Authors POV
The next morning, the sun bled through the heavy velvet curtains of the master suite. Keifer stirred first, his arm tightening instinctively around Jay. For a split second, the "Ice King" forgot about mergers and hostile boards; he just watched her sleep. But the peace was short-lived.
08:00 HRS
A rhythmic, heavy thudding echoed from the hallway.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Keifer groaned, sitting up and rubbing his face. Jay blinked awake, her lethal instincts instantly sharp. "Is that... a basketball?"
The door burst open. Aion stood there, already decked out in full MMA gear, bouncing a ball with a look of fake desperation. "Keifer !Finally! You promised me a sparring session at 08:00. You said if I didn't beat your defensive time by Friday, I'm back to basic drills. Let's go!"
Keifer stared at him, his gaze icy. "Aion, it's 08:01. Get out before I make you run to the border."
"Can't! A deal's a deal!" Aion shouted, practically dragging a confused Keifer out of bed.
As Keifer was hauled toward the gym, Keiren and Keigan slipped into the room like twin shadows. They didn't even give Jay a chance to reach for her robe.
"Jay Jay! Emergency!" Keiren cried, thrusting a tablet into her hands. "The school's 'Economic Gala' project is falling apart. The budget for the logistics simulation is leaking, and if we don't fix the supply chain algorithm now, we're going to fail."
Jay sighed, her professional "Ghost" persona softening. She couldn't say no to both of them ."Fine. Give me ten minutes to get coffee."
"No time! The server resets at 08:15!" Keigan urged, pulling her toward the private study in the opposite wing of the mansion.
12:00 HRS
Downstairs in the sub-level ballroom, the "Strongbuild" was buzzing like a hornet's nest. Jane was standing on a ladder, barking orders at Felix and Josh, who were struggling with a massive silver backdrop.
"Left! No, your other left, Felix! If that silver isn't perfectly aligned with the obsidian floor, Jay will notice the moment she walks in!" Jane hissed.
Mia and Ben were huddled in the corner with Blaster. "I've looped the security cameras," Ben whispered, his fingers flying across a laptop. "If Keifer looks at the Ballroom monitors, he'll just see a loop of the janitorial staff cleaning. He won't see David and Yuri lugging in three crates of vintage bourbon."
"Good," Mia nodded, adjusting the acoustics. "I've set the sound system to a frequency that cancels out the noise of the power tools. They won't hear a thing from the study or the gym."
In the kitchen, Eman and Denzel were arguing over the menu. "Steak is fine, but we need something for Jay," Denzel argued. "She likes those tiny spicy tuna crisps from that one place in Sector 4."
"I've already sent Eren to retrieve them under the guise of a 'security supply run,'" Eman smirked. "Relax. The food will be fit for royalty."
The girls were busy with their own preparations.
16:00 HRS
By late afternoon, the plan hit a snag. In the gym, Keifer was dripping sweat, having put Aion through the ringer. He paused, wiping his brow with a towel, his eyes narrowing as he saw Rory and Edrix whispering by the equipment locker.
"Why are you two still here?" Keifer asked, his voice a low rumble. "Don't you two have some work?"
"Uh... yes, Keifer! Just... checking the... weight distribution of the grenades!" Rory stammered, bolted out of the room.
Keifer's eyes followed them. Something felt off. The mansion felt too "busy" for a normal holiday.
Meanwhile, in the study, Jay was staring at the "school project" Keiren and Keigan had presented. Her brow furrowed. "Keig, this algorithm is for a global shipping conglomerate. Why would a high school project need to account for Somali pirate routes?"
Keigan broke into a cold sweat. "It's... a very advanced school, Jay?"
Jay leaned back, her diamond-gaze piercing through him. "Where's MICA? And why has Freya walked past this door four times carrying rolls of black silk?"
20:00 HRS
The sun set, and the tension reached a breaking point. Kyle stood in the center of the ballroom, which was now a masterpiece of dark elegance. Silver streamers hung like Keifer's blade, and obsidian tables shone like Jay's eyes.
Suddenly, his radio crackled. " Jay's Warrior , scatter! The King is heading for the kitchen! He's hungry!" Percy's voice screamed over the comms.
"HIDE THE CAKE!" Cin shrieked.
Aries grabbed the three-tier silver and black masterpiece and dove behind a velvet curtain just as the kitchen door swung open.
Keifer walked in, looking for a snack, only to find Jane and Ella standing completely still, pretending to intensely study a toaster.
"Is there a reason for you all acting like youu've committed a felony?" Keifer asked, his hand resting on the counter.
"We're just... really passionate about breakfast for tomorrow, Keifer.Why are you here ? Are you hungry?" Jane said, her voice trembling only slightly.
Keifer lingered for a moment, his predatory instincts screaming that he was being played. But then, Jay walked in, looking equally exhausted from her "logistics" session.
"Keifer," she murmured, leaning against him. "Keir and Keigan are driving me insane with their project. Let's just go to sleep."
Keifer looked at his fiancee tired face, then at the suspicious group in the kitchen. He sighed. "Fine. But if I find a single hidden camera in our room, I'm sending you all to coal factory."
As they headed upstairs, the group in the kitchen exhaled in a collective burst of relief.
"That was too close," Kyle whispered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Five days to go. If we survive this, we can survive anything."