Ten Years Later
The Philippines had a way of slowing time.
Not stopping it — never stopping it — but softening its edges. The air was warmer, the light kinder, the sound of waves threading gently through everything. Even the chaos felt familiar. Even the noise felt like home.
Jay stood barefoot on the terrace, coffee cooling in her hand, watching two nine-year-olds sprint across the lawn like they were being chased by invisible monsters.
"KENNETH, DON'T PUSH YOUR SISTER—"
"I DIDN'T PUSH HER, SHE TRIPPED—"
"I DID NOT—"
Jay sighed, smiling despite herself.
Some things never changed.
Behind her, arms wrapped around her waist — solid, warm, unmistakable.
"Let them be," Keifer murmured, chin resting on her shoulder. "They're negotiating dominance."
"They're nine."
"Exactly."
She leaned back into him, instinctive as breathing. Ten years of marriage hadn't dulled that pull — if anything, it had deepened it. Familiar. Safe. Certain.
Below them, Kenneth Mariano Watson skidded to a stop, tall for his age, hair already dark and unruly like his father's. Sharp eyes. Calculating. Competitive. A strategist even in play.
Beside him, Kiera Serina Mariano Watson crossed her arms dramatically, chin lifted in defiance. Same eyes as Jay. Same fire. Same dangerous calm before destruction.
"Mom," Kiera yelled up, "Ken cheated!"
"I did not!"
Jay took a sip of coffee. "Define cheating."
Kenneth opened his mouth.
Keifer laughed before the boy could answer. "That's my kid."
Jay elbowed him. "They are our kids."
"Exactly why I'm worried."
The twins resumed arguing — loudly — before running off toward the pool, already plotting their next round.
Jay watched them go, something warm and aching settling in her chest.
Ten years.
Ten years since London. Ten years since airports and goodbyes and screens and time zones.
Ten years since they'd chosen each other — again and again — through distance, pressure, ambition, and the weight of names that meant something in every boardroom they entered.
She turned slightly, looking up at Keifer.
"Do you ever think about how insane it all was?" she asked quietly.
"All the time," he replied without hesitation. "Sometimes I wonder how we survived it."
She smiled faintly. "We were stubborn."
"We still are."
That was true.
At twenty-three, Jay Mariano had returned to the Philippines as the youngest top-tier attorney the country had seen in decades, honors from Harvard lining her credentials like armor. By twenty-five, she had expanded C&J into a legal and corporate powerhouse that rivaled legacy firms — not by force, but by precision.
She was feared in courtrooms. Respected in boardrooms. Unmovable when it mattered.
And still — still — she came home barefoot, hair loose, coffee forgotten on the counter.
Keifer Watson had done the impossible in his own way. He rebuilt. Restructured. Refused to bow. By thirty, he stood at the top not because of inheritance alone, but because he had earned it. Watson wasn't just powerful anymore — it was disciplined. Ethical. Strategic.
The elders who once hated him now deferred to him.
He never cared.
The only approval he ever needed was standing right here.
"You know," Jay said softly, "if someone told me back then — in that airport — that we'd end up here…"
Keifer tightened his arms around her. "I would've believed it."
She looked at him, surprised.
"You always believed in us more than I did," she said.
He met her gaze, serious now. "Because even when everything was uncertain… you never were."
A shout interrupted them.
"DAD!" Kenneth yelled. "KIERA PUSHED ME THIS TIME!"
"I DID IT ON PURPOSE," Kiera yelled back.
Jay closed her eyes. "Lord."
Keifer grinned. "I'll handle this."
He stepped forward, voice carrying across the lawn with calm authority.
"Kiera Serina Mariano Watson."
Silence.
Kenneth smirked.
"Yes, Papa?" Kiera replied sweetly — too sweet.
Keifer folded his arms. "Apologize."
She hesitated. Calculated. Then sighed dramatically. "Sorry, Kuya Ken."
Kenneth opened his mouth.
Jay raised her voice. "And Kenneth — don't gloat."
He shut up instantly.
Keifer looked back at Jay, eyebrow raised. "See? Balance."
She laughed, shaking her head.
They stood there together — watching their children, watching the ocean beyond the gates, watching the life they had built brick by brick, sacrifice by sacrifice.
No spotlights. No headlines. No distance.
Just here.
Jay slipped her hand into Keifer's, fingers interlacing like they always had.
"Promise me something?" she asked quietly.
He smiled. "Anything."
"Let's never forget this," she said. "Not the success. Not the titles. Just… this."
He pressed a kiss to her temple. "How could I forget the woman who turned my life into a home?"
She laughed softly, leaning into him.
The twins came running back toward them, arguing again, sunlit and loud and alive.
And for the first time in a very long time, the future didn't feel heavy.
It felt complete.
— THE END—
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This is officially the end of this book... Yayy I am a bit sad though because it's my first book and also super happy because I had all of my readers read it and to actually like it.. I feel honoured...
But don't worry I will be releasing a new book it's named "Jayfer:Hatered to love"
Hope you all like it and also
Byeeee love you all ❤🫂✨💐