The Mariano Annual Gala was the event of the year.
Every healthcare executive. Every business magnate. Every politician who needed medical donations. Every Watson.
Jay stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the strap of her emerald gown—a color Percy had insisted brought out her eyes. She'd argued. Lost. As usual.
"You look beautiful." Keifer appeared behind her, hands settling on her waist. "Nervous?"
"No. It's just a gala. I've done hundreds."
"This one's different."
"How?"
"Your father's speaking." He met her eyes in the mirror. "He never speaks at these things."
Jay frowned. "He speaks. He gave a toast last year."
"A thirty-second toast. This is a twenty-minute slot." Keifer's expression was careful. "He didn't tell you what it's about?"
"He said something about the future of the company." Jay shrugged. "Probably retirement planning. He's been talking about slowing down."
Keifer nodded slowly. "Probably."
But something in his voice made her turn. "What do you know?"
"Nothing. Your father is terrifying. He doesn't share information."
Jay studied him. "You're hiding something."
"I'm never hiding. I'm strategically not revealing."
"That's the same thing."
"With you? Always."
She kissed him quickly. "Let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."
The ballroom was magnificent.
Crystal chandeliers. Hundreds of guests. The who's who of Philippine healthcare and business.
Jay moved through the crowd with practiced ease, Keifer's hand on her lower back. She nodded to colleagues, smiled at donors, ignored the cameras that followed their every move.
"There she is!" Percy materialized beside her, resplendent in a burgundy suit that was entirely too much. "My favorite sister!"
"Your only sister."
"Exactly. Favorite by default." He kissed her cheek. "You look hot. Keifer, control yourself."
"Percy." Aries appeared, looking elegant and annoyed. "Stop harassing them."
"I'm complimenting. There's a difference."
"There really isn't."
Reycee swept over, radiant in deep blue. "Anak, you look stunning. Keifer, handsome as always." She hugged them both. "Your parents are here, Keifer. Keiren is already asking when he can see Jay."
"He's five. He asks every five minutes."
"Consistency is important."
Jasfer joined them, looking distinguished but tired. Jay noticed the slight pallor under his tan, the way he leaned slightly on his cane.
"Dad." She touched his arm. "You okay?"
"Fine, fine. Old age." He patted her hand. "Nothing to worry about."
"You've been working too hard."
"Someone has to keep the empire running." He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Not for much longer, maybe."
Jay frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Later, anak." He kissed her forehead. "Enjoy the night. Dance with your boy. Let me handle the boring speeches."
He walked toward the stage.
Jay watched him go, uneasy.
The Watsons arrived in their usual hurricane.
Keiren spotted Jay immediately and ran. "JAY! JAY! I WORE A TIE!"
He had, indeed. It was crooked and had dinosaurs on it.
"It's the best tie I've ever seen," Jay assured him, kneeling to adjust it. "Bato approve?"
Keiren held up the dinosaur, also wearing a tiny tie. "Bato says we match!"
"We really do."
Serina appeared, elegant and warm. "Jay, darling. You look beautiful."
"Thank you, tita."
Keizer shook Keifer's hand. "Son. Keeping the Mariano heiress happy?"
"Trying."
"Good. Her father would kill you otherwise."
"I know."
Keigan wandered over, phone in hand. "Dr. Jay, can I get a picture with you? My friends won't believe I know you."
"You don't need pictures. You can just tell them."
"They need proof. You're famous."
Jay sighed but posed. Keigan beamed.
Dinner was a blur of courses and conversations.
Jay sat between Keifer and Percy, fielding questions about surgeries, dodging comments about her relationship, and trying to ignore the growing knot in her stomach.
Something was happening. She could feel it.
Then Jasfer took the stage.
"Good evening, everyone."
The room quieted.
Jasfer Mariano, patriarch of the Mariano empire, stood at the podium. He looked smaller than usual. Older.
"I won't keep you long. You've eaten well, drunk well, and probably want to get back to dancing." Polite laughter. "But I have an announcement. One I've been planning for some time."
Jay's hand found Keifer's under the table.
"As many of you know, I've had some health challenges recently." Jasfer's voice was steady. "Nothing too serious—my doctors tell me I'll be fine. But it's made me think about the future. About what comes next."
Jay's heart began to pound.
"The Mariano name means something in this country. Healthcare. Pharmacies. Hospitals. Generations of serving Filipino families." He paused. "I've been privileged to lead this company for thirty years. But nothing lasts forever. And it's time for new blood."
Percy leaned forward. Aries went still.
"I've thought long and hard about who should take my place. My sons, Aries and Percy, are brilliant in their own ways." He smiled at them. "Aries runs operations like a general. Percy runs marketing like a circus. Together, they'll make excellent co-CEOs."
Applause. Aries looked shocked. Percy looked like he might cry.
"But they're not my only children." Jasfer's eyes found Jay. "I have a daughter. A daughter who became a surgeon despite having every reason to coast on family money. A daughter who saves children's lives every day because she cares more about patients than profits."
Jay's breath caught.
"That daughter is the reason our hospitals are the best in the country. Because she set the standard. Because she refused to accept anything less than excellence." Jasfer's voice thickened. "And that daughter is going to be your new CEO."
The room erupted.
Jay didn't hear it.
She stared at her father, frozen.
What?
"Jay Mariano," Jasfer continued, "will take over as CEO of Mariano Healthcare Holdings, effective next month. Aries and Percy will serve as co-CEOs of operations and development, reporting to her." He smiled. "She doesn't know this. I wanted it to be a surprise."
Jay stood slowly. Her chair scraped back.
Everyone was looking.
Cameras flashed.
"Dad," she said. Her voice carried in the stunned silence. "What are you doing?"
"Giving you what you deserve, anak."
"I don't want—"
"You don't want what? To lead? To use that brilliant mind for more than surgery?" Jasfer's voice was gentle but firm. "You've spent your whole life saving individuals. Now you can save the whole system."
"I'm a surgeon. Not a businesswoman."
"You're a Mariano. That makes you both."
Jay shook her head, backing away from the table. "I can't—"
"You can." Aries stood, moved to her. "We'll help. Percy and I. You won't be alone."
Percy appeared on her other side. "Jay. We've got you. Always."
She looked at them. Her brothers. Her partners in chaos.
Then at Keifer, still seated, watching her with those dark, knowing eyes.
"You knew," she whispered.
"I suspected." He stood, moved to her. "Your father asked me not to say anything."
"You kept this from me?"
"I kept his secret. Not mine to tell."
Jay pulled away from all of them. Walked toward the stage. Toward her father.
The crowd parted like water.
She climbed the steps slowly. Faced him.
"You should have told me," she said quietly.
"I know." He looked tired. So tired. "But you would have argued. Found reasons to say no. This way, you can't."
"I can still say no."
"You could." He touched her face. "But you won't. Because you're your mother's daughter. And your mother never walked away from responsibility."
Jay's eyes burned.
"I'm not ready," she whispered.
"No one ever is." He smiled. "But you'll be brilliant. Like you are at everything."
She stood there, under the lights, in front of hundreds of people.
The most powerful people in the country.
Watching.
Waiting.
She turned to face them.
Her voice, when it came, was steady. "My father just dropped a bomb on all of us." Nervous laughter. "Including me."
She gripped the podium.
"I'm a surgeon. I've held hearts in my hands. I've told families their children would live. I've told families their children wouldn't." Her voice cracked slightly. "That's what I know. That's what I am."
She looked at her family. Percy, wiping his eyes. Aries, stone-faced but trembling. Her mother, crying openly.
"But my father—" She had to stop. Breathe. "My father built something. Something that saves lives every day. Thousands of lives. Through hospitals. Pharmacies. Research. He did that. For thirty years."
Tears fell. She didn't wipe them.
"And now he's tired. And scared. And trying to protect his legacy." She looked at him. "But he's not dying. He's not disappearing. He's just... passing the torch. Too early. Because he's dramatic and likes surprises."
More laughter. Wet this time.
"I don't know if I can do this. Lead a company. Make business decisions. Be responsible for thousands of employees." She paused. "But I know my brothers will be beside me. I know my family will support me. And I know—" Her eyes found Keifer in the crowd. "I know the man I love will hold me when it's too much."
Keifer's expression shifted. Something raw. Something real.
"So yes." Jay straightened. "I'll do it. For my father. For my family. For every patient who walks into a Mariano hospital expecting the best care in the country." She looked out at the crowd. "But I'm keeping my surgical license. I'm still operating. Try and stop me."
Laughter. Applause. Cheers.
Jay stepped back from the podium.
And there was Keifer.
On the stage.
Coming toward her.
"Keifer—"
He pulled her into his arms. Held her tight against his chest.
"You were brilliant," he murmured into her hair. "You're always brilliant."
"I'm crying on national television."
"You're human on national television. There's a difference."
She laughed, wet and broken.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too." He kissed her forehead. "Now let's get you off this stage before you faint."
"I don't faint."
"You're pale and shaking. That's pre-faint."
"That's—"
He kissed her. Right there. On stage. In front of everyone.
The crowd lost its mind.
Cameras exploded.
Jay forgot how to breathe.
When he pulled back, she was flushed and steadier.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much." She leaned into him. "Take me home?"
"After we dance. Your father would kill me if we left early."
"Keifer—"
"Dance with me, Jay. Then home."
She nodded.
They walked down the steps together.
The crowd parted again.
And for one perfect moment, the whole world watched them.
Neither cared.
The Watson Section:
Keiren (loudly): "KUYA KISSED JAY ON STAGE! I SAW IT! BATO SAW IT!"
Serina (teary): "They're so beautiful together."
Keizer (grinning): "That's my boy. Public displays of affection. Bold move."
Keigan (phone out): "I got the whole thing. This is going on my story."
Grandfather (smiling): "He's finally happy. Really happy."
The Mariano Section:
Percy (sobbing): "THAT'S MY SISTER! THAT'S MY SISTER BEING ICONIC!"
Aries (wiping his eyes subtly): "She did good."
Percy: "DID GOOD?! SHE WAS PERFECT! SHE'S PERFECT! I'M SO PROUD!"
Reycee (holding Jasfer's hand): "She's going to be okay."
Jasfer (watching his daughter dance with the man she loved): "I know. She's always been okay. She just didn't know it."
On the dance floor, Jay rested her head on Keifer's shoulder.
"I can't believe this is my life."
"Believe it."
"CEO of Mariano Healthcare. Me."
"You. The most qualified person for the job."
"I'm a surgeon."
"You're a Mariano. That's more than enough."
She looked up at him. "What if I fail?"
"Then you fail. And you get up. And you try again." He kissed her nose. "And I'll be there. Every time."
"Promise?"
"Always."
She smiled.
The cameras kept flashing.
The world kept watching.
And Jay Mariano—soon to be CEO, always a surgeon, forever his—let herself be happy.