The conference hall inside the Watson estate was quieter than usual.
Not empty.
Just… controlled.
Long glass tables. Soft lights. Black suits. Low voices.
Jay walked in beside her father.
Not nervous.
Not curious.
Just prepared.
She had learned long ago how to walk into rooms that were never meant for her.
Across the hall, Kaizer was already seated.
So was Serina.
So were half the executives who quietly ruled the city.
And then—
Keifer entered.
Not late.
Not early.
Perfectly timed.
The room shifted without anyone admitting it.
Jay felt it before she saw him.
Tall. Calm. Sharp eyes. That effortless authority that didn't come from confidence…
but from inheritance.
He took the empty seat opposite her.
For a brief second—
Their eyes met.
Not romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just… assessing.
Two heirs raised in different kinds of silence.
Keifer looked away first.
"Let's begin," Kaizer said.
Folders opened. Screens lit up. Numbers filled the walls.
Jay listened.
So did Keifer.
And slowly, both of them realised the same uncomfortable thing.
She wasn't just some rich man's daughter.
She understood everything.
When Jay leaned forward and spoke for the first time, the room stilled.
"The logistics line through South Port will collapse in six months," she said quietly.
"Not because of profit. Because of manpower rotation. Your second-tier managers are burning out."
A few heads turned.
Kaizer's eyes narrowed slightly.
Keifer lifted his gaze.
Straight to her.
She didn't look at him.
She was looking at the projection.
Keifer spoke for the first time too.
"She's right."
Every eye moved to him.
"The data we've been tracking internally shows the same decline pattern. We just didn't connect it to rotation schedules."
Jay finally turned.
Not surprised.
Just… checking him.
Their eyes met again.
This time—
Keifer gave a small, involuntary smile.
Barely there.
More reflex than intention.
After the meeting ended, chairs slid back quietly.
People gathered files.
Jay stood to leave with her father.
Keifer didn't know why he spoke.
He only knew that if he didn't, she would disappear into another boardroom forever.
"You didn't hesitate."
Jay stopped.
Turned halfway.
"About?"
"Calling out our system," he said simply.
She studied him for one second.
Exactly one.
"My father taught me not to be polite with bad structures."
It wasn't rude.
It wasn't soft.
It was honest.
Keifer huffed a low breath before he could stop himself.
"Fair."
She nodded once.
Then added—
"You weren't defensive either."
He blinked.
"That's rare in this building."
That… made him smile properly.
For the first time.
"I'm Keifer."
She paused, hand already on the door.
"…Jay."
Just that.
No surnames.
No titles.
No Watson.
No partner's daughter.
Their first interaction wasn't flirtation.
It was recognition.
And somehow—
That made it far more dangerous.