JAY JAY POV
The moment was perfect, the air still thick with the heat of that kiss, but of course, nothing stays quiet for long when my twin brother is around.
"Idiot, stop kissing my sister," Jare's voice cut through the darkness like an ice pick.
Keifer didn't even flinch. He slowly pulled back just a few inches, his arms still wrapped firmly around my waist, keeping me pinned to his chest. He threw a bored, annoyed glare over his shoulder at Jare. "Go bother someone else. I'm not done with my wife yet."
I felt my face heat up and I gave Keifer's chest a playful little push. "Keifer, stop it."
Jare stepped out onto the terrace, his hands in his pockets, looking halfway between wanting to laugh and wanting to punch Keifer into the next century. "She isn't even eighteen yet, idiot. Slow your roll."
Keifer turned back to me, his eyes softening but his smirk remaining. "Me either."
"You're about to be in thirty minutes," Jare reminded him, pointing at his watch with a judgmental look. "The birthday boy is supposed to be inside, not hiding in the dark trying to eat my twin's face."
Keifer completely ignored him. It was like Jare wasn't even there. He looked down at me, his gaze flickering to my lips, and he leaned back in.
"Keifer, wait—" I started, but he didn't listen.
He kissed me again, right in front of Jare. It wasn't as deep as before, but it was just as possessive, a clear message to my brother that no matter what anyone said, I was his.
"Oh, come on!" Jare groaned loudly, throwing his hands up. "I'm standing right here! Get a room! Or better yet, don't, because I'll have to kill him if you do!"
I pulled away, laughing softly as I caught my breath, my hands resting on Keifer's arms. The tension from the dreams and the voices felt so far away now. For the first time since I arrived in London, I actually felt like I could breathe.
Keifer finally looked at Jare, his expression smug. "Thirty minutes, Jare. After that, I'm a man. And as a man, I'm taking what's mine."
"You're a pain in my ass, that's what you are," Jare muttered, though I could see a small, relieved smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was glad we were okay, even if he'd never admit it.
"Come on," Jare said, jerking his chin toward the ballroom. "Grandpa is asking for you both. And the elders are starting to look like they're planning a funeral instead of a birthday"
I blinked, my stomach doing a nervous somersault. "Wait, Grandpa is here?" I asked, looking at Jare. "I thought it was just you and me handling the London trip."
"Change of plans," Jare said, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious. "Grandma is also here. And I just learned something new from the high table."
"What is it?" Keifer asked, his grip on my hand tightening. He had gone into full defensive mode instantly.
Jare leaned against the stone railing, a dark, mischievous glint in his eyes that usually meant someone was about to get their life turned upside down. "Hope you like engagements."
My heart stopped. "Huh?"
"What the hell, Jare?" Keifer growled, his jaw set so tight I thought his teeth might crack. "Explain."
"You'll learn soon enough," Jare said, checking his watch. "The elders are tired of waiting, and Grandma doesn't want you two to be kept in the dark."
Keifer and I looked at each other.
"Whatever happens in there," Keifer whispered to me, his eyes locking onto mine, "don't kill anyone. And please... don't punch anyone."
I laughed, the sound a bit shaky despite my best efforts. "Idiot. I can't promise that if someone says something stupid."
"I'm serious, Jay," he said, though a small smile touched his lips. "If you punch an elder, even I might have trouble cleaning that up."
"Then tell them to keep their mouths shut," I retorted.
Jare pushed off the wall and started heading toward the doors. "Tick-tock, lovebirds.Let's go see what kind of mess the old folks have cooked up for us."
I took a deep breath, smoothing down the blue dress—the dress that I now realized was probably chosen specifically for an announcement. I looked at Keifer, and he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Ready, Queen?" he asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied.
We walked into the ballroom, side by side, with Jare leading the way. The music seemed to swell as we entered, and a hundred heads turned in our direction. At the far end of the room, on a raised platform, sat my grandparents—looking like royalty—and the council of elders.
The air was thick with expectation.
I stood at the side of the stage, my heart hammering against my ribs. Grandma leaned over, her hand trembling slightly as she gripped my arm.
"Jay, please... this is for you. Don't be mad," she whispered.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my eyes darting between her and the stone-faced elders.
"This is for your own good, Jay-Jay," Grandpa added, his voice gravelly but firm. "Keifer can protect you. The world is getting dangerous, and we can't keep you hidden forever."
"Pa, what is happening here?" I demanded. I looked at Jare, who was leaning against a pillar with a smug, "I-know-the-ending-of-the-movie" smirk on his face. He didn't look worried at all. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying this.
The eldest member of the council stepped forward, his voice booming through the speakers. He started talking about titles, about the Watson inheritance, and Keifer's eighteenth birthday. I watched Keifer on that stage—he looked like a statue, cold and lethal.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
I stood there, my mind racing. What the hell was happening? I had just finished pouring my heart out to Jay, and now the Elders were pulling some high-stakes power move. I felt a surge of cold fury—if they did anything to hurt her, I'd burn this entire estate to the ground.
One of the Elders leaned in, a smug, punchable smirk on his face. "Keifer, this girl is also named Jasper Jean, but she's a Mariano. Not like that Fernandez girl you've been chasing."
I almost laughed. These idiots. They were so busy playing god that they didn't realize they were talking about the same person.
"Ready to lose your little Fernandez girl?" another one taunted.
I gritted my teeth as the clock finally struck midnight. The room fell silent, the air thick with tension.
"Good evening, everyone," the lead Elder announced. "Today, Mark Keifer Watson turns eighteen and takes over Watson's company."
I saw the disappointed looks on the faces of the Watson extended family. They knew that as of right now, the company was officially mine, and their days of playing games with the inheritance were over.
"We also have a special announcement," the Elder continued, his voice dripping with false importance. "The Mariano Heiress, Jasper Jean Mariano, is hereby engaged to Mark Keifer Watson."
I acted shocked for the audience. "What?"
The Elder leaned closer to me, whispering, "Told you, Keifer. You're going to lose that girl from the Philippines. You still have one chance: give up the inheritance, and you can go crawl back to your Fernandez girl."
It was pathetic. They thought they were giving me a choice between love and power, not realizing I was getting both. I heard Keigan snort from across the room
They had just handed me exactly what I wanted while thinking they were breaking my spirit.
I looked over at Jay. She looked confused, but behind the confusion, I saw a spark of something else. She looked... happy.
"Please, Jasper Jean, come to the stage," the Elder called out.
Jay walked up the steps, her blue dress flowing, a beautiful smile on her face. As she reached me, I didn't hesitate. I slid my hand firmly onto her waist, pulling her close. The Elders froze, their confusion written all over their wrinkled faces.
I leaned down, my lips grazing her ear so only she could hear me. "Tell me... do you want me to stop this?"
I didn't want to force her into this. I knew how much she hated being a pawn after what happened with Yuri. I was ready to walk away from everything if she said the word.
She looked up at me, her eyes dancing with mischief. "You'd take forever to propose anyway," she whispered. "I think this is a much better idea."
I couldn't help it—I smiled. The King finally had his Queen, and the Elders had just handed me the keys to the kingdom.
The Elders were practically vibrating with misplaced confidence. They leaned in, their eyes scanning my face for any sign of heartbreak or defeat.
"What do you say, Keifer?" the eldest asked, his smirk so wide it looked painful.
I didn't let them wait. I looked them straight in the eyes, my voice steady and iron-clad. "I say I agree."
The transformation was instant. Their smirks didn't just fade; they vanished, replaced by looks of pure, unadulterated shock. They turned their gaze toward Jay, desperate for her to be the one to back out of this "forced" arrangement.
"And what about you, Miss Mariano?" they asked, their voices trembling with the first hint of realization that they had messed up.
Jay didn't hesitate for a second. She stood tall, her chin tilted up, radiating the kind of power only a Mariano—and a Fernandez—could possess. "I agree," she said, her voice ringing out proudly through the hall.
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the sound of my own heart thudding with pride. I didn't care about the cameras, the shocked whispers of the Watson family, or the elders' crumbling plans. I turned to Jay and kissed her right there on the stage.
I felt her initial shock—her body tensing for a split second—but then she melted into me, her hands moving up to my chest as she kissed me back with a fire that told me she was all in.
I pulled back just enough to look into her beautiful, confused, wonderful eyes. The world could be falling apart around us, the secrets of the past could be clawing at the door, but right now, she is mine.
"I love you," I whispered, loud enough for only her to hear amidst the rising noise of the crowd. "Until scientists find the end of the universe, Jay-Jay."
She didn't need to say anything. She just smiled—that bright, sharp smile that had owned me from the very beginning.
I looked back at the Elders. They had wanted a merger; I gave them a revolution. They wanted to take away the girl I loved; I made her the most powerful woman in my world.
Happy Birthday to me. I finally got everything I ever wanted.
The Elders approached us like a pack of wolves that had just realized they'd walked into a trap. They were scrambling, trying to make sense of how they had lost control of the narrative so quickly.
The eldest leveled a piercing gaze at Jay. "Tell us your full name, Miss Mariano."
Jay didn't blink. She stood her ground, her hand still firmly entwined with mine. "Jasper Jean Fernandez Mariano," she said, her voice clear and cold.
A ripple of murmurs went through the group. "I never knew that," one of them whispered, looking at his peers in confusion.
The eldest scoffed, looking Jay up and down with a condescending sneer. "I never knew a girl like you—a common girl from the provinces—could be the heiress of the Mariano empire."
My blood boiled. The disrespect was a physical weight in the air. I stepped forward, shielding Jay slightly with my body, my eyes turning into ice.
"I never knew an idiot like you could become one of the six Elders," I shot back, my voice dripping with venom.
The group gasped. Nobody spoke to them like that. Only Uncle Keir stayed silent, a ghost of a smirk pulling at his lips as he watched the old guard crumble.
"Keifer, watch how you speak!" one of the other Elders barked, his face turning a mottled shade of purple. "You may be eighteen, but you are still beneath us."
Before I could retaliate, Jay leaned forward. She didn't look scared. She looked bored.
"Wala kang silbi, isa ka lang talagang gago," she said, her Tagalog sharp and effortless.
The Elders blinked, looking at each other, then back at her. They were completely lost, unable to understand a word of the language she used to lash out at them. I, however, knew exactly what she called him.
You're useless, you're really just an idiot.
I reached up to cover my mouth, coughing to hide the laugh that was threatening to erupt. My sweet, sharp-tongued wife had just insulted the most powerful men in the European underworld to their faces, and they didn't even have the vocabulary to be offended yet.
"What did she say?" the eldest demanded, looking at me for a translation.
I pulled Jay closer to my side, looking him dead in the eye. "She said she's looking forward to working with such... distinguished gentlemen. But between you and me? I'd start learning Tagalog. You're going to need it if you want to keep up with my wife"
I felt Jay squeeze my hand, her eyes dancing with triumph. The Elders were fuming, but they were trapped. They had sanctioned this engagement. They had made it official.