[Jay's POV]
The fifth month had brought a certain softness to my curves that Keifer seemed absolutely obsessed with. It was a rainy afternoon, and the mansion was quiet. We were settled on the massive velvet sofa in the glass-walled sunroom. Keifer had pushed aside his laptop—a rare move—and pulled me back against his chest, his arms creating a fortress around me and the "Powerhouse."
"Analysis, Hubby?" I murmured, leaning my head back against his shoulder.
"The system is currently operating at 100% peace," Keifer whispered, his voice a low vibration against my spine. His large hand was splayed over the firm swell of my bump, his thumb tracing slow, rhythmic circles. "The only variable that matters is right here."
He turned my face toward his, his blue eyes darkened with a possessive, tender heat. He began to kiss me—slow, deep, and lingering—as if he were trying to memorize my soul. It wasn't the kiss of a CEO; it was the kiss of a man who had finally found his home.
[Author's POV]
Across the estate's perimeter, hidden behind the tinted windows of a parked sedan, Bridget watched through high-powered surveillance lenses. She shouldn't have been there, but her obsession had become a fever.
Through the glass of the sunroom, she saw them. She saw the "Cold Prince" looking at Jay like she was his entire universe. She saw Keifer pull Jay closer, his hand moving from her stomach to cradle her face with a gentleness Bridget had never believed he possessed.
The sight was like acid in Bridget's veins. Every caress Keifer gave Jay felt like a slap to Bridget's face.
"He's wasting his time," Bridget hissed, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. "He's supposed to be calculating the Q3 projections, not playing house with a... a breeder."
The jealousy peaked when she saw Keifer lean down to press a reverent kiss directly onto Jay's pregnant belly, a smile actually touching his lips. It was too much. Bridget couldn't stand the sight of his happiness—a happiness she wasn't a part of.
With a trembling hand, she grabbed her phone. She knew Keifer's private "Priority One" line. She dialed, her heart hammering with a malicious intent to shatter the moment.
[Jay's POV]
The air between us was thick with love when Keifer's phone, sitting on the coffee table, let out a sharp, persistent chime. It was the "Emergency Executive" tone.
Keifer stiffened, his jaw tightening. He didn't want to pull away, but the "CEO" instinct was hard-coded. He reached out and glanced at the screen.
"Bridget," he muttered, his eyes instantly turning back to ice.
I felt the "Glow" flicker with annoyance. "It's Sunday, Keif. Does she ever sleep?"
Keifer answered, his voice cold and professional. "This had better be a market-altering event, Bridget. You're interrupting a high-priority internal sync."
"Keifer," Bridget's voice came through, sounding forced and breathless. "I'm sorry to disturb your... family time. But the Hong Kong merger just hit a catastrophic snag. The regulatory board is threatening a freeze. I've tried to handle it, but they're asking for you specifically. If we don't jump on a call in five minutes, the deal is dead."
Keifer looked at me, then at the phone. I could see the battle in his eyes—the man who protected the empire versus the man who loved his wife.
"Is the data verified?" Keifer asked sharply.
"100%," Bridget lied, her voice dripping with fake urgency. "I'm in the office now. I need your eyes on the contract."
[Jay's POV]
Keifer sighed, a dark shadow crossing his face. He looked at me, his hand lingering on my bump one last time before he sat up and reached for his laptop.
"I have to take this, Wiefy," he said, his voice full of regret. "If the Hong Kong deal freezes, it affects the trust fund I just set up for the Powerhouse."
I saw the smug satisfaction in his eyes when he mentioned the baby, but I also felt the cold chill Bridget had managed to send into our room from miles away. She had won—she had managed to pull him away from me, even if only for an hour.
"Go," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fifth-month mood swing threatening to make me cry. "Save the empire, Hubby."
Keifer paused, sensing my shift in energy. He didn't open the laptop. Instead, he pulled me back into a fierce, crushing hug. "She can have my time for ten minutes, Jay. But she will never, ever have the system. You stay right here. I'm finishing this and coming back to you. That's a decree."
He stood up and walked toward his desk, his voice returning to that sharp, lethal CEO tone as he barked orders at Bridget. I stayed on the sofa, feeling the empty space beside me.