[Jay's POV]
The drive back from Watson HQ was thick with a different kind of energy. Keifer was silent, his hand gripping mine so tightly it felt like he was trying to fuse our DNA. The "Office Incident" had clearly left him in a state of high-alert possessiveness. The moment the SUV pulled into the mansion's circular driveway, he didn't even wait for the security team to open the door—he was out and pulling me toward the entrance before the engine had even fully cooled.
We walked into the foyer, and the familiar scent of Mamma Serina's cooking—something involving rosemary and garlic—wafted through the air. I managed to slip away from Keifer's iron grip for a second, heading straight for the kitchen where I saw Mamma busy with the evening preparations.
"Mamma!" I called out, feeling a surge of "Wiefy" excitement.
She turned around, her face lighting up. "Jay, dear! How was the first day back at the helm? Did the empire survive your return?"
"Barely," I laughed, leading her out to the main living area. I flopped onto the oversized velvet sofa, and Mamma followed, sitting gracefully beside me. Pappa Keizer was already there, leaning back with a glass of scotch, and Keifer settled onto the sofa opposite us, looking like a dark, brooding king who was still recovering from a battle.
The Great Office Expose
"So," Pappa said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at his son. "I hear the markets were stable today. Anything... notable happen at the office?"
I couldn't help it. The "Glow" was shimmering with mischief. "Oh, Pappa, you have no idea. We were having a perfectly normal briefing. I was just helping a young analyst named Mark—"
I felt the temperature in the room drop as Keifer shifted on the sofa. "He was leaning into your personal workspace, Jay. It was a breach of protocol."
"He was showing me a graph, Keif!" I giggled, turning back to Mamma Serina. "Anyway, Mamma, Mark was being perfectly polite, maybe a little bit friendly, and out of nowhere, the CEO decides to stage a full-scale intervention. He didn't just walk over. He practically marked the floor around me."
Mamma Serina leaned in, her eyes wide. "And then?"
"And then," I said, leaning back for dramatic effect, "in front of the entire executive floor—the analysts, the VPs, the janitors—he grabs me and kisses me like we're still in the Blue Grotto. It wasn't a 'hello' kiss. It was a 'This is my Empress, go find another job' kiss. I think poor Mark is still shaking."
The Parental Teasing
Mamma Serina let out a delighted peal of laughter, clapping her hands together. "Oh, Keifer! You really are your father's son. Keizer did the exact same thing when we were engaged—he once fired a bodyguard just for holding the car door open for me a second too long!"
Pappa Keizer chuckled, raising his glass toward Keifer. "I didn't fire him, Serina. I just... reassigned him to the North Pole division. But Keifer, son, a public display in the atrium? That's bold, even for a Watson. Was the 'Software Update' from breakfast not enough to keep your sensors calibrated?"
Keifer groaned, rubbing his temples. "The variable was encroaching. I took the most efficient route to terminate the threat."
"Efficient?" I teased, nudging Mamma. "He was jealous! He looked like he wanted to buy the building next door just so he could move Mark's desk into another zip code. And then, Mamma, right after the kiss, he—"
The "Kidnapping" Protocol
I was about to describe the look on the Board's faces when suddenly, the sofa beneath me shifted. Before I could finish my sentence, two powerful arms wrapped around my waist.
"The data transfer is being intercepted," Keifer growled playfully, though his eyes were dark with that Ravello heat.
With a single, effortless heave, he "kidnapped" me—lifting me right off the sofa and throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of precious cargo.
"Keifer! Put me down! I'm telling Mamma about the elevator!" I shrieked, laughing as my hair tumbled down his back.
"The elevator logs are classified!" Keifer declared, already marching toward the grand staircase.
Pappa Keizer stood up, laughing loudly as he watched his son carry his wife away. "Hey! Where are you going with her? We haven't even had dinner! Are you running away from the truth, son?"
Keifer paused at the bottom of the stairs, adjusting his grip on my legs as I playfully swatted at his back. He looked back at his father with a rare, mischievous smirk that was 1,000% Hubby.
"I'm not running away from the truth, Pappa," Keifer called back, his voice echoing through the foyer. "I'm saving myself! If I let her finish that story, my reputation as a cold, calculating CEO will be destroyed by the end of the night. I'm taking the Wiefy offline for emergency maintenance!"
The Final Ascent
"Save me, Mamma!" I yelled, though I was clinging to his neck as he started up the stairs.
"You're on your own, Jay!" Mamma called out, her voice full of warmth. "It looks like the 'Watson Fever' has officially claimed you!"
As we hit the landing and Keifer kicked the door of the Blue Suite open, he finally set me down—but only to pin me against the door. The "Glow" was so bright I felt like the room was lit from within.
"You talk too much, Mrs. Watson," he whispered, his forehead resting against mine, his breath hitching.
"And you're too jealous, Mr. Watson," I countered, smiling.