Keifer's POV
"Where have you been again?" It was Keigan.
I sat on my bed and took off my shoes, letting my brother rant as much as he wanted.
"You were supposed to have a date with Ion." He said. "Do you know that she kept calling me over and over because she was worried about you?"
"Tell her thanks for worrying." I said and stood up.
I headed straight to my walk-in closet and changed into my office uniform. Keigan kept talking, but he wasn't the one on my mind.
"Don't let other people decide for you." It was Uncle Kier. "Know your goal and never ever let them distract you."
I sighed. That was the last time the Elders allowed me to see him. After that, they forbade me completely. I could only rely on updates from others.
He was discharged from the hospital and sent home, but he still couldn't walk properly. He had a heart attack. Fortunately, his butler acted quickly and knew exactly what to do.
I thought I would lose another member of my family.
"Go see Ion." Keigan said when I stepped out of the closet.
"Maybe later." I replied while putting on my shoes.
After that, I left the room, and even without looking back, I knew he was following me. His nagging voice was proof enough.
I saw Honey eating, and she pouted at me—or maybe at the person behind me, who was still rambling on and on.
"Keigan." I said and turned to face him. "Get some sleep. I know you've been awake since last night."
"It doesn't matter. What's important is your date with Ion."
Honey suddenly coughed loudly. She pounded her chest before taking a sip of water.
"A d-date with that old woman?" Honey asked while pointing her index finger at me.
"She's not that old. She's just a few years older than Kuya. Like you." Keigan said, and Honey's face twisted in displeasure.
She stood up, carrying her plate.
She looked at us with her head held high.
"I am only two years older than Keifer. Two years." She sighed. "If you'll excuse me, I've lost my appetite."
She left, leaving Keigan and me behind. I took the opportunity to escape and followed Honey.
"I'm not done talking to you!" He shouted, but I ignored him.
My head was starting to ache from his never-ending lectures. The longer this engagement dragged on, the more Keigan insisted on it.
I'm not going to fall into the same trap that Jay-jay suffered with Yuri.
I followed Honey out of our suite and straight to her room. She looked surprised when I entered right after her.
"The fvck, Keifer!"
"What happened while I was gone?" I said, cutting to the chase.
"As usual, Keigan is preparing for that engagement. You're doomed on your birthday." She said before turning her back on me.
"What else?"
"Where did you go first?"
"I visited Keiren." I said and sat on the sofa. "He gained weight. He looks so happy there."
"Well, that's good. Where exactly did you take him?"
I shook my head. "Somewhere."
She suddenly narrowed her eyes at me, scrutinizing me carefully before taking a bite of the bread from the plate in her hand.
"You've been in the Philippines! You hid him somewhere in that country." She accused me.
I just raised a brow. She lost interest but kept eating.
"Answer my question."
"Your cousins, they all want to celebrate your birthday. Watson style." She said before putting down the plate. "Then, your dear brother wants to introduce that Ion girl to everyone." She emphasized Ion's name.
Not gonna happen.
"And you? What did you do in the Philippines?"
"None." I said and left her.
I had no plans of giving her any clues about where I had been.
I walked straight to the elevator, and even without looking, I could feel the eyes of the other passengers on me.
"That's him. The Watson guy."
"I heard it's him."
"Soon, he'll be the richest bachelor in town."
Bad news. I'm not a bachelor—I'm already committed and soon to be taken. She's the only one I'm waiting for. The sweet yet ruthless 'yes' of my lovely queen.
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out. I walked quickly out of the hotel, where my driver was already waiting.
"Watson Enterprise now." I said as soon as I got into the car.
I looked out the window. Even with eight hours of travel, I hadn't gotten proper sleep.
The image of Yuri with Jay-jay is making me pissed. That damn Japanese guy is really trying to find ways.
But that wasn't what bothered me the most.
Someone wants my Jay-jay dead. Someone from the past that we already defeated. Those bastards don't know when to stop.
And the loudest one of all—the one named Ryosuke Sato. He was acting so blatantly, as if we weren't a threat to him.
I took out my secret phone and read the messages.
Felix said he was trying to earn Jay-jay's forgiveness. Which was good.
Little by little, she's starting to forgive those snakes—I mean, our so-called friends. I hope she forgives me too when I return.
I also read Angelo's messages about the ongoing threats.
It was our fault, and now he's pressuring me to find and take down that Sato.
As much as I want to, I can't. My resources aren't enough. His network is far wider than mine. Even Rory and Edrix can't trace him. Meanwhile, Yuri is trying to contact their embassy.
Damn this!
I dialed Edrix's contact number. It rang a few times before he finally answered.
"How is Jay?"
"She doesn't seem to suspect anything yet. We've already caught five people lurking around her." He sighs. "It might be better if she stays inside the house for now. She should be thankful… it looks like those guys are scared of her brother, so they haven't tried to enter the house."
She has nothing to be thankful for. If Angelo were really good at his job, those people wouldn't be lurking around her house at all.
"Follow Jay as much as possible. Don't leave her side."
"That's impossible! More impossible than floodwater becoming clear! Jay-jay is so stubborn. It would be fine if she were on good terms with all of us."
I switched the phone to my other ear.
"Don't make it obvious."
"We'll see. At least David and Ci-N are okay with her now. At least those two have a reason—"
"Don't forget to remind David about his limits."
I heard his soft laughter. "Yeah, yeah. Alright, I still have to talk with Rory."
I said goodbye and ended the call, just as the car stopped in the parking lot. I got out and headed straight into the building.
Employees greeted me with smiles. It seemed news of my upcoming birthday had already spread. And things were about to change.
As I entered the elevator, the people inside quickly greeted me. I didn't say a thing and remained cold toward them. It's not like I held a grudge against them—it's just that I didn't really care about them.
The same way they didn't care about me before.
When the elevator doors opened, another group of employees greeted me. I ignored them and went straight to Clyde's office.
"Tell me something interesting." Clyde said with a grin.
His secretary—the one I had knocked down before—was standing beside him. He still had marks, but he looked fine… for now.
He stepped back from Clyde and looked down, avoiding my gaze. I wasn't sure whether I should forgive him already or break his bones for real.
"What's with the smile?" I asked in a flat tone.
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me, Birthday Boy?"
I raised a brow. He was starting to annoy me again—just like when he found out about Ion. I badly wanted to wipe that smile off his face with my fist.
"I'm not in the mood to play your game."
I said and turned around, about to leave.
"Oh, come on! Stop dissembling us."
I paused for a moment and glanced at him slightly.
"I am not."
"I saw that Ion girl. She's a darling." He sounded so proud. "If you're marrying her, what would happen to that other girl?"
I adjusted my posture to face him fully. I knew he was talking about my Jay-jay. My senses became fully alert every time he opened his mouth and talked about her.
He grinned widely upon seeing my reaction.
"Are you planning to have two wives?"
"I'm not, and don't you dare mention her name in front of me just to satisfy your urge to piss me off."
He chuckled a bit and shook his head.
"Why not?"
I glared at him, and he laughed.
"The next CEO is already having an affair. You're indeed a Watson."
"At least I have the woman that I love. How about you?"
His smile disappeared instantly.
Got you!
"You should get ready. We have a meeting to attend, and the Elders want to talk to you." He said, changing the topic.
He stood up and left the office. Now it was my turn to smirk. I followed him to the conference room, where his secretary handed me the documents I needed for the meeting.
The topic of my upcoming birthday kept coming up in our discussions. I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Even in the meetings that followed, they kept bringing it up.
I only had one answer for all of them: "I'll let you know about it soon."
Even though the truth was, I had no plans of celebrating my birthday.
I wanted to be with the woman that I love.
My existence in this world is nothing without her.
After lunch, we met with the greedy siblings. Uncle Kier was not with them as he needed full bed rest.
"We're planning to organize a party for his birthday." Clyde said to them with a smile.
"Invite all the well-known families in town, including the royal family. Gather the family chef and talk to your cousins to help you with it." The Eldest said, and Clyde nodded.
"Do we really have to celebrate? There's nothing special about my birthday." I said, and the Eldest looked at me sharply.
"Well, it's the birth day of the bastard. The trash who will receive all the inheritance of this family. We should celebrate that persecuted truth." He said sarcastically.
Thank you so much for the insult.
The others laughed along with Clyde. I let them see that I wasn't affected. Maybe they enjoyed throwing hurtful words at me, but those words meant nothing to me. They were just wasting their time.
"If that's the case, I will invite my friends." I said, and the Eldest instantly shot me a deadly look.
"You mean your trashed friends? No, you can't."
"It's my birthday, I have the right to—"
"To dirty our name again? No, you don't!"
I stood up and looked him dead in the eye. "Then you'll have a party with no celebrant."
I walked out without looking back at them. Clyde called me, but I ignored him.
My lungs feel suffocated every time I sit near the Eldest. He still carries that intimidating aura. The superiority of a Watson.
I chose to return to the office, but since I had nothing to do there, I was forced to go home early.
"Keifer!" Ion greeted me with a hug when I got home.
I slightly pushed her, but she obviously ignored it. I saw Honey looking at us in disgust. She even shook her head.
"Feeling like a teenager." She said.
Ion let go of me and faced me with a bright smile. I couldn't bring myself to return it. If I didn't know her, I might have already punched her.
"Why are you here?" I asked and walked past her.
"Well, you forgot our date. So I decided to pay you a visit."
I saw Honey behind her, mimicking her while making faces.
"Someone's definitely getting punched when we go back to the Philippines. I can't wait." She said, making me stop as Ion turned to look at her.
"What? Who's getting punched?"
"I don't know. Maybe you—but my bet is on Keifer."
I glared at her to make her shut up, but Honey really didn't know when to stop. She's doing this on purpose.
I don't want another headache.
Ion faced me with concern. "Are you worried about Angelo? I know you won't let him hurt you—"
"Oh, it's not Angelo. My dear, you should prepare yourself to meet Jay—"
"Enough!" I shouted, but both of them really didn't want to stop.
"Who's Jay? Is that your new friend? I wouldn't be surprised if you had a lot of friends." Ion said to me.
Her eyes looked so innocent. Those are the same eyes she used to look at him. And now she's using them to deceive me.
"She's not just a friend." Honey said, laughing.
"Brace yourself."
"Honey, please." I said while holding the bridge of my nose.
"It's okay. I want to know your new friends."
I shook my head. "Wait for me here. I'll just change my clothes."
I went straight to my room to change. I just want some peace, so I'll go along with it.
I didn't stay long either, fearing that Honey might say something else. I didn't want to say anything to Ion because I still didn't know what she was capable of. I didn't even know the friend who was helping her.
"Where are you two going?" Honey asked while eyeing me from head to toe.
It was Ion who answered. "I'm not allowed to go far. We'll probably be in the hotel garden."
I nodded briefly. "Let's go."
Honey gave me a weird look, as if she was telling me that I was about to die.
She linked her arm around mine as we walked toward the elevator. Just as she said, we only went to the hotel garden.
There were a few people walking around and having small chats. The plants were trimmed into different shapes. There was also a fountain surrounded by a hedge maze. Benches were scattered everywhere, along with trash bins.
"I met your cousin Clyde." She started. "He seems to be a nice guy."
I almost choked on my own breath.
Nice guy my ass.
She let go of my arm and walked closer to the orchids. I really couldn't figure out what she wanted or why she even agreed to this engagement. She wouldn't gain anything from me, especially since her so-called friend seemed to be even richer.
"You like the orchids?" I asked.
She looked at me and smiled. "I do."
I smiled back. "Then you'll have your own orchid garden. Once we get married, I'll organize the house."
She stiffened, unable to look back at me. She probably couldn't believe I said those things.
"T-that's a good idea." She said, and I could tell she was forcing herself to smile.
"Do you want to stay at home and be a housewife? Or do you want to do something while being my wife?"
"Whatever you want."
"You can have a business or work at the same time."
She slightly stepped away from the orchids and started walking. I followed her from a few feet away.
"It doesn't matter to me."
"Really? Well, it's your choice anyway."
She stopped and faced me, her smile tight and reserved.
"It's not like we're getting married immediately, right?"
I smirked. "We'll get married before we go back home to the Philippines. The day after my birthday."
She gulped before biting her lips. Everything is becoming clearer to me now. She doesn't want to marry me. She wants something else that she will get along the process.
"D-don't you think that's too fast?"
"No. This is arranged anyway. Date and time don't matter at all."
"I think it's better if we get married in the Philippines." She suggested.
I stared at her intently, trying to figure out what she was planning, but her eyes looked too innocent.
"As you wish." I said and walked ahead.
She immediately caught up with me and linked her arm around mine again. We talked a little about the place and how her life had been lately, but she made sure to choose her words carefully.
We walked around the entire garden, and after our long conversation, one thing was clear to me.
She's up to something.