....Continue.
AUTHOR'S POV
Seeing the genuine exhaustion in her eyes, Keifer's smug smirk softened. He sighed, a warm sound, and reached out to pull her back against his chest—not to start over, but to hold her. He took a corner of the towel and gently began to dry her damp hair. Jay Jay let out a soft sigh, burying her face in his warm neck.
"You're still a menace," she mumbled, her voice muffled against his skin.
"A menace who is going to pick out your outfit today," he replied softly, kissing her temple.
Before even thinking about clothes, Keifer reached for a bottle of soothing body oil from the nightstand. Even though her muscles weren't in sharp pain yet, he knew the deep ache would set in later. He poured the warm oil into his palms, rubbing them together before gently pressing his large, heavy hands against her sore thighs and lower back. His touch was completely different now—slow, rhythmic, and incredibly careful. Jay Jay let out a weak, grateful whimper, letting her entire body go limp as his strong fingers effortlessly kneaded away the tension he had caused.
Once her trembling stopped, Keifer walked over to the massive walk-in closet.
He walked back to the bed, holding the clothes out like a devoted personal assistant.
"Sit up, marshmallow," Keifer murmured, lifting her upper body with one arm so she didn't have to strain her core.
"I look like a green onion," Jay Jay complained cutely, though she willingly let him slide her arms through the silk sleeves of the blouse. "And this collar is so high, Keifer."
"It covers every single mark from your collarbone up to your jaw," Keifer countered smoothly, his fingers nimble and surprisingly precise as he buttoned the shirt up for her.
"Unless you want Angelo asking why you look like you got attacked by a leopard."
"You are the leopard!" She pouted, hissing slightly as she tried to lift her foot to step into the trousers.
"Don't move," he commanded softly. Keifer knelt right on the floor at her feet. He gently guided her shaky legs into the trousers one by one, pulling the fabric up her waist and buttoning it for her. He even slid a pair of comfortable, stylish flats onto her feet instead of her usual high heels.
Jay Jay stared down at him, her heart melting just a little bit. "Look at the great billionaire head of the Watson Empire, kneeling on the floor like a servant."
Keifer stood up, looming over her with a soft, dangerous glint in his eyes as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Only for you, wifey.And always."
A sudden, sharp knock on the bedroom door broke the quiet bubble.
"Keifer? Jay Jay?" Angelo's muffled, professional voice called out from the hallway. "We need to review the merger files come down stairs."
Keifer gave Jay Jay's waist a reassuring squeeze. "Stay here and rest little more. I'll handle him."
Keifer stepped out into the grand hallway, shutting the bedroom door firmly behind him.
He leaned against the frame, his bare chest now covered in a simple black t-shirt, looking completely relaxed and dominant.
Angelo stood there, holding a tablet, his eyes immediately scanning Keifer's overly satisfied expression. Angelo cleared his throat, sensing the thick, heavy atmosphere. "You took longer than scheduled. Jay Jay is usually downstairs by now."
"She's moving a bit slow today," Keifer said, his voice dropping into a low, protective warning tone. "She stubbed her toe earlier. Don't push her with too many questions, and don't make her walk around the office more than necessary. Keep the meetings short."
Angelo raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing right through the "stubbed toe" excuse, but he knew better than to argue with a Watson. He sighed, tapping his tablet screen.
"Fine. I'll adjust the pace today," Angelo said, his tone turning serious and grounded. "But remember, we're leaving tomorrow. She needs to be fully fit and ready to travel by morning. We can't afford any delays."
Keifer's eyes darkened slightly at the reminder of their tight schedule, but he nodded firmly. "She'll be ready. Just make sure today is easy on her."
Keifer stepped away from the bedroom door, leaving Jay Jay to rest in the quiet comfort of the plush bed. Her body was completely spent, and within minutes, she drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Downstairs in the mansion's private boardroom, a heavy silence hung in the air. Keifer walked in, his presence immediately shifting the energy in the room. Sitting around the large mahogany table were Angelo, Aries, Percy, Yuri, and David.
He took his seat at the head of the table, his dark eyes scanning the room.
"Finally, you're here! We have a problem with the border logistics," Aries started, his voice naturally loud and booming as he tossed a folder onto the table.
"Keep your voice down," Keifer interrupted, his voice dropping into a low, lethal register that instantly cut through the room.
Percy blinked, tilting his head. "Why? What's going on? Where is Jay Jay? She usually leads the briefing."
"She's upstairs sleeping. She has a high fever," Keifer said smoothly, lying without blinking an eye to protect her privacy.
"A fever?" Percy's face immediately filled with worry. He adjusted his glasses and started to stand up. "Is it bad? I have some great medicine in my bag. Let me go up and check on her real quick."
"Yeah, I'll come too," Aries added, pushing his chair back to follow Percy. "We should see how she's doing."
"Sit down. Both of you," Keifer commanded. His tone shifted from a simple warning to a cold, dangerous promise. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
Aries and Percy froze in their tracks.
Keifer leaned back in his chair, locking eyes with his friends. "She is sleeping, and she needs absolute quiet. I am warning all of you right now—Section E stays completely silent today. If a single one of you wakes her up, if a door slams too loud, or if your voices carry up that stairwell... I will become a monster. Do I make myself clear?"
The sheer dominance and protective malice in his eyes made even David, who rarely showed emotion, sit up a bit straighter. They knew Keifer was the sole heir to the massive Watson Empire, and when it came to Jay Jay, he was completely unhinged beneath his polished exterior.
Angelo cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence. He tapped his tablet, keeping his voice strictly level and quiet. "Understood. We keep it strictly professional and quiet. But as I said earlier, we're leaving tomorrow. The flight is locked in for 06:00 AM. She needs to recover from that fever by tonight, because once we land, the corporate chaos begins."
"She will be ready," Keifer murmured, his eyes glancing toward the ceiling, his dangerous edge softening only for the woman sleeping safely above them. "Now, let's review the files. Quietly."
But Section E was Section E. Silence was simply not in their vocabulary.
Downstairs, Felix, Calix, Blaster, Drew, and Adrix were practically vibrating with chaotic energy. Trying to keep them quiet was like trying to contain a fireworks explosion in a cardboard box. They tiptoed up the grand staircase, snickering and shoving each other, determined to check on Jay Jay without Keifer finding out.
"Shh! If Keifer catches us, he'll actually bury us alive," Felix whispered loudly, accidentally bumping into a large vase.
"You're the one making noise, idiot!" Calix hissed back, shoving him against the wall.
They huddled right outside the master bedroom door. Blaster and Drew were practically wrestling over a giant bucket of fried chicken they had smuggled upstairs, while Adrix tried to peek through the keyhole.
Between their loud whispers, the rustling of fast-food bags, and Drew loudly crunching on a chicken wing, the racket was unavoidable.
Inside the room, the noise drifted right into Jay Jay's peaceful dreams. Her eyelids fluttered open. She rubbed her eyes, feeling incredibly groggy, but the unmistakable sound of Section E's typical chaos woke her up completely.
An hour later, Jay Jay finally decided to venture downstairs. Her thighs were still a bit shaky from the morning's shower session, but she managed to walk down the stairs, clinging tightly to the railing.
As she stepped into the boardroom, the room went completely dead silent.
Keifer's dark eyes locked onto her instantly. His protective gaze scanned her flushed face, his eyebrows snapping together in immediate disapproval.
"Why are you awake?" Keifer asked, his deep voice carrying a strict, protective edge. "You've only been asleep for an hour. You're supposed to be resting."
Jay Jay hesitated, her cheeks burning a light pink as she glanced at the entire room staring at her. "I... well..."
"See? She still looks flushed! The fever must be really bad," Aries muttered, looking incredibly grumpy as he crossed his arms. He and Angelo were sitting at the end of the table, looking like strict, exhausted parents dealing with a bunch of toddlers.
"Fever?" Jay Jay blinked, completely bewildered. She looked at Keifer, who just gave her a smooth, unbothered look.
Realizing the ridiculous excuse her fiancé had made up to hide her "jelly legs," she hesitated, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Oh. Right. The... the fever. Yes."
Keifer ignored the cover-up and focused back on his main question. "If you felt sick, why didn't you stay in bed? What woke you up?"
"Oh, I heard Section E screaming and eating chicken right outside my door, so I woke up," Jay Jay pouted cutely, crossing her arms and glaring playfully at the guilty group.
"Hey! She's lying! She snatched our chicken and ate it all!" Calix complained loudly, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"I did not!" Jay Jay squealed softly, her face turning an explosive shade of crimson. "I just ate a few!"
"Eight pieces is not few, Jay Jay!" Adrix shouted back dynamically, holding up his greasy hands in pure betrayal. "There were only ten pieces in the bucket! She literally left us with two bones and a dream!"
"You guys brought it right to my door! It's finders keepers!" Jay Jay argued back, her voice cracking hysterically as she defended her sudden fried-chicken craving.
"We were bringing it as a get-well gift, but you attacked the bucket like a wild animal!" Ci.n whined, joining the argument.
"Enough," Angelo groaned, his voice completely strict and grumpy as he slammed his tablet onto the table. He rubbed his temples in sheer exhaustion. "We are running a multi-billion-dollar Empires operation, not a daycare. We're leaving tomorrow at six in the morning, and half of you are crying over fried chicken while the other half is supposed to be sick."
Keifer didn't care about the chicken or the boys. His eyes were entirely fixed on Jay Jay's pouty lips and shaky posture. He stood up from his chair, completely ignoring the chaotic bickering around the room, and walked straight over to her.
He wrapped a heavy, possessive arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his warm chest to support her weight. "If you're strong enough to steal eight pieces of chicken, you're strong enough to sit through the rest of this meeting next to me."
Keifer didn't care about their excuses. His dark eyes shifted toward Felix, Calix, Blaster, Drew, and Adrix, turning incredibly cold and dangerous. The playful atmosphere in the room evaporated instantly.
"Since Section E has so much energy to scream, gossip, and smuggle fast food up my stairs," Keifer murmured, his deep register sending a shiver through the room, "you can spend the rest of the day reviewing every single business subject and case study from our university . From the very beginning. By tonight, I want a complete analytical report on my desk."
"No way!" Felix gasped, his face going entirely pale. "Keifer, please! Anything but that! We haven't looked at those old textbooks in years!"
"We literally graduated to escape those nightmare subjects!" Drew whined, throwing his hands up in the air.
"But Keifer! She ate our chicken! It's already the biggest punishment for us!" Calix cried out, pointing a trembling finger at the empty spot where their lunch used to be. "We are starving and now we have to do homework?!"
"Eight pieces, Keifer! She stripped the bones clean!" Blaster added, looking completely devastated. "We've suffered enough!"
"Consider it extra motivation," Keifer countered smoothly, completely unbothered by their tears. "If the report isn't perfect, I'll double the workload before we leave tomorrow."
Angelo and Aries sat at the end of the table, looking incredibly grumpy and strict. Angelo tapped his pen loudly against his tablet. "Shut up and start reading. If I hear one more word about fried chicken, I'm cutting your travel stipends for the international summit."
Aries glared at the noisy group. "You all brought this on yourselves. Go to the library and don't come out until you're smart."
With slumped shoulders and dramatic sighs, the Section E boys slowly dragged their feet out of the boardroom, looking like defeated toddlers heading to detention.
Jay Jay tried to sneak out right behind them, hoping to escape back to the safety of the bedroom. But before she could take a second step, Keifer's heavy hand gripped her waist, anchoring her firmly to his side. He pulled out the plush leather chair right next to his and guided her into it.
"Sit," Keifer commanded softly, sitting down right beside her.
Jay Jay slouched into the giant chair, crossing her arms and pouting fiercely. She absolutely hated sitting in meetings for hours. Every single muscle in her core and thighs was still throbbing from their intense shower session, and listening to corporate data was the last thing she wanted to do.
She leaned closer to him, lowering her raspy voice so Angelo and Aries couldn't hear. "I hate you, leopard. My body is numb, I'm trapped in a boring meeting, and you punished my friends."
Keifer let out a low, breathless chuckle, leaning in close enough that his warm breath brushed against her sensitive ear. "You brought this on yourself, marshmallow. If you hadn't run downstairs for fried chicken, you'd be asleep in bed."
His eyes dropped to her lips, his expression turning strict but incredibly cute as he tapped her nose. "And speaking of that chicken—no more fast food for the rest of the week. Your body is already sensitive and exhausted. You need real, healthy nutrients, not greasy street food."
"But it tasted so good!" Jay Jay squealed softly, her face burning an explosive shade of crimson. "You're restricting my corporate compensation wardrobe and my diet now? You are an absolute tyrant!"
"I am a fiancé taking care of his stubborn wifey," Keifer countered smoothly, adjusting her high-necked collar to make sure her marks were fully hidden. "Now, look at the screen. Angelo is about to start the presentation."
Angelo cleared his throat loudly, giving the bickering couple a sharp, exhausted look. "If the two of you are done flirting, we actually have a multi-billion-dollar empires to run. Let's begin."
Continue....