Keifer, very casually: "Password hint."
Jay's head snapped toward him. "You—"
Keifer unlocked the phone in one smooth motion.
The screen opened.
Section E collectively lost their minds.
Michael: "HE DID NOT."
Adam: "BRO—"
Samuel: "Soulmates. I'm telling you."
Jay: "I WILL END ALL OF YOU."
Keifer tilted his head, amused. "You used to order the same thing every Friday. You still do."
Aries muttered, "That's actually creepy."
Keifer didn't even look at him. "She likes consistency."
Jay looked away. Her ears were red.
david broke the silence first.
david: "…so. Hypothetically. If someone found a phone from when you were twelve—"
Jay: "It's not hypothetical."
yuri: "—and that phone contained unfiltered thoughts, questionable memes, and crimes against grammar—"
Jay: "I was a CHILD."
Samuel: "—would that someone survive the next five minutes?"
Jay smiled.
It was the kind of smile that had ended bloodlines.
Jay: "No."
Cin clutched his chest dramatically. "She admits it. This phone is a weapon."
Percy leaned closer, squinting at the cracked screen. "Why does it look like it's been through three wars and a breakup?"
adam, arms folded, sighed. "Because she threw it under a couch during training and forgot it existed. Like she does with… emotions."
Jay shot him a look. "You want to die poetic or fast?"
Before Rafael could respond, the phone suddenly lit up.
Everyone froze.
The lock screen flickered on.
A blurry picture of twelve-year-old Jay, missing one front tooth, flipping the camera off.
Silence.
Then—
Cin: "OH MY GOD YOU WERE ALWAYS MENACING."
Ion burst out laughing. Angelo covered his face with one hand.
Keifer stared at the screen for a long moment… then smirked.
Keifer: "Cute."
Jay: "DON'T YOU DARE."
Cin scrolled accidentally and froze.
Cin: "…why is there a group chat called 'dickheads'?"
Angelo's head snapped up. "Excuse me?"
Keifer leaned over Cin's shoulder, eyes scanning.
Keifer: "Admin… Jay."
Jay: "THAT CHAT IS PRIVATE."
Percy peeked. "Why are there 2,000 unread messages?"
Michael: "Why are there memes labeled 'for emotional damage'?"
Samuel: "WHY IS THERE A STICKER OF ADAM WITH DEVIL HORNS."
Adam: "I WAS TWELVE TOO. WHY DID YOU EDIT ABS?"
Jay lunged.
Angelo grabbed her from behind, arm looping around her shoulders, lifting her slightly off the ground.
Angelo: "No murder before breakfast."
Jay kicked the air. "LET ME GO HE DESERVES IT."
edrix still scrolling, chuckled. "Only he can understand half of this."
Keifer: "Because she types like her brain runs faster than language."
Jay froze.
…that was unfairly accurate.
The door slid open again.
Rafael glanced around. "Where's the panther?"
Everyone blinked.
Jay: "He left."
Tiger: "Left… where?"
Jay shrugged. "Wherever he wants. He doesn't ask permission."
Keifer frowned. "…he slept on your lap."
Jay: "He was tired."
Keifer: "I was right there."
Jay: "You snore."
Ion snorted.
Angelo smirked. "Jealous of a panther, Keifer?"
Keifer's jaw tightened. "I am not."
Rafael: "You absolutely are."
The moment broke when Samuel checked his watch.
Samuel: "Okay, question. Sixteenth June."
The room shifted.
Adam: "What about it?"
Samuel: "What exactly is going to happen?"
June 16.
Tomorrow.
Jay stood at the balcony later that evening, city lights stretching endlessly below, fingers clenched around the railing. The wind tugged at her hoodie, but she didn't move.
Keifer joined her without a word.
For a moment, they just stood there.
Then Jay spoke.
"Tomorrow's not just a meeting."
Keifer nodded. "It's a battlefield."
She turned to look at him. "Every top corporation. Every legacy family. Tech giants, defense groups, pharmaceutical empires."
She laughed softly, without humor. "All pretending it's a 'project presentation' and 'networking dinner.'"
Keifer's voice was low. "But really?"
"They're choosing a king."
Her jaw tightened.
"The Watson family hosts it every 5 year. Neutral ground. No weapons. No bloodshed." She scoffed. "That's the lie."
Keifer leaned his forearms on the railing. "This year is different."
Jay nodded. "Because Alpha is dead."
The words tasted wrong even saying them.
"Or so they think."
Everyone believes Alpha—the leader of the League spread across continents, the unseen authority that kept balance—died months ago. Vanished. Assassinated. Removed.
Power hates a vacuum.
"So now," Jay continued, "anyone hungry enough will try to take the position."
Keifer looked at her. "And Jasper Jean Mariano?"
Jay smirked faintly. "Alive. Thriving. CEO of S&J Corporation. Clean image. Charismatic. Untouchable."
Keifer's eyes softened. "They don't know."
"No one does," she said quietly. "They think Jasper is just Jasper. And Alpha is just a ghost."
She looked back at the city.
"Only a few people know the truth."
Keifer.Section E.Aces.Watson inner circle.
"And tomorrow," Jay finished, "every betrayer will show their faces."
Keifer reached out, lacing his fingers with hers. "They won't see you coming."
Jay squeezed back. "That's the plan. ok now come on i am hungry "
aries "OFCC you are"
The panther didn't "wander."
That was the first misconception.
Jay found that out the hard way when she nearly tripped over him the second time.
He was sitting—no, guarding—right outside the practice room door, massive black body stretched lazily across the marble like he owned the mansion. Golden eyes half-lidded. Tail flicking once. Calm. Controlled.
Not wild.
Trained.
Jay stopped mid-step.
Jay (internally): …oh.Jay (also internally): That's not a "pspsps" situation.
The panther lifted his head the moment he sensed her, eyes locking onto her face with unnerving intelligence. No growl. No tension. Just recognition.
He stood, slow and deliberate, walked toward her—and sat.
Right at her feet.
edrix peeking from behind the door: "…why does the murder cat like you?"
eman whispered: "She's the chosen one. Even wildlife picks sides."
yuri squinted. "That's not wildlife. That's military-grade."
Jay crouched, careful, hand hovering before touching.
"Hey," she murmured. "You're not supposed to be here."
The panther huffed softly. Not offended. Just… unimpressed.
Keifer appeared behind her, posture instantly alert. "He's trained."
Everyone turned.
Keifer's eyes never left the animal. "Not circus-trained. Not pet-trained. Command-trained."
The panther leaned slightly into Jay's knee.
Keifer stared.
Hard.
Jay glanced back at him, deadpan. "He sat first."
Cin snickered. "You've been replaced."
Keifer muttered, "I don't like him."
Breakfast was loud.
Too loud.
Jay sat at the counter, hoodie sleeves still pulled down, scrolling through her phone like nothing weighed on her at all.
Sec E hovered like vultures.
Cin: "Make pancakes."
Jay: "No."
cin: "Please."
Jay: "Still no."
Aces collectively gasped.
Michael dropped to his knees. "SHE NEVER MADE US PANCAKES."
Samuel clutched Adam. "Why weren't we worthy?"
Percy joined in instantly. "Why does she love them more?"
Jay pinched the bridge of her nose. "You people are exhausting."
Aries walked past, deadpan. "Do you want to burn this whole house down or just emotionally?"
angelo"jay you should learn cooking what you will do in future"
Keifer leaned against the counter, smirking. "Watson family has chefs."
Jay glanced at him.
Keifer continued smoothly, eyes never leaving her. "And if not… I can cook for her."
Silence.
Then—
Aries, Rafael, Angelo: eye roll in perfect synchronization.
Percy slapped Aries' arm. "Baby look, you should also cook for me. After all, I'm your first love."
Aries stared at him. "I regret surviving childhood."
Jay laughed. Soft. Unguarded.