Keifer's POV
"That's my girl," I murmured against her skin, my heart aching with a profound mix of guilt for not being there and fierce admiration for her strength. "But you're done fighting for the day, Jean. The private doctor is downstairs, and the kitchen is bringing up your food. You're going to let me patch you up, and you're going to rest."
Determined to ease the physical agony I had inflicted on her, I reached for the digital heating pad the maid had left on the bedside table. To properly soothe her cramped muscles and apply the heat directly, I needed to get to her bare skin.
Gently, with the utmost care, I gathered the hem of her top and slid it up over her head.
The sight of her torso made my throat tighten with a fresh wave of self-hatred. Dark, purple-tinged marks from my fingers were already blooming against the sensitive skin of her hips and ribs—stamps of my reckless ownership from last night. I reached out, pouring a bit of the warming massage oil onto my palms, rubbing them together until they were hot. I leaned over her, my hands hovering just an inch away, intending to place my palms flat against her bare waist to gently rub out the knots in her abdomen.
But before my skin could even brush against hers, she moved.
With a sudden, sharp gasp of pain, Jay Jay swatted my hands away. She grabbed the edge of the duvet, dragging it tightly up to her chin, her bloodshot eyes flashing with a fierce, absolute defiance that cut right through her exhaustion.
"Don't touch me!" she hissed, though her terrifying, fierce tone was slightly ruined by a sudden, loud hiccup.
"Jay, please," I pleaded, my hands remaining suspended in the air, my fingers twitching with the desperate need to comfort her. "Your muscles are completely locked up. Just let me massage the tension out. Let me put the heating pad on you."
"I said, no touching!" she snapped, glaring at me with big, tear-filled eyes while trying to look intimidating. She winced, her face twisting as a brutal cramp shuddered through her frame, but she strictly held my gaze. "No touching me until I say so, Keifer Watson. I don't care if my uterus is currently trying to build a rocket and launch itself out of my body. Keep your hands entirely to yourself."
"Jean, don't do this to yourself," I rasped, my voice dropping into a desperate, gravelly whisper. "Punish me. But let me help your body relax."
"No!" she huffed, her chaotic mood swinging right into pure, clumsy nonsense. She tried to turn her back to me to dramatically freeze me out, but she was so tangled in the heavy sheets that she accidentally rolled directly into the mattress seam, stuck like a flipped turtle.
She flailed weakly for a second, her pale face flushing a bright, embarrassed crimson. "I am doing this on purpose!" she yelled defensively into the pillow, refusing to admit she was stuck. "This is my angry posture! Don't look at me! Go look at your little classroom cheerleader who probably knows how to turn around gracefully! My ears are closed today, Watson. They are completely out of office. If you want to leave an apology, please wait for the beep."
She actually made a high-pitched, pathetic "Beeeeep" sound against the mattress, before burying her face completely into the plush fabric, closing her eyes tightly.
I sat there on the edge of the bed, my palms still warm from the oil, entirely frozen. Even in the middle of severe physical pain, crushing exhaustion, and absolute fury, she was still a walking, talking ball of endearing chaos. The sheer, ridiculous cuteness of her nonsense made my chest tighten with a heavy, suffocating wave of affection and guilt. She was fiercely protecting her boundaries while being utterly ridiculous, leaving me completely powerless and entirely in love with a girl who wouldn't even let me breathe her air.
Keifer's POV
I stood outside the bedroom door for exactly ten minutes, my chest tightening as her pathetic little "Beeeeep" echoed in my head. I had to fix this. My multi-billion-dollar corporate strategies were entirely useless against a fiercely stubborn, hormonal Jay Jay who had literally turned herself into an angry bed-burrito.
So, I did the only logical thing a desperate, guilt-ridden CEO could do. I went to get reinforcements.
I marched downstairs with single-minded focus, raiding the mansion's storage rooms and her favorite corner of the house. I grabbed her absolute favorites: a giant, round, lazy Snorlax that was almost as wide as the doorway, a massive, fluffy Panda with a ridiculously goofy smile, and three other oversized stuffed animals I knew she loved to bury herself in when she was stressed. On top of the Snorlax's head, I carefully balanced a ridiculous, glowing neon pink hoodie with a cartoon cat face on it.
"The voicemail line is temporarily overriding the beep," I announced, my voice dropping into a low, gravelly attempt at humor as I kicked the bedroom door open again, practically invisible behind the mountain of plush velvet and cotton stuffing. I walked over to the bed, dropping the pile right next to her tangled form. "I brought reinforcements. And a peace offering."
I held up the neon pink hoodie, letting the cat ears dangle. "See? I'm ready to wear it to my next board meeting with the shareholders. I'll tell them the CEO of Watson Enterprises is officially under new, tyrannical management. Yours."
Jay Jay's head slowly popped out from the duvet. For a split second, her eyes widened at the sight of the giant Snorlax and the fluffy Panda. My heart leaped, thinking the cute gesture had finally cracked her icy exterior.
But I had severely understated the raw, unyielding fury of a girl dealing with a forced period and severe cramps.
Her soft expression lasted for exactly half a millisecond before her mood swung right back into an absolute, volcanic rage. Her pale face flushed a furious crimson.
"Are you entirely out of your mind?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking as she violently ripped herself free from the sheet burrito.
Before I could even open my mouth to apologize, she went into full combat mode"I am dealing with actual, murderous cramps right now, you absolute asshole!". But she didn't just throw them at me—she completely confiscated them. With a sudden, clumsy burst of adrenaline, she lunged across the mattress and aggressively hoarded every single soft item, dragging the massive Snorlax, the giant Panda, and the mountain of plushies into her fortress of anger.
Once she had secured her soft bounty, she used the very last of her cramp-ridden energy to physically eject me. She scrambled to the edge of the bed, shoved me with everything she had, "Get out!" she screamed, her eyes tearing up from a mixture of homicidal rage and pure physical pain. "Take your stupid boardroom hoodie and get your perfect, un-cramped body out of my sight! I hate you! Don't look at me, don't talk to me, and don't breathe my oxygen!"
I held up my hands in complete surrender, backing away as she slammed the heavy mahogany doors of my own master bedroom right in my face with a definitive, ringing thud.
I stood frozen in the grand, dimly lit hallway of the Watson Mansion, entirely paralyzed. For a man who managed four international corporations and thousands of employees with a single nod, I had never felt more completely powerless, utterly defeated, and profoundly pathetic.
I looked down at my hands. They were completely empty. She hadn't accepted my apology. She hadn't let her "ears" open up. Instead, she had locked herself inside with her giant Panda, leaving me out in the cold.
"Out, Watson! Out!"
Her ragged, furious screams still echoed through the thick wood of the door, vibrating straight into my chest.
I let out a long, heavy breath, running a hand through my uncharacteristically messy hair. I didn't care about my pride. I didn't care that the hallway cameras or any passing house staff might see me standing here like a disciplined schoolboy. The only thing consuming my mind was the sickening wave of guilt burning holes in my stomach. Through the door, I could hear the faint, muffled sounds of her shifting around, followed by a small, pathetic whimpering sob as another brutal, forced cramp took hold of her.
My knuckles twitched. I wanted to turn the golden handle, storm back inside, and force her into my arms until she realized how desperately sorry I was. I wanted to slide my palms over her cold, sweating waist and rub away the agonizing knots that my own toxic, relentless jealousy had caused last night.
But I knew if I pushed my way back in, her chaotic mood swings would explode all over again. Her heart rate would spike, she would start flailing and trying to punch me with her already bruised, bleeding knuckles, and she would only end up hurting her ruined muscles even more.
So, I stayed put.
I took two slow steps backward and leaned my spine heavily against the opposite wall of the corridor, staring strictly at the closed bedroom doors. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, my dark eyes tracking the thin sliver of light bleeding out from the bottom of the frame. I was officially banished. Kicked out into the cold. But there was absolutely no universe in which I was walking away from this door.
If she wanted to freeze me out, fine. If she wanted to cuddle her giant Panda and call me an asshole until morning, I would let her. But I was going to stand right here in this hallway, guarding her space, counting every single minute until the private doctor arrived with the heavy painkillers, and waiting for the exact second she finally decided to open the door and let me breathe her oxygen again.
My knees finally gave out, and I slid heavily down the opposite wall until I was sitting flat on the hardwood floor right outside the door. I pulled my legs up, resting my elbows on my knees and burying my face in my hands. I couldn't move. I needed to be right here, straining my ears to catch every single muffled groan, every little rustle of fabric, and every pathetic whimper echoing through the thick mahogany.
Each faint sound of her suffering tore through my chest, a brutal reminder that my relentless, territorial anger from last night had physically crashed her system.
Then, another terrifying realization hit me like ice water. She hasn't eaten a single thing since yesterday afternoon.
I bolted to my feet, the pure executive urgency overriding my banishment. I didn't just order the kitchen staff; I marched straight down to the mansion's main kitchen myself. My chefs watched in absolute shock as I stood over the stove, personally supervising her absolute favorite comfort food. I made sure they packed it with nutrients, preparing a steaming bowl of her favorite warm soup, sweet comfort treats, and a cup of honey-infused herbal tea designed specifically to soothe severe cramps.
Carrying the tray myself, I walked back up the grand staircase. I didn't knock. I couldn't afford to let her starve out of stubborn pride.
I pushed the double doors open and stepped back into the master bedroom. My heart shattered entirely at the sight. Jay Jay was buried in the center of the bed, completely surrounded by the fortress of giant plushies. She was tightly clutching the massive Snorlax and the fluffy Panda against her, her knees pulled all the way to her chest. She was groaning in sheer pain, her small fingers clawing desperately at her stomach through the duvet, her face hidden against the cotton fur as she whimpered.
I quietly placed the steaming tray on the bedside table, the rich, savory aroma of her favorite food instantly filling the tense air.
Without giving her a chance to fight me, I climbed onto the mattress. I reached through her wall of stuffed animals, carefully but firmly sliding my arms beneath her shivering, fragile frame, and pulled her—panda and all—straight into my lap. I wrapped my large arms securely around her, tucking her head under my chin.
"Don't touch me, Watson!" she squeaked instantly, her chaotic mood swings flaring up despite her agonizing pain. She tried to squirm, weakly waving a plush panda paw in my face to block me. "Go away! Go back to your perfect lecture hall girl! Go to the girl who doesn't have a gross, crampy, early period! I'm just an annoying, broken cave-hermit! Leave me alone!"
"Okay, okay, I'm not touching you, I'm just holding you," I murmured softly, a low, rough chuckle escaping my throat at her cute, nonsensical protests. I tightened my grip just a fraction, burying my face in her messy hair and refusing to let her slide away. "At least eat something, love. Please. You haven't had a single bite since yesterday, and your body is running on absolutely nothing."
Jay Jay glared at the spoon, her lower lip trembling with a mixture of stubborn pride and pure, fragile exhaustion. She let out a tiny, pathetic huff, but finally opened her mouth to take the warm bite.
The moment the savory soup hit her tongue, her eyes closed, a soft whimper escaping her throat as the warmth began to spread through her shivering frame.
"Is it good?" I whispered, my voice thick with a raw emotion I couldn't hide. I carefully wiped a stray drop from her chin with my thumb, my heart aching at how easily I had disrupted her entire world last night. "I watched the chefs make it. I made sure it was exactly how you like it."
"It's okay," she mumbled cutely, her voice small and muffled against the Snorlax's ear as she swallowed. Her mood swung slightly, the anger softening into a sleepy, emotional vulnerability. "It would taste better if you weren't an absolute idiot, Watson."
"I am an idiot," I agreed instantly, blowing on the next spoonful. "The biggest fool on the planet. I let my raging, territorial jealousy blind me. Seeing you with Jun yesterday... it made me completely lose my mind, Jay. But using another girl to get back at you? That was pathetic. I am so damn sorry, love."
Jay Jay looked up at me, her large, glassy eyes searching my face. The sheer intensity of my gaze made her flush a soft pink, and she leaned a tiny bit heavier against my chest, though her small fingers were still tightly clutching her aching stomach.
She sniffled, burying her pale face right into my neck, her breath fanning hot against my skin. "You still owe me manhood, Watson. The scissors are still on the table for later."
"You can do whatever you want to me," I murmured with a low, rough chuckle, pressing a deep, lingering kiss to her temple. "Just finish your soup, let the heat pad do its work, and rest. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
I fed her the rest of the bowl, guiding the spoon to her lips with absolute, painstaking care until the tray was empty. The warmth of the food seemed to settle her shivering frame, but it didn't completely soften her stubborn defenses. While she swallowed the last few drops, my large hand was still moving in slow, rhythmic circles over her bare waist, gently trying to massage the agonizing tension out of her lower abdomen.
The exact millisecond the spoon scraped the bottom of the empty bowl, Jay Jay's jaw set again. Her eyes snapped open, her gaze locking onto my face with a sharp, cute pout. She weakly swatted my hand away from her waist.
"Okay, the soup is completely gone," she mumbled, her tone instantly flipping from sleepy vulnerability back to an absolute, unyielding defense. She grabbed the fluffy Panda, shoving it between us like a plush shield. "Which means your legal entry permit has officially expired. Now leave me alone. Put me down and don't come back inside, Watson."
"Jay, I'm just holding you—" I began, my voice a low, pleading rasp as I kept my arms wrapped securely around her waist, completely terrified of being banished back out to the cold corridor. "You're still shivering. Let me finish massaging the knots out."
"No! You're not allowed. Go!" she squeaked, wrinkling her nose and glaring at me with those huge, glassy eyes. She tried to look intimidating, but another sudden cramp made her wince, her small fingers clawing at her stomach through the duvet. Even in pain, she held her ground, pointing a trembling finger toward the double doors. "You think a few scoops of soup buys you full-day access to my personal space? Absolutely not. My fortress of solitude is strictly closed to all CEOs named Keifer. Go back outside and think about your life choices."
"Sweetheart, you're in pain," I countered, desperately fighting a losing battle to stay by her side. "At least let me stay on the very edge of the bed. I won't even breathe loudly."
"Nope! Out!" she huffed, her chaotic mood swinging into a clumsy, dramatic display. She grabbed the giant Snorlax and tried to bury her face under it, waving me away like a bothersome fly. "Go away, Keifer. I am highly allergic to your handsome, cheating face right now. My uterus demands your immediate eviction."
I didn't want to go. Every protective instinct inside me screamed to stay, to fight her stubbornness, and to keep her pinned against my chest until she finally forgave me. But as I looked down at her pale, sweating forehead and the absolute exhaustion in her eyes, I knew I had lost the battle. Pushing her any further would only make her stress levels spike and worsen her forced cramps. Her health mattered more than my desperate need for forgiveness.
Defeated, I stopped fighting. But before I stood up, I made sure she was completely comfortable. I carefully pulled the digital heating pad back over her bare abdomen, setting it to a perfectly steady, soothing warmth. I gathered the heavy duvet, tucking it snugly around her shoulders, and neatly arranged her mountain of giant plushies—the Panda, the Snorlax, and all the big animals—securely around her frame so she felt completely protected in her soft fortress.
"Fine," I murmured, leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss to the crown of her head, even though she huffed and tried to dodge it. "I'm going. But I'm staying right by the door."
I picked up the empty tray, casting one last, guilt-ridden look at her small, stubborn form before stepping backward out of the room. The heavy mahogany doors shut between us once again, leaving me banished in the hallway, completely at the mercy of my own regrets.
Jay Jay's POV
The heavy mahogany doors clicked shut, and the sudden, absolute silence in the bedroom hit me like a splash of freezing water.
I sat frozen inside my fortress of giant plushies, clutching the fluffy Panda against my chest so hard its cotton stuffing distorted. My eyes were locked onto the closed door. I stared at the dark wood, my breathing shallow, fully expecting the golden handle to twist open again within three seconds.
Wait. Did he... did he actually just leave?
A sudden, sharp wave of betrayal and intense disappointment slammed into my chest, my raging period hormones instantly twisting my thoughts into a tangled mess of chaotic nonsense.
I hate you, Keifer Watson! I screamed viciously in the deep recesses of my mind, my lower lip trembling violently as a fresh tear spilled over my eyelashes. What an absolute, cold-hearted, literal asshole! I thought he would argue with me! I thought he was a relentless, stubborn CEO who doesn't take orders from anyone, least of all a crampy, dramatic cave-hermit! He was supposed to refuse to leave! He was supposed to completely ignore my eviction notice, climb right back onto the mattress, and forcefully pull me straight back into his lap!
I shifted miserably under the duvet, and the sudden movement made me brutally aware of how cold the bed felt without his massive frame blocking the air.
You were supposed to stay, you idiot! my internal monologue ranted, getting progressively more dramatic and heartbroken by the second. You were supposed to keep your large, burning-hot palms pressed flat against my bare waist, smoothly massaging away those murderous cramps until my uterus stopped trying to build a rocket. I wanted you to hold me tightly against your warm, broad chest so I could hear the steady thumping of your heart. You were supposed to bury your face in my hair and keep whispering sweet, gentle, protective things into my ear until I fell asleep! But no! You just gave up! You just took your empty soup bowl and walked out like a disciplined schoolboy! I hope your luxury watch permanently runs backwards!
I buried my burning face deep into the Snorlax's shoulder, sobbing quietly as I secretly, desperately missed his suffocating warmth.
The digital heating pad on my abdomen was hot, but it wasn't the same. It didn't have his heavy, comforting weight. It didn't have that intoxicating, distinct scent of cedarwood cologne that always made my chaotic mind feel completely safe and anchored, even when I was terrified of blood trauma. Without his strong arms pinning me down and forcing me to relax, the bedroom felt entirely too big, too empty, and freezing cold. My body was still deeply sore and ruined from his roughness last night, and right now, the only medicine I actually wanted was the very man I had just kicked out.
Fine, I huffed mentally, curling into a tight, pathetic ball and squeezing my eyes shut as another sharp cramp rippled through my stomach. Be a statue in the hallway. See if I care. If I freeze to death in this fortress of plushies, I am going to haunt your laptop screen forever, Keifer Watson. Just you wait.
After an hour later.
The heavy silence of the bedroom was suddenly broken by the sound of muffled, deep voices echoing from the grand staircase outside.
My bedroom door didn't just open—it was practically shoved wide by two very familiar, very imposing figures.
Kuya Angelo, looking every bit the strict, fiercely stepped into the room first, his brow furrowed in a dark, demanding glare. Right behind him was Aries, looking as incredibly grumpy and irritated as ever, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Keifer trailed in after them, his face tight with a heavy, tense exhaustion.
The second my eyes landed on them, my chaotic mood swings hit the accelerator.
I was currently buried in the middle of the mattress, completely drowning in Keifer's oversized black hoodie—the fabric smelling so strongly of his cedarwood cologne that it made my chest ache—with my fortress of giant plushies surrounding me.
"Jay Jay," Angelo called out, his strict expression instantly cracking the moment he saw how pale and miserable I looked.
"Kuya!" I wailed pathetically, my voice cracking into a sudden, dramatic sob.
Before Keifer could even take a step toward the bed, both Angelo and Aries closed the distance, climbing right onto the mattress to wrap me in a massive, suffocating double hug. Aries wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders, his grumpy face softening into deep concern as he carefully held my shivering frame, while Angelo kissed the top of my head, anchoring me between them.
Angelo slowly released me, turning his piercing, deadly gaze straight toward Keifer, who was standing near the foot of the bed with his hands buried deep in his pockets, looking entirely forced to face his judgment.
"Listen to me, Watson," Angelo delivered his speech with a low, terrifyingly strict authority that could cut through steel. "I don't care how many companies you run or how brilliant you think you are. Jay Jay is our sister first. You engaged her, which means your absolute number one priority is to protect her. If I ever walk into this mansion again and find her pale, shivering, and neglected like this, I will personally tear up your engagement papers and take her away from you forever. Do you understand me?"
Aries shot a dangerous, defensive glare from my side, tightening his grip on me. "And I'll help him bury whatever is left of you. Don't test us, Watson."
Keifer's jaw clenched, his dark eyes locking onto Angelo with a profound, unyielding gravity, his executive pride completely secondary to his guilt. "Okay, Angelo. I understand. I'm taking care of her."
But the second Keifer tried to look responsible, my inner Section E chaos took complete control of my mouth. I sniffled loudly, burying my face against Aries's jacket, and threw the most dramatic, clumsy tantrum of the century.
"Don't believe him, Kuya Angelo!" I sobbed hysterically, waving a plush panda paw wildly in Keifer's direction. "He is so bad! He is an absolute, cold-hearted villain! He engaged me but he doesn't take care of me at all! Beat him! Curse him! Throw a chair at his handsome face, please!"
Aries immediately began rubbing my back, his grumpy voice dropping into a gentle, consoling murmur as I wept. "Shh, it's okay, Jay. Breathe. Tell me what the asshole did. We'll handle him."
"He left me, Kuya!" I whined, my nonsense thoughts tumbling out in a furious, tearful rush. "He left me all alone when I am not well! My uterus is literally trying to execute me from the inside, and he just took his empty soup bowl and walked out to stand in the hallway like a statue! He prefers his corporate files over my survival! He let a freaky hair-twirling cheerleader sit too close to him at college just to punish me, and now he's freezing me out in my hour of darkness! Please punch him just a little bit!"
Aries kept consoling me, shushing my dramatic wails while holding me tight, his eyes burning holes into Keifer's chest. Keifer just stood there, looking at me with a mixture of absolute, suffocating guilt and a tiny, helpless twitch at the corner of his lips, completely losing the battle against his chaotic, emotional fiancée and her terrifying brothers.