°♡˖꒰Author's꒱˖♡° POV
The air at the Fernandez household was thick with the scent of Gemma's cooking and the chaotic energy of Section E. As Jay-Jay and Keifer stepped through the door, they weren't just met with a house; they were met with a wall of noise and limbs.
"The monkey is back!" Aries yelled, a smirk splitting his face as he lounged on the sofa.
"Shut up, Horoscope!" Jay-Jay shot back, though her eyes sparkled with relief.
The peace didn't last.
Cin, living up to his reputation, bypassed everyone and lunged at Jay-Jay, wrapping her in a hug so tight she let out a muffled wheeze.
"Jay! You're finally home!" he chirped, burying his face in her shoulder like a giant puppy.
"Cin, let go before she buries you in the backyard," Keifer warned, his eyes darting toward the hallway.
True to form, Angelo emerged, his presence instantly cooling the room. His gaze was sharp, lingering on how close the Section E boys were standing to his sister.
"Too loud," he stated flatly. "And you," he pointed at Keifer, "Why are you still standing so close to her?"
"Relax, Angelo," Keifer retorted, though he instinctively took a half-step back. "We just got here."
The tension was broken by Percy, who was busy checking his reflection in a hallway mirror, adjusting a stray hair. "Honestly, the drama is exhausting," Percy sighed, though his eyes softened the moment they landed on Jay-Jay. Despite being her stepbrother, his protective streak rivaled Angelo's. "You look tired, Jay. Did Keifer bore you to death?"
From the corner, the rest of the Section E boys—Yuri, David, Eman, and the rest—started hooting.
"Look at them! Reunited and it feels so... loud!" Yuri laughed, nudging Felix, who was busy trying to keep his brother Percy from staring at himself for too long.
"Don't forget the 'family' photo," Blaster teased, gesturing to the girlfriends—Ella, Honey, Freya, and Mica—who were huddled together, giggling at the boys' antics.
"Jay-Jay, ignore them," Gemma said, walking out of the kitchen with a warm smile, her eyes briefly meeting Jaspher's. The history between them was complicated, but seeing her daughter surrounded by her brothers—both by blood and by choice—made the house feel finally, officially, full.
"Welcome home, Jay," Keigan and Keiren said in unison, flanking her like two more bodyguards.
As Denzel bounced a giggling Grazel on his hip and Graze leaned against him, the Fernandez home didn't feel like just a house anymore. It felt like a fortress of chaotic, overprotective, and deep-seated love.
The dining room was a chaotic blend of high-stakes corporate talk and domestic bliss. Keifer, Jaspher, and Angelo were deep in the weeds of a new merger, their voices rising over the clinking of silverware."If we finalize the equity split by Thursday," Keifer said, mid-chew,
"the project is golden."Jay Jay, sitting at the head of the table in her dual role as both CEO and the heart of the family, nodded sharply.
"Agreed. But we need to vet their lead architect first. If he's a shark, I want to know."Just as the conversation turned toward the technicalities of the merger, Aries caught Honey's eye.
Honey, sensing the "work talk" was reaching a fever pitch and that the younger girls were getting bored, suddenly stood up."Okay, CEO Jay Jay, that's enough business!" Honey chirped, looping her arm through Jay Jay's. "We have an emergency. A glitter emergency."Jay Jay blinked, looking completely lost.
"A what? Honey, we were just discussing the acquisition—"
"Exactly! Far too dry for your skin," Honey joked, practically dragging a bewildered Jay Jay toward the hallway. "Girls, come on! We need to help Jay Jay pick out a 'power pajamas' set. Boys, clean the plates!"
The girls giggled and scrambled after them, leaving the men in a stunned silence.Jay Jay looked back over her shoulder, her expression one of pure confusion. "But... the architect?"
"He can wait! Moisturizer cannot!" Honey shouted back, closing the bedroom door.At the table, the atmosphere shifted.
Keifer slowly put his fork down, his brow furrowed. He stared at the closed door, a strange, prickling sensation crawling up his neck."Did that feel... tactical to you?" Keifer asked, his voice dropping an octave.Angelo snickered, reaching for the last dinner roll.
"Tactical? Keifer, it's Honey. She probably just wants to put a face mask on her."
"No," Keifer muttered, his eyes narrowing. "The way she cut Jay Jay off... the timing. It was too perfect. Something is weird. I feel like we're being played."Jaspher laughed, leaning back.
"Bro, you've been reading too many surveillance reports. She's not plotting a coup; she's plotting a spa night. Relax."Keifer didn't relax. He kept his eyes on the door, certain that behind that "glitter emergency," something much more calculated—and probably much more expensive for their credit cards—was happening.
"I'm telling you," Keifer whispered, "that's the face of a woman who knows exactly how to distract a CEO."
The heavy bedroom door clicked shut, sealing the girls away from the boardroom-level intensity of the dining table. Jay Jay barely had time to sit on the edge of her bed before the "Council of Girls" descended.
"Okay, spill it," Freya demanded, crossing her arms. "You've been acting twitchy since the appetizers."
"I have not! I'm just... thinking about the merger," Jay Jay stammered, pulling the collar of her oversized hoodie higher.Ella squinted, leaning in close.
"Is that right? Because unless the merger is purple and shaped like a thumbprint, there's something on your neck."Jay Jay's hand flew to her throat, her face turning a vivid shade of crimson.
"It's a... bug bite. A very aggressive, passionate mosquito."
"That mosquito has a name, and his name starts with K," Raki giggled, nudging Mica.
"Wait, if there's one on the neck, there's a whole colony elsewhere!" Grace shouted, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Off with the hoodie! Let's see the damage!"
"No! Grace, stop! It's cold!" Jay Jay shrieked, clutching the fabric as if her life depended on it. She scrambled across the silk sheets, but she was outnumbered.
Mica grabbed one sleeve, Raki grabbed the other, and Jay Jay put up a fight that would have made a professional wrestler proud.
"Jay, you're a CEO! Surrender gracefully!" Freya laughed, joining the fray.After a chaotic minute of muffled giggles and kicking legs, Freya and Grace gave one final, synchronized tug.
The hoodie flew across the room, leaving Jay Jay sitting there in just her matching set.The room went dead silent for exactly two seconds.
"Holy..." Ella's jaw dropped.
"Jay Jay," Mica gasped, pointing at her shoulder. "Did you walk through a hailstorm of kisses? There's one on your shoulder... and your waist... and—oh my god, your thighs too?!"
Jay Jay tried to cover herself with a pillow, her face practically steaming.
"Keifer is just... he's very thorough! It was a long weekend!"
"Thorough?" Grace cackled, poking a mark on Jay Jay's waistline. "This isn't 'thorough,' this is a territory map! He's literally branded you from head to toe. Look at that inner thigh one! How did you even breathe?"
"It's a very artistic expression of affection!" Jay Jay defended, her voice hitting a high-pitched squeak.
"Artistic?" Raki teased, fanning herself. "It looks like he tried to eat you for Sunday brunch. No wonder he was looking all 'sensory' and 'weird' outside. He's probably out there right now re-counting them in his head."
"Stop it!" Jay Jay groaned, burying her face in the pillow. "He's just... he gets clingy!"
"Clingy?" Freya laughed, leaning over her. "Honey, 'clingy' is holding hands. This is Keifer claiming you like a gold mine. I'm surprised you don't have his signature tattooed on your hip at this point."
"I'm calling it," Ella declared, grinning. "We aren't letting her back out there until we draw little circles around them like a crime scene. We need to show the boys exactly why the 'merger' talk was so exhausting."
"If you tell Keifer I showed you these, I will fire all of you from this family!" Jay Jay threatened weakly, though she couldn't stop the shy, smitten smile from breaking through.
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The atmosphere in the living room was light and full of laughter until the girls exchanged a "the plan is a go" look. Before Keifer could even register the shift in the air, the girls swarmed.
Freya and Grace grabbed Keifer by the arms, while Mica and Raki blocked Jay Jay's exit. "Trial's over! Evidence needs to be presented to the culprit!" Ella announced, as they pushed the protesting couple back into Jay Jay's room.
"Hey! Watch the suit!" Keifer barked, though his face was already heating up. "What is this? A kidnapping?"The door slammed shut. Inside, the girls didn't waste a second.
Jay Jay clutched her hoodie like a shield. "Girls, no!
The girls weren't just teasing anymore; they were practically conducting a forensic audit of Keifer's "hard work."
"Wait, wait!" Mica cried, dropping to her knees to get a better look at Jay Jay's leg. "Look at the alignment on this thigh bruise. Keifer, did you use a ruler? The spacing is impeccable. Truly a CEO's attention to detail."Jay Jay let out a strangled squeak, trying to squeeze her knees together, but Grace was already pointing at her waist.
"Forget the legs! Look at the hip! Those aren't just hickeys, those are grip marks. Keifer, were you worried she was going to float away, or were you just trying to see if your fingers could meet around her waist while you... you know?"
Keifer's stoic "CEO mask" didn't just crack; it shattered. "I was... ensuring she stayed in place," he muttered, his voice dropping an octave as he tried to stare at a very interesting spot on the wallpaper.
"Ensuring she stayed in place?" Freya howled, leaning into Keifer's face. "Is that what we're calling it now? Because it looks more like you were trying to devour her for three courses and came back for seconds! Did she even taste like vanilla, or was it more like 'corporate ambition'?"
"She tastes like... she tastes fine," Keifer managed, but his face was now a shade of purple that matched the marks on Jay Jay's collarbone.Raki cackled, emboldened by his shyness.
"Oh, 'fine'? Just 'fine'? Then why is there a bite mark near her belly button? Did you think she was a snack bar? Honestly, Keifer, we know you've spent more time with your head between those legs than you have in the boardroom this week!"
"Raki! That is enough!" Jay Jay cried, her hands covering her face, though her own laughter was bubbling through. "I am standing right here! Totally exposed! Have some mercy!"
"Mercy? Ask Keifer for mercy!" Ella teased, giving Jay Jay's exposed hip a playful poke. "He's the one who turned you into a human purple-dot painting. I bet if we turned off the lights, she'd glow from all the friction!"
"I am a very... thorough man," Keifer finally growled, his possessiveness flaring up through his embarrassment. He stepped behind Jay Jay, wrapping his arms around her bare middle and pulling her back against him, his large hands resting right over the marks on her waist. "And if I want to taste every inch of my wife, that's my prerogative as the majority shareholder."The room exploded into screams and whistles.
"Ooooh! 'Majority shareholder'!" Grace shouted. "Is that the new term for 'I spent four hours biting her inner thighs'?"
"Out! All of you! Before I start firing people by association!" Keifer yelled, though he was grinning now, his chest vibrating against Jay Jay's back.
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The boys of Section E didn't scatter just yet. While they knew Keifer was the boss, they were family first, and the "limit" for them was somewhere between hilarious and slightly scandalous.
Adrix stepped forward, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, relax, Big Boss! We're just admiring the craftsmanship. We've seen you close deals, but we've never seen you... leave a trail."
Felix and Calix flanked Jay Jay, giving her a sympathetic but mischievous look. "Seriously, Jay," Felix whispered, though loud enough for Keifer to hear. "How do you even focus in meetings when you know that is waiting for you at home? Does he just growl at you until you give in, or does he start with the neck and work his way down to the...
"technicalities?"Rory and Yuri snickered. "He definitely starts with the neck,"
Yuri teased, pointing at a mark. "Look at the suction on that one. Keifer, we didn't know you had a side hustle as a vacuum cleaner."
Kit, Mayo, and Eman were looking at the way Keifer's hand was practically glued to Jay Jay's waist. "Look at the grip!" Mayo laughed. "He's holding onto her like she's the last piece of cake at a party. Don't worry, Keifer, we aren't going to steal her. We don't have your... uh... intensity."
Eren leaned in, keeping it just within the limits of family fun. "We just want to know one thing, Jay. When he's being 'thorough' like this, does he still use his 'CEO voice,' or does he just lose all his words and start acting like a hungry wolf?"
Jay Jay was hiding her face in her hands, her laughter muffled. "He's a gentleman! Mostly!"
"A gentleman doesn't leave his teeth marks on a lady's inner thigh, Jay!" Honey barked with a laugh.
"That's not a gentleman; that's a man who hasn't had his 'dessert' in a long time. We're just glad the furniture is still in one piece... for now."Adrix winked at Keifer. "We'll leave you to it, Romeo. Just remember, we have an early start tomorrow. Try not to leave her too 'exhausted' to lead the morning briefing."
With a final round of whistles and "Good luck, Jay Jay!", the boys finally started to peel away toward their rooms, leaving the couple in a blissful, albeit blushing, silence.
Keifer let out a long breath, pulling Jay Jay closer. "They are never going to forget this, are they?"
"Never," Jay Jay giggled, finally looking up at him. "But at least they know you're 'thorough' now."
The house was finally a tomb of silence, the echoes of Section E's teasing replaced by the soft hum of the refrigerator. Keifer and Jay Jay crept into the kitchen like teenagers, raiding the fridge for leftover cake and cold milk.
"If Adrix catches us, he'll say I'm feeding you up for 'Round Two,'" Keifer whispered, feeding Jay Jay a forkful of chocolate frosting.
"Shh! Don't give them ideas," Jay Jay giggled, leaning her head against his shoulder. "My heart can't take any more 'thorough' jokes today."
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After their secret feast, they retreated to the sanctuary of her bedroom. The heavy hoodie and the rest of the world were finally tossed aside.
Under the cool silk sheets, Jay Jay moved with practiced instinct, draping her bare body over Keifer's chest. She was addicted to the steady, heavy thrum of his heart—it was the only thing that could truly quiet her CEO brain.
"Better?" Keifer murmured, his large hand splaying across the small of her back, his skin warm against her "map" of purple and red marks.
"Mm-hmm," Jay Jay mumbled, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "My big, scary CEO bear. Why were you so mean to the boys?"
"Because they were looking at my favorite person," Keifer whispered, his voice turning into soft, playful baby talk that he only ever used behind closed doors. "Is my baby girl tired after all that big talk?"
"So tired," she pouted, her voice getting small and sweet. "The boys were scary. They said you tried to eat me."
Keifer chuckled, a deep vibration that Jay Jay felt in her own chest. He kissed the top of her head, then moved down to peck a fresh mark on her shoulder. "Did I? Did I try to eat my little snack?"
"You did. You're a hungry monster," she whispered, tracing the muscles of his chest with her finger. "But you're my monster. My thorough monster."
"And you're my addicted little koala," Keifer teased, pulling the duvet higher around them. "Go to sleep, Jay. No more meetings, no more mergers. Just us."
"Promise no more hickeys tomorrow?" she asked sleepily, her eyes fluttering shut.Keifer quieted, his hand roaming down to her thigh where his mark was darkest.
"I promise... I'll try. But no promises if you keep looking at me like that in the morning."
"Meany," she huffed, already drifting off.
"Love you,my Koala," he whispered, finally closing his eyes and holding his world in his arms.
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Can I get 20 comments 😶🌫️