Keifer's POV
Crystal clear. Every plan Keigan and I discussed. Every detail and everything that needed to be done.
He laid it all out clearly, one by one.
Keigan is really smart as fvck. I've known that for a while now, but today I'm truly realizing what he's capable of—something I rarely paid attention to before. I can't help but feel amazed.
He was just 14 and soon turning 15, but he could think like an adult. That's what makes him different from C-in, even though they're both smart. I'm not sure though who has the higher IQ.
My brother explained everything in front of Honey and Mr. Ryder. He said they're the only ones who can help me.
Our plan has Four Major Goals.
First, I have to control my anger management issue. They said that it will be a huge problem in the future, especially when one of my enemies targets my weak spots.
I agreed to that part. I really need to get it under control— for Jay-jay. I don't want what happened to happen again. I'll never forgive myself if it does.
Second, face my relatives—and Clyde, of course. They'll do everything to get what they want. My inheritance.
Besides Clyde, I also have to worry about the Elders. They're all targeting Jay-jay. But now that she's no longer involved with me, I hope they stop.
Third, face the monster. He's the last person I expected to do such things for money. For the sake of my inheritance.
His target at first was custody of Keiren, but now that I'm about to receive my full inheritance, his plan will likely change.
Lastly, protect the people around the Watsons. They're the ones who depend on us. The real reason why Mom doesn't want to let go of the inheritance.
Sounds easy but quite hard to fulfill. In order to reach our goals— more like my goals— I have to follow and do a few things.
I have to let go of Jay-jay. I already did. My brother thinks she's a hindrance, while I don't. I never will see her like that.
I have to be stronger. More stronger. Strong enough to defeat all those stupid enemies of mine
and protect everyone around me.
I have to get more allies. The more, the merrier. I can move more freely that way.
I have to consult my actions with them. Which I don't think will happen.They think I'll ruin everything.
I also have to be wiser than my enemies. I always have to think of a counterattack for them.
Keigan also said we might need to add things to the original plan. He's also thinking about having a Plan B in case things get messed up.
Mr. Ryder, Honey, and I agreed to his plan. Our discussion ended quickly thanks to how clearly he explained everything.
Right now, I don't even know how to start any of that. How could I, when Jay-jay's face keeps running through my mind? When I wake up, when I eat, when I shower. Even when I change clothes or walk around. Even in my dreams, she's all I see. She's all I ever think about.
It only makes me miss her more. Now I'm dying to see her.
Suddenly, I slammed on the brakes of my car. I completely forgot I was supposed to drive my siblings to school.
"Next time I'll just ask the driver to take me. You're zoning out again." Keigan said before opening the car door.
My lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine. Take care." I said, almost sarcastically.
Good thing we didn't miss his school. As soon as he closed the door, I let out a deep sigh.
"You look sleepy." Keiren said.
"No. I'm just spacing out."
I drove the car to Keiren's school. This time I made sure I was focused on driving. We might get into an accident otherwise.
"Do Kuya Keigan and you have a problem?" Keiren suddenly asked.
"No. We don't have a problem. Why?" I answered without looking at him.
"Because you both look so busy."
I cleared my throat briefly. I felt embarrassed around Keiren. This was supposed to be a family matter, but we couldn't bring him into the conversation. He's still too young for this. He wouldn't understand anything yet.
"I-it's because my birthday's coming up. Remember? We're just preparing."
"I thought you didn't like celebrating your birthday."
"It's different this time."
He nodded, as if accepting my explanation. I stopped the car in front of his school gate. I let him get out on his own like he always wants to.
Before starting the car, I checked if all of Keiren's bodyguards were in position. I left as soon as I saw everything was in place.
I headed straight to school. I'm praying that Jay-jay is alright. I know she's not going to school today. She needs to rest after what she did—drinking at KingsGround. She shouldn't go back there.
Maybe I should talk to Tiger to stop Jay-jay from returning. It's not a good place for her to be hanging around.
Maybe Angelo still doesn't know—he wouldn't let Jay go there if he found out.
When I arrived at school, there were barely any students around.
Nice. I'm late.
Jay-jay's going to say again that I beat even the teachers and principal when it comes to tardiness.
Even later than the latecomers.
I smiled at the thought of her teasing me. She's even better at making fun of me than our classmates. But she can never fight back when I start teasing her.
Typical Jay-jay. Maybe that's why she quickly won over Section E — her personality isn't much different from theirs.
I'm starting to miss those days. I took a deep breath to shake those thoughts away. I have to focus. Our goals and plans are my priority now.
Before stepping out of the car, I made sure my face was cold and expressionless. I don't want to show that I'm worried about anything. They should be focusing on Jay-jay. She's the one they should be concerned about.
As I neared the classroom, I saw Josh hugging the black cat he always feeds. He looked at me with a blank expression before letting out a heavy sigh. He didn't seem happy to see me.
He walked toward the room, and I did the same.
Silence filled the entire classroom the moment I stepped inside. I ignored it and kept walking until I reached my seat.
"Can they switch instead? Jay-jay should come to school and he should be the one absent. His face is so annoying." I heard Eren say.
"Cut it out." Kit stopped him.
"He's got the nerve to show up here. Why hasn't he left yet." Mayo added.
"Bro... Can you shut up already?" Felix asked in a threatening tone.
"Fvcking hell..." That was Drew, followed by a small thud on the table.
I can't blame them. It's better this way. Better than them knowing everything. . If they find out the whole truth, it might lead to Jay-jay discovering it too.
I don't want to drag them into my family's mess. I need them to stay by Jay's side more.
I noticed Yuri beside me. He kept glancing at me with a strange look on his face. It was obvious he wanted to talk to me but was holding back.
This is what's annoying about our friendship. He always knows when I'm hiding something or lying.
I don't know if I've just become that transparent or if he's simply memorized all my mannerisms.
I heard the message tone from my phone. Someone texted me. I took it out of my pocket and checked.
It was from an unknown number.
From: +639*******
Message: I saw your classmate and your girlfriend. They were together earlier at the mini-mart. Don't know if you want to know.**
I wasn't sure who it was. Probably one of the guys I beat down before who's now working for me.
My classmate?
I immediately replied. There were only two people I knew who had the guts to approach her despite what happened.
To: +639*******
Message: Do you know who? I have 15 male classmates.**
It didn't take long for a reply.
From: +639*******
Message: I think his name is David. They looked so serious while talking.**
I automatically looked at David's chair. He wasn't here. My fist clenched.
I couldn't stop myself from feeling angry... and jealous. It felt like he made his move on Jay-jay already.
Relax, Keifer… You're not even sure yet.
Most likely, he got close to her with Percy's help. I tried to calm down— just as David walked through the classroom door.
I didn't take my eyes off him until he sat down.
"You're late. Sir said you're already dropped." C-in said and giggled like a child.
David just flicked him on the forehead. Looks like he noticed me staring. He glanced at me and raised a brow.
We had a silent staring contest. Seeing who would last longer.
It broke when I heard my phone's message tone again. I almost cursed.
From: +639*******
Message: Just a warning. Every gang in town is on heat. Keep your girlfriend safe if you don't want them to target her.**
WHAT?!
Of all times? Looks like Ram's disappearance only made things worse. The gangs that used to be under him are now going wild.
I can't help but feel nervous for Jay-jay. What if she's the one they go after now? Especially since she's outside and wandering around.
Even if she's with Percy, I still can't be sure.
There's only one option I have now. I opened my phone and searched for that special app Edrix made for us.
OTJ101
This is the tenth version of the app. Edrix had a hard time making an app that's only for us. It has two parts—one is for Jay-jay, and the other one is for me.
I know I'm invading her privacy, but we needed to track Percy when he tried contacting her back then. We were trying to catch him.
But I often use this app to know where she is and, of course, who she's talking to. This is also how I often catch her sneaking out late at night. It's also the reason we always know where to find her when she's in danger.
I waited for a while before a map popped up. There was a pin pointing out her current location.
I arched a brow. The pin was actually moving fast, which meant she was moving too. The movement of the pin is too fast. Not normal, unless she's riding in a moving vehicle.
But where would she be going? She's with Percy. He wouldn't bring Jay-jay just anywhere, right? He knows what I'm capable of doing to him if he tries to take Jay away.
I decided to put down my phone. I can't really blame her if she wants to go around to ease her anger and pain. But sooner or later, she'll have to face us again. Angelo's letting her be for now because of what happened— but he won't allow her to mess up her studies.
"Jay's still not coming to school? I'm worried about her." I heard Blaster say.
"As long as Keifer's here, she won't show up." Denzel answered.
No. She can't keep skipping school. I won't be staying long anyway. They'll have to take care of Jay while I'm gone.
I leaned back and crossed my arms. I really couldn't sit still without seeing Jay. I miss her so much. I want to see her, but I have to train myself to endure staying away from her.
All our eyes turned to the door when someone suddenly entered... Percy?
I quickly looked to see if someone followed him. Hoping Jay-jay would come in too— but no one did.
My forehead creased. If he's here, then whose car is Jay-jay riding in? Who's she with? Did she run away from him?
"Hey, David!" he shouted. "...Why aren't you answering my calls?!"
David took out his phone. "It's on silent, sorry."
Something was off about Percy's appearance. He was catching his breath. He looked uncomfortable and tense— like something bad had happened.
Shit! Don't tell me...
"What the fvck are you doing here?" I asked calmly but with authority.
I didn't want to act rashly since I wasn't sure yet. But I had this feeling that something bad happened to Jay-jay.
Percy still couldn't stay still, which only made my suspicions grow. He ran a hand through his hair and wiped his face. He couldn't hold back anymore and suddenly snatched David's phone.
"What's going on with you?" David asked.
I discreetly opened my phone. I checked Jay-jay's current location.
My confusion deepened when I noticed she was in a far-off place. Far from the city, and she'd already gone past the highway.
I pressed the pin to see more details. It gave me the exact location and address on the map.
An abandoned office of a bankrupt company.What is she doing there?
Fvck! Is she being kidnapped?!
I looked at them and saw Percy calling someone. But it seemed like no one was answering.
"Fvck!" he shouted, then handed the phone back to David.
"What the hell is going on with you?" David asked again.
"Jay-jay is missing."
I knew it!
Worry and alarm swept through our classmates. I tried my best to remain calm— but the truth was, I badly wanted to kill Percy.
He let this happen to Jay-jay!What the hell was he doing?!
"What?!"
"Maybe she just went somewhere?"
"Yeah, maybe she went home!"
Their reaction while figuring out what exactly happened. I heard my phone's message tone. I opened it, and it was from another unknown number. But this one was different from the first message I received.
From: +639*********
Message: We have your precious girl. Same place in 30 mins or you'll find her naked in our bed. Haha**
My fist clenched while holding my phone—I almost broke it. I didn't know who they were.But I'll find them, and I'll end them. They better not make the mistake of even grazing Jay-jay with the tip of their finger.
"You were with her! Why don't you know where she is?!" Yuri shouted at Percy.
He turned to Yuri and gave him a deadly glare. He was clearly pissed at the way Yuri was talking to him.
"Don't lecture me!" he snapped, pointing a finger at him.
"What the hell happened?!" It was Felix.
"She suddenly disappeared… I just finished the fight she started, then she was gone."
Percy explained irritably.
She got into a fight? This is not good. I thought Percy was helping her fix her life, but it seems like he's actually enabling her. He should be keeping her away from trouble! Is this guy even thinking at all?!
"You're not going to do anything?!" Yuri suddenly asked me.
I looked at him, not changing my expression. I stood up slowly and threw my phone at him. He caught it.
"I already know where she is." I added before walking out of the room.
I didn't care if they followed me or not. All I knew was—I'm going to wipe them out. The ones who took Jay-jay. I will rip them into pieces.
I reached the parking lot and quickly got into the car. I started it without caring if I ran anyone over. All I care about is Jay-jay and her safety. Those bastards will die!
I glanced at the side view mirror. I saw Yuri and David's cars. They followed me, of course. But I had no plans of waiting for them. I stepped on the gas like I was in a race.
Fvck them!
I'm in a hurry to kill them. I feel beyond livid. I badly want to break them. I'll make sure they never do this again. If I could erase them from this world, I would.
I turned left when I saw a shortcut. It was the same route I saw on the map—the one they took. I heard the sudden screeching of brakes behind me, along with loud honking. But I don't give a fvck about them.
I couldn't see Yuri's car behind me anymore. Looks like they got stuck in the traffic I caused. It's just me now.
I will save Jay-jay no matter what.