Keifer's POV
Fvck this party!
I want to crumple the invitation they gave me. Out of the many copies they had printed, they only gave me one that I could give to a friend.
This is crap!
This won't work for the whole Section E. With just one invitation, who am I even supposed to bring? It can't be Yuri, neither Felix nor C-in, 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 only recently found out that her papers are on hold. She can't get a passport, and she's not allowed to travel outside the country.
Someone's holding it for a reason. It's like someone's making sure she can't leave or escape. And I only know one person who would do that.
I smirked after realizing something. That person is exactly who I should invite.
I hid my secret phone and stood up. I left my room holding the invitation.
"Honey," I called.
Out of nowhere, Honey showed up, holding a cigarette.
"Keifer?"
I raised a brow. "Kindly throw that thing away."
She looked at the stick in her hand. "Wow. Since when were you scared of cigarettes?"
"Just throw it away."
She rolled her eyes before looking for an ashtray. She faced me after putting out the cigarette.
"There. What now?"
I handed her the invitation. "Send this to Angelo. Make sure he receives it as soon as possible."
"Okay," she said, and walked away.
Keigan has his own plan for my birthday— but so do I. I returned to my room to check the list that came with the invitation.
It had the names of all the prominent people who were expected to attend.
The Hanamitchi family was on the list. I wasn't surprised, but the question is— would they actually come? I'd be more shocked if they did. Most of the time, they just send a representative to events like this.
I continued reading through the list. My eyebrow raised when I saw a familiar surname.
Braselton.
David was the first person that came to mind. But his family is unknown. 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 Braselton."
["Information of 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 out my secret phone and texted Felix. He needs to keep an eye on Jay-jay and keep that David away from her. But instead of hearing or reading some assurance from him, he just laughed at me.
From: Felix Collins
Message: haha... you're paranoid Keifer. Just come home if you can't sit still.
I slapped my own face. They really are brothers. Even if they're not blood-related, they act the same. Percy definitely poisoned Felix's mind when they were young.
"...oo na! Demanding!" It was Honey's voice.
I immediately hid my secret phone. Not long after, Honey came in holding her phone. She 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 to my ear.
"Hello."
["Kepweng? Is tat yu?"]
My forehead creased. Kep—what? I knew exactly whose voice it was. Only one person besides Yuri and Aries is shameless enough to annoy me like this.
"What do you want, Percy?"
["Yown! Finally got through!"] he said with a sigh. ["Let's talk seriously for once. Get your act together! I sacrificed my pride for this."]
He sacrificed his what?
"You're the only one here who never talks seriously." 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 over there for what? She needs you here if you're not fvcking aware."]
"I'm fully aware of the situation. Do you think I'm not doing anything? Even while I'm here, I'm making sure she's okay."
["Oh really? Wow. Amazing!"] He sounded so pissed. ["She's just getting death threats, you know. No big deal."]
Damn it! Something slipped through?!
"What?"
["Talk to Angelo! What the hell are you even doing there? You're probably just out flirting."]
"I am not! I'm too busy to do such thing."
["If I find out you're just chasing girls over there, I'm seriously coming for you."]
"And then what?" I asked, provoking him.
["Well then... I'll j-join! Why should you be the only one having fun? I deserve some too."]
When is this guy ever going to change?
I handed the phone back to Honey without saying a word. She took it and continued talking to Percy.
"You owe me a date," she said while walking away.
I could only shake my head. That guy really is gullible. He let Honey trick him when he could've just asked Felix for my number. Most likely, he didn't bother using his brain again—or maybe, he's hiding something from his brother.
Felix's reply suddenly popped into my head. Why can't any of them notice David's behavior? We're all guys here, after all. Maybe I should talk to C-in—nope! Definitely not! If I do that, it's like announcing what I'm up to.
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 replying to any of my messages. Based on my time calculation, it's morning on her end. I typed out a message to her and sent it without a second thought.
I'm not hoping for her to answer, but surprisingly, she's calling 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 the call button. I'm hanging up now."
I quickly sent her a message. Just hearing her voice makes me want to fly back to the Philippines.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Why are you not responding to my messages?
Even if the call was an accident, I still smiled. I miss her so much. And I smiled even more when I saw her reply.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: .I'm busy. Lots of things happened
I stared at the format of her message. Again, that weird text style of hers. Quite hard to understand—but I still miss it.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Still! You should have texted me at least!
I couldn't hide my irritation over her not replying. Just one message from her would've been enough.
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 couldn't stop smiling while thinking about her.
I'm almost there. Just a little more waiting.
I glanced at the time on my phone. It's already midnight and I'm still awake. Keigan will definitely be mad at me 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 being affected by things 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 Dissociative Identity Disorder—Multiple Personality Disorder. I won't deny that some of the things I've read are so familiar with what I've been noticing from my brother.
It's painful for me. I've failed him in so many ways, and now this has happened. I buried my face in my hands. 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 thing has something to do with Keigan's condition. If only I could find out what he did to him, maybe I could still stop what's happening to my brother.
I lay down for a while from exhaustion. I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep. My dreams were all about my Jay-jay—her smile, her pretty face, her trash talk, and of course, her profanity.
Everything is perfect in my dreams, but it was cut off by a loud knock on my door.
The fvck!
"Kuya, wake up! Ion is here for you!"
"Okay! Okay! I'm awake!" I said, and he stopped.
I got up and immediately searched for my secret phone. I had a text message from Drew. I couldn't understand the message, so I just called him.
Two rings and he answered.
["Keifer, Pards."]
He used the word Pards, and I think I already know what he's up to.
"What?"
["I want to tell you something, but maybe I can borrow first."]
I held the bridge of my nose. I knew it.
"Let me just remind you that you owe me ₱300,000."
["I ll give it. The information I have is important."]
"I'll decide after."
["Even half would do."]
"I said I'll think about it," I said in a serious tone.
Yes, I have gold, but I still need to be careful when it comes to money. It's for our future—me and Jay-jay—so I need to be smart about my finances now.
["Okay, okay. I just heard this. Yuri making a move on Jayjay. That Gago kissed her—."]
"WHEN THE FVCK DID THAT HAPPEN?!"
I couldn't stop myself from yelling. I focused too much on watching David that I forgot all about Yuri.
["J-just now, they say."]
"I'll call you back," I said and ended the call.
He even managed to text me afterward just to remind me of our deal about his debt.
Damn that chicken head guy.
I need to move fast. Yuri's clearly making his move while I'm away. If I stay here any longer, who knows what else he'll try to do just to make Jay his.
Another engagement won't work. He better not try anything stupid or they'll regret it. I'll smash his face in—even if he's my friend. Not to mention, he has Aries now and Angelo on his side.
I got up and headed straight to the bathroom. That's when I noticed the time. It's after lunch already. I must've slept really long. But I still wished it was longer—especially if I could see Jay-jay in my dreams.
After I showered and got dressed, I made sure to hide my secret phone. Set it to vibration mode in case of emergency.
When I stepped out of the room, I saw Ion and the scowling Honey. Keigan was walking toward me with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Not sure if you still want it since it's after lunch already. But I still got you one." he said, handing me the cup.
I accepted it and took a sip. Not bad, even though this isn't exactly how I like my coffee.
"Would you like to have lunch outside?" Ion asked with a sweet smile.
I noticed Honey making faces as she mimicked Ion's actions. Looks like her irritation with this girl isn't going away anytime soon.
"Yeah. Let's eat together. We have a lot of things to talk about."
She walked up to me and clung to my arm. I handed the cup of coffee back to Keigan. He smiled before taking it, but there was something different in his smile.
"Enjoy," he added.
Ion walked ahead while holding onto me. I had no choice but to let her drag me along. She kept talking while we walked, but my mind wasn't on her.
"Your birthday's coming up. 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 pick where to sit. She chose the table beside the huge glass window. I pulled out her chair and helped her sit before taking my own seat.
The waiter handed us the menu, but I let her decide what to order for us. She was obviously struggling, so I asked the waiter to leave first. I knew it would take her a while to decide.
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to order. You might not like what I pick." She said while still eyeing the menu.
"What's the point of letting you order if I'm just going to reject it anyway?" I said, and she slowly looked at me.
She smiled a bit before turning back to the menu.
"You sound like him."
For the first time since we met, she started talking about him. About the guy she left behind.
"Don't be surprised."
"Yeah, I just remembered, he raised you after all."
I almost snorted. And 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, he means to everyone."
She looked at me and nodded while 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 just 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 monotonous tone.
She sighed and discreetly tried to calm herself.
"H-he won't come—I think we should order." She looked for a waiter and raised a finger to get their attention.
"You look tense."
She turned to me with an amusing expression. "I'm not."
The waiter approached us. Because she was clearly flustered and rushed in getting his attention, she couldn't even say what she wanted to order.
I took the initiative and ordered for us. She kept sipping the wine the waiter served us. At this point, she might as well drink straight from the bottle.
"It will definitely be fun. Don't you wanna see your old friend?" I asked, almost mockingly.
She didn't answer and just took another sip from her glass. I took advantage of the situation.
"Why do you want to marry me again? For money? A friend's favor? A visa? Why don't you tell me, Ion?"
She stopped drinking and turned to face 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 face him. Something to say when you two meet and he asks you why you came back."
A tear fell from her left eye. I chose to harden my heart. I wasn't pleased with what she and Keigan were doing. If I had to pressure her to get the truth, so be it.
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 actually preferred the time when he was still searching for me. Because back then, I knew he still cared. But now that he's stopped... that's what truly scares me."
She wiped her face with her hand and discreetly turned away from the approaching waiter. He brought our orders and laid everything down on the table before quietly leaving.
"You need to stop. Use someone else and 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 bowed her head and bit her lip. She's obviously thinking.
"...Stop now. I will talk to Keigan—."
"No, Keifer. We will not stop this. Like what I said, the decision is not only mine."
My fist clenched. This is what you want? Then pay for the consequences.