Chapter 48 – He's Home
That night at the Fernandez mansion felt… unusually quiet.
Not peaceful.
Just that kind of silence that comes before something big.
Percy was lying upside down on the sofa watching random videos, laughing at nothing.
Aries sat nearby pretending not to care about anything while checking flight timings for the tenth time.
Angelo was reading something on his laptop, sharp eyes scanning everything like always.
Tita Gemma was making sure no one was "starving emotionally," which somehow translated into feeding everyone more food than necessary.
JJ sat at the dining table, pushing rice around her plate.
Not hungry.
Just waiting.
Tomorrow.
Keifer comes back tomorrow.
That thought alone made her chest feel weird.
Not painful.
Just… full.
Too full.
Like something inside her knew she was going to lose it later and was trying to hold onto it early.
---
Percy leaned back dramatically.
"Finally, the capitalist returns."
Aries didn't look up.
"Don't start."
Angelo glanced at JJ briefly.
"You're unusually quiet."
JJ shrugged.
"…just tired."
Lie.
No one questioned it further.
They never did when she used that tone.
Because JJ's "tired" usually meant "don't dig deeper."
---
That night, she didn't sleep properly.
Not because of fear.
Because of anticipation.
Because for once—
she didn't want tomorrow to end.
---
Morning – Airport Day
The airport was chaos before they even entered it.
Freya was already complaining.
"This is too early. I hate everyone."
Mica yawned loudly.
"I didn't even sleep."
Grace was fixing her hair for no reason.
Ella stood calmly beside Aries, who looked like he was emotionally preparing for war.
Rakhi and Cin were arguing about snacks.
Cin was just excited for no reason.
Keigan and Keiren were sticking close to Aries' car, excited but nervous.
And JJ—
JJ sat quietly in the back seat.
Watching the road.
Not saying much.
Percy noticed immediately.
"Baby sistah."
JJ hummed.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"…yeah."
Another lie.
Aries glanced at her through the mirror but didn't push.
He knew better.
---
Airport Arrival
The airport was packed.
Media presence was already visible.
Security everywhere.
People waiting.
The air felt loud even before anything happened.
Keiren tugged JJ's sleeve.
"Is he really that famous overseas now?"
JJ smirked slightly.
"Worse."
Percy sighed.
"Great. We adopted a billionaire problem."
Aries muttered:
"We didn't adopt him."
"You basically did," Freya said instantly.
---
Then—
the gates opened.
---
Keifer Returns
For a second—
everything stopped.
Keifer stepped out.
Black jacket.
Calm expression.
Same smirk.
But sharper now.
More tired.
More real.
Like London changed something in him that didn't fully leave.
And behind him—
guards.
Reporters.
Noise.
Flash cameras exploded instantly.
"KEIFER WATSON!"
"CEO OF WATSON CORP!"
"YOUNGEST IN ASIA—"
Everything became chaos.
But Keifer didn't look at them.
Not first.
His eyes scanned the crowd.
Searching.
Like he already knew exactly what he was looking for.
And then—
he found her.
---
JJ Moves First
JJ didn't wait.
Didn't think.
Didn't care about cameras or people or anything else.
She just ran.
Straight through the crowd.
Ignoring calls behind her.
Ignoring Percy shouting her name.
Ignoring Freya yelling "THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SECURITY."
She ran like it was instinct.
Like her body knew where it belonged before her mind did.
Keifer saw her coming.
And for the first time that morning—
he smiled properly.
Not CEO smile.
Not public smile.
Real one.
---
She crashed into him.
Hard.
Full force.
Like she'd been holding herself back for too long and finally stopped.
Keifer caught her instantly.
Arms tightening around her without hesitation.
Like it was automatic.
Like she wasn't something new—
she was something familiar.
Something already his.
JJ buried her face into his chest without saying anything.
Just held on.
Keifer exhaled slowly.
And placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Soft.
Protective.
Like a promise without words.
---
For a moment—
everything else disappeared.
The noise.
The cameras.
The world.
Just them.
---
Then—
"OH MY GOD THEY'RE REAL."
Freya screamed instantly.
Cin nearly fell laughing.
"THE PRESIDENT IS BACK AND HE'S DOWN BAD."
Percy looked offended and relieved at the same time.
"BABY SISTAH DID NOT EVEN HESITATE."
Aries sighed heavily.
"…predictable."
Ella just smiled quietly beside him.
Rakhi whispered:
"This is actually insane."
Mica: "I need therapy after this airport."
Grace: "Same."
Keigan and Keiren were just staring like this was the coolest thing they'd ever seen.
Keigan whispered:
"Is this what love looks like?"
Keiren nodded.
"Scary."
---
Keifer finally pulled back slightly.
JJ still clung to his jacket.
He looked at her.
Really looked.
"You didn't change," he said softly.
JJ frowned.
"I was gone for ONE MONTH."
"That's a long time," he said simply.
JJ rolled her eyes but didn't let go.
"…you're heavier now."
"Rude."
"Fact."
He smiled again.
And then—
quietly:
"I missed you."
JJ stopped teasing instantly.
Just looked at him.
And for a second—
her expression softened in a way no one else got to see.
"…yeah," she said quietly. "I know."
---
After Media Leaves
Eventually security cleared the crowd.
Reporters moved away.
Noise faded.
And suddenly—
they were just a group again.
A chaotic, loud, too-many-people group.
Cin immediately clapped.
"WELCOME BACK, PRESIDENT!"
Keifer raised an eyebrow.
"Still alive."
"Barely emotionally," Percy said.
JJ smacked Percy's arm instantly.
"Stop talking."
Freya smirked.
"So are we pretending you two didn't just perform a romantic movie scene?"
JJ snapped instantly.
"It was NOT a scene."
Keifer calmly added:
"It was."
JJ turned red immediately.
"WATSON."
He smiled slightly.
"I missed this."
JJ glared at him but didn't deny it.
---
Going to Keifer's House
Cars were arranged quickly.
Keifer's return convoy felt more like a parade now.
JJ ended up in the same car as him without even questioning it.
Percy insisted loudly:
"I AM COMING TOO."
Aries: "Obviously."
Cin: "I just want food."
Felix: "I want chaos."
And somehow—
they all ended up moving together again.
Like nothing ever broke.
Like everything was just paused.
---
JJ leaned slightly against the window.
Keifer noticed immediately.
"You're quiet."
JJ didn't look at him.
"…just tired."
He hummed softly.
Then quietly took her hand.
No teasing.
No drama.
Just held it.
Like it was normal.
Like it always should've been.
JJ didn't pull away.
Not this time.
---
And for the first time in a long time—
JJ let herself believe something dangerous.
That maybe—
just maybe—
she had enough time left to keep holding onto this.
Even if deep down…
she already knew how temporary everything was becoming.
---
At mansion.
Keifer's mansion didn't feel like a house anymore.
It felt like a small chaotic universe that had learned how to host disasters politely.
Lights were strung across the garden.
Music was already too loud.
Somewhere near the pool, Cin was arguing with David about whether chips count as a "main food group."
Felix was sitting on the steps looking spiritually exhausted.
Rory and Eman were trying to set up speakers while Calix yelled at them for "destroying audio balance."
Endrix had already lost Freya somewhere inside the house.
Denzel was carefully staying close to Grace, who was sitting comfortably and looking at him like she owned his entire nervous system.
Rakhi and Mica were laughing on the side while Ella calmly kept Aries from starting an unnecessary argument with literally anyone.
Percy had declared himself "event emotional manager."
No one agreed.
He stayed anyway.
Keigan and Keiren were running around like the mansion was Disneyland.
And Yuri—
Yuri was leaning against a pillar, eating snacks again like he paid rent in chaos.
"This place is worse than war," he commented casually.
"It's called a party," Percy snapped.
"It's called survival," Yuri corrected.
---
JJ stood near the entrance for a moment.
Just watching.
This many people.
This much noise.
This much life.
Her chest tightened in a way she didn't fully understand.
But she smiled anyway.
Because everyone looked… alive.
And that made it feel worth it.
---
Keifer appeared beside her quietly.
"You okay?"
JJ nodded.
"…yeah."
He didn't believe her.
But he didn't push.
Instead—
he just stood there beside her.
Like a shield that didn't announce itself.
---
The Mansion Chaos Begins
Cin suddenly grabbed a drink and yelled:
"TO SECTION E SURVIVING EVERYTHING!"
Felix groaned.
"We barely survived school."
Freya raised her glass.
"TO BAD DECISIONS!"
Endrix added:
"TO ENDING RELATIONSHIP DRAMA!"
Aries immediately looked at him.
Ella sighed softly.
Grace laughed.
"TO OUR FUTURE BABY'S PEACEFUL LIFE."
Denzel nearly choked.
"DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT IN PUBLIC."
Mica whispered to Calix:
"I feel like we're in a reality show."
Calix nodded.
"We are."
Yuri raised his drink lazily.
"TO NOT DYING."
Percy shouted:
"TO MY BABY SISTAH NOT FADING AWAY—"
JJ instantly smacked him.
"SHUT UP."
Everyone laughed.
Even Keifer.
---
JJ in the Middle of Chaos
At some point—
JJ ended up sitting on the couch between Freya and Yuri while Keifer talked with Aries and Denzel nearby.
Freya leaned closer.
"So," she whispered, "you and Watson… real real?"
JJ sighed.
"Why is everyone obsessed with my personal suffering."
Yuri answered instantly:
"Because it's entertaining."
JJ glared.
"I hate all of you."
Yuri smiled.
"No you don't."
That silence meant he was right.
---
The Unexpected Arrival
The music shifted suddenly.
Not because someone changed it—
but because the entire room felt like it paused for half a second.
The front gates opened.
A new car entered slowly.
Black.
Clean.
Too expensive to be casual.
Even Percy stopped talking mid-sentence.
"…who invited THAT energy?"
Keifer didn't move immediately.
He just narrowed his eyes slightly.
JJ noticed instantly.
"…you didn't expect someone?"
Keifer didn't answer.
That alone was enough.
---
The car door opened.
And a woman stepped out carrying files and a tablet.
Sharp eyes.
Controlled posture.
Professional aura.
She looked around once—
like she already owned the space.
Then walked forward calmly.
Inside the mansion—
the noise slowly lowered.
Not fear.
Just attention.
Because this wasn't a guest.
This was someone important.
Someone dangerous in a different way.
Someone who didn't need to raise their voice to take control.
Percy whispered:
"…okay I don't like that entrance."
Yuri smirked slightly.
"That's a 'problems arrived' entrance."
---
The woman stopped in front of Keifer.
"Mr. Watson," she said calmly.
Keifer's expression didn't change.
But the air did.
"Assistant Honey Bee Rider reporting."
Silence.
JJ blinked.
"…Honey what?"
Percy choked.
"EXCUSE ME?"
Cin whispered:
"That sounds like a fake name."
Felix muttered:
"That sounds like a warning."
Aries went instantly serious.
Ella straightened slightly.
Even Yuri stopped eating.
---
The woman—Honey Bee Rider—handed Keifer a file.
"London developments escalated."
Keifer took it without breaking eye contact.
JJ watched his expression shift slightly.
Not panic.
Not surprise.
Just focus sharpening.
Whatever was in that file—
was serious.
Denzel frowned.
"Is everything okay?"
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he glanced at JJ for half a second.
Then back at the file.
"…not yet."
---
JJ felt it then.
That shift.
That invisible change in the room where fun stopped being the only thing happening.
Something bigger had stepped into their chaos.
Something that didn't care about parties.
Or laughter.
Or normal life.
---
And for the first time that night—
JJ noticed something she didn't want to think about.
Keifer Watson wasn't just home for a break.
He had brought something back with him from London.
And it was already starting to change everything.