Keifer's POV
Fvck this party!
I want to crumple the invitation they gave me. Out of all the copies they made, they only gave me one to hand over to a friend.
This is crap!
This won't work with the whole Section E. With just this one invitation, who am I supposed to let in? It can't be Yuri, neither Felix nor Ci-N, and it will never be David.
One person, only. I stared at my secret phone. I want to send it to Jay, but she obviously won't make it. I just recently found out that her papers are on hold. She can't get a passport, nor can she travel outside the country.
Someone is holding them back for a reason. As if making sure she can't leave or escape. And I only knew one person who could do that.
I smirked as I realized something. That person is the one I should invite.
I hid my secret phone and stood up. I walked out of my room, holding the invitation.
"Honey." I called.
Out of nowhere, Honey showed up while holding a cigarette.
"Keifer?"
I raised a brow. "Kindly throw that thing away."
She looked at the stick in her hand. "Oh wow. Are you scared of cigarettes now?"
"Just throw it away."
She rolled her eyes before looking for an ashtray.
Once she put it out, she faced me. "There. What else?"
I handed her the invitation. "Send this to Angelo. Make sure he receives it soon."
"Okay." She said and walked away.
Keigan has his own plan for my birthday, but so do I.
I went back to my room to check the list that came with the invitation. It contained the names of well-known people who would be attending.
The Hanamitchi family was on the list. I'm not surprised, but the question is, would they come? I'd be more shocked if they did. Most of the time, only a representative from their family attends parties like this.
I continued reading the list. My eyebrows raised when I saw a familiar surname.
Braselton.
David was the first person that came to mind. But his family is unknown. They keep a low profile in the business world despite having many ventures.
Then it hit me. I hope I'm wrong about this.
I grabbed the telephone and dialed Keigan's number.
["Kuya."]
"I want the information on the Braseltons."
["Information on who?"]
"Do what I ask." I said and ended the call.
If my suspicion is correct and David's family turns out to be related to them, this is definitely one hell of a problem.
Of all people, seriously?
I took my secret phone and texted Felix. He needed to watch over Jay-jay and keep David away.
But instead of hearing or reading assurance from him, he just laughed at me.
From: Felix Collins
Message: haha… you're so paranoid, Keifer. Go home if you can't stay still.
I slapped my own face. He and Percy are really alike. They may not be blood-related, but they have the same attitude. Percy definitely poisoned Felix's mind when they were young.
"…Fine! So demanding!" It was Honey's voice.
I immediately hid my secret phone. Not long after, Honey came in with her phone and handed it to me.
"Someone wants to talk to you." She said before I could accept the phone.
I looked at her suspiciously before placing the phone on my ear.
"Hello."
["Kepweng? Is that you?"]
My forehead creased. Kep—what?
I knew that voice. There was only one person who wasn't afraid to annoy me aside from Yuri and Aries.
"What do you want, Percy?"
["Finally! You answered!"] He said with a sigh. ["Let's talk seriously. I sacrificed my dignity for this."]
He sacrificed his what?
"You're the one who never acts serious." I said, and he laughed sarcastically.
["So funny, I forgot how to laugh."]
"Just get to the point."
["Jay is in danger, and you're there for what? She needs you here if you're not f*cking aware."]
"I'm fully aware of the situation. Do you really think I'm not doing anything? Even though I'm here, I'm making sure she's safe."
["Oh really? Wow. Amazing!"] He sounded so pissed. ["She's just receiving death threats, that's all."]
Damn it! Someone got through?!
"What?"
["Talk to Angelo! What exactly are you doing there? Looks like you're just chasing women."]
"I am not! I'm too busy to do such a thing."
["If I find out you're only after girls there, I swear I'll come for you."]
"And then what?" I asked, provoking him.
["Well… I-I'll join! Why should you have all the fun? I should have some too."]
When does he ever plan to change?
I handed the phone back to Honey without saying a word. She took it and started talking to Percy.
"You owe me a date." She said while walking away.
I shook my head. That idiot really got played. He let Honey trick him when he could've just gotten my number from Felix. He probably didn't use his brain again… or maybe he's hiding something from his brother.
Felix's reply popped into my head again. Why don't they notice David's behavior? We're all men, after all. Maybe I should talk to Ci-N—nope! Definitely not! If I do that, it's like announcing exactly what I'm planning.
I took out my secret phone to look for other options, but my fingers automatically searched for her name. I let out a deep sigh.
Lately, she hasn't been responding to any of my messages. Based on my time calculation, it's morning on her end. I typed a message to her and sent it without a second thought.
I wasn't expecting her to answer my message, but surprisingly, she called me.
I quickly answered the call but made sure not to speak.
"Hello?" She said, and my heart skipped a beat. "Sorry… I accidentally pressed call. I'll hang up now."
I immediately sent her a message. Hearing her voice makes me want to fly back to the Philippines.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Why are you not responding to my messages?
Even though she called me by accident, I couldn't help but smile. I miss her so much. And I smiled even more when I saw her reply.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Because I was busy. A lot happened yesterday.
I stared at the format of her message. Again, her weird way of texting. It's quite hard to understand, but I still miss it.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Still! You should have texted me at least!
I couldn't help but feel annoyed that she hadn't replied to me. She could've at least sent one message.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: demanding! Are you my boyfriend?
And her feisty comeback.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: No! But I'm your future.
She didn't reply after that, so I decided to put my phone away. I can't stop smiling while thinking about her.
I'm almost there. Just a little more patience.
I glanced at the time on my phone. It was already midnight, and I was still awake. Keigan's going to be mad again if he finds out.
I'm still not sure about his condition, but I don't want to take any chances. I feel like he's affected by everything I do. One wrong move, and something happens to him. That's what I've observed.
I've also started reading research about DID or Multiple Personality Disorder.
I won't deny that some of the symptoms are so familiar to what I've observed from my brother.
It hurts me. I've failed him so much, and now this is happening.
I ran my hands over my face. This is my fault. If I had known this would happen to him, I would never have let that monster take him away.
I know that person has something to do with why Keigan ended up like this. If only I could find out what he did, maybe I could stop what's happening to my brother.
I lay down for a bit, exhausted. I didn't even realize when I fell asleep.
My dreams were all about my Jay-jay—her smile, her pretty face, her trash talk, and of course, the profanity.
Everything was perfect in my dreams.
But it was cut short by loud knocks on my door.
The fvck!
"Kuya, wake up! Ion is here for you!"
"Okay! Okay! I'm awake!" I said, and he stopped.
I sat up immediately and searched for my secret phone. I had a text message from Drew. I couldn't understand his message, so I just called him.
Two rings before he answered.
["Keifer, Pards."]
He used the word 'Pards.' I think I know what he's up to.
"What?"
["Pards, I have some news for you. But… can I borrow some money first?"]
I held the bridge of my nose. I knew it.
"Let me just remind you that you owe me ₱300,000."
["Maybe you can just wipe that out? What I'm about to tell you is really important."]
"I'll decide after."
["At least half?"]
"I said I'll think about it." I said in a serious tone.
I have gold, but I still need to be careful when it comes to money. It's for our future, Jay-jay, so I have to be smart with my finances.
"Okay, okay. I just heard about this. They said they saw Yuri scoring with Jay-jay. That bastard kissed her—"
"WHEN THE FVCK DID THAT HAPPEN?!"
I couldn't hold back my voice. I was so focused on watching David that I forgot about Yuri.
"J-just earlier, they said."
"I'll call you back," I said and ended the call.
He even texted me to remind me about our debt discussion.
Damn that chicken-headed guy.
I need to move fast. Yuri is making his move while I'm not there. If I take too long, who knows what else he'll do to make Jay his.
Another engagement won't work. If he tries anything, they'll regret it. I don't care if he's my friend—I'll break his face. Not to mention, he has Aries now and Angelo on his side.
I got up and went straight to the bathroom. That's when I finally noticed the time. It's already after lunch? I must have slept for a long time. But I wish I could sleep even longer, especially if Jay-jay is in my dreams.
After showering and getting dressed, I made sure to hide my secret phone. Vibration mode, just in case of emergencies.
When I stepped out of my room, I saw Ion and a frowning Honey. Keigan was walking towards me with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Not sure if you still want it since it's already after lunch, but I still got you one," he said and handed me the cup.
I accepted it and took a sip. Not bad, even though this isn't the kind of coffee I prefer.
"Would you like to have lunch outside?" Ion asked with a sweet smile.
I noticed Honey making a face, mocking Ion's actions. Looks like she still hasn't gotten over her irritation with this one.
"Yeah. Let's eat together. We have a lot to talk about."
She walked up to me and held onto my arm. I handed the coffee cup back to Keigan. He smiled before taking it, but there was something different about his smile.
"Enjoy," he added.
Ion walked while holding onto me. I had no choice but to let her drag me along. She kept talking as we walked, but my mind wasn't on her words.
"Your birthday is coming up soon. I heard it's going to be a grand celebration. Your cousins and other relatives are preparing it for you," she said. I just nodded.
We arrived at the hotel restaurant. I let her choose where to sit. She picked the table beside the huge glass window. I pulled out a chair for her before sitting down myself.
The waiter handed us the menu, but I let her order for us. She was clearly struggling, so I told the waiter to leave for now. I knew she'd take a while.
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to order. You might not like what I pick," she said, still staring at the menu.
"What's the point of letting you order if I'm just going to refuse it anyway?" I said, and she slowly looked at me.
She smiled a little before looking back at the menu.
"You sound like him."
For the first time since we met, she started talking about him. About the guy she left.
"Don't be surprised."
"Yeah, I just remembered—he was the one who raised you."
I almost snorted. I can't believe I used to idolize that guy.
"So, Keigan is planning to introduce you at my birthday," I said, changing the topic.
But not really.
"Yes. I'm a bit nervous but at the same time excited."
"By introducing you, I mean to everyone."
She looked at me and nodded, smiling slightly.
She remained calm, and it irritated me.
"So, are you ready?"
"I can't tell. But I guess I do—"
"Are you ready to see him and introduce yourself as my fiancée?"
She froze and slowly put down the menu.
"W-what do you mean?"
I smirked and picked up the same menu she put down. I was starting to enjoy her reaction. I really thought she wouldn't be affected.
You're not the only one who knows how to play this game.
Keep pretending.
"I invited Angelo," I said in a monotone voice. She sighed and tried to calm herself.
"H-he won't come—I think we should order." She looked for a waiter and raised her finger to get their attention.
"You look tense."
She turned to me with an amusing expression.
"I'm not."
The waiter approached us. Since she was clearly nervous and caught off guard, she couldn't even say what she had planned to order.
I ordered for both of us. She kept sipping the wine the waiter had given her. At this rate, she might as well drink straight from the bottle.
"It will definitely be fun. Don't you want to see your old friend?" I asked, almost mocking her.
She didn't answer and just drank from her glass again.
I took advantage of the situation.
"Why do you want to marry me again? For money? A favor for a friend? A visa? Why don't you tell me, Ion?"
She stopped drinking and looked at me. Tears were about to fall from her eyes.
Just tell me your fvcking reason.
"You will never understand."
"I understand it clearly. You're planning to use me." I leaned closer to her. "You need a reason to show up in front of him. So you have something to say when you finally meet and he asks you why you came back."
A tear fell from her left eye. I chose to harden my heart. I'm not happy with what she and Keigan are doing. If I have to squeeze the truth out of her now, I will.
Not falling into the same trap.
"I want to go back—to him." She shook her head. "But I know he no longer cares about me." She breathed heavily. "I preferred the time when he was still looking for me because at least then, I knew he cared. But now that he's stopped, I'm even more afraid."
She wiped her face with her palm and subtly avoided the approaching waiter. He placed all our orders on the table before leaving.
"You need to stop. Use someone else, but don't use me."
"I can't. I'm not the only one who planned this," she said, almost begging. "You're the only hope that I have."
"And you will ruin the little hope that I also have. That hope is the reason why I keep fighting, why I'm still here, and why I continue even though my whole system is about to give up."
That hope is to be with my Jay-jay.
"K-Keifer…"
"Stop before this marriage news spreads like fire in the Philippines."
She lowered her head and bit her lip. She was obviously thinking.
"…Stop now. I will talk to Keigan—"
"No, Keifer. We will not stop this. Like I said, the decision is not only mine."
My fist clenched. If this is what you want, then pay for the consequences.