(Jay's POV)
The kitchen smelled like heaven, mostly because Keifer's cold coffee was a masterpiece. I was sitting at the table, taking a slow sip, while Serina—my actual, real-life, future mother-in-law—braided my hair. It had only been a few hours since she literally rose from the dead, but we were already acting like best friends at a sleepover.
Keifer was leaning against the counter, watching us with this incredibly soft, goofy smile. His eyes were actually shiny. I knew exactly what he was thinking. For years, he thought his dad had ruined his family forever. He had spent his whole life being a lonely, grumpy alpha-male CEO president of section E, wishing his mom could meet the girl he loved. Now, it was happening. He looked like he was convinced he was trapped in a very vivid, very beautiful dream, and if he blinked too hard, he would wake up back in his boring office.
"You have such thick hair, Jay," Serina said, her voice smooth and sweet. "Unlike Keifer. When he was a baby, he had about three hairs on his head. We used to call him our little bald eagle."
"Hey! I had plenty of hair!" Keifer protested, though his voice lacked any real bite. He walked over and dropped a soft kiss on top of my head, then kissed his mom's cheek. "I am glad you two are getting along. But please stop exposing my baby photos verbally."
"Never," I said, pointing my coffee spoon at him. "I am compiling a folder of your childhood trauma for future blackmail purposes."
By the time afternoon rolled around, the initial shock of the morning had worn off, and pure laziness took over. The London weather outside was gray and drizzling, which was the perfect excuse to do absolutely nothing.
The three of us crowded onto the massive living room couch. It was a hilarious seating arrangement. Serina was sitting on the left side, Keifer was on the right, and I was stretched out like a human bridge across both of them. My head was resting squarely on Serina's lap, and my legs were draped over Keifer's lap.
"You are very heavy for someone who only eats snacks," Keifer teased, poking my ankle.
"Excuse you, this is pure muscle and personality," I retorted.
To punish me, Keifer began to tickle the bottom of my bare feet. I gasped, kicking my legs wildly, which only made him laugh and tickle harder.
"Mom, help! Police! He is abusing his fiancé!" I yelled, wiggling around on the couch.
Serina laughed, a beautiful, musical sound, and gently patted my shoulder. "Keifer, stop torturing my favorite daughter-in-law. Leave her feet alone."
"She started it," Keifer muttered, but he stopped tickling and instead just rested his hand warmly on my ankles.
For a while, we just talked and laughed about stupid things. We talked about how Keifer was incredibly a good shef and I highly praised his coffee, how his younger brothers Keigan and Keiren were probably crying tears of joy in home right now, and how much I loved the white outfit Serina was wearing. It was loud, chaotic, and perfect.
Then, out of nowhere, the mood shifted.
Serina's hands stopped playing with my hair. Her face went completely blank, and then a look of deep anxiety washed over her features. She looked down at Keifer, her shoulders tensing up.
"Keifer," Serina said, her voice dropping into a very serious, quiet whisper. "Please... do not become mad at me for what I am about to tell you."
I froze. My legs went stiff on Keifer's lap. I looked up at Keifer, my face twisted into a worried frown. The atmosphere in the room turned from sunny to stormy in less than a second.
Keifer noticed my panic immediately. He reached out, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it tightly to comfort me. His grip was warm and solid, but his own face had gone completely pale. He looked at his mother, his jaw clenching slightly.
"Mom?" Keifer asked, his voice steady but cautious. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Serina took a deep breath. She looked like she was about to confess to a major crime. "Keifer... you have a twin sister."
The room went dead silent.
"She was hidden from the Watson family for a very long time," Serina continued quickly, the words rushing out of her. "She has been under the secret supervision of Jaspher this entire time. Her name is Kiara. Maria Kiara Watson."
Keifer blinked. Once. Twice. His brain completely short-circuited. You could practically hear the Windows error sound effects playing inside his head. He looked like someone had just told him that gravity wasn't real or that the sky was actually neon pink. He couldn't process a single syllable.
A twin sister? A whole extra person? A female version of him? It was too much for his CEO brain to compute.
Meanwhile, my brain was doing something completely different.
While this massive, life-altering family secret was being dropped on our heads, my mind decided to be totally, 100% unserious. The seriousness of the moment completely bypassed me. Why? Because my stomach chose that exact second to make a loud, rumbling noise.
A twin sister, I thought. Wow. That is crazy. I wonder if she likes tacos. Or pizza. Actually, what are we having for lunch? Is it too early for a sandwich? I really want a sandwich. Maybe with extra cheese.
Serina looked down at me, noticing that I was staring blankly at the ceiling with a dreamy expression on my face. She looked a little confused by my lack of tears or shock.
"Aren't you surprised, dear?" Serina asked gently.
I bounced up from her lap, sitting straight up on the couch. A huge, mischievous grin spread across my face. "Honestly? This is amazing news. This is nice because now I can team up with Kiara to completely irritate Keifer. We are going to ruin his life in the best way possible."
Keifer slowly turned his head to look at me. His eyes were wide with utter disbelief. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Are you serious, wifey? My mom just told me I have a secret twin, and your first thought is to build an army against me?"
"Yes, obviously," I said, nodding proudly. "It is called strategy."
Serina burst out laughing. The heavy, tense air in the room completely evaporated. Her loud, joyful laughter filled the living room, and even Keifer couldn't help but let out a reluctant chuckle. My absolute refusal to be dramatic had broken the tension.
"I want to meet her," I declared, waving my hands in the air. "Where is she? Can we call her?"
"Well," Serina said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "She will actually be arriving here later this afternoon."
Suddenly, Keifer's head snapped backward. It looked like a lightbulb had exploded in his brain. His eyes narrowed as a very old memory fought its way to the surface of his mind.
"Wait," Keifer said, his voice rising in realization. "Mom... is she that Kiara? The Kiara I used to play with when I was a little kid? Whenever we went to visit that close friend of yours?"
Serina smiled warmly and nodded."Oh my god," Keifer gasped, putting his hands over his face. "So that friend... was no other than Jaspher Mariano? Your secret partner was Jay's dad this entire time?!"
"Yes, exactly," Serina explained. "After kindergarten, things became too dangerous. Kiara was sent away to study in a very private, highly secure boarding school. I had to hide her from everyone, Keifer. I had to hide her because of your father, Kaizer."
Her voice went a little dark as she mentioned his name. "Before you boys were born, Kaizer made it very clear. He only wanted boys to inherit his empire. He hated the idea of a daughter. If he knew I had given birth to a girl, he would have treated her terribly, or worse. I couldn't risk her safety. So, Jaspher took her in and kept her hidden from Kaizer's spies."
Keifer nodded slowly, the pieces of his broken childhood finally clicking together into a giant puzzle. It all made sense now. The secret visits, the random little girl he played with, the sudden disappearance.
I, on the other hand, was thrilled. "Wow. I am living in a literal soap opera. This is the best plot twist ever!"
"Oh, is it?" Keifer growled playfully.
Before I could run away, Keifer grabbed my waist and pulled me down. Serina, joining in on the fun, grabbed my arms. Together, they started tickling me everywhere—my ribs, my stomach, my sides.
"Ahhh! No! War crime! Betrayal!" I screamed, laughing so hard no sound was coming out. I wiggled so violently that I rolled right off the couch and fell flat onto the living room rug, gasping for air while they laughed at me.
(Time switches to Afternoon)
Time flew by, and soon enough, it was late afternoon. I had abandoned the living room drama because my stomach was actively staging a protest. I went into the kitchen, grabbed a massive bowl, and filled it to the absolute brim with cornflakes and milk. I was standing by the kitchen island, happily shoveling cereal into my face like a caveman.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, echoing through the house.
"I'll get it!" Serina called out from the hallway.
I stayed in the kitchen, chewing loudly, but I kept my ears open. I heard the heavy front door click open.
"MOM!!!" a loud, energetic voice screamed from the foyer.
The next sound I heard was a massive THUD, followed by a soft groan from Serina. I peeked around the kitchen wall. A girl with long, dark hair and a bright pink leather jacket had literally tackled Serina to the ground. She was hugging her so tightly they were both sprawled out on the entryway floor.
"MOM! I missed you so much! You're alive! You're really alive!" the girl cried, burying her face in Serina's neck.
Serina chuckled, patting the girl's back as they both struggled to sit up on the rug. "Kiara, darling... I missed you too. But please, your mother is old. You are going to break my ribs."
Kiara stood up, helping Serina up and dusting off her clothes. She looked incredibly elegant, but her energy was pure chaos. She looked exactly like a female version of Keifer, except where Keifer was calm, serious and intimidating, Kiara looked like she was ready to start a flash mob.
"Where is he?" Kiara asked, looking around the house excitedly. "Where is my brother?"
"Well," Serina said, smoothing down her white outfit. "Keifer knows the truth now. He is right inside."
Right on cue, Keifer walked out of the living room and stepped into the hallway. He stopped in his tracks, staring at the girl who shared his face.
Kiara didn't hesitate. She sprinted down the hallway like a Olympic track star and threw her arms around Keifer's neck. "Oh my brother! My twin! My built-in best friend! So you finally know the truth now! Wow, you have grown up so beautiful... just like me!"
Serina walked up behind them, shaking her head with a grin. "It is handsome, dear. Men are handsome."
"Whatever, same thing, we share DNA, so he is gorgeous," Kiara dismissed, pulling away from the hug and slapping Keifer's shoulder. Then, she looked around the hallway, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Okay, so where is she? Where is that blessed, holy woman who actually has the courage and patience to be engaged to you? Someone needs to give her a medal."
Keifer burst out laughing. He didn't even try to defend himself. Instead, he just raised his hand and pointed directly toward the kitchen. "She is in there. Go see for yourself."
Kiara marched toward the kitchen, with Serina and Keifer trailing closely behind her.
They walked in to find me standing over the sink. My mouth was completely full of cornflakes. There was a little bit of milk dripping near my chin, and I was holding the giant cereal bowl like it was a prized trophy.
I froze, looking at the elegant, beautiful Kiara. Realizing I looked like a feral raccoon, I slowly raised my spoon, waved it at her, and swallowed hard.
"Hi," I squeaked out. "I am so sorry. I was just really hungry."
Keifer covered his face with his hands, groaning in embarrassment. "See? This is my terrifying fiancé. A true queen."
Kiara didn't laugh. She stopped walking. Her eyes widened as she scanned my face, looking at my messy hair, my oversized t-shirt, and my wide eyes. Her jaw slowly dropped open.
"Wait," Kiara whispered, taking a step closer to me. "Are you... are you Jay? Jaspher Jean Mariano?"
I blinked, lowering my cereal bowl. "Yeah? Did Keifer tell you my full name?"
"No!" Kiara screamed, her voice hitting a high note. "Don't you remember me, Jay?! Look at my face! We were in the exact same kindergarten class! We used to eat dirt behind the slide together!"
My brain did a quick rewind to when I was five years old. I remembered a loud, wild girl who used to steal my juice boxes and fight boys who tried to pull my hair.
"Oh my god," I gasped, my eyes turning into saucers. "Kia?! It's you?!"
"IT IS ME!" Kiara shrieked.
I slammed my cereal bowl down on the counter, completely forgetting about food. Kiara screamed again, and we both ran toward each other. We collided in a massive hug, grabbing each other's hands, and began jumping up and down in a circle in the middle of the kitchen, screaming like absolute lunatics.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S YOU!" I yelled, jumping.
"I KNOW! YOU'RE MARRYING MY BROTHER!" she yelled back, also jumping.
Behind us, Keifer was standing completely frozen. His mouth was open so wide a bird could have nested in it. He looked totally shocked, his brain officially breaking for the second time that day.
Serina looked just as confused, but she was highly amused. "Wait, hold on," Serina said, stepping forward. "Do you two actually know each other from before?"
Kiara stopped jumping, though she kept her arm firmly linked through mine. "Mom! Jay was the legendary best friend I used to yap about on the phone with you for hours when I was in boarding school! The one who helped me steal the teacher's glitter markers!"
"Oh!" Serina clapped her hands together. "The glitter marker partner! Now it all makes sense!"
Keifer slowly looked from me, to Kiara, and then back to me. A look of sheer, unadulterated terror washed over his face. He realized his nightmare had just come true. Not only did he have a twin sister, but his twin sister was already best friends with his chaotic fiancé.
"No," Keifer whispered, taking a step back. "No, this is bad. This is a disaster for me."
I threw my arm around Kiara's shoulder, giving Keifer a highly villainous smirk. "Oh, yes. Now we are going to team up. You are completely outnumbered, my keifer ."
Keifer dramatically turned to his mother, putting a hand over his heart like he was dying. "Mom! Look at them! They are going to destroy me! What will happen to me now in my own house?!"
Serina laughed loudly, walking over to wrap her arms around Keifer's waist, leaning her head against his broad shoulder.
"Oh, my dear Keifer," Serina said, her eyes crinkling with pure happiness as she looked at her chaotic family. "Don't you worry. I will make sure they leave you at least some of your dignity."
"No promises!" Kiara and I yelled at the same time, before we both burst into laughter, filling the house with the happiest sound Keifer had ever heard...