JAY'S POV
We barely made it to the elevator.
I hit the button.
Keifer leaned against the wall, trying to act composed.
He wasn't.
His shirt was still half-open, hair a mess, lips swollen, and there were definitely fresh marks on his neck.
From me.
Elevator doors opened.
We stepped in.
The second they closed—
I was back against the mirror.
Again.
He kissed me like he'd been holding his breath since we left the room.
"Keifer—"
"Not finished," he growled, gripping my waist and stealing another kiss that made my knees go weak.
His hands slid into my hair, tilting my head, mouth moving over mine with slow, hungry precision.
I tugged his tie.
He cursed under his breath.
"Jay—"
"Shh."
I kissed him again — soft at first, then deeper, until his breath hitched and he pressed me harder against the glass.
The elevator chimed.
We didn't stop.
Doors opened.
Still kissing.
Doors closed again.
We were hopeless.
"Your family is downstairs," I whispered breathlessly.
"And?" he muttered against my neck.
"And I can't go down there with—"
The doors opened again.
This time—
"OH. MY. GOD."
We froze.
Both of us whipped around.
Stella.
Standing outside the elevator with a drink in one hand and her soul leaving her body.
She stared at us.
Then at Keifer's shirt.
Then at my hair.
Then—
At. My. Neck.
Her jaw dropped to hell and kept going.
"JASPER JEAN MARIANO IS THAT A—"
"STELLA, PLEASE—"
"MULTIPLE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE!"
She grabbed my wrist so fast she blurred.
"YOU. CR. NOW."
Keifer opened his mouth.
Stella's glare sliced him in half.
"You. Stay."
The doors closed on his stunned face.
I was dragged at lightning speed across marble floors.
INSIDE THE CR — STELLA'S MELTDOWN
She locked the door.
Turned to me slowly.
And pointed.
"Remove your hair from your neck."
"Stella—"
"DO IT."
I lifted my hair.
She screamed into her hands.
"JAY. JAY. JAY. YOU LOOK LIKE YOU GOT INTO A WWE MATCH WITH A VACUUM."
I covered my face.
"It's not that bad—"
"THERE IS A HICKEY ON TOP OF A HICKEY. LIKE A STACKED PANCAKE."
I groaned loudly.
She paced.
Then pointed at me again.
"Did you and Keifer—"
"No! We didn't!"
"…yet?"
"STELLA!"
She smirked.
"I knew it. The way he was looking at you like he wanted to eat you alive—"
"Make me presentable before my brothers kill him."
"Say less."
She cracked her knuckles and got to work.
Foundation. Concealer. Powder. Setting spray.
Snatched my hair into a sleek low ponytail.
Adjusted my dress.
Fixed my lipstick.
Threatened god.
Muttered prayers.
Cursed Keifer three times.
She stepped back.
"Okay. You look like someone who did NOT make out with a CEO in a five-star suite."
"…Really?"
She grinned.
"No. But it's the best I can do under extreme trauma."
The moment we walked out, I spotted him.
Keifer.
Standing near the entrance.
Back straight.
Jaw tight.
Hands in his pockets.
But when his eyes landed on me—
they softened instantly.
A tiny, private smile.
Just for me.
Stella elbowed me hard.
"Don't you DARE melt again, Miss Fifty Hickeys."
"I hate you."
"No you don't. Look at him."
I did.
He held out a hand slightly—subtle, hidden behind the crowd.
A small gesture.
A quiet question.
You okay?
I nodded.
His shoulders loosened.
But just as we were about to walk toward him—
"JAY!"
Aries.
Angelo.
Dad.
Ethan behind them, doing the worst fake cough in history to distract them.
Stella whispered, "Run."
I whispered, "Too late."
Keifer's jaw tightened.
My brothers glared.
Stella sipped her drink.
Ethan gave me a thumbs up.
Chaos was brewing.
And the night…
Was FAR from over...
"Jay."
Not a yell.
Not a call.
A warning.
From Aries.
Angelo flanked my other side like a bodyguard. And Dad—oh god—Dad crossed his arms with the most father about to ruin your life face I had ever seen.
Stella whispered, "May the Lord be with you."
Ethan, bless his soul, attempted the world's worst distraction:
"SO! Who wants hors d'oeuvres?! Look—shrimp!! Shrimpppp anyone???"
No one even blinked.
Aries' eyes swept over my face, pausing on my neck.
My. Covered. Neck.
Oh no.
Oh no no no—
"Why is your makeup so heavy here?" Aries asked suspiciously.
I swallowed.
"Fashion?"
Angelo narrowed his eyes.
"Why is your lipstick smudged?"
"I ate an empanada!"
"Why is your hair pulled back so tight? You never wear it like that."
"New me?"
Dad stepped forward.
"Jay."
Oh god.
He said it in that tone.
"Where were you?" he asked, voice calm. Too calm.
My palms literally sweated.
Before I could answer, Ethan, my sweet idiot friend, jumped between us.
"She was giving interviews! Very important! Very busy! CEO things! Big adult work!"
Aries raised a brow. "Then why were YOU here?"
Ethan stuttered.
"I was… supervising?"
All three slowly turned their heads at the same time.
Like synchronized sharks.
At me.
I laughed nervously.
"So! How's the weather—"
"Jay," Angelo cut in. "Who were you with."
My mouth opened.
No sound came out.
They all stepped closer.
I stepped back.
They stepped closer.
I stepped back again.
They advanced like a three-man SWAT team.
I backed right into someone.
Warm chest.
Steady breath.
Large hands gently catching my arms.
Keifer.
He stood behind me, composed but cold-eyed, voice smooth as steel.
"She was with me."
Silence.
Actual silence.
Like the ballroom muted itself.
Aries straightened, jaw locking. "With you?"
Keifer nodded once.
Unapologetic.
Unbothered.
Unmoving.
Angelo muttered, "I'm holding back a homicide."
Dad's eyebrow twitched.
A bad sign.
A very, very bad sign.
Keifer stepped forward slightly, placing himself just enough between me and my entire family without making it obvious.
Protective.
But respectful.
"I asked her to step away from the crowd for a moment," he said evenly. "She needed air."
Aries scoffed. "Air from WHAT?"
Keifer didn't flinch.
"The attention."
Dad eyed him sharply. "And why exactly were you the one giving her air?"
Stella whispered behind me, "Ooh. Good question."
Keifer held Dad's gaze.
Then, calm as ever, he answered—
"Because she came to me."
My soul left my body.
Aries stared.
Angelo blinked.
Dad exhaled sharply.
Me?
I died. Resurrected. Died again.
Ethan behind us mouthed: HE HAS BALLS.
Dad slowly crossed his arms.
"Jay?"
I opened my mouth—
Nothing.
Keifer placed a gentle hand on the small of my back.
The smallest touch.
But it grounded me instantly.
I swallowed.
"I was… overwhelmed."
Angelo narrowed his eyes. "And he helped?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
Aries looked between Keifer and me suspiciously.
"Why do you look—flushed?"
"I was—breathing?"
"And your lipstick?"
"The empanada!"
Dad raised a brow. "Jay."
"THE EMPANADA WAS VERY EMOTIONAL."
Stella coughed hard to hide her laugh.
But the boys weren't convinced.
Angelo took a step closer to Keifer.
"Listen, Watson," he muttered darkly, "I don't care if you're a CEO, a billionaire, or the Pope—"
"Angelo," Dad warned.
"—If you so much as touch my sister with the wrong intention—"
"Angelo."
"—I will end your family tree—"
"ANGELO."
Keifer stayed perfectly calm.
Hands in his pockets.
Composed.
And then very quietly, very respectfully, he replied:
"I don't have the wrong intention."
Aries scoffed. "Oh really?"
Keifer's eyes flickered to me for half a second.
Soft.
Then he looked at them again.
Firm.
"I care about her."
My breath hitched.
Dad's expression shifted—just slightly.
Less threat.
More assessment.
And then—
Just when the tension finally started to ease—
Stella shouted from behind us:
"HEY. AT LEAST HE DIDN'T GIVE HER FIFTY HICKEYS OR ANYTH—"
"STELLA SHUT UP!" I screamed.
The boys froze.
Keifer froze.
Dad froze.
Ethan actually dropped his drink.
Stella froze last.
"…oops?"
Absolute.Chaos.Was about to explode...
Silence.
Pure, horrifying, funeral-level silence.
Aries' eye twitched. Angelo's jaw DROPPED. Dad actually whispered a prayer .
Keifer… blinked. Slowly. Like he was calculating how fast he could fake his death and move to another continent.
Me?
I wanted the earth to open and swallow me alive.
Stella slapped both hands over her mouth too late.
Ethan grabbed her shoulders: "WHY WOULD YOU SAY IT OUT LOUD—"
But the boys were already turning.
As. One.
Their eyes zeroed in on me.
And my neck.
My very concealed, very betrayed neck.
Angelo stepped forward first.
"Jay."
Deep breath.
"Remove the makeup."
"No."
"Remove it."
"No??"
Aries folded his arms. "Dad, hold her."
"I AM NOT HOLDING MY DAUGHTER FOR A HICKEY INSPECTION—are you insane?!"
But Angelo reached for me anyway.
I dodged left.
Aries lunged right.
Ethan panicked. "CODE RED, CODE RED—SHE'S MOBILIZING—"
I sprinted behind Keifer like a child hiding behind a refrigerator.
Keifer didn't move.
Not even a twitch.
He just… stood there like an armored wall while three Mariano men attempted to kill him with their eyes.
Angelo jabbed a finger at him. "You."
Keifer raised a brow, calm as ever.
MEANWHILE I am slowly dying behind him.
"You marked my sister?"
Dad hissed, "ANGELO—"
"FIFTY TIMES?!" Aries added.
"GUYS—" I squeaked.
"No, Jay," Angelo snapped. "This is not a 'guys' moment! That is MULTIPLE. That is EXCESSIVE."
Keifer remained composed, but his ears went a LITTLE pink.
Traitor ears.
Dad rubbed his temples. "Explain. Right now."
I opened my mouth.
But then—
Keifer stepped forward.
Oh no.
No no no no—
"Mr. Mariano," he said calmly, hands in pockets. "I will take responsibility for every—"
"STOP TALKING," I hissed, gripping the back of his jacket.
But he didn't.
He looked Dad in the eyes.
Straight. Unflinching. Respectful. Feral.
"I won't deny touching her."
I actually CHOKED.
Aries' shock shifted into pure murder mode.
Keifer continued, voice steady but low:
"But nothing inappropriate happened. I didn't cross that line with her."
Aries muttered, "But you crossed her NECK—"
"ARIES." Kuya Angelo barked.
Keifer subtly shifted his stance.
Protective.
Positioned slightly in front of me again.
"I lost my composure," he admitted. "And it won't happen again without your daughter's consent."
My breath left me.
Aries' rage paused.
Angelo blinked.
Dad… exhaled.
A slow, surprised breath.
Ethan silently pumped his fist behind them like LET'S GO KING.
Dad's tone finally softened—just a fraction.
"So you're telling me," he said, "that you care for my daughter enough… to be honest about your intentions?"
Keifer didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
And then—
He looked at me.
Not at my brothers.
Not at my dad.
Me.
Soft eyes.
Quiet certainty.
A silent I meant every word.
My chest tightened.
Dad noticed.
Of course he did.
Because suddenly he stepped between us.
Placing a father-shaped wall between Keifer and me.
He looked Keifer up and down like he was grading him.
Then he said:
"I'm not giving approval."
My heart dropped.
"But," Dad added slowly, "I'm not forbidding anything either."
Aries and Angelo whipped toward him.
"MR.MARIANO!" "DAD WHAT—"
Dad held up a hand.
"I saw how he stood in front of her," he said simply. "How he didn't hide behind her. How he didn't lie. How he didn't disrespect her."
He paused.
"Most men would've."
Keifer's jaw tightened—the closest thing he had to emotion.
Dad turned to me.
"You're an adult," he said. "Just… don't make me a grandfather this year."
I turned red from head to toe. "DAD—WHAT—NO—WE'RE— NO—"
Angelo gagged. Aries started praying. Ethan facepalmed. Stella cackled. Section E chucking at all of this.
And Keifer—
Keifer looked like he was fighting for his life not to smirk.
Dad clapped him once on the shoulder.
"Let's go eat," he said tiredly. "Before someone else gets strangled."
Everyone turned toward the ballroom.
Except Keifer.
He paused beside me.
Leaned in slightly—barely enough for anyone else to see.
"You okay?" he murmured.
I nodded.
He brushed the back of my hand with his fingers.
Quick. Hidden. Warm.
My heart flipped.
Then he whispered, low so only I could hear:
"I'm not done with you tonight."
My brain short-circuited.
Stella whispered behind me:
"AND ROUND TWO BEGINS ATB JAY."
And I knew—
The night wasn't calming down.
It was only beginning....