Author's POV
The sound of Jay Jay's heartbreaking sobs echoed down the pristine corridor as she sprinted toward the executive elevator. The reality of his own harsh words crashed down on Keifer, shattering his anger and replacing it with instant, suffocating regret.
"Jay Jay!" Keifer roared, completely abandoning his cold CEO persona as he bolted out of the cabin, his long legs eating up the distance in a desperate attempt to catch her.
He managed to reach her just as she slammed her hand against the elevator button. The glass doors of the executive floor led to a secure mezzanine with wide, panoramic floor-to-ceiling ventilation windows that opened out to the city skyline. Hearing his heavy footsteps, Jay Jay spun around. Her eyes were red, her face streaked with tears, and her chest heaving with deep, ragged breaths.
"Don't come near me!" she choked out, stepping back toward the ledge of the open ventilation window. "If you take one more step, Keifer—if you talk to me right now—I swear I will jump right out of this window!"
Keifer froze instantly, his heart dropping straight into his stomach. His hands flew up in absolute surrender, his face turning completely pale. He knew his wifey better than anyone. Spontaneous, stubborn, and entirely unpredictable, Jay Jay always did exactly what she said she would do when she was pushed to the edge. She was too emotional to care about the risk.
"Okay! Okay, marshmallow, I'm stopping. Look at me, I'm staying right here," Keifer pleaded, his voice cracking with an intense, desperate fear. He backed off slowly, taking three large steps away from her. "Just move away from the ledge. Please."
Jay Jay didn't say another word. She gave him one final, heartbroken look through her tears, stepped into the arriving elevator, and the doors slid shut between them, cutting him off completely.
Author's POV
Down in the parking garage, Jay Jay marched straight to Aries' car and threw herself into the passenger seat. By the time Aries, Percy, and Cin caught up with her, she was already sitting with her arms tightly crossed over her chest, staring blankly out the window as silent tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
The ride back to the Fernandez estate was a painful, suffocating experience. The heavy silence in the vehicle was entirely unnatural for the chaotic trio in the back and front.
Desperate to break the tension and fix her broken heart, the boys tried everything to make her smile.
Percy leaned forward from the backseat, poking Cin's shoulder aggressively to start a distraction. "Move your big head, shorty. You're blocking my reflection in the rearview mirror. I need to make sure my jawline is still flawlessly striking after all that running."
"Shut up, Percy! Who are you calling shorty, you self-obsessed, uncircumcised?!" Cin snapped back instantly, his childish nature taking over as he pulled off his neon green bucket hat and shoved it in Percy's face. "Your jawline looks like a bent spatula!"
"Uncircumcised?! I am a perfectly sculpted masterpiece, you little gremlin!" Percy gasped, dramatically clutching his chest. "Jay Jay, look at him! He's defaming your incredibly handsome, perfectly styled brother! Tell him I'm beautiful!"
Jay Jay didn't even blink. She kept her arms crossed, a fresh tear rolling down her cheek as she stared at the passing buildings.
Aries glanced at her from the driver's seat, his heart aching for his little sister. He reached over, gently nudging her shoulder. "Hey... come on, Kokey. Don't be like that. Scream at Percy for being an idiot. Argue with me like you always do."
But the usual playful spark was completely gone. Jay Jay didn't snap back at the nickname Kokey. She didn't launch into a funny, chaotic argument. She just pulled her knees up to her chest on the leather seat and buried her face, letting out a small, trembling sniffle. Seeing her completely silent and broken made the boys realize just how deeply Keifer's harsh shouting had wounded her.
They exchanged worried, guilty glances, completely failing to bring back her smile.
Author's POV
When they finally arrived at the Fernandez estate, the grand house was quiet. Tita and Lola were waiting in the living room, their protective eyes instantly scanning Jay Jay as she walked through the front door, looking pale and completely drained.
Aries immediately stepped in front of his sister, shielding her from the elders' view. He knew that if Tita and Lola found out Jay Jay had secretly run off to the Watson Empire, they would launch into another massive, exhausting lecture about her being a reckless teenager. She was already so deeply hurt,she couldn't handle any more scolding. Besides, the boys felt it was their own fault for losing sight of her at the mall in the first place.
"What happened?" Tita asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she noticed Jay Jay's red eyes. "Why is anak crying? Did something happen at the mall?"
"We... we had a huge fight, Tita," Aries lied smoothly, rubbing the back of his neck and putting on a guilty face. "It's our fault. We were being completely careless and selfish. She wanted this specific thing from the store, and we refused to get her what she wanted. We treated her really badly and ended up hurting her feelings."
"Yeah, Lola, we are the worst brothers ever," Percy added quickly, nodding with a solemn, fake-sad expression. "I was too busy admiring myself in a mirror and we made her cry. We're going to go make it up to her right now."
Before Tita or Lola could ask any more suspicious questions, the boys quickly ushered Jay Jay up the stairs and into her bedroom, shutting the door safely behind them.
Jay Jay's POV
The moment the bedroom door closed, I crawled straight onto the middle of my mattress. I sat cross-legged, pulling my absolute favorite, giant plush panda toy tightly into my arms. I buried my face into its soft, black-and-white fabric, my shoulders shaking as a fresh wave of quiet sobs took over.
He screamed at me, my mind replayed the harsh sound of Keifer's voice, making my chest tighten painfully. He looked so angry... so terrifying. I know there are people out there for my life, and I know he was just worried about my safety. I know his work is heavy and his brothers need him... but he didn't have to yell at me like that in front of everyone. He made me feel so small.
I squeezed the panda harder, wishing it was the warm, gentle version of Keifer from the island—the one who called me his marshmallow and kissed the tip of my nose.
Right in front of my bed, Aries sat quietly on a chair, watching me with deep, protective worry in his eyes. Meanwhile, Percy and Cin had plop-dropped themselves directly onto the rug at the foot of my bed, instantly launching into another one of their completely nonsense, childish fights to try and distract me.
"Hey, panda-hugger's friend," Percy whispered loudly to Cin, pointing a finger at his face. "Your neon hat is giving me a migraine. Take it off before it ruins the aesthetic of my sister's room."
"I will never take it off! It is my shield against your massive, bloated ego!" Cin hissed back, aggressively snatching a small throw pillow from the floor and hitting Percy over the head with it. "You're the one ruining the aesthetic with your giant, self-obsessed face!"
"Did you just assault me with a decorative cushion?!" Percy gasped theatrically, grabbing another pillow and shoving it directly into Cin's face. "I am a weapon of mass destruction, Cin! I will smother you with velvet!"
"Bring it on, you uncircumcised titan!" Cin muffled out, flailing his arms as they tumbled across the rug, wrestling like a pair of hyperactive toddlers.
They were being so loud, so ridiculous, and so utterly stupid just to get a single chuckle out of me. I looked over the top of my plush panda, watching them roll around the floor, their chaotic and goofy loyalty clear even in their madness. But as much as I loved my crazy family, the heavy ache in my heart wouldn't budge. I just wanted my keifer to tell me he wasn't actually disgusted by his messy, pantless beggar.