Jay pov
The digital pregnancy test sat on the marble counter of the master bathroom, two solid blue lines mocking the silence of the room. I stared at it, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I wasn't just Dr. Jasper Jean Mariano right now; I was a woman on the precipice of a new life, and I knew the moment I opened this door, the Black Box would never be quiet again.
I took a deep breath, tucked the test into the pocket of my silk robe, and stepped out. Keifer—my hubby—was pacing the length of the bedroom, his shirt unbuttoned, his eyes wild with a mixture of hope and sheer terror.
"Hubby," I whispered.
He stopped mid-stride. His gaze dropped to my pocket, then snapped back to my eyes. "Jay? Tell me. Please."
I simply pulled the stick out and held it up.
Keifer didn't move for a heartbeat. Then, he was across the room, lifting me into the air, his face buried in the crook of my neck. I felt the wetness of his tears against my skin. The man the world saw as an untouchable CEO was trembling.
"Another one," he choked out. "Wifey, another one."
"Yes," I laughed through my own tears. "But Keif... we have to tell them. And you know what that means."
He pulled back, a weary but ecstatic smirk on his face. "It means we're about to lose control of our house for the next twelve hours. Let's get the chaos over with."
The Announcement: The Morning of Mayhem
We decided to do it at breakfast. In this house, "breakfast" wasn't a meal; it was a tactical briefing. The dining hall was already full when we walked in.
Keigan was arguing with Keiran over a stock report. "Kuya Keigan, I'm telling you, the London merger needs a more aggressive approach!" Keiran shouted, waving a piece of toast. "You're nineteen, Keiran. Your idea of 'aggressive' is buying a sports car," Keigan retorted.
At the other end of the table, Angelo (Kuya Angelo) was calmly reading the news while his eight-year-old twins, Aryan and Arina, were trying to see who could stack their pancakes higher. Lia was sipping tea, watching the madness with a graceful, knowing smile.
"Attention!" Keifer roared, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.
The room went dead silent. Aries (Horoscope), my brother, froze with a spatula in mid-air. Percy (Blue Eyes), my step-brother, stopped mid-tease of Honey.
"Jay and I have something to say," Keifer said, his hand sliding protectively over my waist.
I stepped forward, smiling. "Alexander is going to be a big brother."
The silence lasted exactly three seconds. Then, the explosion happened.
"I KNEW IT!" Aries screamed, throwing the spatula. It hit the ceiling with a clank. "I saw the alignment! Mars was in retrograde! I'm going to be the best uncle again!" "You're a horoscope-obsessed idiot, Aries!" Percy yelled, jumping over the table to hug me. "Blue eyes for this one, Jay! I'm calling it now! Honey, we need to buy a crib!"
Keiran let out a victory yelp. "I'm not the baby of the house anymore! Jay—Mumma—I'm going to teach this kid how to drive a boat by the time they're five!" "You'll do no such thing, Keiran!" Keigan snapped, though he was grinning ear to ear. "Kuya Keifer, congratulations. I'll start the trust fund paperwork immediately."
Kuya Angelo stood up, the 4th richest man in the world looking genuinely moved. He walked over and shook Keifer's hand firmly. "Angelo or Boss, call me what you want today, Keifer, but today, you're just my brother. Congratulations." Lia hugged me tight. "I've already called the designer in Milan, Jay. Don't worry about a thing."
My mother, Jeena, and Tita Gemma were already weeping in the corner, clutching their napkins. Pa Pa (Jasper) was patting Keifer on the back, his eyes misty. "Another Watson-Mariano legacy, son. Well done."
Ion and Ella (Aries' wife) were already flanking me, asking about my prenatal vitamins, while Honey was trying to keep Percy from knocking over the orange juice in his excitement.
If the family was a storm, Section E was a category five hurricane. They arrived an hour later, having been summoned by a cryptic mass text from Keifer.
Ci n burst through the doors first, his doctor's bag in one hand and his pilot's headset around his neck. Rakki, his lawyer wife, followed, looking exasperated. "Out of the way!" Ci n shouted. "Jay, sit down! I'm the doctor here! Rakki, get the blood pressure cuff!" "Ci n, she's fine!" Rakki laughed. "She's a doctor too, remember?"
Erdix and Rory were right behind them. Erdix was already typing on a laptop. "I've hacked the local hospital's scheduling system," Erdix announced. "Freya is already assigned as the primary consultant. Rory, set up the 24/7 drone perimeter around the master wing." "On it," Rory said, high-fiving Donald, his 5.5-year-old nephew who was running circles around Alexander.
Grandpa David (as we call him) walked in, looking at a stack of legal papers. "I've already drafted the non-disclosure agreements for the medical staff. No one leaks this to the press."
Calix and Mica arrived with their daughter Anne. "Calix, don't you dare talk business today," Mica warned, but Calix was already cornering Keigan to talk about baby-proofing the Watsons' private jets.
Denzel and Grace came in with Grazel Jay. The eight-year-old ran straight to me. "Ate Jay! Can I name the baby after me too?" "We'll see, Grazel," I laughed, as Denzel started explaining the mechanical engineering specs of the world's safest stroller.
Mayo and Kit arrived last, carrying three giant tubs of "Celebration Gold" ice cream from their shop. "Ice cream for everyone!" Mayo shouted. "It's rich in calcium! Good for the baby!" Kit added, waving a giant scoop.
Emman followed, looking stressed. "I've cleared the top three floors of my hotel for the baby shower. Keifer, we need to discuss the catering."
Felix, Percy's younger brother, was sitting in the corner, already coding a customized baby-monitoring app. "It'll track heart rate, oxygen levels, and dirty diapers in real-time," he muttered.
The living room was a sea of bodies, shouting, and laughter.
Alexander was sitting on the floor, looking confused. "Ma? Why is Uncle Aries dancing on the coffee table?" "He's just happy, baby," I said, leaning back against the sofa.
Suddenly, Ci n and Aries got into a heated debate about whether the baby should be a pilot or a surgeon. "He needs to fly! The sky is the limit!" Ci n yelled. "No! He needs to follow the stars! The Horoscope says he'll be a visionary!" Aries countered.
Percy and Felix were arguing over which brand of car the baby should have for their 16th birthday, while Erdix was trying to convince Keifer that the nursery needed a fingerprint scanner.
"Enough!" I laughed, standing up.
The room went quiet again. They all looked at me—my chaotic, brilliant, overprotective family and friends.
"I love you all," I said, looking at Freya, Mica, Grace, and Rakki, who were standing together, the doctors and lawyers of our group ready to defend me. "But if one more person mentions a drone or a 16-year-old's car, I am going to London early."
Keifer stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You heard her. Everyone, eat your ice cream and calm down. This is a celebration, not a tactical invasion."
"Can we at least have the foam rave?" Percy whispered. "NO, PERCY!" the entire room shouted in unison.
By midnight, the Black Box had finally cleared out. The Section E boys had gone home, the twins were asleep, and the mansion felt peaceful again.
Hubby and I were on the balcony, watching the moon.
"Hubby," I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Are you ready for this? The noise, the overprotection... the fact that Ci n is probably going to try and deliver this baby in a helicopter?"
Keifer laughed, a deep, rich sound. "Wifey, I've survived the Garrison, the Hanamitchis, and your brother Aries' cooking. I think I can handle anything as long as I have you."
He kissed me, a slow, lingering promise of the months to come. The legacy was growing. The chaos was just beginning. And for the first time in a long time, everything was exactly as it should be.
.....