(Jay's POV)
The giant bowl of ice cream worked its magic, but it did not erase the heavy truth resting inside my handbag. My dad, Jaspher, was in a London hospital fighting Stage 3 cancer. Even though Keifer was already flying in top European medical specialists to treat him, my brain felt like a fried circuit board. We had spent weeks dealing with the initial shock, running back and forth to the clinic, and completely forgetting that we were actually supposed to be elite students.
"Jay," Keifer said softly, his hand finding mine across the sticky table of the ice cream parlour. He looked entirely too handsome for someone who had just survived me punching his shoulder and threatening to break his bones. "We need to go home and check the university student portal."
I swallowed a huge lump of chocolate ice cream and groaned. "Can we please pretend that the London School of Economics does not exist for another twenty-four hours? My brain can only handle one disaster at a time."
"We have been absent for nearly three weeks," Keifer reminded me, his voice calm, steady, and horribly logical. "The mid-term eligibility rule states that if we do not clear the post-half-yearly assessments with at least sixty percent, we will be barred from writing the final term exams. No exceptions."
The reality hit me like a splash of freezing cold water. I wasn't like Keifer. Keifer was a certified, gold-standard, human-calculator genius. During our first term exams, he had casually walked away with the first position in the entire university without even breaking a sweat. Me? I was naturally terrible at studies.
The only reason I snagged the second position right behind him was because he had literally dragged me by my hair—metaphorically speaking—through the entire syllabus, forcing facts into my stubborn head until I could repeat them in my sleep.
When we got back to our house, Keifer opened his laptop while I stood behind him, chewing my lower lip. He logged into the LSE Student Portal. The red notification banner at the top of the screen practically screamed at us.
"Look at that," I muttered, pointing at the bold text. "We are officially on the brink of academic death."
"Not yet," Keifer said, clicking open the syllabus requirements. "We have exactly four subjects to clear: Business, Macroeconomics, Maths, and English. Sixty percent is the baseline. If you fall below that, they will disqualify you from the finals, which means your handsome hubby will see a failing report card. We cannot let that happen."
Mentioning him has hubby was a low blow, but it worked perfectly. My eyes narrowed, and my competitive spirit, which had been buried under weeks of medical anxiety, flared back to life. "Fine. But you are going to have to be a very patient teacher, Keifer. Because right now, the only thing I remember about macroeconomics is that it makes me want to cry."
Keifer smiled, a small, confident smirk that usually made me want to roll my eyes, but tonight it just made me feel safe. "Get your notebooks, Jay. We are pulling an all-nighter."
The Germ killing Alcohol Genius Keifer
If I ever write a book about my life, this chapter will be titled How My Fiancé Tortured Me with Algebra and Business Models.
Keifer did not believe in taking breaks. He believed in absolute efficiency. He transformed our dining table into a war zone covered in textbooks, multi-coloured highlighters, and empty mugs of coffee.
"Let us start with Business," Keifer said, tapping a thick textbook. "Explain the core difference between a merger and an acquisition in simple words, Jay."
"A merger is when two companies fall in love and get married," I said confidently, leaning back in my chair. "An acquisition is when one giant company kidnaps a smaller company and forces it to take their last name."
Keifer blinked, staring at me for three long seconds. "It is scary how your brain works, but technically, that will get you marks. Let us write that down in proper academic terms. Now, move to Macroeconomics. What happens when the central bank increases interest rates?"
"Everyone gets sad," I replied instantly. "People stop buying shoes, houses become too expensive, and the economy turns into a dry piece of toast."
"Jay, you need to mention aggregate demand and inflation control," Keifer sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked exhausted, but his patience was unbreakable. He pulled out a large whiteboard he had secretly bought and began drawing massive flowcharts. He broke down the most complex economic policies into silly, everyday stories that my non-genius brain could actually absorb.
When it came to Maths, things got much worse. I stared at the calculus equations like they were written in ancient hieroglyphics.
"I cannot do this!" I yelled, throwing my pen across the room. It bounced off the wall and landed under the couch. "Why do I need to find the value of X? If X left and didn't tell anyone where it went, that is X's problem! Why am I being forced to track it down?"
Keifer didn't laugh. He got up, walked over to where the pen had rolled, picked it up, and handed it back to me. He leaned over my chair, his chest pressing against my shoulder, his hand covering mine as he guided the pen across the paper.
"Look at the pattern, wifey, " he whispered right next to my ear, his voice sending a completely different kind of distraction through my body. "Do not look at the whole page. Just look at this single line. If you move this variable across the equals sign, what happens to the sign?"
"It changes from positive to negative," I mumbled, my heart doing a little flip because he was too close.
"Exactly. See? You are not terrible at this. You just get scared too easily." He kissed the top of my head. "Now, do the next five problems by yourself while I make more coffee."
"You are a monster," I called out after him.
"I am a monster who wants to marry a very beautiful wifey of mine with beautiful grades of hers," his voice echoed from the kitchen.
For English, I thought I would have an easy time, but Keifer was a perfectionist. He tore my essays apart, pointing out every weak argument and every unstructured paragraph. By the time the third day of our home boot camp arrived, I was speaking in economic terms, dreaming about mathematical graphs, and writing grocery lists in perfect essay formats. I was exhausted, but I felt ready. Keifer had effectively crammed months of elite university lectures into my brain using nothing but pure determination and a lot of caffeine.
Wait! But how he knows this much when he kept teasing and flirting with me the whole time????
The Horrible Truth from Elliana's Perspective
While Jay and Keifer were locked away in their house studying, someone else was walking the corridors of the London School of Economics with a heart full of pure poison.
New character Elliana- As Keifer and Jay are 1st and 2nd rank holders respectively, Elliana is 3rd rank holder and extremely jealous woman . So it's basically a new rival.
[Elliana's POV]
I stood in the main hallway of the university, clutching my designer leather folder so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Around me, students were laughing, chatting, and talking about the upcoming post-half-yearly exams. I didn't care about any of them. My eyes were fixed on the empty space near the central staircase where they usually stood.
Jay and Keifer.
Just saying their names in my head made my stomach turn with jealousy. For the past three weeks, they hadn't shown their faces at LSE. Rumours were flying everywhere. Some people said they were dealing with a family crisis, others whispered that Jay's dad was terribly sick in a London hospital. I secretly hoped they would just stay away forever. If they didn't show up for these assessments, they would fail the attendance and score requirements, automatically disqualifying them from the final exams.
And that meant the first position in the entire university would finally belong to me.
I had worked myself to the bone to get the third rank during the first term. Third rank! Do you know how insulting it is to be third behind a guy who looks like a literal runway model and a girl who acts like a loud, dramatic child?
Keifer was a genius, yes, but he belonged with someone who matched his intellectual status. Someone like me. Instead, he was engaged to Jay. Jay, who couldn't even explain a basic supply curve without gesturing wildly with her hands like a crazy person.
It wasn't fair. Keifer spent all his time protecting her, guiding her, and loving her so openly that it made everyone in our batch sick with envy. I had tried multiple times to sit next to Keifer in the library, to offer him my perfectly typed notes, to strike up a brilliant conversation about international trade statistics.
Every single time, his handsome face would turn ice-cold, and he would completely ignore me, walking away the moment Jay entered the room.
"Look who finally decided to grace us with their presence," a girl from my class whispered, nudging my elbow.
My head snapped toward the grand glass entrance of the university building. My heart dropped into my shoes.
Walking through the doors, looking absolutely radiant despite their long absence, were Jay and Keifer. Keifer was carrying Jay's heavy backpack over one shoulder, his other hand firmly wrapped around hers. Jay was laughing at something he said, pointing a finger at his chest while he just looked down at her with that soft, devoted smile he never, ever gave to anyone else.
Pure rage bubbled up in my chest. They looked untouchable. They didn't look like students who were on the verge of failing eligibility. They looked like royalty entering a courtroom.
Just wait, I thought, my eyes narrowing into slits as I watched them walk down the hallway. You two have missed too many classes. The datesheet is being posted today. Let us see how your little love story survives when you both get kicked out of the final exams.
The Hallway Chaos and the Datesheet Shock
[Jay's POV - Resumed]
The moment we stepped onto the LSE campus, I felt a familiar wave of anxiety wash over me. The air smelled of old books, expensive coffee, and student panic. It had been weeks since we last set foot here, and walking back in felt like entering a different dimension.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" I whispered to Keifer, leaning closer to his side. "Do I have the last ice cream still on my face? Did I put my sweater on inside out?"
"No," Keifer said, his voice smooth and entirely relaxed. He didn't even look at the students who were whispering and pointing at us. "They are staring because we have been gone for weeks, and yet you still manage to look like a beautiful celebrity who just escaped a drama set."
"Shut up," I said, punching his arm lightly. "I am serious. The vibe is weird today."
As we walked deeper into the main hallway towards the department notice boards, the crowd became thicker. It looked like a literal riot was about to break out. Hundreds of students were packed together, pushing and shoving, trying to get a glimpse of a large white paper that had just been taped to the central glass wall.
"What in the world is happening there?" I gasped, stopping in my tracks. "Is there a free textbook giveaway? Is a famous economist visiting the campus?"
Keifer tapped the shoulder of a frantic-looking first-year student who was trying to squeeze through the crowd. "Excuse me. What is the commotion about?"
The student turned around, his eyes wide with academic terror. "The datesheet! The post-half-yearly eligibility exam datesheet has just arrived! The administration moved it up by an entire week! The exams start tomorrow morning!"
My heart literally stopped beating. My jaw dropped so low I thought it would detach from my face.
"Tomorrow?!" I shrieked, grabbing Keifer's jacket with both hands. "Did he just say tomorrow?! Keifer! We are dead! We are officially cooked! My brain needs at least five more business days to process the difference between micro and macroeconomics!"
The students around us turned to look at my dramatic outburst. A few people giggled, while others looked at me with pity.
Keifer, however, did not even blink. His expression remained as calm and steady as a frozen lake. He gently reached down, unclasped my frantic hands from his jacket, and held them securely in his own.
"Jay, breathe," he said, his voice acting like an instant anchor. "Look at me."
"I am looking at a crazy person who is entirely too calm!" I yelled softly.
"We spent the last seventy-two hours covering every single topic in the syllabus," Keifer said, his eyes locking onto mine with absolute certainty. "You know the material. I made sure of it. An advanced date change changes nothing for someone who is already prepared."
"But tomorrow morning?!" I whimpered. "That means no sleep tonight!"
"You will sleep perfectly fine because I am going to review your notes one last time on the tube ride home," he replied, giving my hands a reassuring squeeze. "Now, let us go see the exact schedule so we know which dragon we have to slay first."
The Rival's Confrontation and the First Exam
As we pushed our way through the crowded hallway toward the notice board, a sharp, annoying voice blocked our path.
"Well, well. Look who dragged themselves out of hiding."
I stopped and looked up. Standing right in front of us was Elliana, her arms crossed over her chest, wearing a smug, superior smile that I desperately wanted to wipe off with an eraser. She looked at our joined hands with a flash of pure disgust before forcing her gaze back to my face.
"Hello, Elliana," Keifer said, his voice instantly dropping to a freezing, polite temperature. He didn't move an inch, shielding half of my body behind his broad shoulder.
"I am surprised you two showed up," Elliana said, her tone dripping with fake sweetness. "Given your... extensive absences, I assumed you would be filing for a formal deferral of the academic year. After all, LSE isn't a high school where you can just skip three weeks of classes and expect to pass a sixty-percent eligibility threshold."
I felt my temper rising. I wanted to tell her that my dad was fighting cancer and that was a million times more important than her stupid rankings, but I remembered what Keifer told me: Never give your rivals your vulnerability. Give them your results.
So, I stepped out from behind Keifer, slapped a giant, fake smile on my face, and stood tall. "Oh, don't worry about us, Elliana. We just prefer a challenge. Studying every day is so boring. We thought we would give the rest of the university a three-week head start just to keep things interesting."
Several students nearby gasped, and I saw the veins in Elliana's neck tighten.
"We will see who is laughing tomorrow morning at nine o'clock," Elliana hissed, her eyes flashing with jealousy as Keifer pulled me closer to his side. "The first paper is Business. It is a three-hour analytical paper. Make sure you don't fall asleep on your desk, Jay."
"I will be too busy writing my perfect answers to sleep," I shot back, though inside, my stomach was doing triple backflips.
Keifer didn't give her another second of his attention. He walked right past her, dragging me along, leaving Elliana standing in the middle of the hallway, practically vibrating with rage.
The next morning arrived entirely too quickly.
I sat at my assigned desk in the grand examination hall, staring at the fresh exam paper of Business. My hands were shaking so much I could barely hold my black pen. I looked across the aisle and saw Keifer three rows ahead. He turned his head slightly, caught my eye, and gave me a single, slow nod.
A merger is a marriage. An acquisition is a kidnapping, I repeated to myself like a crazy mantra.
I flipped the paper over. The questions were brutal. They asked for case studies, financial evaluations, and corporate strategy models. But as I read the words, Keifer's voice began to echo clearly inside my head. I remembered the whiteboards in our kitchen. I remembered him pointing out the core concepts while making me drink black coffee.
My pen hit the paper, and I started writing like a woman possessed.
I am Annabelle!! Huhahahahhaah!!!!!
The Multi-Subject Battle
The next three days were a complete blur of academic warfare. We went through Macroeconomics, Maths, and English back-to-back.
During the Macroeconomics exam, I encountered a massive question about inflation control. For a second, my mind went completely blank. I stared at the blank lines, panic rising in my throat. Then, I remembered my funny answer from our study session: The economy turns into a dry piece of toast. I laughed quietly to myself, which made the exam invigilator give me a very worried look. The laughter cleared my panic, and the actual academic terms—aggregate demand, fiscal policy, supply-side economics—instantly rushed back into my mind. I filled three whole pages with analysis.
God job Jay! Good job!! I am so proud of myself!
Maths was a nightmare, as expected. The calculus section looked like a graveyard of numbers. I found myself tracking down the value of X for two hours straight. Every time I wanted to give up and throw my hands in the air, I imagined Keifer standing over my shoulder, pointing his pen at the paper, telling me to just look at one line at a time. I systematically broke down the equations, shifting variables across the equals sign, changing the positive signs to negative signs, just like he had taught me. I didn't know if my answers were perfect, but I knew I had fought for every single mark.
By the time the final exam—English—rolled around on Friday afternoon, I was running on pure adrenaline and survival instincts. The essay prompt was about the economic impact of literature on modern society. Thanks to Keifer tearing my practice essays to shreds all week, I structured my arguments with flawless precision. I wrote an introduction, three body paragraphs with concrete evidence, and a smashing conclusion that would make any LSE professor shed a tear of joy.
When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the assessment week, a collective groan of relief echoed through the entire hall.
I packed my pens into my bag, stood up from my desk, and practically stumbled out into the fresh London air. Keifer was waiting for me near the courtyard fountain, looking completely clean, fresh, and not a single bit stressed.
"How did it go?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips as I walked up to him and literally collapsed my entire weight against his chest.
"If I scored less than sixty percent, I am changing my name and moving to a remote island where universities do not exist," I mumbled into his jacket.
He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, lifting me slightly off the ground. "You did good, Jay. I saw how fast your pen was moving from across the hall. You crushed it."
The Final Rankings and Sweet Revenge
Hehehehehehehehehehehhehehe!!!
(Don't worry I am drunk, just continue reading)
The university took exactly four days to process the marks. According to LSE rules, the eligibility list for the finals was posted publicly on the grand notice board so everyone could see who made the cut and who failed.
The hallway was packed once again, but this time, the atmosphere was filled with nervous tension. I gripped Keifer's arm as we walked down the corridor. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"Look," Keifer pointed toward the board.
Standing right in front of the crowd, looking smug and holding a cup of iced coffee, was Elliana. She was scanning the top of the sheet, a proud expression on her face, clearly expecting to see her name sitting at the very top.
As we walked up, the students noticed us and immediately parted, creating a direct path to the board. Elliana turned around, her eyes landing on me. Her smile widened into a venomous grin.
"Oh, Jay. You came to see the results," Elliana said loudly, making sure everyone could hear her. "Don't feel too bad if you have to repeat the term. Not everyone is built to survive the academic pressure of London."
I didn't even answer her. I looked past her shoulder, straight at the official printed list under the header: POST-HALF-YEARLY ELIGIBILITY RANKINGS.
My eyes tracked the top three rows.
1st Position: Mark Keifer Watson (Average Score: 100%)
Don't get surprised, it's his habit of scoring perfect marks!
2nd Position: Jaspher Jean Mariano Watson (Average Score: 95.8%)
3rd Position: George Elliana (Average Score: 88.4%)
A massive, uncontrollable gasp left my mouth. Ninety-five point eight percent! I hadn't just cleared the sixty percent requirement; I had completely obliterated it! I had kept my second position in the entire university even after missing three weeks of classes! And Keifer got a literal perfect one hundred percent! (It's his habit, how am I forgetting?)
The hallway went completely silent. Elliana's iced coffee cup literally slipped from her fingers, crashing against the floor and splashing brown liquid all over her white designer sneakers. Her face turned from pale to bright red, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as she stared at the numbers.
"This... this is impossible!" Elliana choked out, her voice shaking with humiliation and jealousy. "You weren't even here! You were missing for weeks! How could you score a ninety-five point eight percent ?
"I told you, Elliana," I said, my voice dripping with sweet, hilarious satisfaction. "Studying every day is for amateurs. When you have a literal genius fiancé who makes you review economics while eating chocolate ice cream, a ninety-five point eight percent is just a casual walk in the park."
The surrounding students burst into loud laughter and murmurs. Elliana looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. She stomped her ruined sneakers against the floor, turned around, and ran down the hallway, completely defeated.
Keifer casually stepped over the spilled coffee, pulled me into his arms right there in the middle of the crowded LSE corridor, and looked down at me with pure pride.
"Second place again," he teased softly, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "You still couldn't beat me, Jay."
"Oh, shut up," I laughed, throwing my arms around his neck, my heart bursting with happiness because I knew this report card was going to make my dad smile so wide in his hospital room. "Next term, Keifer. Next term, I am taking your first-place crown."
Who tells him now, that can a student take place of his teacher?
"I would love to see you try," he whispered, before kissing me right in front of the entire university, proving that our love and our brains were an absolutely unbeatable combination...