Chapter Six: The Pickup
Seven fifteen on Monday morning.
Keifer Watson had never been nervous a day in his life. He'd negotiated billion-dollar deals at nineteen. Faced down hostile takeover attempts. Addressed shareholders who wanted his head on a platter.
But sitting in his car outside a modest suburban house, he was nervous.
The house was warm and welcoming, flower pots lining the porch, a swing swaying gently in the morning breeze. Lights glowed from the kitchen window. Movement behind the curtains.
His phone buzzed.
Yuri: How's the execution?
Keifer: I'm sitting in my car.
Yuri: For how long?
Keifer: Fifteen minutes.
Yuri: KEIF. GET OUT OF THE CAR.
Percy (group chat): IS HE THERE YET? I can see a black car from the window. IS THAT HIM?
Aries: Calm down, Percy.
Percy: I AM CALM. THIS IS ME CALM.
Yuri: Your calm is terrifying.
Keifer took a deep breath. Grabbed the flowers from the passenger seat. Opened the door.
The front door burst open before he reached the porch.
Percy stood there, grin wide enough to split his face. "HE'S HERE! EVERYONE, HE'S HERE!"
"Percy, let him breathe," Aries appeared behind him, pulling his brother back. But he was smiling too.
Keifer approached, holding out the flowers. "For... someone. I wasn't sure who to give them to."
Aries raised an eyebrow. "Flowers? You?"
"Shut up."
Percy grabbed them. "These are for Tita Gemma. Trust me. Smart move."
They led him inside.
The house was exactly as he'd imagined—warm, lived-in, full of family photos on every wall. A staircase led up to the second floor. The smell of breakfast filled the air. And from the kitchen, voices.
"TITA! HE'S HERE!" Percy yelled.
"Stop shouting, I have ears!"
A woman emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She was warm-faced and smiling, but her eyes assessed him with sharp intelligence. Tita Gemma.
"So," she said, looking him up and down. "You're the CEO who caught my niece."
"Yes, ma'am. Mark Keifer Watson. Keifer is fine."
"Ma'am. He's polite." She glanced at Aries. "I like polite."
Behind her, a tall man appeared. Tito Rachel. He wasn't smiling. His eyes were fixed on Keifer like he was calculating something.
"You're the driver," Tito Rachel said. Flat. Unreadable.
"Yes, sir."
"You'll bring her home safe. Every day."
"Every single day. On time. Safe."
Tito Rachel stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, nodded. "Good answer."
Tita Gemma took the flowers from Percy with a delighted smile. "Oh my! For me? You shouldn't have!" She beamed at Keifer. "Breakfast is almost ready. You'll eat with us."
"I don't want to impose—"
"Nonsense. Family eats together. Sit."
He sat.
The kitchen was chaos. Percy was grabbing food off plates before they reached the table. Aries was reading something on his phone while stirring coffee. Tita Gemma was directing traffic like a general. Tito Rachel had settled into a chair, still watching Keifer.
And then footsteps on the stairs.
He looked up.
Jay appeared in the kitchen doorway, and the world stopped.
She was dressed in a simple blouse and skirt—professional, understated. Her hair was pulled back, revealing the graceful line of her neck. She looked fresh and nervous and absolutely beautiful.
"You came," she said softly.
"I said I would."
"I didn't think you actually would."
He stood, something pulling him toward her. "I keep my promises, Jay."
Percy made gagging noises behind them. "You two are already disgusting and they haven't even started dating."
"We're not dating," they said in unison.
Tita Gemma laughed. "Sit. Both of you. Eat."
Breakfast was an experience. Tita Gemma piled his plate with food—eggs, rice, sausage, something she called "tocino" that was sweeter than anything he'd ever tasted. Percy talked nonstop. Aries asked pointed questions about company performance. Tito Rachel ate in silence, watching.
And Jay sat across from him, occasionally glancing up, catching his eye, looking away with pink cheeks.
"So," Tita Gemma said, pouring him more coffee. "You're twenty-two. Youngest CEO in the world. Two brothers—Keigan and Keiran. Parents?"
"Gone. When I was young. My grandfather raised us."
Sympathy flickered in her eyes. "So you understand. Losing parents young."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Then you understand why we're protective." She glanced at Jay. "She's been through enough. We don't want more pain for her."
"I don't want to cause her pain."
"I believe you." Tita Gemma smiled. "But words are easy. Actions matter."
"I'll prove it. However long it takes."
Tito Rachel finally spoke. "Good answer."
Jay looked at Keifer, something shifting in her expression. Surprise. Appreciation. Something warmer.
Percy broke the moment. "OKAY, enough serious talk. Keif, have you seen our family photos? There's one of Jay when she was five with food all over her face—"
"PERCY!"
Too late. Percy was already pulling out his phone.
The next ten minutes were a blur of embarrassing childhood photos, Jay trying to grab the phone, and everyone laughing. Even Tito Rachel cracked a smile.
Keifer looked around the table—at this loud, chaotic, loving family—and felt something twist in his chest.
He hadn't had this since his grandfather died. This warmth. This noise. This sense of belonging.
He wanted it.
He wanted her.
---
Seven forty-five. Time to go.
Jay grabbed her bag, kissed Tita Gemma's cheek, hugged Tito Rachel, and glared at Percy. "Not a word."
"I have many words. I will save them for later."
Aries walked them to the door. He pulled Keifer aside, voice low. "You did well. Tita Gemma likes you. Tito Rachel hasn't killed you. That's a win."
"High bar."
"Very high." Aries glanced at Jay, waiting by the car. "Take care of her."
"Always."
They drove off, Jay settled in the passenger seat, the house shrinking in the rearview mirror.
Silence for a moment. Then:
"That wasn't so bad," she said quietly.
"Your family is terrifying."
She laughed—that laugh he wanted to hear forever. "They liked you. Tito Rachel only watches people he might have to hurt. He didn't watch you after the first five minutes."
"Should I be flattered?"
"Very."
He glanced at her. She was relaxed now, tension gone from her shoulders. The morning sun lit her face through the window.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For coming. For staying for breakfast. For... being you."
"I'm not sure what that means."
"It means you didn't have to do any of this. But you did." She met his eyes. "It means a lot."
He wanted to say something. Something about how she'd changed everything in two days. About how he'd lain awake last night thinking about her. About how driving her to work felt more important than any board meeting ever could.
Instead, he said: "I'll be here every morning, Jay. As long as you'll let me."
She smiled. That sun-through-clouds smile.
"I'd like that."
They drove toward the city, toward Watson Enterprises, toward whatever came next.
Behind them, the house on the quiet street held a family already placing bets on how long it would take their robot CEO to fall completely in love with their Jay.
Percy had money on a week.
Tita Gemma said it was already too late.
Tito Rachel just smiled.
---
End of Chapter Six
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Guys this is ur author shreya i am writing another boook with this one plz support me guys the book name is
Jayfer- two different paths but love make them together...
So guys this book is basically a gift gor my friend who bday tomorrow..
Guys plz read this book
The polt of the new book is
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Author's POV: A World of Secrets and Serendipity
In a world where destiny is written in the stars and secrets are buried in the past, two souls from opposite ends of the universe are about to collide.
She is Jayfer "Jay" Jean Mariano. To the world, she is just a smiling face with a guitar, a hardworking bard singing for her supper in local pubs and cafes. But behind her melodic voice is a heart heavy with unanswered questions. She knows nothing of her father except a name—Jasper Mariano—a ghost whose absence has shaped her entire life. Raised by her fierce protectors, her two brothers Aries and Percy, Jay fights every day to survive. She is poor in wealth but rich in dreams, never expecting her path to lead her out of the dimly lit stages and into the gleaming, high-rise office of a man who owns the world.
He is Mark Keifer Watson. The name alone commands respect. As the billionaire heir to the Watson empire, Keifer has the Midas touch—everything he looks at turns to gold. He is handsome, powerful, and completely indifferent to the legions of women who throw themselves at his feet. Love is a distraction he doesn't need, a complication he refuses to entertain. He lives in a world of board meetings and billion-dollar deals, surrounded by his parents, the elegant Serina and the formidable Keizer Watson, and his two younger brothers, the ever-curious Keigan and the charming Keiran.
But Keifer's world isn't just about power; it's built on brotherhood. His three best friends, bound since their school days, are his pillars: the loyal Aries, the witty Percy, and the enigmatic Yuri. They are the family he chose, the men who keep him grounded.
What happens when a chance encounter brings the poor, struggling bard into Keifer's pristine office as a new employee? What happens when the billionaire who never looks twice at a woman suddenly can't look away from the new girl?
And in the cruelest, most beautiful twist of fate... what happens when the woman he is falling for shares the same last name as his best friends?
Get ready for a story of love, laughter, and long-buried truths. A tale where the poor girl Jay discovers that the family she's been searching for might have been right in front of her all along, and the billionaire who captured her heart might just be the key to unlocking the mystery of who she really is.
.....
So guys i hope u all support me