Author's POV
The atmosphere on the top floor of the Watson Empire headquarters was thick with tension.
Keifer was walking down the grand, glass-walled corridor, surrounded by a tight formation of twelve people—including senior executives, personal assistants, and legal advisors. He looked every bit the ruthless, cold CEO the corporate world feared. His sharp suit was flawless, his expression ice-cold, and his deep voice cut through the air like a knife as he barked orders.
"The merger with the Fernandez group is our top priority this quarter," Keifer muttered smoothly, his dark eyes scanning a tablet held by his assistant. "And I want the updated logistics report on the Mariano Company project on my—"
He stopped dead in mid-sentence.
The twelve people behind him nearly collided, freezing in absolute panic as the suffocating aura around Keifer shifted instantly. He didn't finish his command. His eyes were glued to the executive reception area, completely tuning out the corporate world around him.
Taking advantage of the sudden halt, four female employees in incredibly tight, tailored designer suits immediately smoothed down their clothes. They stepped forward, intentionally trying to catch his eye, shifting their bodies to command his attention.
"Sir, we will handle that situation with the Mariano project," one bold woman purred, stepping right into his line of sight with a flirtatious smirk. "You don't need to stress. If you need a private, detailed briefing later tonight... I'm completely available."
Keifer didn't even blink. He ignored them all completely, treating their presence like thin air.
His cold, unapproachable mask didn't slip for a second as he looked right past them, his focus entirely consumed by a small, chaotic figure standing in the middle of the sleek lounge.
Keifer's POV
The world around me completely faded into background noise.
Standing right there, looking completely unbothered by the egoistic, judging eyes of my staff, was my marshmallow. After my mother, she is, without a doubt, the most breathtakingly beautiful woman to ever walk this earth.
She looked so small, fragile, and utterly captivating. Her hair was tossed up in a completely messy bun, and she was wearing a massively oversized shirt that fully hid her shorts, making her look practically pantless.
To my snobbish employees, she looked like a beggar who had wandered off the street. But to me? She was a masterpiece. A beautiful, messy, perfect masterpiece that belonged entirely to me. Seeing her simplicity and cuteness standing in the middle of this cold, corporate desert made all the crushing weight on my shoulders evaporate.
A genuine smile broke across my face—a sight I knew would terrify my board members. I abandoned my entourage without a second thought and walked straight toward her.
"Keifer—" she started, her wide eyes blinking in surprise as I closed the distance between us.
Before she could even finish my name, I stepped in and pulled her fragile body flush against my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist in front of the entire office. I heard the sharp, collective gasps of twelve senior executives behind me, but I couldn't care less. I buried my face in her hair, deeply inhaling her sweet, familiar scent, finally feeling alive after two weeks of pure exhaustion.
"Stop! Keifer, let go!" she whispered urgently, her small hands frantically pushing against my chest. "Everyone is looking at us! I look like a total mess, and I don't want you to get embarrassed by hugging someone who looks like a beggar. It's going to ruin your reputation as the cold CEO!"
"The reputation doesn't matter," I growled softly against her ear, tightening my grip so she couldn't pull away. "Let them look. The only thing that matters is that my buffet is finally back in my arms."
"The big, scary boss has a soft side after all!" a loud, goofy voice interrupted.
I glanced up slightly to see Cin standing right next to us, wearing a ridiculous neon green bucket hat, grinning like a maniac. He was completely enjoying the chance to tease me while my staff stood frozen in absolute shock. "Careful, Watson. Your cold, scary mask is slipping!"
I gave Cin a warning, icy glare that usually made grown men cry, but the brat just chuckled. Keeping one arm firmly around Jay Jay's waist, I turned back to the twelve frozen statues behind me, my face instantly locking back into the ruthless, cold mask they feared.
"Meeting adjourned," I commanded, my voice echoing like ice through the corridor.
"Everyone, return to your stations. If a single word about what happened here leaves this floor, you will be fired before you reach the lobby."
Without waiting for a response, I guided Jay Jay and a snickering Cin straight into my private executive cabin, slamming the heavy doors shut behind us to lock the whispering world out.
Author's POV
The heavy, soundproof mahogany doors of the private cabin clicked shut, completely sealing out the chaos of the Watson Empire.
The atmosphere shifted instantly from corporate coldness to the intense, quiet energy of a long-awaited reunion.
Keifer didn't waste a single second. He immediately pulled Jay Jay into a firm, possessive embrace, his tall height completely overshadowing her. His large hands gripped her bare waist beneath her loose shirt, steadying her as if making sure she was actually real and not just a beautiful hallucination.
"Hey! We are in company!" Jay Jay whispered, her cheeks flushing a deep pink as she nodded past Keifer's broad shoulders.
Right on cue, Cin cleared his throat loudly. He had already made himself completely at home, flopping onto the expensive leather sofa and tossing his feet onto the glass coffee table.
"Don't mind me," Cin joked, a playful smirk on his face as he adjusted his neon green bucket hat. "Just pretend I'm a very stylish, very quiet piece of office furniture. Go on with your romantic reunion!"
Keifer slowly turned his head, his dark eyes narrowing into a glare that usually made senior board members tremble. He pointed a stern finger at the boy. "Close your eyes, brat. Children shouldn't watch things like this."
Cin let out an offended, theatrical gasp, sitting up straight. "Excuse me?! You're calling me a child? If anyone here is a child, it's Jay Jay! She is seventeen, and I am the exact same age as her! Why am I the only baby in this room? You're just saying that because you want to flirt with her!"
"I don't just want to flirt with her. She is my wifey," Keifer replied with a smooth, savage calmness. "And unlike you, she actually behaves herself when she wants to. Now shut your eyes before I have security carry you out by your bucket hat."
Cin rolled his eyes dramatically, looking over at Jay Jay. " Keifer you're acting like the strict, grumpy father figure today. This is too much family drama for my innocent eyes!"
Keifer let out a low sigh at Cin's childish antics.
Knowing the absolute best way to silence the quirky Ci.n, he walked over to his executive mini-fridge and pulled out a massive, premium bucket of gourmet chocolate ice cream along with a spoon. He marched over to the couch and dropped it right into Cin's lap.
"Eat this, keep your eyes shut, and stay absolutely quiet," Keifer commanded ruthlessly. "You talk too much."
Cin's jaw dropped in pure delight, his childish eyes lighting up. "Bribed with sugar! Yes! I am always officially Team Jayfer. Carry on,Keifer. I see nothing, I hear nothing!" He immediately jammed a huge spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, shutting his eyes tight as promised.
Jay Jay's eyes went wide. As a legendary, massive foodie—someone who loved sweets even more than Cin did—her stomach practically growled at the sight of the chocolate ice cream. She looked up at Keifer, crossing her arms and pouting fiercely.
"What about me?!" she complained cutely, her lips trembling in a fake sad face. "I'm the biggest foodie here! Where is my ice cream? Why does Ci get the prize?"
Keifer's hard expression completely melted. A soft, breathless chuckle escaped his lips as he looked down at his messy, beautiful masterpiece. He stepped closer, cornering her against his heavy executive desk, his dark eyes locked onto her lips.
"You can have all the dessert you want later, marshmallow," Keifer murmured, his voice dipping into a low, raspy tone that sent shivers straight down her spine. "Right now, I only want to consume you."
Jay Jay's heart skipped a beat. "I know you came all the way here just for me," Keifer whispered, a faint, smug smile touching his lips.
"Yes... only for you," she confessed softly, her small hands coming up to grip the lapels of his expensive suit jacket. "I missed you too much, Keifer. Sixty seconds on the phone wasn't enough."
"Oh, I see," he growled softly.
Without another word, Keifer leaned down and captured her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.
Jay Jay gasped into his mouth, completely melting against his strong frame. Keifer's hands didn't stay still. They slid under her loose, oversized t-shirt, the warmth of his palms making her shiver as his hands roamed up from her thighs, tightly gripping her hips and pulling her pantless lower body flush against his trousers. His fingers traced the soft skin of her belly, moving up to her waist, and finally cupping her breasts through her underwear, squeezing her possessively as his tongue dominated her mouth. He kissed her hungrily, marking his territory after two agonizing weeks apart.
What Keifer didn't know, however, was that Jay Jay had completely run away from her family at the mall without saying a single word to anyone.
Author's POV
The intense, heated moment inside the cabin was violently shattered.
BANG!
The heavy mahogany doors were thrown open so hard they rattled against the wall. Aries and Percy burst into the room, both of them breathing heavily, their faces flushed with a mixture of pure exhaustion and absolute fury.
"JASPHER JEAN MARIANO!" Aries roared, his voice booming like thunder through the quiet office.
Jay Jay jumped in shock, instantly pulling away from Keifer and yanking her shirt down, her face turning pale. Even Cin choked on his ice cream, his eyes flying open in terror.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Percy shouted, stepping forward, his usual funny attitude completely gone, replaced by genuine, angry panic. "You vanished from the mall! We turned around for one second, and you were gone! We had to lose the bodyguards, search the entire district, and track your phone to find you here!"
Keifer stood in front of Jay Jay, shielding her, but his eyebrows snapped together as he processed their words. He turned around slowly to look down at her.
"What do you mean, you vanished?" Keifer's voice was dangerously low, a cold anger brewing in his chest. "Jay Jay... did you leave the mall alone? Without your brothers? Without your security detail?"
Jay Jay swallowed hard, looking up at him with wide, guilty eyes. "I... I just wanted to see you, Keifer. Aries and Percy were being annoying, and—"
"Answer me!" Keifer suddenly erupted, his voice cracking through the room like a whip.
It wasn't his usual calm, cold corporate tone. It was a harsh, terrifying scream born out of absolute, suffocating worry. His dark eyes were wild with fear and rage as he looked at her fragile frame.
"Are you completely out of your mind?!" Keifer yelled harshly, his chest heaving as he gripped her shoulders tightly. "There are still active threats on your life! People want you dead, Jean! Your family and I are tearing our lives apart trying to keep you safe, and you just walk out into the open unprotected?! For what? A stupid surprise?! You could have been kidnapped! You could have been killed!"
Jay Jay flinched violently, her entire body trembling under his harsh, furious shouting.
Hearing him scream at her so brutally made her heart shatter into a million pieces.
Tears instantly pooled in her eyes, spilling over her pale cheeks. A sob caught in her throat. The sheer terror of his anger completely overwhelmed her.
"I-I'm sorry..." she sobbed out, her voice breaking completely.
Before Keifer could even realize how badly he had terrified her, Shaking, crying hysterically, and completely heartbroken, she turned around and bolted out of the private cabin, running past her shocked brothers and flying through the open office doors.
"Jay Jay! Wait!" Aries shouted, instantly turning around to chase after his sister.
Keifer stood frozen in the middle of his office, his hands still raised in the air where he had been holding her. The sudden silence in the room was deafening. Looking at the open doorway, the reality of what he had just done hit him like a physical blow to the chest. In his desperate, consuming worry for her safety, he had just broken his precious marshmallow.