Jay's POV
The morning sunlight barely touched the glass walls of SE Tower when I arrived. My blazer was sharp, my heels clicking against the polished floors, every movement calculated, disciplined — a CEO at the top of her game. Yet, underneath it all, there was an undeniable flutter in my chest, a storm I had been meticulously containing.
Keifer was already there. Of course he was. I wasn't sure if it was coincidence or design, but there he stood by the panoramic window, the city sprawling behind him like a glittering chessboard. Calm. Composed. Smirking ever so slightly.
My pulse betrayed me.
I straightened my shoulders and reminded myself, This is business. This is not the past. This is SE Corp. You are Jasper Jean Mariano, CEO. Not Jay Mariano, the girl who used to…
I shut the thought down before it could finish.
"Good morning," I said as I entered the boardroom, my voice steady, professional. Coel and Samy trailed behind, eyes aware of the tension before me but not daring to comment. Keifer turned fully now, his gaze locking onto mine.
"Good morning, Jay," he said softly, but there was a weight behind it, a gravity I hadn't felt in nearly a decade. "I trust the last two days were… enlightening."
I arched an eyebrow, suppressing the ripple of emotion his words stirred. "They were productive," I said evenly. "Watson Corp's insights have been… valuable."
He stepped closer, casually leaning against the edge of the glass wall, arms crossed. "You've grown," he said, almost a whisper, but loud enough for me to hear. "Stronger than I ever imagined. Still fearless… still untouchable. But… you've changed."
I swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the table. My throat felt dry, my carefully constructed composure starting to fray. Do not let him see you crack.
"I've had to," I replied, voice firm, hiding the tremor I felt. "Survival requires growth, Keifer. You should understand that by now."
His smirk widened, teasing yet loaded with meaning. "I do. I just… didn't expect you to become… this. Jay… or should I say, Jasper Jean Mariano, CEO of SE Corp. You look the same, yet entirely different. And yet…" He paused, letting the silence stretch. "I promised I'd find you again. And here you are. Right in front of me."
I froze. His words—those precise, deliberate words—hit me harder than any corporate threat ever could.
He promised. He found me. He… he hasn't let go.
I felt heat rise to my cheeks, the tight knot in my chest constricting. The memories—the boy I had once loved, the promises whispered under Section E's sky, the ring he had given me—flooded back all at once.
I wanted to retreat. I wanted to run. But I couldn't. Not yet.
Keifer's eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. "I told you," he said quietly. "No matter what it takes, I won't let go this time. You're mine, Jay. Always have been, always will be."
I could feel my carefully maintained world shattering. All the control I had built around myself—the empire, the routines, the training, the armor—crumbled in the presence of his voice. It wasn't anger, it wasn't frustration. It was… affection, unwavering, unapologetic, undeniable.
No. I cannot.
I inhaled sharply, attempting to reclaim my composure. "Keifer… we…" My voice faltered. I cleared my throat. "We have work to do. The investors… the deal…"
He stepped closer, reducing the distance between us. Even in that cold, professional boardroom, the space between us felt intimate, almost electric. "Jay," he murmured, tone teasing but edged with sincerity. "You don't get to hide from me. Not now. Not ever. You can run from your past, but you can't run from me."
I felt my knees weaken, my heart betraying me as it always had. I straightened quickly, turning my gaze to the table, focusing on charts and contracts like they could shield me from him. But he didn't move, didn't waver. He was patient, steady, omnipresent.
I cannot let him see this.
And yet, he already had.
"You said it," he continued softly, yet every word rang like a bell in my chest. "I promised. And I always keep my promises, Jay. No matter the distance, no matter the years… I find you. I won't let you go again."
I bit my lip, fighting the sudden rush of emotions—shame, longing, relief, desire—all mingling in a way I had thought I'd buried forever. My hands gripped the edge of the table until my knuckles whitened.
"I…" I began, voice trembling despite my best effort.
Keifer leaned just a fraction closer, enough that I could feel the faintest warmth radiating from him. His eyes held mine, unwavering, relentless. "Yes, you do," he said with certainty. "You always have."
I could feel the blood rushing to my face, my chest tightening with the weight of everything unsaid. His words… his presence… had undone every wall I had built in New York. The CEO, the empire, the routines—none of it mattered here. Not when he was looking at me like that.
"I—I have to… I need—" I broke off, unable to form a complete sentence.
Keifer's expression softened just slightly, though the teasing glint remained. "You don't have to explain, Jay. Not to me. Just… trust me. Let me stay, and I'll make this right. Let me be here."
I could feel the tears threatening to rise, a mixture of frustration and relief. My throat tightened. I swallowed, shaking my head, trying to push past the emotions, the memories of the past, the promises he had kept.
"I… I can't—" I whispered.
"You can," he countered softly. "You can, because you already do. You just don't admit it to yourself."
I turned abruptly, needing to escape before the dam broke completely. I grabbed my bag, my mind racing. Do not let him see. Do not let him see.
"I—I have to go," I said quickly, voice uneven but controlled. "There's… there's work I need to attend to. Follow-up emails, contracts…"
Keifer tilted his head, amused and exasperated at the same time. "You can run, Jay," he said, voice low, teasing. "But you can't hide. Not from me. Not from yourself."
I didn't respond. I didn't want to. I could feel my pulse in my temples as I walked out, heels clicking against the floor in a rhythm that felt too fast, too frantic. Coel and Samy exchanged worried glances but remained silent, letting me leave.
The elevator doors closed, and I pressed my forehead against the cold glass, breathing rapidly. The reality of his presence, his words, his promise… it was too much. I felt raw, exposed, vulnerable—the very thing I had spent years guarding against.
The rest of the day was a blur. My meetings, my emails, my calls—all of it passed mechanically. I nodded, agreed, negotiated, but my mind was elsewhere. Keifer's voice echoed in my thoughts. His promise. His unwavering certainty. I won't let you go.
By evening, I was exhausted—not from work, but from the emotional storm he had unleashed. I left SE Tower earlier than usual, needing the solitude of my apartment to gather myself.
Coel called, checking in, but I waved him off. Samy asked if I was alright, but I only smiled faintly, a mask I had mastered long ago.
I cannot let him see me like this. Not yet. Not here.
I collapsed onto the couch, pulling a throw over my shoulders, staring blankly at the city lights below. The skyline twinkled, indifferent, as if the universe had no idea of the chaos one man could stir in another's heart.
I thought of Section E. Of the boy who had once made me feel invincible and terrified at the same time. The promises whispered under the stars, the laughter, the stolen moments. And now… here he was. In my present, demanding a place in my carefully constructed life.
My hand instinctively went to my chest, over the spot where his promise had landed, solid and unwavering.
I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I can't…
Sleep was impossible. The day's adrenaline still lingered, my thoughts a whirlwind of memories and unspoken words. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him — teasing, patient, relentless. His eyes, his voice, his promise.
By the time morning came, I was exhausted, but the storm hadn't passed. I dressed carefully, methodically, once again donning the armor of CEO Jasper Jean Mariano. Coel and Samy flanked me, steady and reliable, a reminder that I had built my own fortress.
But no fortress could keep him out.
As I walked toward SE Tower, I caught sight of him again — waiting. Watching. Smiling ever so slightly, the boy I had once loved and the man who refused to let go.
And I realized with a sudden, quiet terror: some promises are impossible to escape.