JAY JAY POV
I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow. The bed was too warm, and Keifer's scent was everywhere, making it impossible to want to move.
"Jay, babe, wake up. It's time to go back home," Keifer murmured. I felt the bed dip as he leaned over me, his lips pressing a soft, lingering kiss against my forehead.
"I want to sleep," I mumbled into the fabric, my voice thick with grogginess. I tried to pull the duvet over my head, but he was already tugging it back.
"You can sleep on the plane," he countered. He shifted, his kisses migrating from my forehead down to my jawline, sending tiny shivers through me despite how tired I was.
"Keifer…" I warned, finally opening one eye to glare at him.
He was already fully dressed, looking effortlessly sharp and alert, which felt like a personal insult at five in the morning. He smirked, his dark eyes dancing with amusement as he watched me struggle to wake up.
"Don't 'Keifer' me," he teased, brushing a stray lock of hair out of my face. "The boys are already downstairs eating breakfast, and the cars are idling in the driveway. If you don't get up in the next five minutes, I'm going to carry you out of here in your pajamas."
"You wouldn't," I challenged, though I knew he absolutely would.
"Try me," he whispered, his lips hovering just inches from mine. "I've already got your bag in the car. It's just you and the snoring I have to move now."
I froze, my eyes snapping all the way open. "The what?"
Keifer let out a low, melodic laugh and stood up, reaching out his hand to help me out of bed. "Nothing, Queen. Just get ready. Your throne is waiting for you in Manila."
I huffed, finally sitting up and stretching. The thought of going home—of seeing the familiar sights of the Philippines—was finally starting to outweigh my desire to stay in bed. I took his hand, letting him pull me up, and for a second, I just leaned my forehead against his chest.
"One more day in London?" I asked hopefully.
"Not a chance," he said, kissing the top of my head and gently spinning me toward the bathroom. "Go. Wash your face. We're going home."
As I splashed cold water on my face, I caught sight of the necklace in the mirror. It sparkled under the bathroom lights, a constant reminder of the promise Keifer made last night. I didn't know why he was so worried, but as I smoothed the pendant with my thumb, I felt a strange sense of readiness.
Manila was calling, and whatever was waiting for us there, we were going back as a front.
I opted for a pair of high-waisted grey sweatpants and a matching cropped hoodie—maximum comfort for a long-haul flight. I tied my hair up into a messy bun and kept my face makeup-free, only stopping to make sure the silver necklace Keifer gave me was tucked securely under my shirt.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the volume in the dining area immediately shifted. Keifer was standing by the window, checking his watch, while the boys were hovering around the breakfast spread like a pack of hungry wolves.
"Finally! She has graced us with her presence," Keiran chirped, leaning against the counter with a cheeky grin. He looked me up and down, squinting dramatically. "And wow—look at that—she's actually managed to leave the room without any visible hickeys today. Good job, Kuya. Your self-control is improving."
I felt my face heat up instantly. I grabbed a piece of toast from a nearby plate and chucked it at his head, but he dodged it with a loud laugh.
I glared at him. "It's too early for your mouth, Keiran. Way too early."
"Ignore him, Jay Jay," Ken said, giving me a small, sympathetic smile as he shouldered his backpack. "He's just hyper because he's been banned from the local London clubs for a week."
Keifer walked over, sliding a protective arm around my waist and pulling me into his side. He gave Keiran a look that hinted he might actually throw him out the window if he didn't behave, which finally made the younger boy sober up—partially.
"Are you ready to go?" Keifer asked me, his voice low and private.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I sighed, leaning into him.
I slumped into the plush leather seat and immediately pulled out my phone to scroll through social media. Within seconds, my feed was hit with a wave of gloom.
"Oh dear god," I groaned, leaning my head back against the headrest.
"What? What happened?" Keifer asked, his voice instantly sharpening into 'protection mode' as he glanced at my screen.
"Percy's stories," I said, showing him the phone. "It's just black-and-white photos of rain and enough sad, dramatic music to fuel a funeral. It's a mess."
Keifer glanced at the screen and shrugged. "So what? That's just Percy being Percy."
"No, Keifer, look at the lyrics! It means he's depressed about Freya again. He's spiraling," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "We have to get Freya out of his system once and for all. He needs a distraction. A permanent one."
Keifer looked at me with a skeptical brow raised. "Okay, Matchmaker. Who do you have in mind?"
"Honey," I said firmly.
Keifer blinked, actually looking surprised. "Honey? I thought you hated Honey."
"No, I don't hate her," I corrected, scrolling past another one of Percy's emo posts. "I despise her. There's a difference. But she's exactly what Percy needs. She's loud, she's annoying, and she is a copy of Freya. She'd snap him out of this Freya-funk in five minutes"
Keifer let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as the car began to move toward the airport. "You want to set up your brother with a girl you despise? That's either a very brilliant plan or a very cruel one, Jay Jay."
"It's effective," I insisted, a small smirk playing on my lips. "Besides, if they start dating, she'll be too busy annoying him to bother me. It's a win-win."
Keifer reached over, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. His grip was firm, as if he were grounding me, his thumb tracing circles over my knuckles. He didn't say anything, but the amused glint in his eyes told me he was fully on board with my chaotic plan to fix Percy's love life.
We reached the airport in record time, the SUVs pulling right up to the tarmac. We headed straight for Keifer's private plane—a luxury I'd grown used to, but today it just felt like a sanctuary.
As soon as we settled into the oversized leather seats, the exhaustion from the last few days in London finally hit me like a wave. I didn't even wait for the flight attendants to offer us drinks. I tucked my arm through Keifer's and rested my head heavily on his shoulder.
Across the cabin, Keiran and Keigan were already out cold in their own seats. Keiran was sprawled out like he owned the place, while Keigan was huddled under a blanket, finally quiet for once.
"Sleepy, Queen?" Keifer whispered, his voice vibrating through my shoulder.
"Mm," I hummed, closing my eyes. "Wake me up when the newsfeed stops being depressed."
Keifer let out a soft huff of a laugh. He leaned down and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to my forehead before resting his head atop mine.
Wrapped in the scent of his expensive cologne and the steady warmth of his body, the world outside—the arguments, the strange tension between the boys, and the lingering feeling of being watched—all faded into the background. I let the steady hum of the jet engines lull me into a deep sleep, blissfully unaware of the storm we were flying straight into.
"Jay Jay, wake up," Keifer's voice murmured in my ear, followed by the gentle pressure of his hand on my shoulder.
I groaned, blinking against the bright sunlight streaming through the cabin windows. "We're here already?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly as I rubbed my eyes like a toddler.
Keifer let out a low chuckle, his eyes warm as he watched me stir. "Well, yeah. You slept for the full eight hours, Queen. I'm impressed."
I gave him a sleepy, lopsided smile and stretched my limbs, feeling the kinks in my neck from leaning on him the whole time. We gathered our things and headed for the exit. The moment the plane door opened, the familiar, heavy wall of Philippine humidity hit me.
Finally. Manila. The scent of the city, the heat, the chaos—it felt like home.
I stepped onto the tarmac and breathed it in, a genuine smile spreading across my face. I was back in my territory. Keifer immediately stepped up behind me, sliding his arms around my waist and pulling me back against his chest.
"Here, put this on," he said, his tone shifting from playful to that serious, protective low. He handed me a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of oversized designer sunglasses.
I looked over my shoulder to see the boys—Keiran, Keigan, and even Keifer himself—already donning their own hats and shades. They looked less like a family on vacation and more like a high-profile security detail trying to go incognito.
"Privacy?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Just to be safe," Keifer replied shortly, his eyes scanning the perimeter of the private hangar. "I don't want the paparazzi or... anyone else... tracking your arrival before we're settled in the mansion."
I nodded, not thinking too much of it. After all, being a Mariano and the future wife of Keifer meant people were always looking. I slid the sunglasses on and tucked my hair under the hat.
"Check out Keiran," I whispered, nodding toward my brother who was trying to look cool despite his bedhead. "He looks like he's hiding from a debt collector."
Keifer didn't laugh this time. He just tightened his grip on my waist and guided me toward the fleet of black SUVs waiting for us. "Stay close to me, Jay. Let's get to the cars."
As we walked, I felt a strange prickle on the back of my neck
I glanced around, but all I saw were the usual airport staff and our own guards.
We settled into the car, the air conditioning blasting to fight off the Manila heat. As the engine purred to life, I looked over at Keifer.
"So, I'm going to my house, right?" I asked, checking my reflection in my phone screen. After being away for a while, I half-expected him to try and kidnap me over to his house
Keifer's handsome face immediately darkened into a frown. "Sadly, yes. Thanks to your brothers and their ridiculous rules," he grumbled, looking genuinely annoyed that he'd have to spend even a few hours apart from me.
I chuckled at his expression. He looked like a sulking king. To cheer him up, I leaned over, grabbed his lapel, and planted a firm, lingering kiss on his lips.
"EWWWWWWW!" Keiran's voice pierced through the car like a siren. He was practically gagging in the back seat.
"Kuya, for the last time, don't kiss in front of us!" Keigan added, sounding completely over it.
"We've been traveling for eight hours, we're tired, we don't need to see the 'National Geographic: Mating Season' right now!"
Keifer pulled back just an inch, a smug, triumphant smirk playing on his lips as he looked at my brothers through the rearview mirror.
"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't kiss her; she kissed me," he defended himself, though he didn't move an inch away from me. In fact, he wrapped his arm tighter around my shoulders, pulling me closer just to annoy them more.
"Gross" Keiran muttered, crossing his arms and looking out the window.
As we pulled into the long, familiar driveway of the Mariano mansion, my heart didn't just skip a beat—it did a full-on sprint. Parked right in front of the main entrance were two very specific, very polished cars that I recognized anywhere.
"Oh my god, we're done for," I whispered, clutching the door handle.
"Why? What's wrong?" Keifer asked, his hand instinctively going to the small of my back, sensing my sudden shift in mood.
"Look. That's Kuya Angelo's car. And that one belongs to Aries," I said, pointing a trembling finger. "They aren't supposed to be here until later today. If Angelo sees us coming back like this, he's going to grill us for three hours straight."
The SUV came to a halt. I turned to the three boys in the car—Keifer, Keiran, and Keigan. They all looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Come inside with me," I commanded, grabbing my bag.
"No," all three of them said in perfect, terrifying unison.
"I'm not going in there to be lectured on international safety protocols by Angelo," Keiran muttered, trying to slide down further into his seat.
"I have... things to do. Business" Keifer lied poorly, his eyes shifting away from mine. Even he was scared of my eldest brother.
I turned in my seat, giving them my best death stare
"I said... come inside with me," I hissed, glaring at them
Keigan let out a heavy sigh, looking at the ceiling. "We're dead. We are literally dead."
"Move," I snapped, opening the car door.
Slowly, reluctantly, the three most dangerous men I knew piled out of the car like kids being sent to the principal's office. Keifer straightened his jacket, trying to regain his composure, while Keiran and Keigan walked three paces behind me, looking like they were preparing for a firing squad.
We walked up the steps to the massive front doors. I didn't even have to knock; the door swung open, and there stood Kuya Angelo, arms crossed over his chest, looking like a literal stone statue of judgment. Behind him, Aries was leaning against a pillar, checking his watch with a smirk that said 'You're in so much trouble.'
"Welcome home, Jay Jay," Kuya Angelo said, his voice deep and smooth, but vibrating with that elder-brother authority. His eyes flicked to the three men behind me.I felt the air leave my lungs. "And I see you've brought your future husband and his brothers," Kuya said, his voice dangerously calm.
I didn't say a word. I just stood there with a tight, nervous smile plastered on my face. I hadn't told him. I hadn't told any of them
"You monkey!" Aries barked, stepping forward and pointing a finger at me. "You didn't even tell me you left for London! We had to find out from the guards. And now you're engaged to this asshole out of all the people in the world?"
Keifer didn't even blink. He stepped forward slightly, his protective streak overriding his fear of my brothers. "Don't call me asshole, you asshole," he snapped back, his eyes narrowing.
The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I looked around desperately, my eyes searching the grand foyer for my only hope.
"Where is Grandpa and Grandma?" I asked, my voice high-pitched and hopeful. If they were here, they'd coo over my ring and tell Kuya to leave me alone. They were my only shield.
"They left," Kuya Angelo said, uncrossing his arms and tilting his head. "They're at the province for a week. It's just us, Jay."
My heart dropped to my stomach. I'm cooked. No, I'm not just cooked—I'm deep-fried and served on a platter.
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📝 AUTHOR NOTE 🤍✨
You guys completed the target for the last chapter, so there's no target for this one 🌼🌟💗
I'll try to upload the next chapter after school today, so maybe around 2:45 PM (USA time) ⏰📚🤍
It also depends on my homework 😭📝
Pray I don't get too much today 🙏📚✨
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