Keifer's POV
I'm running out of reasons to continue with this damn plan. It feels like nothing is progressing.
Everything is still hanging. And now, I'm losing Jay-jay.
"Out of all our plans, how many have you actually done?" Keigan asked me.
I cleared my throat. "I pushed Jay-jay away. I looked for allies—."
"What allies? Those street fighters who always pick fights with you?"
"They're not just—."
I saw him roll his eyes. "When we said allies, we meant someone powerful. Someone you can rely on anytime. Someone who has lots of connections."
"Someone like Angelo," Mr. Ryder said.
I simply shook my head. "I can find someone else."
"Where? At KingsGround? If not drug lords, then who else are you planning to approach there?" Keigan started raising his voice. "Come on, Kuya! We're all helping you here, but you don't even want to help yourself!"
I held my temple and massaged it with one hand. What else is missing?
"We're leaving sooner than the original plan," Mr. Ryder said. "…staying here is making it harder for you to do your part."
I don't wanna hear it!
I quickly stood up and turned away from them. They called my name, but I chose to keep walking. I was supposed to head to the basement, but I stopped. They will find me here.
I turned and walked fast toward the garage. I chose the simplest car I had. As soon as I got inside, I heard my phone ring from my pocket.
I took it out, and Keigan's name was the first thing I saw. I silenced my phone before taking the key from the glove compartment.
I drove fast toward KingsGround. It's the only place where I can drink without being disturbed by Keigan and the others.
My mind is almost empty. Jay-jay is the only one filling it up. She's the only one running through my thoughts. I don't want to lose her, but I have to push her away. How will I protect her?
Come on, Keifer! Think of something else.
I'm out of options. I gripped the steering wheel tightly. I accidentally pressed the horn when someone suddenly cut in front of my car.
I almost chased after them just to ram into them. But luckily, I remembered where I was headed. I turned the car onto KingsGround's street.
Even from afar, I could already see the many cars parked outside.
All branded and definitely cost a fortune. Some were even limited editions or only sold in other countries. I parked beside a car brand I didn't recognize and headed straight to the club entrance.
The party was wilder than usual. It's raining free beer. The club was packed with people eager to dance.
I glanced toward Tiger's office. I saw a few men watching the party while holding glasses of alcohol. I arched a brow.
Who are they?
Looks like Tiger has visitors. I decided to head straight to the bar instead.
I was just about to sit on one of the stools when someone tapped me.
I looked at them and was met with the serious face of one of Tiger's bouncers.
"Boss is calling you upstairs."
I nodded shortly and followed him. My shoulders almost sagged as I climbed the stairs to his office.
When I opened the door, almost everyone turned to look at me. My forehead creased.
What the hell?
"Keifer!" Tiger called out to me with a smile as he walked closer. "Come in! Come in! Let me introduce you to my guests."
He even put his arm around my shoulder as he led me toward his visitors. There were about eight of them, each engaged in their own conversation.
"Seriously, Leo? A kid?" The one sitting comfortably on the couch said.
He didn't look Filipino. More like European, with a sharp jawline and intense eyes. It was as if he was scrutinizing everything he looked at, even though he had a slight smile.
Tiger's brows immediately furrowed.
"TIGER! Stop calling me Leo! It's Tiger!"
They all laughed. I looked at them one by one, trying to figure out if I knew at least one of them. Some seemed familiar, but I still didn't know their names.
"Who is he? He looks familiar." The one standing beside the glass wall asked.
He was different from the first guy. His features were soft. Probably Korean or Chinese, judging by his monolids that almost closed when he smiled. He was the type of person who didn't seem intimidating to approach.
"Everyone! This is Keifer Watson!" Tiger said, gesturing with his hand as if I were royalty.
Everyone stopped what they were doing. One even almost spit out their drink, while others exchanged meaningful glances.
"The Watson?" the guy sitting at Tiger's table asked for confirmation. "You mean the young heir of Watson's?"
He looked at me as if he couldn't believe it. I couldn't help but feel irritated at him. He acts like he knows me so well.
"The one and only," Tiger said while tapping my shoulder.
Irritated, I looked at him. "What's going on?" I asked, almost whispering.
He smirked at me teasingly, walked to the coffee table, poured a drink into a glass, and handed it to me.
I grabbed it with one hand.
"Isn't he a minor?" the one sitting beside the first guy asked.
"Minor has no meaning here at my club," Tiger said, smiling like a lunatic.
"Are you recruiting him?" the first guy asked.
Recruiting? For what?
"Nope," Tiger answered, shaking his head. "He doesn't know anything about your frat."
I couldn't help but get annoyed. I don't understand anything they're saying. I know it's about me, but I have no idea what recruitment or what frat they're talking about.
I turned to Tiger and glared at him. "Kindly give me a clue about what these people are talking about," I said with authority.
He didn't answer, but I heard his guests react.
"Is it me, or did I just see Angelo in him?" one of them said while walking toward me.
I instinctively took a step back.
He knows Angelo.
"They look the same. Not exactly, but in some ways," another one with glasses said while typing something on his phone.
"Maybe Angelo knows him," the first guy said while shaking his glass. He turned to Tiger. "Does Angelo know this guy?"
I was truly getting frustrated now. I placed the glass Tiger had handed me earlier on the coffee table.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I think I have no reason to stay here," I said and was about to walk away when one of them stood at the door, blocking my way. "Kindly move before I lose my temper."
He smirked before crossing his arms. "You have the attitude of a Watson."
"Keifer, right?" the first guy asked, but I didn't respond. "Ervin Schnee." He raised his glass.
My tongue felt tied. No words could describe how shocked I was right now. The owner of multibillion-dollar banks is in front of me.
"I actually hate your family. Instead of saving money in our bank, they decided to build their own," he said before taking a sip.
"Someone's bitter," the one with soft features teased, making the others chuckle.
"I am not!" He pointed his finger at Tiger. "Call Angelo. If he's not recruiting this kid, I will."
That recruiting thing again. What the hell is this about? I'm really not amused anymore.
I looked at Tiger when I heard the ringing of the phone. He put it on loudspeaker. I frowned, waiting for what would happen next.
["What?! Make sure it's important!"] It was Angelo, obviously irritated.
"Aren't you coming with us?" Tiger teased.
["Fvck no! Didn't I tell you that I'm fvcking busy!"]
I heard soft chuckles from the people listening in. Ervin signaled Tiger to hand over the phone. Tiger complied.
"Angelo, my man!" he greeted.
["What do you fvcking want, d*ckhead?!"]
Ervin laughed. "Come on! I just want to ask if you're familiar with Keifer Watson."
Angelo's end went silent. So did the men watching Ervin.
["He's just a kid."] He said it calmly, which was weird. ["Don't mind him."]
"Look, are you planning to recruit him? Because I am."
Another dead silence from his end. He's making me think he planned to talk to me about this. I really don't understand anything.
All I know is that these guys, clearly from different countries, know Angelo. They mentioned something about recruiting, and Tiger talked about a frat.
["Don't."]
"I'm giving you two options. Recruit him, or I will," Ervin said before finally ending the call.
He tossed the phone back to Tiger. Tiger barely caught it but managed. Then he looked at me with arrogance.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked, almost whispering.
"I'll explain later. Just enjoy yourself for now," he answered and put his arm around my shoulder.
He picked up the glass I had placed down earlier and handed it back to me. He forced me to sit between Ervin and another man I didn't recognize.
They asked a few questions. I chose to answer some but not all, especially when they became too personal or about my family's wealth. Particularly Ervin, who kept asking about the rumored solid gold owned by the Watsons.
I will never say a thing about it.
They were visibly getting drunk. They had probably been drinking for hours. Eventually, a few of them went downstairs to find women to dance with, while the others decided to go home.
Once they were out of sight, I finally turned to Tiger, who kept pressing his phone despite his drooping eyes.
"Mind explaining everything to me?" I commanded. He smiled like a child.
He adjusted his seat and even burped, making me grimace at the smell of his breath.
"D-don't tell Angelo, oki?" He gestured an "okay" sign with his hand.
I nodded briefly.
"So Angelo… joooiiiined a fraternity before… we graduated high school." He pointed a finger at me. "But… but… but this isn't a simple frat. It's international!" He even raised his hands when he said "international." "For every high-rank recruit—10 million dollars is earned. If you're a low rank like me, you get 1 million dollars." He poked my face. "You! You'd be a high rank, so Ervin wants to steal you."
I almost couldn't understand what he was saying.
So it's a fraternity, and there's money involved. From what I understand, if I get recruited as a high-rank, the recruiter receives 10 million dollars.
"Don'tttt!… Tellll Angelooo I told you. He'd killll meeee! He doesn't want to recruit you because he's sure you'll use that frat to win your fight."
Is that so?
"Why did you and Angelo join that group?"
He laughed annoyingly. "Because of Ion and Rafael."
I arched my brow. "I understand the thing about Ion, but what's with Rafael?"
"Raaaaffyy-babyy was the first to join, then he recruited Angelo, then me. That bastard must be loaded by now."
One of his eyes was starting to close. He was about to pass out, so I had to get all the information I needed.
"What do I get from joining this frat?"
He grinned widely. "Aaaaaayyyyyieeee, you wannnaaa toooo." He lightly slapped my face. "Connection, power, money, and alliance."
I turned when I heard the last word he said. Is this the answer to what Keigan was looking for? They want someone like Angelo, and I just happened to meet a group of men like him.
"Then recruit me," I said almost as a command.
"Nnnnnoooooo can't!" he quickly answered.
What?!
"I thought you were a member too?"
He harshly shook his head. "Didn't youuuu heeaaarr?! Low Ranker meeeee."
My forehead creased. "What's the difference?"
He suddenly closed his eyes and slumped. I immediately smacked the back of his head.
He raised his head and opened his eyes.
"Did you hit me?"
I shook my head. "Answer my question."
"Lllloooooow rankersss can onlyyy recruit other low rankers. High rankers cannn recruit both high and low."
His head drooped again, so I flicked his ear hard. He straightened up and glared at me, rubbing his ear.
"Issss thaaat yooouuu?"
"What if I become a low ranker? What will I get?"
"You'd be… just… like a general under a king. You'll have protection, but you won't be as stronnnnggg as the High Ranks. They alsooo base it on your life status. Ifff you can pay the annual fee of 3 million dollars… YOOOOU'RE IIIIINNNN!"
There's an annual fee? That means if Angelo is a High Ranker, he pays every year. But how can he afford it if they're struggling financially?
I tapped Tiger on the shoulder. "Thanks. Go to sleep now." I pushed him down onto the sofa.
He fell over like a toppled statue and didn't get up. I left him there and walked out of his office.
I looked for Ervin on the dance floor, but with the crowd, it was hard to spot him. I finally saw him near the stage, where two women were dancing.
"Ervin!" I called out to him. "ERVIN!"
I shoved the two women beside him.
He turned to me with a scowl. "What the hell?!"
"RECRUIT ME! RECRUIT ME ON YOUR FVCKING GROUP!" My throat almost tore from shouting.
He put an arm around my shoulder and dragged me somewhere. Since he was bigger than me, I couldn't fight back. On top of that, we were getting squeezed by the crowd.
We finally got off the disco dance floor, but he still wouldn't let go of me. It wasn't until I realized we were already outside KingsGround that he finally released me forcefully and looked me in the eye.
The way he looks at me gives me goosebumps.
"You disturbed us, jerk!"
"Recruit me!"
He shook his head. "I can't without Angelo's permission! You're his prospect!" He took a piece of paper from his wallet and threw it at me. "Talk to him first and ask him to call me."
He turned his back and went inside. I picked up the crumpled paper in frustration. It was a calling card.
I can't expect anything from Angelo. He won't let me join. But I have no choice. Looks like I really have to ask him.
This is for my Jay-jay!
I quickly got into my car, nearly hitting the luxury cars parked around me in my anger. My driving was so reckless I almost got into an accident.
I just want this to be done. I want to be with Jay-jay before she completely slips away from me.
It didn't take long before I reached their house. Some lights were still on in certain areas. I checked the time—12:52 AM.
I parked my car not too far from their gate. It was open, and their maids were going in and out, seemingly taking out the trash.
I didn't wait for anyone to let me in. I did it myself, and to my surprise, no one noticed. I went straight to the second floor. The dim lighting was just enough to guide me.
I knew where Aries and Angelo's rooms were—I'd been here before. I was about to knock on Angelo's door when I noticed the one almost directly across Aries's room.
Ci-N had told me everything about Jay's room. I didn't know if she was still awake, but deep inside, I knew I wanted to see her. My feet moved on their own, taking me closer.
The lights were off, but a faint glow suggested she had a lamp on. She said before that sometimes she had nightmares, and she blamed them on the darkness.
My hand instinctively reached for the doorknob. She didn't lock her door. I was right.
The light was indeed from her lamp.
Her blanket was out of place, and she was curled up from the cold. I walked toward her slowly and touched her face. Her cheeks were damp with tears. I didn't have to ask—I knew I was the reason.
I wiped her tears away, picked up the blanket, and wrapped it around her. I sat beside her and kissed her forehead several times.
"I hurt you again," I whispered. "I'm a jerk for hurting you so bad. I don't deserve you or your love." I kissed her forehead again. "But I still want it. I still want you."
I brushed a few strands of her hair away and stared at her. Her brows were furrowed, and she was starting to sweat. She was murmuring something I couldn't understand.
"Ssshhhh… It's okay. I'm here." I said while brushing her hair.
I adjusted her position and wiped away her sweat. I don't care if she wakes up.
"K-Keifer…" She murmured.
"Hey… I'm here."
"Mmmm… You… hurt…"
Are you dreaming about me?
I held her hand and kissed it. I was so scared you'd get hurt that I chose to hurt you myself. But now, I'm terrified of losing you. And if I have to tell you the truth to prevent that, I will.
"Damn you… Keifer…" She said, making me chuckle.
"Profanity." I kissed her lips softly.
I wiped the sweat from her forehead again and ran my fingers through her hair. After all of this, I'll prepare an extravagant date for the two of us. I don't know how, but I'll make sure it happens.
"I know it's wrong, but I'll do it just to keep you from leaving me. When I tell you the truth, I hope you understand." I said and was about to plant another kiss when someone interrupted.
"What truth? And why should she understand?"
I slowly moved away from Jay-jay and turned to see who spoke.
It was Aries, standing at the door. He looked at me like he was ready to kill me.
"Move away from my sister, now." He tried his best to sound calm.
I smirked before slowly standing up.
"Get out."
I looked at his clenched fists.
"Get out. Now." He remained calm.
"I might lose control and kill you."
"How will you kill me when you can't see anything? You're blind—your vision is already dark."
He almost lunged at me but stopped when he saw Jay-jay behind me.
Come on. Show me your capability.
"Aries. Why are you here?" I heard his mother—or more like his aunt. "Is she still—" She stopped when she saw me. "K-Keifer… H-how did you get in?"
"Sorry for entering your house without permission." I said and looked down.
I saw her clutch her chest in panic.
"Just don't do it again." She looked at Jay behind me. "Can you please step out of there?"
I looked at Jay-jay for a moment before nodding at her and walking out. They quickly closed the door before she grabbed my arm and pulled me slightly.
"Maybe you should just talk to Jay-jay tomorrow. It's late, and she's asleep."
I saw hesitation in her, but she still smiled at me.
"Actually, I came to see Angelo."
She was stunned for a moment but still smiled.
"Maybe you should wait for him in the living room."
Her nervousness was still obvious. I knew she had something else on her mind after catching me in the room. Add to that the fact that no one even noticed me entering.
I walked with her.
"You don't have to worry. I did nothing to Jay-jay."
She forced a smile while letting go of my arm.
"It's not that… I just don't want Jay-jay to wake up. She hasn't had enough rest—she cries herself to sleep every night." She explained.
I nodded shortly, accepting her explanation. But I knew that wasn't the real reason. She was scared I might have done something bad to Jay-jay.
We reached the living room.
"Sit down first. I'll get you some juice." She said, but I stopped her.
"Tita…" She looked at me in confusion. "I want to ask you something."
She smiled. "What is it?"
I took a deep breath. "Is it true that… you know where my dad's child before me is?"
Her smile vanished. "W-what… I d-don't understand."
"My monster of a father had another child before me. And Mom told me that you know where he or she is."
She turned pale and clutched her chest.
"I-I don't know! I don't know anything!" She slowly backed away. "I have to go!"
She knew!
I quickly blocked her path, startling her.
"Just tell me the truth, and I won't bother you anymore."
She shook her head violently. "I really don't know!"
I grabbed both her arms. She tried to push me away, but I didn't let go.
"Please… Tell me where my half-sibling is."
"I really don't know! Let me go!"
"You don't understand—"
Someone suddenly pulled me away and punched me, sending me crashing to the floor.
Fvck! It's the fvcking Demon.