister and maintain public decency."
She walked past us, muttering something about "kids these days."
I laughed, leaning slightly into Keifer. "You enjoy this way too much."
He smirked. "Only because you're smiling."
And in that sterile hallway, with worry still heavy in my chest, that small moment of teasing felt like air—something I didn't know I needed until I could breathe again.