--: Author's POV: --
The hospital corridor was a graveyard of broken glass, dented locker doors, and fallen men, but in the center of the wreckage, time seemed to stop. The harsh, fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting long, jagged shadows against the blood-stained floor. As the final echo of the battle died down, Jay Jay stood by her door, her knuckles white as she clutched the heavy IV pole. Her hospital gown was slightly torn at the shoulder, and her breathing came in ragged, terrified hitches. She looked like a ghost standing in the middle of a war zone—until she looked up and saw the faces of the men who had just moved mountains to reach her.
Keifer was the first to move. He didn't care about the blood dripping from his knuckles or the fact that his chest felt like it was being crushed by a lead weight. He crossed the distance in two massive strides and pulled her into him with a force that almost lifted her off her feet. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his large frame shaking with a violent, silent relief that he had never felt in his entire life. The world could have collapsed right then, and he wouldn't have noticed; he finally had her back. "I've got you," he choked out, his voice a broken, raspy tether. "I've got you, Jay Jay. It's over. I swear to God, it's finally over."
Before she could even process the warmth of his jacket, Aries was there. He didn't wait for permission; he moved in, wrapping his arms around both of them. He pressed his forehead against Jay Jay's shoulder, letting out a jagged, hitching sob that he had been holding back since the moment the countdown began. He had lived in the shadow of fear for seven years, waiting for the day his sister would be destroyed, but seeing her alive and safe broke the last of his defenses.
Then came Angelo. The Boss, the CEO, the man who had spent the night commanding a global war stepped forward. He didn't say a word—he didn't need to. He simply reached out and folded his massive, powerful arms around all three of his siblings. He was the outer shell, the final wall of protection that no force in the world could penetrate. Under his embrace, the three of them were a solid, unbreakable unit.
Finally, Percy, Keiran, Keigan and the rest of Section E closed the circle. They were covered in sweat, dust, and the grime of the hallway fight. They didn't care about the blood on their shirts or the exhaustion in their bones. They moved in, a collective huddle of bruised warriors, hugging Jay Jay together in a massive, chaotic display of brotherhood. For a long, heavy minute, the only sound in the hallway was the sound of their combined, labored breathing. In that moment, they weren't just a squad; they were a family that had looked death in the face and refused to blink.
--: Angelo's POV: --
The weight of my sister against my chest was the only thing keeping my heart from stopping, but the CEO in me was already calculating the next ten moves. I could feel her trembling—a deep, rhythmic shudder that told me she was on the verge of a total breakdown. I pulled back just enough to look at her, then signaled the lead doctor, who was standing nervously by the nurses' station. We stepped away into a quiet corner.
"She is physically stable," the doctor whispered, his eyes darting to the bloodied members of Section E. "But the trauma of tonight... it is a massive trigger. If she stays here, or if she goes back to a place filled with memories of the man who did this, she might suffer a complete psychological collapse. She needs absolute isolation. No stress. No reminders. She needs to feel like the world is small and safe again."
I looked over at Jay Jay. She was leaning her entire weight against Keifer, her eyes glazed over as she stared at nothing. I knew then: she couldn't go back to the Fernandez mansion. That house was a museum of Kaizar's secrets.
"We're going to the Highland Estate" I told him, my voice leaving no room for argument. It was a private mansion hidden deep in the mountain forests, far from the prying eyes of the media and the ghosts of the city.
I turned back to the group, my "Boss" personality snapping back into place. "Section E go home. And Percy go to tito and your mom. Clean up. Get some rest. You've done more for this family than I could ever repay. The perimeter is secure."
They gave their final, tired nods and disappeared into the elevators. But as we prepared to leave, my phone burned in my pocket. London. The news of Kaizar's arrest was already causing a tectonic shift in the European markets. Our stocks were diving.
"I have to go to London," I muttered to Aries, my jaw tight. I looked at him—he was raw, but he had the fire. "Aries, you're coming with me. You need to see how a Boss handles a global crisis. It's time you stepped up."
I turned to Keifer, my eyes turning into shards of cold glass. "Keifer. You, Keigan, and Keiran take her to the estate. Guard her with everything you have. But listen to me carefully: stay in your own room. Don't cross the line while she's this vulnerable. If I find out you did something wrong while I was across the ocean... I will deal with you myself."
Keifer's jaw tightened, his eyes meeting mine with equal intensity. "I would never hurt her, Angelo. You know that."
--: Author's POV: (The Highland Mansion) --
The Highland mansion was a fortress of glass and stone, isolated by miles of thick pine trees that muffled the sound of the outside world. The house that felt cold and empty, but safe.
After a silent dinner where no one could finish their food, Angelo and Aries departed for the airport, their departure leaving a heavy, ringing silence in the massive house. Keifer had gone to the kitchen to prepare some tea, leaving Jay Jay alone in the living room with Keigan and Keiran.
Keigan sat on the edge of a velvet armchair, his throat working as he stared at the floor. The guilt was a physical weight on his chest. He waited until he was sure Keifer was out of earshot before he spoke.
"Jay Jay," Keigan said, his voice cracking. He didn't just apologize; he slid off the chair and dropped to his knees on the carpet in front of her. "I'm sorry. For everything. For being a blind fool... and for that night I lost my temper and grabbed you by the throat. I almost killed the person who was suffering the most. I was a monster to you. Please... I don't deserve it, but please forgive me."
Jay Jay looked down at him, her eyes soft and filled with a strange, quiet wisdom. She reached out, her small, pale hand resting gently on his hair. "I already did, Keigan. A long time ago. But listen to me... you must never tell Keifer about the choking incident. He doesn't know, and if he finds out, he will never be able to look at you as a brother again. I want us to be a family. Let's keep this our secret."
Keigan nodded, his forehead touching her knee as a single tear hit the floor. "Our secret. I promise."
--: Keifer's POV: --
01:45 AM
The silence of the mansion was deafening. I was lying in the room right next to hers, staring at the shadows of the pine trees dancing on my ceiling. Every nerve in my body was on edge. I wanted to be in there. I wanted to hear her heart beating, but Angelo's warning was carved into my brain. I didn't want to be another man who forced himself into her space when she was broken.
Suddenly, a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream tore through the wall.
I didn't even use the door handle; I practically kicked the door open. Jay Jay was thrashing violently in the sheets, her eyes wide open but seeing a different world.
"Stay away!" she shrieked, her voice raw and terrified. "I won't give it to you! Not the pen drive! Please, Kaizar, don't kill me!"
She was back in the woods.
"Jay Jay! It's me! It's Keifer!" I lunged for the bed, grabbing her wrists firmly but gently so she wouldn't claw her own skin. She was drenched in sweat, her face twisted in a mask of pure agony.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
In my dream, the room was spinning. Kaizar was there, his fingers tangled in my hair, pulling my head back until I thought my neck would snap. He was screaming for the pendrive, his face inches from mine, his breath smelling like cold metal.
I felt someone grab my wrists and I lost my mind. "Don't come near me! Stay away!"
But then, the cold air of the room hit me. The smell of the forest and the faint, comforting scent of Keifer filled my senses. I blinked, the dark room coming into focus. It was Keifer. His eyes were red, filled with a deep, crying pain that mirrored my own. He wasn't the monster; he was the shield.
"Keifer..." I sobbed, the word breaking in the middle. I launched myself at him, burying my face in his chest.
He didn't hesitate. He climbed onto the bed, pulling me into his lap and wrapping his arms around me like he was trying to fuse our bodies together.
He rocked me back and forth, whispering low, shushing sounds into my hair while I cried until my lungs burned. I felt so safe, so protected, that the heavy weight of exhaustion finally started to pull me back down. I couldn't let him leave. I couldn't be alone with the shadows again.
--: Keifer's POV: --
She finally went quiet, her head heavy against my chest as her breathing evened out. I waited, trying to lay her back down on the pillow so I could follow Angelo's orders and go back to my room, but the second I moved, she whimpered. Her hand tightened on my shirt, her fingernails digging into the fabric.
To hell with the rules. To hell with Angelo's warning. She needed me more than I needed to be "proper."
I adjusted the pillows and lay down beside her, pulling the heavy duvet over both of us. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her small, fragile body flush against mine so she could feel the steady beat of my heart.
"I've got you," I whispered into the darkness of the room. "I'm not going anywhere, Jay Jay. Ever."
-: Jay Jay's POV: (The Next Morning) -
The sun was peeking through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls when I woke up. The room was bathed in a soft, golden light. I felt a heavy, warm weight draped over my waist—Keifer's arm.
The memories of the night came back in a rush—the scream, the panic, the way he had ignored everything just to hold me. I realized then that I didn't want to live another day in "maybe" . I wanted to be his.
He stirred a moment later, his eyes opening slowly. When he saw me looking at him, a sleepy, vulnerable smile spread across his face.
"Morning, Jay Jay" he murmured, his voice deep and husky.
"Morning," I said, my heart hammering. "Keifer? Can we... can we be official now? I don't want to wait for the 'right time' anymore. I want you."
Keifer froze. His breath hitched, and for a second, he didn't even move. Then, a sob of pure, unadulterated joy broke from his throat. He crushed me in a hug, burying his face in my hair and whispering "Thank you" over and over again until his voice went hoarse.
Then, he pulled back. His gaze dropped to my lips, his eyes burning with a fire that made my breath hitch. He leaned in, and the world vanished.
It was a French kiss—deep, passionate, and desperate. I felt his tongue slide against mine, tasting like the end of a war and the beginning of a new life. My hands tangled in his messy hair, pulling him closer as the kiss grew longer, more intense. We only broke apart when our lungs screamed for air, both of us gasping, our foreheads pressed together as he hugged me so tightly it felt like he would never let go.
"You're mine," he whispered, his heart beating a frantic rhythm against my own. "Finally."