JAY'S POV
The hall was so quiet it felt like the walls were listening.
Hundreds of eyes on me.
Dozens of cameras burning white heat against my skin.
A silence that held its breath on the edge of something seismic.
I placed the mic down gently, fingers steady, pulse steady.
Then I began-
"Two years ago… this corporation didn't exist."
A ripple moved through the room.
"It didn't have a name.It didn't have funding.
It didn't have investors waiting in line to shake hands."
Cameras clicked harder.
"What it did have… was a vision."
I kept my gaze straight ahead — not at them, not at Section E, not at my family, not at Keifer whose disbelief I could feel even without looking.
"A vision for a company that refused to be trapped in a single industry.One that didn't play by the standard rules of business.One that didn't bow to names older than it."
Soft murmurs. Chairs shifting. Whispers vibrating like electricity.
"We built C&J to be a disruptor.Not a follower."
The crowd stiffened.
"And in two years, that vision has surpassed twelve multinational corporations, overtaken seven rising brands, and outbid five billionaire consortia who believed we were—"
I paused, letting my voice cool.
"—a joke."
A couple of businessmen flinched.
Good.
"Some called us a myth.A ghost.
A rumor created to scare shareholders."
I tilted my head slightly, letting the lights catch the steel in my eyes.
"But we were real.And we were relentless."
Every heartbeat in the hall synced with mine.
"Tonight is not just a reveal.It is a declaration."
A shift. A pulse. A tightening in the air.
"We are not finished.
We are not slowing down.
And we are most certainly-"
Dropped my smile and with a smirk dark dangerous "-not afraid."
Section E looked like statues — Yu gripping his glass, Cin mouth hanging open, Stella's hands over her lips, the boys frozen mid-thought.
But I kept going.Voice smooth. Controlled. Powerful.
"But this empire… wasn't built alone."
The silence snapped like a wire.
I inhaled slowly.
"Because every visionary needs a compass."
Someone gasped.
"And luckly I had mine —
Keeper Cole Wilson."
The room exploded.
Gasps.
Shouts.
People grabbing each other.
Some CEO dropped his champagne glass.
Keifer…
Keifer didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Shock carved into every line of his face.
I continued as if the world wasn't tipping.
"Cole was my partner.My strategist.
My anchor.My support.
The mind who stood beside me every night while C&J was built in silence."
A loud collective gasp hit like a second wave.
"This company is ours.Built on his guidance…
And my execution."
The hall went silent again, hanging on my every breath.
I stood taller.
"We started in a borrowed office…With two laptops…And a plan that everyone told us would collapse."
I smiled — the kind that didn't reach my eyes.
"Instead, we collapsed the market."
Another shockwave of whispers.
"We worked without sleep.Without safety.
Without anyone knowing."
I lowered my gaze slightly.
"Until tonight."
A beat.
"C&J is not luck.C&J is not an accident.
C&J is not a miracle."
I leaned forward.
Voice low.
Sharp.
Deadly, precisely controlled.
"C&J is proof that brilliance…
Backed by strategy…And built by fire—cannot be stopped."
I straightened fully.
"So tonight, raise your glasses."
Ethan appeared instantly with a tray — bottles of premium champagne chilled in ice.
He handed me one with a bow.
I popped it cleanly — a sharp crack slicing through the stunned silence.
I lifted my glass.
"To change.To disruption."
I raised my gaze to the balcony…
Where Section E stood frozen.
Where Angelo and Aries stared at me like their brains had just blue-screened.
Where Stella's hands trembled around her glass.
Where Percy and my dad looked like they needed oxygen.
And—
Where Keifer still stood absolutely still.
Jaw locked.Eyes burning.
Shock and pride and disbelief warring inside him.
I held my glass higher.
"To every empire that told us we couldn't build."
A pause.
Sharp.
Deadly.
A blade hidden under silk.
"To every wall we broke."
Another pause.
"To every future we will dominate."
The hall exhaled.
Then I delivered the final line:
"To C&J — the empire no one saw coming and To Keeper Cole Wilson"
I clinked my glass lightly against the mic.
A single, perfect note.
"Cheers."
Champagne glasses rose across the hall.
Cheers echoed.
Cameras flashed so violently the stage turned white.
But I only looked at one person.
Just one.
Through the sea of glass and gold and shock—
Keifer.
Still staring.
Still processing.
Still realizing that the girl he kissed, held, teased, touched—
Was the storm about to swallow the corporate world whole.
I took a slow sip of champagne.
Still not looking away.
The lights shifted.
The applause died down.
And suddenly, the stage filled with the sound of chairs scraping, reporters standing, cameras flashing like a storm.
A female coordinator stepped up with a clipboard.
"Ms. Mariano will now take a few questions."
Microphones shot up instantly.
I clasped my hands in front of me, back straight, expression calm — the CEO mask settling perfectly over my face.
---
REPORTER 1 — Bloomberg
"Ms. Mariano, C&J rose faster than any corporation in recent history. But many question how you, at your age, managed to build something this vast in only two years. What is your response?"
I smiled politely.
"Age has nothing to do with capability. Efficiency does. Strategy does. Precision does. If the industry struggles to accept that youth and brilliance can coexist… that is their limitation, not mine."
Murmurs. Pens scribbling. Cameras flashing.
---
REPORTER 2 — Forbes
"You mentioned your co-founder, Keeper Cole Wilson. Why isn't he here tonight?"
My breath hitched — just a little — but my face didn't crack.
"Mr.Wilson is no longer with us because some stories… end sooner than we want."
A quiet whisper fell over the room.
"But honoring his contribution is not optional. C&J carries his name, his legacy, and his brilliance in every department."
Silence. Respectful. Heavy.
---
REPORTER 3 — The Financial Journal
"Ms. Mariano, several corporations have accused C&J of being too aggressive in the market. How do you respond to accusations that you 'play unfair'?"
A soft laugh slipped out.
"If by 'unfair,' they mean we do the work faster, smarter, and better than they do… then yes. We're very unfair."
Reporters laughed. The crowd erupted in whispers.
---
REPORTER 4 — TechWire
"Are you planning to expand into AI or cyber-defense next quarter? There are rumors."
I tilted my head.
"There are always rumors. And we don't confirm or deny hypotheticals. But…"
I let a slow smirk rise.
"C&J never stays in one industry for long."
Pens moved frantically.
---
REPORTER 5 — Business Daily
"Your employees describe you as ruthless but fair. What do you think defines your leadership?"
"Clarity," I answered.
"People don't need a soft leader. They need a decisive one.
Especially in a world where hesitation costs billions."
A few executives in the room winced.
---
REPORTER 6 — Global Capital
"Final question, Ms. Mariano."
I nodded.
This one had a different tone — amused, sharp, too curious.
"There is a lot of speculation about your personal life.
A CEO as young, powerful, and private as yourself — the world is naturally curious."
I kept my posture perfect.
"Is Ms.Jay Mariano currently in a relationship?"
The hall turned into static.
Section E straightened.
Angelo nearly stood up from the balcony.
Keifer…
Keifer froze entirely — jaw clenched, eyes locked on me like the world depended on my next breath.
I didn't hesitate.
Not even a fraction.
I lifted the mic with a calm smile.
"Yes."
A collective gasp cracked through the ballroom.
Reporters practically launched forward.
But I wasn't done.
I let my gaze slide across the hall…
Up to the balcony…
Right to where Keifer stood, unmoving, breath caught in his chest.
And with that same calm, deadly CEO poise, I added:
"And that is all the detail I intend to share tonight."
The room exploded.
Flashbulbs. Screams. Waves of voices.
But I didn't take my eyes off him.
Not for a second.
Keifer Watson — who had walked into this ballroom representing his corporation…
completely unaware that the girl he wanted to stay the night with, the girl who fell asleep on his chest, the girl he kissed like she was air—
Was Ms. Jay Mariano.
CEO. Power player. The storm the room now bowed to.
And the girl who just publicly admitted she belonged to someone.
To him....
KEIFER'S POV — THE MOMENT THE WORLD SHIFTED
I had faced boardrooms that wanted to tear me apart.
I had walked into mergers that could bankrupt nations.
I had seen men twice my age tremble in front of me.
But nothing—
nothing—
prepared me for this.
The moment she stepped into that spotlight…
Jay.
My Jay.
The girl who hid her face in my chest two hours ago.
The girl who stole my shirts.
The girl who glared at me every time I teased her.
The girl whose heartbeat I fell asleep to.
She stood there like she owned the world—
Because she did.
And as she spoke…
Every sentence was a blade.
Every pause was a warning.
Every word was a declaration that the world had severely underestimated her.
And I—
The man who prided himself on reading every room, predicting every move—
Had been completely blindsided.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
Honey whispered beside me, "Holy shit, Keifer."
I didn't answer.
I was too busy watching a girl rewrite the stock market with a microphone.
And then—Cole
Her compass.Her partner.Her anchor.
I swallowed hard.
Because for the first time…
I realized the weight she carried.
The grief she buried.
The fire she turned into a kingdom.
She built an empire while mourning someone.
And I hadn't known.
God.
I wanted to march on that stage and catch her the moment she stepped down.
I wanted to pull her against me and tell her she did it.
That she wasn't alone.
But she didn't look at me.
Not until the toast.
And when she lifted that glass—slow, deliberate, devastating—looking directly at me…
My heart didn't just stop.
It bowed.
---
THE MEDIA Q&A
From where I stood, every question felt like a punch and a revelation.
Her poise was lethal.Her voice steady.Her eyes sharp.
This wasn't the girl who tripped over my shoes in her room.
This wasn't the girl who hid her face when I complimented her.
This was the CEO the world would kneel for.
Her answer about Cole…
I felt that in my bones.
She wasn't just brilliant—
She was loyal.
Dangerously loyal.
And then came the last question.
"Is Ms. Jay Mariano currently in a relationship?"
My breath stopped.
Honey turned to me so fast I heard her neck crack.
The entire hall froze.
But Jay…
That damn woman didn't even blink.
"Yes," she said.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Undeniable.
The air exploded.
My pulse hammered so hard I thought it would crack my ribs.
She didn't look flustered.
Or shy.
Or nervous.
She said yes like it was fact.
Like it was law.
Like it was the only answer that ever existed.
And then—
She looked at me.
Direct.
Steady.
Claiming without a single word.
And I swear…
I forgot how to function.
My mind short-circuited so violently Honey had to put a hand on my arm because she thought I might actually fall.
Holy hell.
My Jay Jay — CEO, storm, empire-builder — just told the entire corporate world she was in a relationship.
With me.
And now?
Now I had one single thought left in my head:
I need to get to her.
Now.
Before anyone else does.Before the press.Before Section E.Before her brothers.
Before the damn universe.
She's mine.
And I'm not letting her walk away from that stage without being in my arms.
And God help anyone who tried to stop me.