Relatives
Keifer's POV
I woke up feeling so much pain in my body. Last night, Clyde and his
man attacked me. Luckily he had no clue that the password he was looking for was not the same as the usual password for vaults.
I walk toward the shower and switch it on. Warm water runs down my
body.
I still can't think of a solution to my problem with Clyde and
Jay-jay. My movements are limited right now because I don't have my inheritance yet.
I can only protect Jay-jay if I'm nearby.
After taking a shower, I got dressed. I have to meet the Elders again. Whether I like it or not.
I heard a knock from my room door.
"Ready Keifer?" It was Honey.
I walk toward it and open. "Ready."
Honey followed me as I walked towards the elevator. I didn't tell them about Clyde's visit.
"What are those old people talking about?" She asked.
"Nothing new... Still about the money in the Watson bank."
But there's no money in there. It's all files of treasure and gold.
I thought for a moment. Do they know what's in that bank? I bet
they know, they wouldn't have bothered to take it from me if they didn't.
As I got out of the elevator, I saw Mr. Ryder standing near the
car. I immediately walked toward him.
"Is there something you're not telling us." He said.
I frowned. "Excuse me?"
"Clyde visited you last night. What were you talking about?"
"Same old, same old."
"What else?"
I shook my head. I don't want to talk about it. I still can't think of a solution.
"Keifer, you have to tell us more about it. What did he do to you?
What did he say to you?"
I took a deep breath. I really don't want to talk about it because it's my
personal problem. But maybe they can really help me.
"He's targeting Jay-jay."
Honey grabbed her mouth. "Oh my god... He targeted the wrong
person."
I look at her like I'm about to kill her. What he's saying isn't helping.
"What?!" She asks innocently. "I'm telling the truth. You're just a fool to fight your girlfriend."
One of these days, I'm going to fire this girl from work. I feel like my head is hurting even more because of her.
I know Jay-jay can fight back but not all the time. Her stubbornness won't save her either. It might just ruin her.
"Shut your mouth Honey or I will make you." I said and got inside the
car.
They followed me after. The car started and our conversation continued.
"What are you planning to do with Jay-jay?" Mr. Ryder asked.
"I have to get back home soon to make sure that no one will hurt her."
I also need to talk to Yuri. He and the others are the only ones I can count on right now. I also need to talk to Angelo and his
Mama.
That thing didn't put me to sleep. What if it was him? But it's really
impossible.
I used to idolize him before. I even copied his action thinking that I will
be like him or more than him. I know that I'm not the only one. Aries, Yuri
and Percy are doing the same thing.
I also remember our walks that others don't know. That's why I know Angelo's friends better than Aries whom he considers
brothers. That's probably why we were mistaken for
brothers before.
But the idea of being real brothers? I don't think so. That's look awful for
me.
Suddenly the car we were in stopped. Mr. Ryder and I
almost hit each other while Honey fell straight to the floor.
"The hell!" She shouted.
"Someone blocked our drive way." One of my bodyguards said.
"Can't you find another way?!" Honey asked angrily while
fixing her messy hair.
The driver tried to reverse the car but before we could
get far, someone shot our driver. Honey screamed loudly and
Mr. Ryder and I ducked.
One of the bodyguards who was with us got out and pointed his gun at the car that had blocked us earlier.
The other bodyguards who were following us did the same.
"What the hell! What the hell!" Honey shouted repeatedly.
"Shut up!" I shouted at her.
I peeked in to see what was happening outside. The driver's door opened and the driver came out with both hands raised. A
man wearing a black suit.
The man is familiar to me. I know I've met him before but I can't
remember where. I keep staring at him until he walks toward the backseat
door.
"Don't move! Get down!" One of my bodyguards shouts.
"Relax! Someone wants to talk to Mr. Keifer!" He answers.I arch a brow. If that someone wants to talk to me, they should have said
so. They don't need to shoot my driver—if they are really the shooter.
The car door opens in front of the driver's seat. One of my
bodyguards pulls the dead driver out of the car.
"Let's get out of here!" I command.
"We can't Sir. We're still checking the perimeter." He answers before
leaving.
"Hey! You can't leave us here!" Honey shouts.
The bodyguards haven't left us. Most of them are at the
front of our car, protecting us from any possible danger.
I look back at the man who got out of the car. He gets into the
back seat and opens the door. Slowly, the occupant gets out.
My eyes widen as I recognize who is in the back seat. It
was Dylan, my father's hitman. And as he got out of the car, he pointed his Armalite at us.
I didn't see what happened next. Mr. Ryder suddenly
pull me down and Honey. He covers us using his own body. I can hear the
multiple gun shots but I don't know whose exact gun it is.
Honey keeps shouting every time a bullet hits our car. I'm deaf because of the
noise around me.
Is this the end of my life?
I haven't celebrated my 18th birthday yet. I haven't graduated from
high school yet. I haven't even started college. And I still
haven't asked Jay-jay to marry me.
I can't! I can't die here! I can't die without a fight.
The sound of gun shots slowly decreases. I tried to peek outside but Mr. Ryder stopped me. I heard the sound of a
rushing car and one by one gunshots.
The door of the car we were riding in opened and Mr. Ryder just let me
go.
"Sir! Are you alright?" One of them asked.
"Yes, we're—."
Honey shouts that make me stop. She's crying while looking at her
Uncle. My eyes grew wider when I realized why.
"My Uncle is bleeding! He needs help!" She said.
He got hit.....and it's because of me. He tried to protect me even though his life was at stake.
One of the bodyguards pulled me out of the car and forced me into another car they were using. They did the same to Honey, who was still crying.
That's when I noticed the bodies lying on the road. Most of them are my bodyguards and one unfamiliar person.
I know it's not Dylan. Maybe it's one of the people he's with.
"We have to save my Uncle!" Honey shouts while crying.
"We will rush him to the nearest hospital!" Again, one of them answered before closing the car door.
They start the car and immediately drive it away.
I'm still speechless. Unable to say a thing. Completely shocked because of what happened to Mr. Ryder.
"Stop the car! I want to be with my Uncle!" Honey said while begging
to the driver. "Please! I want to be with him!"
I was forced to hug Honey to stop her from being disruptive.
She was still crying. I can't blame her, I know what exactly she
feels.
Her uncle raised her after her parents died in the accident.
"Keifer... Please! I want to be with my Uncle. I want to be with him.
Please..."
I look at the driver. "Drive to the Hospital—."
He cut me off. "But we have to move you to a safer place."
"Just do what I said! We want to see Mr. Ryder now!"
She didn't answer and continued driving. Honey keeps
crying but unlike before she calms down now.
I can't forget what happened earlier. Dylan is here which means
Dad is also here. Sooner or later he will show himself to us and I'm not
ready.
I can't face him yet. I'm sure he'll find it too
my password Dammit! He will surely use my brothers to make me say it.
I don't know what to do!
My cousin and other relatives are using Jay-jay. They're using me
weakness against me. And now, Mr. Ryder is in the Hospital because of me.
I'm not sure if I want to keep my inheritance. How will I protect those gold
and treasures when I can't even protect my love ones? Especially Jay-jay.
Does it mean I have to give up and gave away those gold? But if I do, it's like Mom's death has come to nothing.
I have to think wisely.
If I give up my inheritance, my Monster
Father will stop me and so will my relatives. But my
ability will be limited. I can only protect the people around me when I'm close to them.
If I accept the inheritance, my
ability will be vast. I can hunt down those who threatened us. I have a better
chance of protecting them even if I'm far away.
I'm starting to feel headaches.
Although I still have a month to think about this, I already feel too much
pressure. This is exhausting. I haven't done much yet but
it seems like my body is giving out from exhaustion.
We arrived at the hospital where Mr. Ryder was taken. Honey didn't wait for the door to be opened. She did it herself and
quickly ran inside the hospital.
I immediately followed her. I caught up with her at the receptionist and
talking to one of the nurses. With her was one of the bodyguards who
brought her Uncle here.
"He's still inside the Operating Room. I suggest you wait for a while."
The Nurse told Honey.
"You don't understand. I want to know if his alright!" She almost
shouted.
"Our Doctors are trying their best to save him."
Before Honey could fight back, I put my arms around her and simply
pulled her away.
I made her sit on one of the empty benches in the waiting area.
"Get her a water." I ordered the bodyguard who was following us.
Honey was clearly trying to stop the tears from falling. She
pulled herself several times and blew out air.
"He will be alright." I finally said.
I didn't want to say anything to him. I knew he was blaming me for what happened. Who could try to harm us? I was the only one they could target.
"I am blaming you for this." She said without looking at me. "When
something bad happens to Uncle, I will never forgive him."
I'm already expecting this. I feel more than guilty right now. Uncle
has helped me with many things since Mom passed away. He's
not just a lawyer for me. He's also a friend.
"I think it's better if you go to the Elders. It's not good to wait for them. I'll wait for the Doctor and what
he says."
I know she doesn't want me here. She wants me to leave. Who would want to be with the reason why someone important to her is in the operating room.
I didn't say a thing. I stood up and left her like she wanted. I talk
to one of the bodyguards and ask them to look for Honey for me and make
sure she's safe.
They nodded and I walked out of the Hospital. I got in the car and
ordered the driver to take me to the old mansion.
I have to face the Elders. I have to talk to them as they
requested. As a matter of respect—even if they enjoy being rude—I will face them.
And it didn't take that long before we reached the Old Mansion of Watson's.
I got out as soon as the car stopped. I was greeted by one of the
Mayors of the house.
"Keifer... They're waiting for you." He said and started walking.
I followed him. I fixed myself as I walked. I shook out my
coat and combed my hair.
We stopped in front of the big door that was also on the ground floor of the house. The Mayor opened it and quickly stepped aside so that
I could pass.
The Elders' eyebrows met as they looked at me.
"You keep us waiting, Keifer. What took you so long?" One of them said.
"We encountered a problem while we were on our way."
I heard the eldest of them sigh. The one who always held a cane even though he could still walk straight.
"Let's get straight to the point. We want to know what you have seen on the Watson bank." The youngest said.
There are five Elders left in the Watson family. Four of them are facing me now while one is sitting on his soft sofa reading a book. He is also the one who gave me the key to the bank.
I also learned from him that our relatives didn't know that he had the key. My grandfather had deliberately left it with him because of all our relatives, he was the only one who had no interest in the Watson wealth.
I walked toward the empty seat in front of the oldest Elders. He was sitting on the long leather couch while the three stood not far from him.
"Can I sit first?" I ask permission from them.
He just motioned for me with his hand. I sat down and adjusted my coat.
The truth is, I wanted to fall to the floor earlier. The weight of what I had been through was overwhelming.
"Answer our question." One of them ordered.
Can't you wait?
"What do you expect to see in a bank?" I answered sarcastically.
They obviously don't like my answer but they try their best to remain
calm and expressionless.
"Bastard." One of them whispered but I still heard it.
"It's what you exactly expected."
I can't give them a direct answer. It's possible that they don't even know
the contents of the bank yet. But they might as well know and they're
trying to play games with me.
I noticed the three of them standing together smiling.
"Keifer..." The oldest spoke. "I would like to ask you a question."
"Go ahead."
He took something from inside his coat. He threw the
two pictures down on the coffee table.
I tried my best not to react. The oldest really knows how to play a damn
game.
"That girl is your girlfriend. Is that right?"
I almost clenched my fist. I can say 'no' but they obviously won't believe
that.
"And that man is named Michael Angelo." He added.
I seem to know what they want to say. I didn't expect that.
"Isn't it great, that your girlfriend and that man are related to each other?
What a coincidence!" He said and laughed. "...and you know what the most
amazing part?"
I didn't answer and he continued talking.
He smirks like he wins a game. "That Michael Angelo is candidate as
the missing child of your father."
Dammit!
I'm telling you! They know something I don't know yet. But he said
candidate, which means they don't have any proof yet.
"Amazing indeed." I said trying not to sound sarcastic.
"You knew it, did you? You knew that he could be your missing 'older'
brother You took a chance to investigate him by being in a relationship with
her cousin."
Wow, just....wow.
I suddenly burst out laughing because of what the oldest said. I didn't know that they were also so good at imagining things that they were still thinking about.
They should meet Ci-N, they would probably enjoy each other's
company.
I could see their seriousness as if they weren't happy about my reaction.
I stopped laughing after a while.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that..." I tried to hold my
laughter. "... everything that you said doesn't make sense."
"Is that so?" The youngest Elder said sarcastically. "...then explain to
us who is this girl in your life and how did you meet Michael Angelo."
Then they can't keep track of everything that's happening to me.
That's a relief, at least I can still move without them knowing.
"Angelo and his brother used to be my friend but things got fucked up and we went our separate ways. Unfortunately, his brother and I became rivals. Which means I met him first before that girl." I explained and they looked at each other. The oldest one took Jay-jay's picture. I wanted to snatch it away from his hand. I knew these people had a plan that's why they showed me Jay-jay's picture. He really had nothing to do with it!
"What is your exact relationship with this girl?" He said while playing
the picture on his hand.
Think Keifer!
They will use Jay-jay against me. I have to think faster. He can't
be involved here. What if what happened to me
a while ago happens to him.
"She's...s-she's—."
"She's your what?" The oldest asked as if he can't wait for my answer.
Think! I need to be careful in my answer.
I looked at Angelo's picture on the coffee table. I was also taken aback
because Aries' face was in the picture.
Jay-jay...
"She's nothing... I'm just using her for my revenge."