Keifer's POV
"Keifer! Where the hell are you?"
My eyes automatically open. It was Honey's voice echoing in my head.
I forced myself to move my head, and pain immediately kicked in. I punched my head because of the pain. This is the first time alcohol has hit me this hard. Or maybe it's because I haven't had proper sleep.
I shook my head to shake off the pain. I got up and walked toward the door, but I stopped when I realized the door wasn't in front of me.
I forgot!
I'm in a different room. The angle of this room is different from mine. I opened my eyes wider and looked for the door to get out.
"Keigan! I can't find Keifer!" Honey shouts.
The shrill and annoying voice of this woman greeted me as soon as I opened the door. But this is better than seeing her cry again.
"Can you shut your mouth?" I said in an irritated tone.
She looked at me with an arched brow. "So you were just here? Damn it! Your brother just bothered me for nothing!"
She turned her back on me and walked away. I went into my room. I removed my shirt and threw it away. I didn't care where it landed.
I took off my pants and the rest of my clothes as well. I walked into the bathroom and almost hit my head on the door.
Open your eyes widely, Keifer!
I placed myself under the shower and turned it on. Cold water poured down on me, waking me up.
I need to go in today…
I have to.
Fvck! I don't like what I feel right now. The weird feeling in my chest is dragging my whole body with it. Why does it still feel like there's a hole in my chest?
"Jay… What have you done to me?" I said and started sobbing.
Why am I like this? I'm a man. I shouldn't be crying like this just because of a girl and the pain she caused. I shouldn't be feeling this way.
She's ruining me. She's breaking me into pieces, and the worst part is… I'm letting her do this to me. Why did I let her? Why am I letting her?
She's the only one who's ever done this to me. I never reacted like this before. Even with Ella, all I felt was anger, despite knowing that she never loved me.
Is this the price of loving Jay-jay too much?
They say that Watsons are not allowed to fall in love; they will turn into a beast. But I'm not turning into one—I'm breaking like shattered glass.
The pain, it's making me feel empty and numb. I don't want to feel like this. But even so… I still want to see her.
I badly want to see her.
She's my strength.
Without her, I'm completely weak.
"I love you, my Jasper Jean…"
I ended my dilemma and turned off the shower. I grabbed a towel and dried myself. I walked toward my walk-in closet.
I stopped in front of the mirror and looked at the bruises Clyde's men had given me. They were starting to fade.
My stupid cousin is a big pain in my ass. To be honest, he's more like my real brother than Angelo. We have the same personality when it comes to certain things. One of the biggest differences between us is that he always smiles and looks down on women. He's also better at dealing with people, whether they're business partners or not.
But I'll admit, sometimes I envy him for having too much confidence. He's afraid of nothing. He even got the CEO position at Watson Enterprise without breaking a sweat.
I grabbed my clothes and got dressed. My regular white polo shirt uniform. Whenever I wear this, I feel like a normal person—just a regular student, studying, making friends, and loving someone.
To be honest, I've been able to transfer schools for a while now. So has Yuri. But we both chose to stay. I don't know his reason. I just assumed he's doing the same thing I am.
I want to piss Aries off. I want to rub it in his face that he will never beat me. I'm far more intelligent than him, and I'm better at sports.
I planned to defeat him. But the bastard is too cunning—he already put us in Section E at enrollment. To make it worse, he dragged Felix along with us.
He also made sure the board members ignored us. They're fools for following Aries.
After completing my attire, I looked at my reflection.
I look miserable.
I've never felt conscious about my looks until now.
Jay-jay can't see me like this.
I don't want her to think I was hurt too much. If she sees me like this, she'll get hurt too.
I keep hurting her. I don't want that to happen again.
I tried to fix my hair, but I still looked the same.
I let out a deep sigh. I searched for a hair comb but couldn't find one. I opened one of the drawers to check inside. While rummaging, I found something.
It was a wallet-sized picture of Jay-jay. She was wearing the Sexy Santa Claus costume she received at our Christmas party. I had printed those pictures she sent me as a souvenir for myself.
I couldn't stop smiling.
Those were the days I want to go back to. Because those were the days we could be happy without risking anything.
"My Jay-jay."
I heard a loud knock on my room door. It sounded like someone wanted to break it down.
"Kuya! Are you still there?!" Keigan said while knocking hard.
I put Jay's picture in my chest pocket. I walked toward the door and opened it.
Keigan looked so stressed. His hair was messy, and his uniform wasn't properly fixed.
"Let's talk," he said.
I turned my back on him and grabbed my bag from the study table.
"Maybe later," I replied with no energy and walked past him.
"Can you see yourself?!" he shouted, but I chose to ignore him.
I continued walking until I reached Keiren's room door. I knocked and waited for him to open it.
"What?" he said while rubbing his eyes.
He was still wearing his pajamas. It looked like my knock was what woke him up. I couldn't believe Keigan didn't wake him up.
"Get ready. You're going to be late for school."
"I'm not going to school. I don't want to go anymore," he said in a serious tone.
I glared at him. "Why? Did I say you could skip? Get ready, or I will make you," I commanded with authority.
"Kuya Keigan told me not to go. He said you wouldn't even notice anyway."
I immediately looked at Keigan, who was walking toward us. He looked different now. He looked clean, his uniform was properly worn, and his hair was neatly combed. He looked like a completely different person.
"Why did you say that?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"Why not?" he answered in a sarcastic tone. "You're too busy with your girl, looks like you forgot you still have a brother."
The way he spoke made me think this wasn't Keigan. He was completely different from before. If it weren't for his face, I would have thought he was a different person.
He suddenly smirked. "Do you really think your girlfriend is loyal to you?"
I felt irritated. "What did you just say?"
"See? You can't even pay attention, and all of this happened because your head is filled with your stupid thoughts about her."
"Shut the f* up, Keigan!" I shouted while clenching my fist.
"Why? Afraid to hear that you're not the only man in her life?"
I couldn't stop myself anymore. I grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the wall. For some reason, he didn't show any fear like before. He could still smile even when I was furiously mad at him.
"Don't you dare!"
"There are more than ten guys in her class. Most of them are her friends. You think none of them felt attracted to her, especially since she's the only girl in your section?" He smirked. "…Maybe they're doing something behind your back. Maybe they're f*ing her while you're busy."
"Shut up! Shut up!"
"Why don't you ask your friends? Maybe one of them already claimed her before you did."
He laughed. "Maybe one of them already f*ed her."
"Don't test my patience!"
He laughed again, like an evil person. "You can't accept it, can you? What if all of this is just a lie? What if that Jay-jay planned everything? What if Aries is behind this? Maybe he sent that girl to ruin all of you? To seduce all of you? And you, the idiot, fell for it!"
I was trying to hold back my anger. My breathing felt so heavy.
"She doesn't really love you. She's just using you, just like your ex, Ella. She's only going to take advantage of you."
"My Jay-jay will never do such a thing!"
She wouldn't do that. She wasn't that kind of person. She had no reason to do that to me. She would never, ever do that.
"Let me guess, you're convincing yourself right now that she would never do that."
I didn't say a word.
"I knew it! But it's too late. She already did—"
"No!"
"—she already fooled you!—"
"No! Stop!"
"—she's probably already seduced your friends!—"
"Shut up! Stop!"
"—and the next thing you know? She'll be seducing someone else!"
"STOP!"
I don't want to hurt Keigan. As much as possible, I try to control my anger toward him. But I can't hold it in anymore. His words are making me furious. I am burning with anger.
I punch the wall beside his head. I punch it until it forms a hole. My knuckles are in pain, but it's nothing compared to what I feel in my chest. I stop when I see that his eyes are closed, and he is crying. He is shaking in fear.
"I'm s-s-sorry. W-whatever I said… P-p-please don't believe it. I didn't m-mean to s-say it." He said between his sobs.
I let go of him. What is happening to Keigan? He was different when he faced me earlier. He was different when he spoke those hurtful words. And now, he seems like a completely different person again.
This has happened so many times. I can't understand what's going on.
He sat on the floor, still crying. He looked terrified of me, frozen in place, hugging himself.
What have I done?
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I looked at Keiren, who was peeking at us from behind his bedroom door. I could see the fear in his eyes.
What is happening to me? I never used to be like this. I was never like this to them.
"I-I didn't mean it, Keigan." I said, kneeling beside him.
He tried to press himself against the wall, just to get away from me. I immediately hugged him. I could feel him trembling. He tried to push me away, but I only tightened my grip.
"I didn't mean it. Please believe me."
"P-please… I-I will n-never do t-that again. Don't s-send me b-b-back to Dad. P-p-please… I don't w-want to be with h-him. H-h-he will hurt me a-again."
His words broke my heart.
He still carries that fear with him. He thinks that if he makes a mistake, I'll send him back to Dad. I've told him so many times that I would never do that, but there are moments when he just doesn't seem to understand.
"Ssshhhh… I-I won't do that. I will never give you to him. He will never take you away from us." I said, trying to calm him down.
"H-he will point h-h-his gun at m-my head. H-h-he will kill m-me just l-like—."
"No. No. I will never allow him to do that. I won't let him hurt you."
"I w-want Mom. I-I want h-her."
Shit!
"Keigan… Mom is gone. She was killed."
I heard the door slam shut. I knew it was Keiren. He always gets hurt whenever he hears that. He never got to experience having a mother, and he lost his father too.
"Keifer!" Someone called.
It was Honey, rushing towards us. She was with the housemaids who usually looked after my siblings when I wasn't around.
"S-Sir… I-I will take care of Sir Keigan." One of the maids said, approaching me.
"Help me bring him to his room." I commanded.
Together, we helped Keigan stand up. I never let go of him as we walked to his room.
He kept whispering things to himself. When we reached his room, we laid him on the bed and covered him with a blanket.
His body looked so vulnerable. I feel like I've been neglecting them. I haven't been there for them. I'm all they have left, but it seems like I'm slipping away too.
Keigan fell asleep while the maid gently comforted him.
"What is your name?" I asked.
She looked at me. "Kate Kristine J oy, sir. I replaced the previous caretaker of Sir Keigan."
I nodded briefly. "T-thank you for taking care of him."
She smiled at me. I was about to leave Keigan's room when I noticed something. There were a few drops of blood on the floor. And now that I was looking around, I saw scratches on the wall and the wooden door. His things were scattered all over the floor.
"K-Kate…" I called the maid.
"Sir?"
"What happened here?" I asked, scanning the room.
She didn't respond, so I turned to look at her. What I noticed immediately was Keigan's tight grip on her hand. My brother was still asleep, so it was strange how he was holding on to her like that.
"I-I don't know, sir. M-maybe it's best if we leave him to rest for now." She said hesitantly. "P-please go ahead, sir. I will watch over him."
I didn't like the way she spoke to me, but something was off. She looks like she's begging me with her eyes.
I forced myself to nod and left. When I stepped outside, Honey was waiting for me along with the other maids.
"What the hell is happening? And why is there a hole in the wall? Was that your doing?" She asked irritably.
"Honey, I need to talk to the maid inside and the previous caretakers of Keigan. Make sure he doesn't find out about it." I said and walked away.
She immediately followed me. "What for? Answer my question first."
"There's something wrong with Keigan. The more time passes, the more I notice it. And I feel like it's getting worse."
"Are you saying that he's sick?"
"I can't say that for now."
She suddenly blocked my way, stopping me in my tracks.
"What is going on in your head? You haven't talked to your brother for a while, and now you're accusing him of being sick." She said in frustration. "Why don't you talk to him first and find out what's bothering him?"
I stared at her for a moment. She's right. It's been a long time since I had a proper conversation with Keigan. Maybe he has a personal problem. Maybe he's just afraid to tell me.
But I'm not ruling out the possibility that he's sick.
Dad came back with Keigan before, but something seemed off about him. I tried my best to show him that I would never allow anyone to hurt our family again.
Slowly, he returned to the Keigan I knew, but there was always a lingering fear in his mind.
"Maybe, I will talk to him later after school."
We both continued walking. I went straight to the dining area. I need caffeine to wake up my senses. At least for now. I need strength before going to school.
When I got there, I saw Keiren eating breakfast. He was already dressed in his uniform and had his bag with him.
"I thought you weren't going to school." I said, grabbing a cup of coffee.
"I don't want to stay here. Kuya Keigan is out of his mind again."
"Keiren, don't say things like that about your Kuya." I scolded him, but he ignored me. "…Do you understand?"
"I do." He replied without looking at me.
I finished my coffee and waited for Keiren to finish his meal. I would be the one to take him to school. I didn't have to wait long. After drinking water, he immediately walked out of the house.
I followed him, leaving Keigan in the care of the maids. I knew Honey would leave too since she couldn't stay long.
I helped Keiren get into the car and adjusted his seatbelt.
"I can do it." He said, but I didn't let him.
After fastening his seatbelt, I finally got into the car. I start the engine without saying a word.
"Kuya…" He called me. "…Is it true? Dad is a bad person?"
I gripped the steering wheel tightly. It's been a while since he last asked about Dad.
"Well, he did bad things."He killed our mother.
"How about Mom? Who killed her?"
A monster.
I cleared my throat. "You're still young to understand."
He didn't say anything else until we reached his school. I let him get out on his own and just watched him walk through the gate.
Before leaving, I made sure all of Keiren's bodyguards were in position. I wanted my brother to move freely despite having security. They blended into the surroundings, positioned all around the school in different disguises.
Some of them even worked inside the school. I had increased their numbers after confirming that my monstrous father had returned.
The same security measures were in place for Keigan. His guards stayed at a distance, allowing him to move freely.
But it wasn't the same for me. When I was in the Philippines, no one guarded me. I knew no one would target me here. Dad only wanted my brothers—and besides, I could defend myself.
When I arrived at school, I immediately parked the car. I was almost late for our first subject. That woman would definitely have something to say again if Sir Alvin arrived before me.
I saw Aries and his classmates eyeing me like predators ready to attack their prey. I wasn't in the mood to give a damn about him.
But if he was here, then Jay-jay might be as well. I needed to make it up to him. I was completely in the wrong for letting my anger take over again. I didn't even listen to him because I was blinded by my pain.
Whenever my anger gets the best of me, my mind goes blank. Maybe that's why they call us a curse. Because when someone we love hurts us, our minds shut down completely.
I was nearing our classroom when I saw Mayo and Kit. They were obviously fighting—one step away from throwing punches at each other.
"Stop it! What if someone hears you?" Kit said.
"So what if they do? Are you scared?!" Mayo shot back.
I didn't know what their problem was, but they were blocking my way. It seemed like they hadn't even noticed I was nearby.
Kit tried to walk away, but Mayo kept grabbing him. I rolled my eyes. They look like a couple arguing—
"Do you like Jay-jay?!"
I froze. My whole body stiffened at what I just heard. Mayo just asked Kit if he liked Jay-jay.
"I don't like him! Just stop already!"
"Then why did you kiss him?!"
I felt like I had gone deaf. He kissed Jay-jay. He kissed my Jay-jay.
Flashes of everything Keigan said ran through my mind. Were my own friends betraying me? They were worse than Yuri. Were they just playing with me? Were they making a fool out of me?!
In just a snap, everything happened so fast.
I found myself grabbing Kit and punching him in the face.
And no one could stop me.