JAY JAY POV
I finally made it home. Well, to the mansion. It still feels weird saying that.
Tonight was the big reunion the new restaurant. Freya was practically vibrating through the phone earlier, demanding to meet Keifer. She wanted to see the billionaire who snatched me up so fast. I had to use every excuse in the book—mostly that he was "busy with world-dominance or whatever"—to get her to back off. After ten minutes of her whining, she finally said fine.
Jusko. If she met him, she'd spend the whole night interrogating him like a suspect on a crime show.
I spent a good hour staring at the walk-in closet. There were so many fancy dresses in there that I felt like I was back in a museum.
I tried on a few, but I just looked... well, not like me. I looked like a kid playing dress-up in her mom's clothes.
Finally, I gave up and chose a simple pleated skirt and a light top. It's humid outside, so this should keep me from melting like a popsicle. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, letting a few strands frame my face.
"Where are you going?"
I jumped about ten feet into the air.
Why does he move like a ninja?!
I turned around to see Keifer leaning against the doorframe. He was still in his work clothes, but his tie was gone and his top button was undone. Why does he look like he's in a photoshoot 24/7? It's honestly offensive.
"I'm going to a restaurant with some friends," I said, trying to act cool while clutching my small sling bag.
He nodded slowly, his eyes scanning me from my ponytail down to my sandals. He didn't speak for a full ten seconds. The silence was so thick I could have spread it on toast.
"What?" I asked, getting self-conscious. "Is there something on my face? Did I forget to blend my concealer? Is my skirt inside out?!"
"You look like a high schooler," Keifer said flatly.
My jaw practically hit the floor. A high schooler?!
"Excuse me?!" I crossed my arms "I am twenty-three years old! I have a degree! I am a grown-ass woman, Keifer Watson!"
He didn't look convinced. He took a step into the room, his shadow completely covering me. He looked down at my ponytail, a small, annoying smirk playing on his lips.
"The ponytail makes you look like you're about to go to a pep rally," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. "Are you sure you aren't sneaking off to a prom?"
"Ha-ha. Very funny," I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. "At least I don't look like I'm going to a funeral every day in a three-piece suit. This is called 'comfortable fashion,' okay? You wouldn't understand."
I tried to walk past him, but he didn't move. He just stood there like a wall of expensive peppermint-scented muscle.
"Who are these 'friends'?" he asked.
I blinked. Wait. Is that... curiosity? Or is he just bored? "Just the squad. Freya, Mica, Grace... and Ci-n and Rakki. Most of them are bringing their partners."
Keifer's expression shifted. It was subtle—just a slight tightening of his jaw—but I noticed it. "So there will be other men there."
"Well, yeah? It's a group dinner, Keifer. Not a convent meeting," I teased, feeling a weird little skip in my heart.
He didn't say anything for a moment. He just looked at me, his gaze intense enough to make my palms sweat and my brain start playing a dramatic background instrumental. Then, he reached out and flicked the end of my ponytail.
"I'm coming too," he said, his voice dropping into that tone—the one that sounds like an order disguised as a suggestion.
I blinked. Wait, what? "No need!" I said, waving my hands frantically. "It's just a casual dinner. You'll be bored to tears. My friends talk about gossip and siomai for hours. You'll just end up checking your emails the whole night."
"You said they're bringing their partners," Keifer countered, taking a step closer until I felt the cool glass of the full-length mirror behind me. "Right now, I'm your partner."
Before I could even come up with a witty comeback about "social boundaries," he moved. In one swift motion, he leaned forward, pinning me against the mirror with his arms on either side of my head.
My heart. Stop it. We are in a mansion, not a Wattpad library!
"Stop pinning me!" I squeaked, my hands bunching into fists against his chest. I felt like a trapped butterfly, and he was the very handsome, very arrogant collector.
"You're tiny. It's easy to pin you," he said, looking down at me with a smirk that was 100% pure teasing.
Tiny?! I am average height for a Filipina, thank you very much!
"I am not tiny! You're just a giant!" I huffed, looking up at him. Our faces were so close I could see the golden flecks in his eyes
In a fit of desperate defiance, I balled up my fist and hit his shoulder.
POW!
"Ouch!" I yelped, immediately clutching my own hand. Gago! Truly! Why is he made of steel? I'm pretty sure I just bruised my knuckles on his deltoids. It was like punching a marble statue.
Keifer didn't even flinch. He just looked at his shoulder, then back at me, his smirk widening as he saw me nursing my hand.
"Did the high schooler just try to start a fight?" he teased, his voice a low rumble.
"Shut up, Watson!" I hissed, my face burning. "That was a tactical strike! You just happen to have suspiciously hard bones!"
He let out a short, genuine laugh—the kind that always made my heart do a triple backflip. He didn't move away, though. He leaned in even closer, his peppermint scent completely wrapping around me like a blanket.
"If we're going, we're going together," he murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips for a split second before meeting my eyes again. "Unless you want me to tell Freya exactly why we were late when she calls to check on you."
"You wouldn't!"
"Try me, Teach."
I let out a long, defeated sigh. I was outmatched.
"Fine! But you have to be nice! No scaring Ci-n, and no talking about stocks!" I commanded, pointing a finger at his chest.
Keifer finally pushed off the mirror, giving me some much-needed breathing room. He reached for his suit jacket, draped it over his arm, and checked his reflection one last time.
"I'll be on my best behavior," he promised, though that lingering smirk told me he was definitely planning something. "Now let's go. I don't want the donkey-lover to be late for her dinner."
Donkey-lover?!
"I hate you so much!" I yelled as he walked out of the room.
I grabbed my bag, checked the mirror to make sure my face wasn't actually purple from blushing, and hurried after him
We finally reached the restaurant, and my stomach was already doing a nervous tap-dance. I could see them from the entrance—the whole chaotic squad gathered around a long table.
"Jay! Over here!" Mica waved, her face lit up with a huge grin.
I smiled back, feeling a wave of relief, and hurried toward them. Keifer followed behind me
The moment we got to the table, the atmosphere shifted from loud reunion to frozen shock.
"Keifer?" Calix blurted out, standing up. He looked at Keifer, then at me, then back at Keifer. "You're... you're married to Jay-jay?"
"I never would've thought," David added, looking like he'd just seen a glitch in the simulation. Even Denzel stopped halfway through feeding his daughter, Gracezel.
I stood there, blinking like a confused owl. "You guys know each other?" I asked, finally finding my voice as I pulled out a chair.
"We all went to high school together, Jay. Past Section E," Denzel said, leaning back with a grin.
I almost choked on my own spit. My eyes widened so much I was pretty sure they were going to fall out. I turned to Keifer, my finger pointing accusingly at him. "You were in Section E?!"
My Keifer Watson? The billionaire? The king of arrogant folders? He was part of the legendary, chaos-filled Section E?!
"You didn't know that?" Calix asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
Before I could answer and defend my honor, Keifer pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down with a smirk that was 100% pure mischief.
"Of course she knew," Keifer said, his voice smooth and teasing. He didn't even look at me, but I could feel his shoulder brushing mine. "She just forgot. Her memory is bad, you know. She probably left that part of her brain at school."
I glared at him, my mouth agape. Asshole! My memory is perfectly fine! I can remember the names of every organ in the human body and the exact price of a bucket of fried chicken!
"My memory is per-fec-tly fine, Watson!" I hissed, leaning toward him.
He didn't even flinch. He just leaned back, looking completely at home with the guys. "If you say so, Teach. But remind me again... where did you put your keys this morning?"
"That—that was a strategic misplacement!" I stammered, my face turning that familiar shade of red.
"Tita Jay! Tita Jay! Look, the dinosaur is eating your steak!"
I looked down and my heart immediately melted. It was Gracezel, Denzel and Grace's five-year-old daughter. She was marching a plastic T-Rex onto the edge of my plate.
"Oh no! Help me, Gracezel! The dinosaur is going to steal my dinner!" I played along, making a dramatic shocked face.
"Don't worry, Tita! I'll catch him!" She laughed, her high-pitched giggles filling the table.
Grace shook her head, smiling at us. "Gosh, Jay. You're better at handling a five-year-old than I am. Maybe it's a sign? practicing early?"
I nearly choked on a potato. Practice?! I'm not even ready to cook a proper adobo yet, let alone handle mini-Watsons!
"Grace! Don't start!" I hissed, my face heating up.
"Tita Jay, why is your face red? Are you sick?" Gracezel asked, tilting her head innocently.
"No, baby... Tita is just... it's just hot in here!" I fanned my face, desperately avoiding Keifer's gaze.
But Keifer didn't let me off. He leaned in closer, his arm resting on the back of my chair. "She's not sick, Gracezel," he said, his voice like velvet. "Tita Jay just gets shy very easily. It's one of her... charms."
Gago. Truly.
"Is Tita Jay shy because of you, Ninong Keifer?" Gracezel asked.
(NINONG- GODFATHER)
Keifer actually let out a genuine chuckle. "Maybe. What do you think? Should I be nicer to her?"
Gracezel nodded solemnly. "Yes! You have to give her chocolate. My Daddy gives Mommy chocolate when she's grumpy."
The whole table erupted in laughter. Denzel turned bright red, while Grace just winked at me. Keifer didn't look away; he just watched me with a gaze that was soft... and maybe a little bit fascinated.
"I'll remember that," Keifer murmured.
I looked down at my plate, stabbing a stray carrot.
"So you're the one who proposed to our Jay and didn't even mind inviting me?" Freya said, her voice dropping into that dangerously sharp mean girl tone
She crossed her arms, her designer rings flashing under the restaurant lights.
Keifer didn't even blink. He took a slow sip of his water, looking at her like she was a business proposal that lacked sufficient data.
"Who are you again?" Keifer asked.
The table went silent. I could practically hear the Final Fantasy battle music starting. Calix and Denzel both winced, instinctively leaning away from Freya.
Freya's eyes widened, and her hand slowly reached for her steak knife. I'm 100% sure she was about to throw her medium-rare ribeye straight at Keifer's perfectly groomed head.
"She is an obstetrician!" I blurted out, waving my hands between them like a frantic referee. "And she's my best friend! Freya, please don't commit a felony in front of Gracezel!"
(A/N — An obstetrician, a doctor who takes care of pregnant people and delivers babies 🤍✨ Ate Lora mentioned this in Book 3, and I feel like this might be her future career based on Ate Lora clue)
"An OB-GYN?" Keifer repeated, finally shifting his gaze back to Freya. He didn't look intimidated. If anything, he looked slightly amused. "Then you should know all about high-stress situations. You'd think you'd be more patient."
"I'm patient with my patients, Watson," Freya hissed, her eyes narrowing. "But when it comes to people who snatch up my best friend in a 'blink-and-you-miss-it' wedding without a proper bachelorette party? My patience is thinner than a surgical needle."
Keifer leaned back, the arm behind my chair shifting so his hand was almost touching my shoulder. "The wedding was a matter of efficiency. As for the party, you can send me the invoice for the next one. I'm sure Jay-jay would appreciate a night out that doesn't involve grading papers."
I looked at Keifer, then at Freya.
Jusko. Someone please pass the gravy. I am caught between a billionaire and a doctor, and I'm pretty sure they're both going to give me a migraine.
"Efficiency?!" Freya scoffed, looking at me. "Jay, is he always like this? Does he talk like a corporate brochure during dinner?"
"Only on days ending in 'y'," I muttered, shoving a piece of potato into my mouth.
"Hey, Tita Jay! Look! The dinosaur found a friend!" Gracezel chimed in, oblivious to the high-stakes stare-down happening above her head. She held up an extra fork next to her T-Rex.
"That's great, baby," I whispered, patting her head.
Keifer's hand finally settled on my shoulder, a firm, possessive weight. "She's a Watson now, Freya. You'll have to get used to the 'efficiency'."
Freya looked at his hand on my shoulder, her expression softening just a tiny bit—the way a doctor looks at a patient who is finally showing signs of recovery. She looked at me, giving me a secret 'is-he-treating-you-okay' look.
I gave her a small, shy nod. My face was warm, but for the first time tonight, my heart wasn't doing parkour out of fear. It was doing it because of the way Keifer was looking at me—like he was ready to take on the whole squad just to keep his place next to me.
"Fine," Freya grumbled, finally picking up her fork. "But if she shows up to our next girls' night with even one strand of hair out of place because of you, I'll personally make sure your next check-up is... very uncomfortable."
Denzel let out a nervous laugh. "She's not joking, Keifer. She's terrifying with a stethoscope."
Keifer just smirked—that annoying, handsome, gago smirk. "I'll take my chances."
I sighed, finally relaxing into my seat
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Okay so everyone… I was thinking about this yesterday 😭💭
We're literally in Season 2 of Amse right now — you know how it starts off good, then everything turns dark and messy, but in the end it clears up and ends well again? This whole situation feels exactly like that.
Ashdres Season 1 was the dream — soft, cute, perfect. Season 2 starts off well but suddenly turns into chaos, hate, and heartbreak 😭💔 And Season 3… that's the part where everything becomes fine again.
So let's hope this is just that messy middle part of the season — the part where everything looks bad, but eventually clears up and makes sense 🤍✨
Guys, please don't lose hope. And please don't hate on Andres. Let's just wait until June 6th and hope everything settles by then. Plus, we have the VP Awards next week, so please… have some hope. The stronger we stay, the stronger they stay 🤍🔥
And for the people saying "Ashdres is fake"… Here's the thing: we can't assume anything. If they're real (and they are), we don't want them to break up over misunderstandings and fandom hate 😭💗