JAY JAY POV
We walked into the study, the air thick with the scent of expensive tea and old wood. Uncle Keir sat there with an air of quiet authority, but as soon as we entered, his eyes softened, crinkling at the corners.
"You must be Jay, right?" Uncle Keir asked, his voice steady and warm.
I nodded respectfully. "Yes, Uncle. It's an honor to meet you."
"I must say, my grandson has excellent taste in picking his future wife," Uncle Keir teased, looking between us.
Beside me, the asshole—I mean, Keifer—smirked and grinned like he'd just won the lottery. Keigan let out a quiet snort from the corner, while Keiran just rolled his eyes at his brother's ego.
"Uncle, trust me, she can also punch," Keiran remarked, leaning against the doorframe.
Uncle Keir's eyebrows shot up. "Punch?"
"That, Uncle, is… well, I can. It's more of a self-defense thing my brother taught me," I said quickly, my mind flashing back to the grueling practice sessions with Kuya Jare and Percy.
"No, Uncle," Keiran chimed in, clearly enjoying himself. "She already punched Kuya Keifer twice."
Uncle Keir looked genuinely impressed. He leaned forward, setting his teacup down. "Twice? When?"
"Well," Keifer said, sounding strangely proud of himself for a man who'd been hit, "the first time was when I kissed her in a gym in front of her brother and all my friends. I deserved that one, I suppose."
"And the second?" Uncle Keir prompted.
"The second time was when I lied to her family and told them she was pregnant with my baby," Keifer admitted with a shrug.
Uncle Keir didn't look angry. Instead, he burst out laughing, a deep, hearty sound that filled the room. "Good! It's good to know our future granddaughter can punch and kick. We need someone who can keep this one in line."
I stood there, my face burning with embarrassment. I looked over at Keifer and gave him a sharp glare that promised a third punch if he didn't shut up.
"Uncle, she's also punched me quite a few times this last month," Keifer added, his eyes dancing with mischief. "I'm basically a walking bruise at this point."
I sat on the edge of the plush chair, my posture straight. The atmosphere in the room had done a complete 180. The warmth from the laughter was gone, replaced by a clinical, heavy stillness.
"Keigan, Keiran, you kids go outside," Uncle Keir said with a tone that brooked no argument.
Both boys nodded instantly. Keigan gave me a lingering, knowing look before they stepped out and clicked the heavy oak door shut.
"Jay Jay," Uncle Keir started, his eyes searching mine. "Do you happen to know anyone named Vex?"
I felt a small frown tug at my lips. I ran through the names of people back in the city, business associates of my brothers, even the names from Section E. Nothing.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I've never heard that name before. Why?"
"Is there a problem?" Keifer's voice was suddenly sharp, his hand tightening around mine. He had gone into full 'King' mode; the playful fiancé from five minutes ago was gone.
Instead of answering, Uncle Keir looked at me with a soft, dismissive smile. "Jay, why don't you go and look after the kids for a moment?"
My stomach dropped. The "it's business" excuse. They were shutting me out, which usually meant whatever they were about to discuss was dangerous or involved something they didn't want me to worry about.
I looked at Keifer. He sensed my tension immediately. He leaned in and pressed a firm, lingering kiss against my temple.
"I'll take care of it," he whispered, his eyes promising me the truth later. "Don't worry too much. Go check on the boys."
I nodded, though my heart was racing. I stood up and smoothed my dress, nodding politely to Uncle Keir before heading out. The second the door closed behind me, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Vex. Who the hell was Vex?
The living room was quiet except for the low hum of the television. Keiran was sprawled out on the sofa, channel surfing with a look of utter boredom.
"Keiran, where is Keigan?" I asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.
"Upstairs," Keiran muttered without looking away from the screen. "Probably doing his homework or some other boring stuff."
I walked over and sat on the armchair across from him. This kid was a loose cannon when it came to gossip, and I needed to get on his good side before he told the entire Watson clan about my "violent" tendencies.
"You've got a lot of attitude today," I teased, crossing my legs. "You're way too grumpy for a seven-year-old."
"I'm not grumpy," he huffed, finally looking at me. "I'm just hungry. And annoyed that Uncle Keir kicked us out. He only does that when someone is in trouble or someone is about to get hurt."
I felt a chill at his words. Even at seven, the Watson kids knew the patterns of their family.
"No one is getting hurt," I said, trying to convince myself as much as him. "And hey, if you stop telling embarrassing stories about me to the Elders, I might see if the chef can make those chocolate pancakes you like."
Keiran's eyes lit up, his grumpy facade cracking for a split second. "With the extra syrup?"
"With the extra syrup," I promised.
But as he started rambling about pancakes, my mind drifted back to the study. Vex. Why did that name feel like the start of a headache I wasn't ready for?
"Jay can we make a cake" keiran asked
I nodded and we went to the kitchen
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KEIFER POV
"Uncle, who is this Vex guy?" I asked.
He was technically old enough to be my grandfather, but I'd always called him Uncle. He never corrected me—maybe because he liked the illusion that he was still in his prime. But looking at him now, he seemed every bit his age.
"Vex," Uncle began, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly warning, "is a ghost who should have stayed dead. Two years ago, he and his brothers were cornered and beaten within an inch of their lives by a sixteen-year-old and his older brother. Everyone thought they were finished. Then Vex simply… vanished."
I leaned in, my pulse starting to quicken. "What does any of this have to do with Jay?"
Uncle Keir's eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unyielding. "You know what happened to her, don't you? The reason for the trauma?"
A cold chill crawled up my spine. How the fuck does he know about that?
"Don't look at me like that, Keifer," he said calmly. "I'm the only one who knows. I heard the details through a private business associate. It stays with me." He paused, his expression darkening. "From what I gathered, Vex and
"Uncle, who exactly is this Vex guy?" I asked, my voice tight.
He was old—grandfather-age, honestly—but I'd always called him Uncle. He never once bothered to correct me. I figured he preferred the title; it kept him feeling like he was still in the game, still young enough to be feared.
"Vex," Uncle began, and the sudden shift in his tone made the hair on my arms stand up. "He's a man who should have stayed dead. Two years ago, something happened that became a whisper in the underworld. He and his brothers were cornered and beaten to within an inch of their lives by a sixteen-year-old kid and his older brother. After that night, Vex vanished into thin air."
I took a breath, trying to make sense of the timeline. "But… what does that have to do with Jay?"
Uncle Keir leaned forward, his gaze piercing through me like a blade. "Jay. You know what she's been through, don't you? You know the ghosts that follow her."
I froze. A sudden, cold weight settled in my chest. "Yeah, I know. But—"
"Her trauma," he interrupted, his voice dropping to a low, somber murmur. "That's where this starts."
How the fuck does he know about that?
That was Jay's secret. A wound Jare kept hidden from the world. My hands instinctively clenched into fists at the thought of anyone else knowing her pain.
"Relax, Keifer," Uncle said, as if reading the murderous intent in my eyes. "I'm the only one. I heard it from a business associate—high-level information. It's strictly private."
He paused, a grim shadow crossing his face. "From what I've gathered, Vex and his brothers were the ones who went after a sixteen-year-old girl. She didn't just break; she fought back. And when her brothers found them… they made sure Vex and his kin paid in blood."
I felt the room start to spin. "Uncle, wait—that doesn't add up. Jare told me he handled the men responsible. He was certain there were five of them."
Uncle Keir went deathly still. He stared at me, his eyes widening with a sudden, localized horror. "Five, Keifer? What are you talking about? There were six brothers."
The blood drained from my face. "Jare fucking told me it was five," I snapped, my frustration boiling over into pure, unadulterated dread.
"God damn it," Uncle Keir whispered, his expression turning grave. "If Jare never saw Vex's body… then that explains it. He didn't die. He survived."
He reached across the desk, his intensity pinning me to my seat. "Listen to me, Keifer. Make sure Jay never leaves your sight. Not for a second. You don't know a man like Vex. He's a monster driven by nothing but a debt of blood. Jay is the reason his entire family is in the ground. He won't just come for her—he'll come to destroy her."
I nodded slowly, the weight of his warning sinking into my bones. The game had changed. I wasn't just looking out for her anymore; I was standing between her and a dead man who had come back for revenge.
The transition from the cold, heavy atmosphere of the office to the rest of the house was jarring. We had just been discussing ghosts and blood debts, but as soon as we stepped into the hallway, a high-pitched scream echoed from the direction of the kitchen.
My heart hammered against my ribs. My survival instincts kicked in instantly, and I was moving before I could even think.
But when I burst through the kitchen doors, I didn't find an assassin. I found a disaster zone.
White powder hung in the air like a fog. Jay was standing in the center of it, her hair completely coated in flour, looking like she'd aged fifty years in five minutes. Beside her, Keiran was grinning like a maniac, his own face smeared with dough. Then there was Keigan—leaning against the counter, covered from his shirt to his eyelashes in white dust, looking like he was seriously reconsidering every life choice that had led him to this moment.
The three of them were supposed to be "baking." Instead, they looked like they'd lost a fight with a grain mill.
A low chuckle vibrated from behind me. Uncle Keir stood there, leaning against the doorframe, his dark mood from earlier replaced by a soft, knowing smile.
"You really chose the best one, didn't you, Keifer?" Uncle murmured, stepping up to tap me firmly on the shoulder. "She's a rare one. It's not just the face—it's the spirit. Look at her. She's perfect. You didn't just find yourself a wife; you found a mother figure for those two troublemakers."
I couldn't take my eyes off her. Jay was laughing now, trying to wipe a smudge of flour off Keiran's nose only to make it worse, her eyes bright and full of life. It was a domesticity I hadn't realized I was starving for. My brothers, the boys I'd protect with my life, were finally acting like kids because of her.
"She has Serina's heart," Uncle Keir said quietly, his voice dropping an octave as he mentioned my mother. The humor left his eyes, replaced by a haunting nostalgia. "She has that same fire as your mother, Keifer. Just... make sure she doesn't end up the same way."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop. He looked at me, his gaze heavy with the weight of the past.
"I don't think you'll let that happen," he continued, его voice a low rasp. "Protect her, Keifer. She's a diamond in a sea of coal. Don't let the world dull her shine."
I watched Jay as she accidentally knocked over a spoon, her cheeks flushing pink as Keigan groaned in mock annoyance. The warmth in my chest flared into something fierce—a protective instinct so deep it felt like it was etched into my DNA.
"I won't," I said, my voice barely a whisper, but it carried the weight of a blood oath. "I'll make sure she never goes through what my mother did. I'll protect her from the world—and from everyone who thinks they can take this away from us."
It wasn't just a response to my Uncle. It was a promise to myself. To Vex, to the past, and to anyone else hiding in the shadows: To get to her, you have to go through me first.
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📝 AUTHOR NOTE 🤍
Thank you so much for completing the last chapter target — you guys are amazing 🌼✨
For this chapter, there will be no targets. I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I finish writing it 🌙📖💗