--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The morning sun in London was rarely bright, usually filtering through the glass panes of the penthouse as a soft, milky grey. I woke up with my cheek pressed against Keifer's chest, the steady, slow rhythm of his heart acting as my morning alarm.
I didn't want to move. My body felt heavy in that delicious, post-intimacy way—muscles slightly sore, skin still humming with the memory of his touch. The silk sheets were a tangled mess around our legs, a silent testament to the fire that had burned through the suite just hours before.
Keifer's arm was draped over my waist, his fingers curled slightly against my hip even in sleep. I watched him for a moment—the way his features, usually so sharp and predatory, were softened by exhaustion. The "Coldest Man in London" looked incredibly human when he was tangled in white silk and dreaming.
I reached out, tracing his jawline with the tip of my finger. He stirred instantly. His eyes didn't snap open; instead, he let out a low, satisfied hum and pulled me tighter against him, burying his face in my hair.
"Morning," he rasped, his voice thick with sleep.
"Morning, CEO," I teased, kissing the center of his chest. "Shouldn't you be conquering the world by now? It's almost eight."
"The world can wait ten more minutes," he murmured, his grip firm. "The legal team doesn't start billed hours until nine. I'm staying right here."
We laid there in the quiet for a while, the only sound being the distant hum of the city below. It was a rare moment of absolute stillness in a life that had become a whirlwind of trauma, therapy, and high-stakes business.
"Jay?" he asked after a long silence.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
I pulled back to look at him, confused. "For what? Or for taking control yesterday?"
He smiled—a small, lopsided thing that reached his eyes. "For healing. Seeing you and Keigan walk out of that clinic last week... seeing you breathe again without looking for a ghost in the corner... it's the only reason I can walk into those boardrooms without losing my mind. You're the fortress, Jay. Not me."
I felt a lump form in my throat. I leaned up and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead. "We did it together, Keifer. Now, get up. We have to go to college and I also have a 'Yumi' date to interrogate Yuri about."
--: Yuri's POV: --
The LSE campus was buzzing as we walked through the main courtyard. Thyme, MJ, and the rest of the guys were several paces ahead, arguing loudly about a football match and completely oblivious to the war of nerves happening behind them.
I was walking in the middle, flanked by Keifer on my left and Jay-Jay on my right. I kept my head down, hoping the brisk London wind would cool the heat in my face, but Jay-Jay was relentless.
"So, Yuri," she started, her voice dropping into that sing-song lilt that usually meant my dignity was about to be executed. "Did the 'Economic Foundations' book actually get discussed, or was there... other foundation work being done?"
I nearly tripped over a stray cobblestone. "Jay-Jay, stop! We are literally in the middle of campus!"
"I don't know why you're so shy," she continued, bumping her shoulder into mine. "I'm just asking as a concerned friend. Did you use the 'Section E' charm, or did you just stare at her until she felt sorry for you?"
"I am begging you," I hissed, looking over at Keifer for support. "Keifer, tell her to stop. She's been at this since we left the penthouse."
Keifer didn't even look up from his phone, though I could see the corner of his mouth twitching. "I'm staying out of this, Yuri. I've already been briefed on the 'Yumi' situation by my sources."
"Sources?! You mean her!" I pointed a finger at Jay-Jay, who was now clutching my arm and grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Yumiii.." she whispered loudly. "Does she know her future sister-in-law already has the wedding guest list half-written?"
"Jay-Jay, there is no wedding! It was one date!" I was practically pleading now, my voice cracking. "If the others hear that name, I'm transferring to a college in the North Pole. I'll go live with the polar bears. At least they won't ship me with anyone."
"Oh, come on," Jay-Jay laughed, skipping ahead a step so she could turn around and walk backward, facing us. "You're a Section E man, remember? You don't need luck, you just need to survive our teasing. And right now... the odds aren't looking good for you."
I pulled my jacket tighter around me, my face burning red enough to rival my hair. Ahead of us, Thyme turned around to wave us over to the lecture hall, and I quickly wiped the panic from my face, trying to look as "cool" as the man was supposed to be.
But as Jay-Jay winked at me one last time before we reached the doors, I knew today was going to be a very, very long day.
--: Author's POV: --
The LSE cafeteria was a cavernous space of glass and steel, filled with the rhythmic white noise of student life. For Section E and F4, it was usually their fortress. Today, they sat at the long central table, a rare moment of peace. Naomi had recently become a fixture in their circle, sitting close to Yuri, whose red hair caught the overhead lights as he leaned in to whisper something that made her laugh. Jay-Jay sat beside Keifer, her hand resting near his on the table.
Then, the heavy glass doors at the far end of the hall swung open with a violent force.
"BABY! There he is!"
The voice was high-pitched, melodic, and carried an air of unshakeable entitlement. A whirlwind of blonde hair and expensive designer silk blurred through the tables. Before Keifer could even register the sound, Mia had vaulted toward him. She threw her arms around him from the front, her momentum nearly knocking him back. She didn't just hug him; she pulled his face down with practiced familiarity and planted a loud, smacking kiss right in the center of his forehead.
"Mia?" Keifer gasped, his voice tight. "What are you—"
He didn't get to finish. The air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. From the shadows of the entrance, a second figure emerged. Noah didn't run; she glided. Her dark, sleek hair was pulled back into a lethal ponytail, and her eyes, sharp as flint, were locked onto Keifer. She stepped behind him, winding her arms around his neck in a restrictive, possessive chokehold. She leaned her weight against his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. She turned her head and pressed a firm, lingering kiss to his cheek, her lips trailing toward the corner of his mouth.
"Miss me, Watson?" Noah whispered, her voice a low, dangerous vibration that echoed in the sudden silence of the cafeteria.
The tray in Jay-Jay's hands clattered against the table. The plastic rattled, a frantic sound in the vacuum of noise. Every student in the hall had stopped eating. Section E froze. The F4 members looked like they had been turned to stone.
"Who... who the hell are they?" MJ asked, his voice cracking with a mix of shock and rising protective anger.
Keifer began to struggle, his face drained of all color. He looked like a man watching his own execution. "Wait... guys, listen. This is Mia and Noah. They're—"
"I'm his best friend!" Mia announced to the room, grabbing Keifer's hand and swinging it with a childish, terrifying glee. "We've been 'babies' together since we were three years old! I'm his favorite person in the whole world!"
Noah's grip on his neck tightened. She looked directly at Jay-Jay, her gaze sharpening into a blade of pure, calculated jealousy. She saw the way Jay-Jay was looking at Keifer, and she didn't like it. "And I'm his girlfriend," Noah said, her voice projecting across the hall. "Right, Keifer? Or did you think you could replace me while you were playing student in London?"
The word 'girlfriend' hit Jay-Jay like a physical strike to the solar plexus. Her vision blurred, the edges of the room fraying into darkness. She didn't look for an explanation. She didn't wait for Keifer to speak. The image of the dark-haired girl's lips on his skin was burned into her mind.
Jay-Jay turned and bolted. She didn't just walk; she ran with a desperate, animalistic need to escape.
"Jay-Jay! Wait! JAY!" Keifer roared, finally wrenching himself away from the two women with such force that Mia stumbled into a chair.
He tried to follow her, but Noah was faster. She stepped directly into his path, her hand landing flat on his chest, her expression shifting from playful to a cold, demanding arrogance. "Keifer, stay. Where are you going? We just flew ten hours to see you! You're going to chase after some crying girl who can't handle a joke?"
"Get your hands off me, Noah!" Keifer's voice was a low, terrifying growl. His eyes were dark, filled with a primal rage that made the students nearby shrink back. "If you ever touch me again, I will forget we grew up together. Move. Now!"
--: Author's's POV: --
The atmosphere snapped. It didn't just break; it detonated.
Aries and Thyme moved as one. Aries lunged across the table, grabbing the front of Keifer's expensive wool coat and twisting the fabric until his knuckles turned white. "You bastard! You bring your so called 'best friends' here to destroy her? After everything she's gone through? You are going to betray her for 2nd time?"
"Aries, let go! I have to get to her!" Keifer shouted, trying to shove him back, but Thyme was already there, his eyes glowing with a protective, lethal fury.
"Explain it, Watson," Thyme warned, his voice a low, vibrating threat. "Explain why she's calling herself your girlfriend while Jay-Jay is out there losing her mind."
The rest of F4—Ren, MJ and Kavin—were standing, their usual relaxed elegance replaced by a rigid, icy hostility. Even the Section E members, were looking at Keifer with a mix of profound confusion and betrayal.
"They're childhood friends!" Keifer screamed, his voice cracking as he looked desperately at the exit where Jay-Jay had disappeared. "Mia is like my sister! Noah is... she's a brat! She's not my girlfriend! I have to find Jay!!"
"You'd better hope she's still on campus," Aries spat, finally releasing his grip. "Because if she's gone, don't bother coming back to the penthouse, because I'll directly sent you to your grave."
Keifer didn't wait for another word. He sprinted out the doors, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I didn't stop until the sound of the campus had faded into the rustle of the wind through the trees. My lungs were on fire, the cold London air stinging my throat, but the pain in my chest was so much worse. It felt like my heart had been crushed under a heel.
I found a secluded wooden bench tucked away behind a row of thick, overgrown hedges in the corner of the campus park. I collapsed onto it, my legs giving out. I couldn't sit up straight; the world felt too heavy. I pulled my knees up to my shoulders, tucking my feet onto the wooden slats, and buried my face deep into my arms.
The fabric of my hoodie felt like the only thing keeping me from shattering into a million pieces. I curled into a tight, shaking ball, my breath coming in short, jagged gasps. I felt so incredibly, painfully stupid. I had let myself believe that I was enough for him, only to have a "girlfriend" appear out of thin air.
"Jay-Jay? Please... look at us."
The grass rustled. I didn't look up. I knew the voices. Freya, Ella, Gorya, Kaning, and the rest. They had followed me. I could hear them forming a circle around the bench, a wall of soft footsteps and worried whispers. Naomi was there too, standing a bit further back with Rakki and the others, her face filled with a reflected pain.
"She's not breathing right," Gorya whispered, her hand hovering inches from my back but afraid to touch me.
"Jay," Freya's voice was a gentle, motherly caress. "Keifer is coming. He's going to explain. Mia already told us they were just childhood friends. It was a horrible joke."
I shoved my head deeper into my knees, my voice a muffled, broken sob. "I don't care! I want to go home! I want to leave! Tell him to go back to them!"
Behind the girls, I could see the blurry shapes of Section E standing guard, their faces grim as they watched the perimeter. They were circling me, protecting me from a world that had suddenly turned cruel again.
--: Author's POV: --
The silence of the park was shattered by the sound of frantic, heavy boots hitting the gravel path. Keifer burst through the hedges, his suit jacket gone, his shirt damp with sweat and the beginning of a cold drizzle.
He stopped dead when he saw her.
The sight of Jay-Jay—curled into that small, broken ball on the bench—hit him harder than any corporate failure or physical attack ever could. He felt a wave of nausea, his vision swimming.
The girls were still circling her, their voices a soft, desperate murmur of comfort. Keifer didn't ask permission.
He walked forward, his eyes locked on that grey-hooded figure. He didn't say a word, but the sheer, crushing intensity of his presence made the girls part instinctively. He pushed through the circle, his heart in his throat.
He reached the bench and sank to the edge of it, his hand trembling as he reached out to touch her arm.
"Jay... baby, please. Please look at me."
Jay-Jay flinched as if he had burned her. She shoved his hand away with a sudden, violent strength, her head still tucked firmly into her knees.
"GO AWAY!" she screamed, the sound raw and shattered. "Go back to your girlfriend! Go back to your 'baby'! Don't ever touch me again!"
The air in the park grew heavy as the light drizzle began to turn into a steady, biting rain. The cold droplets mingled with the tears soaking into Jay-Jay's hoodie, but she didn't move. She couldn't.