The peace of the seaside glamping trip was briefly interrupted when Seraphina arrived via helicopter to deliver the "final paperwork" for the Elders' dissolution.
Jay-jay was currently by the grill, struggling to flip a burger, when she spotted them. Keifer and Seraphina were standing by the cliff's edge, looking like a scene from a high-fashion magazine. Their heads were close together, whispering about "liquid assets" and "merger protocols."
From Jay-jay's distance, it looked like Seraphina was practically leaning into Keifer's personal space. Seraphina laughed—a rare, melodic sound—and lightly touched Keifer's arm to emphasize a point
Jay-jay's spatula stopped mid-air.
"Did she just touch his bicep? That's my bicep! I'm the one who paid for that in stress!" Jay-jay narrowed her eyes. She tried to look sophisticated and unbothered, but she accidentally flipped the burger patty onto her own shoe.
By the time Seraphina's helicopter took off, Jay-jay was sitting on
a log, aggressively chewing on a charred marshmallow.
Keifer walked over, looking pleased with himself. "Good news, Jay. The merger is finalized. We're officially—"
"Go talk to the 'Information Architect,'" Jay-jay muttered, not looking at him. "I'm sure she has more 'liquid assets' for you to discuss."
Keifer blinked. He was the King of the Business World, but he was a complete idiot when it came to "Jay-jay Logic."
"Jay? Are you... upset about the paperwork?"
"I'm not upset," she said, her voice going up an octave. "I'm perfectly fine! I love it when my husband has secret cliffside meetings with women who sing opera in the shower. It's very... European."
She stood up and marched toward the tent.
Keifer finally caught on. A smirk played on his lips. He loved it when his Mutya got protective.
"Jay-jay, wait," he called out, following her.
"Don't 'Jay-jay' me! Go find Seraphina! Maybe she'll translate some Jeje-speak for you!"
As Keifer reached out to grab her waist, Jay-jay pulled a classic Section E move. She ducked under his arm and bolted.
"You can't catch me, Watson! You're too slow from all that 'calculating'!" Jay-jay yelled, sprinting toward the beach.
"Is that a challenge?" Keifer laughed, kicking off his expensive loafers. "You're running away from your husband on our vacation?"
"I'm not running away, I'm exercising my freedom!"
It was a ridiculous sight: the most powerful CEO in the country, in a designer white shirt, chasing a girl in a "I Heart Section E" oversized t-shirt across the sand.
Jay-jay was fast, weaving left and right, throwing handfuls of sand behind her like a smoke screen. "Stay back, you titan of industry! Go back to your spreadsheets!"
"Get back here, Mariano!" Keifer shouted, his competitive side taking over.
He finally dived, tackling her gently onto a soft sand dune. They tumbled together, laughing and gasping for air, until Keifer pinned her down, his weight pressing her into the sand. He held her wrists above her head, his eyes burning with playful fire.
"Got you," he panted, his face inches from hers.
"Cheater," Jay-jay pouted, though she was smiling. "You used your long legs. That's an unfair corporate advantage."
"Jay-jay," Keifer whispered, his tone turning sweet. "Seraphina is a business partner. You're my life. I don't care about her 'assets.' I only care about this."
He leaned down and bit her earlobe playfully, making her squeal.
"Stop it! It tickles!" Jay-jay giggled, squirming under him. "And you're still in trouble for the arm-touching thing!"
"I'll make it up to you," Keifer murmured, his voice dropping into that deep, romantic register that always made her knees weak. "We have the whole beach to ourselves. No spies. No opera. Just the King and his very jealous Mutya."
"I'm not jealous," Jay-jay whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him closer. "I'm just... territorial."
"Good," Keifer smiled, before sealing the argument with a kiss. "Because I'm never leaving this territory."