The courthouse was buzzing again.
Jay had a plan.
She glanced at Keifer across the room, calm as ever, reviewing his files like a statue. He didn't even notice her plotting.
Perfect.
She leaned over to her table, quietly flipping a few tabs in his case files while he was distracted by Luke Reyes—Your Honor, the funniest and most chaotic judge she knew.
"Hmm… Exhibit D, E, F… ah, just a little tweak here…" she whispered to herself.
Keifer absentmindedly sipped his water, completely unaware.
Luke noticed Jay smirking and raised an eyebrow. "Counselor Mariano, something smells mischievous. Are you up to your usual chaos?"
Jay froze. "No, Your Honor. Absolutely not."
Luke smirked. "Uh-huh. That's exactly what someone plotting would say."
Meanwhile, in the back row, Percy, Jane, Keigan, and Keiren were quietly passing a phone back and forth.
Percy whispered dramatically, "We need a Team Jayfer chat. Stat."
Jane rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous, Percy."
Percy grinned. "Exactly why it's perfect. Keigan, you type it."
Keigan raised an eyebrow. "Fine, but only if Keiren adds emojis."
Keiren immediately added: 🔥❤️😂
The group chat was born: Team Jayfer.
Percy typed first: Today's mission: Observe chaos and rate smirks.Jane added: Mariano's chaos: 10/10. Watson's smirk: 9/10.Keigan: He's learning from Luke, clearly.Keiren: Ate Jay is too cute when plotting. Smirk: 11/10
Jay, passing by, accidentally saw the last message. She glared at Percy.
"Are you spying on me?"
Percy pretended innocence. "Nope. Totally accidental."
Aries, sitting silently behind Jay, narrowed his eyes at Keifer. He was watching carefully. Protective. Always.
Back at the front, the courtroom battle began.
Jay presented her argument with fiery precision.
Keifer responded, calm, collected, almost annoyingly perfect.
Jay grinned as she saw him reach for the tab she had switched.
"Oh, did you mean Exhibit C?" she whispered under her breath.
Keifer frowned slightly, flipping through his files. Then he looked at her. A tiny, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips.
Jay's heart skipped. She hated it.
Luke leaned forward from the bench. "Counselors, oh my… sparks are flying today, and it's not just legal brilliance."
Jay whispered to herself: "I hate him."
Keifer whispered back in his cool, deep voice: "I love that you try."
Jay almost dropped her pen. Almost.
After court, outside, Percy, Jane, Keigan, and Keiren huddled in a corner.
Percy waved the phone dramatically. "Did you see that smirk?"
Jane rolled her eyes. "Both of them are driving each other crazy."
Keigan grinned. "Luke was enjoying every second. He's definitely shipping them harder than us."
Keiren nudged Jay, who was walking by. "You okay, Ate?"
Jay crossed her arms. "I'm fine. Totally fine."
Aries, standing a little behind, muttered to Keifer as they walked away. "I don't trust you. Not for a second."
Keifer shrugged. "I'm not trying to hurt her."
Aries' eyes narrowed dangerously. "Try her once… and you'll find out what family really means."
Keifer kept walking, but the smallest corner of his mouth lifted.
That night, Team Jayfer reconvened in the group chat.
Percy: Today's chaos rating: 10/10. Smirk rating: 9/10. Mission: Success.Jane: They will eventually kill each other. Or kiss.Keigan: Luke would be proud.Keiren: I vote kiss. Definitely kiss.
Jay saw the notifications, groaned, and muttered: "I hate all of you."
Percy grinned. "Exactly how we want you."
The rivalry was heating up. The chaos was only growing.
And for the first time, both Jay and Keifer realized… this war wasn't just about winning in court anymore.
It was personal.
And dangerous.