Percy (POV)
London...
We arrived in London immediately after Kiefer's surgery.
Everyone was busy.
Aries was buried in Fernandez business matters.
Jare and Mia were taking care of Orion.
Angelo, Cole, and Cassian spent most of their time digging for information and tracking down leads.
That left me.
Me with unconscious Kiefer and Yuri
And honestly?
The biggest problem wasn't our enemies.
It was Jay.
She kept calling.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every time her name flashed across Kiefer's phone, my stomach twisted.
If I answered, she would immediately know something was wrong.
If I didn't answer, she would become suspicious.
Jare told me to keep ignoring the calls.
"She'll probably think Kiefer is still angry at her," he had said.
Maybe.
But Jay wasn't stupid.
And every unanswered call was pushing her closer to the truth.
I glanced toward the bed.
Kiefer hadn't moved.
Not once.
No reaction.
No sign of waking up.
Nothing.
The steady beeping of the monitors was the only proof that he was still here.
Still fighting.
Still alive.
The door suddenly opened.
Angelo walked in with Cole behind him.
Neither of them looked happy.
I barely paid attention.
My eyes were fixed on Kiefer.
Still unconscious.
Still silent.
For the first time since we arrived in London...
I wasn't worried about the people hunting us.
I wasn't worried about the investigation.
I wasn't even worried about the enemies waiting for us outside.
I was worried about Jay.
Because if she found out Kiefer was lying here half-dead...
If she found out, he had nearly died without her knowing...
Nothing would stop her.
Not Jare.
Not Angelo.
Not me.
Not even Kiefer himself.
She would tear apart every lie we told her and come crashing through those doors.
And God helps anyone who tried to stand in her way.
Because the moment Jay-Jay learned the truth...
All hell would break loose.
"Tss. Why is he calling again?" Angelo muttered.
Clyden's name flashed across kuya's phone for what felt like the hundredth time today.
Without hesitation, Angelo declined the call.
A second later, the phone rang again.
Then again.
Then again.
Angelo cursed under his breath before finally answering.
The moment the call connected, Clyden's frustrated voice exploded through the speaker loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
"Angelo, are you hiding something from me?"
The room went silent.
"Why the fuck is Kiefer so busy that he can't even answer my damn calls?"
His voice cracked with frustration.
"I can't stand watching Jay cry anymore. If you know something, tell me. Otherwise, I'll find out myself."
Even from where I was sitting, I could hear every word.
Angelo closed his eyes for a second.
The headache on his face was obvious.
"Just wait until Gale is over. He'll be okay."
It was a weak answer.
The second the words left his mouth; everyone knew it was a weak answer.
There was a pause.
"What do you mean he'll be okay?"
Silence.
"Angelo..."
His tone dropped dangerously low.
"Is he does not okay right now?"
My eyes instinctively shifted to Kiefer.
The machines beside his bed continued their steady beeping.
Angelo followed my gaze.
For a brief second, something flickered across his face.
Guilt.
Fear.
Pain.
But it vanished just as quickly.
"Clyden, he's just busy," Angelo said, forcing the words out. "So fucking busy that even I can barely talk to him."
The lie tasted bitter.
On the other end of the line, Clyden let out a humorless laugh.
"You know what?"
His voice trembled.
"If I find out you're both hiding something from me, I'm personally going to beat Kiefer's ass the second I see him."
A faint smile tugged at Angelo's lips.
"Okay."
And we all knew it.
Before Clyden could say another word, Angelo ended the call.
The silence that followed felt suffocating.
Then Kiefer's phone vibrated again.
A message.
This time from Jay.
My eyes dropped to the screen.
Just three words.
Kiefer, I miss you.
The room somehow felt even quieter.
I stared at the message for a few seconds before looking at Kiefer lying motionless on the bed.
Then I looked at Angelo.
"Kuya..." I said softly.
He didn't answer.
"It's not even been a day."
Angelo sighed.
I shook my head.
"Do you really think you can hide this?"
No response.
Because he already knew the answer.
I glanced at Jay's message again.
Kiefer, I miss you.
A simple text.
But it hit harder than any bullet.
"Clyden and Jay aren't normal people," I continued.
"They're the two most stubborn people I've ever met."
I looked back at Kiefer.
Still unconscious.
Still unaware.
Still not waking up.
A knot formed in my stomach.
"It's hard enough stopping one of them when they're determined."
I swallowed.
"Trying to stop both of them?"
I let out a dry laugh.
"Yeah... good luck with that."
No one in the room argued.
Because deep down...
We all knew the truth.
We weren't hiding this from Jay and Clyden.
We were only delaying the moment they found out.
"We'll distract Jay for a while," Angelo said.
It sounded confident.
None of us believed it.
The next morning, Kiefer still hadn't opened his eyes.
The room felt heavier than before.
Every hour that passed made the situation worse.
Then Kiefer's phone vibrated again.
A new message.
My eyes dropped to the screen.
Kiefer... I need you. Please answer me.
I swallowed hard.
This was getting bad.
"Is he still not awake?" Cole asked as he walked in.
I nodded.
Cole sighed and rubbed his face.
"How the hell is he taking this long to wake up?"
Angelo cursed under his breath.
Nobody answered.
Because nobody had an answer.
"Kuya..." I said quietly, showing Angelo the message.
His eyes scanned the screen.
"I think we need to tell her before she starts thinking something worse."
Angelo stared at the message for several seconds before looking away.
The door opened.
Yuri walked inside, freshly showered.
Before he could even sit down, Cole pointed at him.
"Yuri, you know Kiefer better than anyone. The two of you are similar in some ways."
Yuri frowned.
"So?"
"Why don't you call Jay and pretend to be Kiefer?"
The room fell silent.
Yuri blinked.
Then laughed.
"Me?"
Nobody joined him.
Yuri shook his head.
"You really think Jay wouldn't notice?"
"She might," Cole argued.
"No." Yuri immediately cut him off.
His smile disappeared.
"Jay can tell it's Kiefer just by listening to him breathe."
Nobody spoke.
Because that sounded exactly like something Jay would do.
"She loves him too much."
The room went silent again.
Angelo groaned and ran a hand through his hair.
"Then call her brothers," he snapped.
"Tell them Kiefer can't come today because that bastard is still refusing to wake up."
"I'll try," Yuri said.
A few minutes later, he was on the phone with Kieran.
Surprisingly, Kieran believed everything.
At least at first.
Then Kiegen got on the call.
The moment Yuri spoke, Kiegen's voice turned serious.
"Where's Kuya?"
Yuri froze.
"What happened to him?"
He knew.
Not everything.
But enough.
He immediately realized Yuri wasn't Kiefer.
So we told them.
Not every detail.
But enough for them to understand how serious the situation was.
The line went quiet.
Then Kiegen finally spoke.
"We'll keep Ate busy."
For the first time all morning, I felt a little relieved.
Maybe this would work.
Maybe we'd bought ourselves some time.
Then the office door suddenly burst open.
Jare walked inside.
His face had gone pale.
Every conversation stopped.
Every eye turned toward him.
Jare slowly lowered his phone.
"Jay's calling me."
The room froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Aries looked at the phone and cursed.
"Kuya..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"This is getting out of hand."
The phone continued ringing.
Over and over.
Like a countdown.
"She's getting suspicious."
And judging by the look on everyone's faces...
We all knew the same thing.
Jay wasn't going to stop until she found the truth.
Back home, Mia was doing everything she could to keep Jay distracted.
Unfortunately, Jay wasn't the only one missing Kiefer.
Orion was too.
The little boy had been unusually fussy all morning.
Crying.
Refusing to calm down.
Refusing to sleep.
Mia had tried everything.
Nothing worked.
Finally, she carried him into Kiefer's room.
Orion's red, teary eyes immediately searched the bed.
"dada..." he mumbled.
Mia's heart broke.
She carefully placed him beside Kiefer.
The second Orion touched him, he stopped crying.
The room fell quiet.
Orion crawled closer and started patting Kiefer's chest with his tiny hands.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
As if he was trying to wake him up himself.
"da..da..."
No response.
Orion frowned.
Then he laid his head on Kiefer's chest.
Listening to the steady heartbeat underneath.
A heartbeat that proved Kiefer was still here.
Still fighting.
Still alive.
Within minutes, Orion's eyes slowly closed.
The exhaustion finally won.
He fell asleep on Kiefer's chest, his tiny hand still clutching Kiefer's shirt.
Mia stood there silently.
Watching them.
And for a brief moment, the room felt peaceful.
Back in London, none of us knew any of that.
We were too busy trying to stop a disaster.
Jare suddenly stood up.
"Let's go to Clyden's house."
Jare immediately stood up.
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because sitting here and staring at Kiefer isn't helping anyone."
Before he could take another step, Angelo Kuya spoke.
"No."
Everyone turned toward him.
"You're staying here."
Jare blinked.
"What?"
"We're going."
Angelo grabbed his jacket and car keys.
"Cole and I will handle it."
Cole nodded from beside him.
They left.
Angelo (POV)
Cole, Cassian, and I arrived at Clyden's house a few minutes later.
The second I stepped through the door, Clyden was already on his feet.
"Finally."
His eyes narrowed.
"Now tell me where Kiefer is."
The room instantly went quiet.
I didn't answer.
Clyden stared at all three of us.
Then his jaw tightened.
"You're hiding something from me."
Nobody spoke.
"Why can't I reach Kiefer?" he continued.
His voice wasn't loud.
That made it worse.
"Is he safe?"
Still silence.
"Why the fuck is nobody answering me?"
He spoke slowly, making sure Jay couldn't hear from upstairs.
Before I could think of another excuse, footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Jay appeared.
My heart nearly stopped.
The first thing she did wasn't look at us.
She looked around the room.
Searching.
Looking for someone.
For Kiefer.
When she didn't find him, her hand immediately went to her phone.
Checking.
Waiting.
Hoping.
But no matter how many times she looked at that screen...
There was no way Kiefer could answer.
Not yet.
The rest of the day was torture.
We took her shopping.
Bought her food.
Dragged her from one place to another.
Nothing worked.
Because no matter where we took her...
Her thoughts always returned to Kiefer.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from Percy.
Three words.
He's awake.
I froze.
For a second, I just stared at the screen.
Then I stood up.
"I need to take care of something."
Nobody questioned me.
I was already walking out the door.
The drive back to the Watson Hotel felt endless.
When I finally pushed open the room door—
I stopped.
For the first time in two days...
Kiefer Watson was awake.
Orion was lying beside him on the bed.
The little boy was giggling while Kiefer weakly poked his stomach.
The sight almost made me laugh from relief.
"You took your sweet time, bastard," I muttered.
Kiefer smirked weakly.
Even half-dead, he still looked annoyingly proud of himself.
The smile disappeared almost immediately.
"How's Jay?"
Of course.
That was his first question.
Not about himself.
Not about the surgery.
Not about the people trying to kill him.
Jay.
"I need to see her."
I sighed and pulled a chair closer.
"You were unconscious for two days."
His expression darkened.
"And trust me, it's been hell trying to handle my sister."
Kiefer closed his eyes briefly.
Guilt flashed across his face.
"I hoped you'd see her after Gale was over," I admitted.
"But honestly?"
I looked at the bandages covering his body.
"I don't want her seeing you like this."
Kiefer didn't answer.
"If she sees what happened to you..."
I shook my head.
"She'll break."
The room fell silent.
A few seconds later, Kiefer looked up.
Determined.
Stubborn.
Completely impossible.
"I want to see her."
I cursed under my breath.
Of course he did.
Because despite everything...
He missed her just as much as she missed him.
"Fine."
His eyes met mine.
"I'll figure something out."
Then I leaned forward.
"But first, we finish Gale."
The warmth disappeared from Kiefer's face.
The businessman returned.
The predator.
The man everyone feared.
"Because the mouse is finally coming out of hiding."
I smiled coldly.
"And to catch a mouse..."
I glanced at the bandages covering his chest.
"We need the perfect piece of cheese."
For a long moment, Kiefer said nothing.
Then he gave a slow nod.
The trap was ready.
Now all we had to do...
Was wait for our enemy to walk into it.
Kiefer (POV)
Darkness.
That was all I could see.
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know how long I'd been there.
I just kept walking.
Running.
Searching for a way out.
For a light.
For something.
Anything.
But every direction looked the same.
An endless void swallowing me whole.
Then voices started reaching me.
Faint.
Distant.
Like they belonged to another world.
I tried to follow them.
Tried to move toward them.
But my body wouldn't listen.
I couldn't open my eyes.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't even speak.
Then I heard it.
A baby crying.
The sound echoed through the darkness.
Familiar.
Important.
I knew that cry.
I just couldn't remember why.
Then suddenly—
Everything came back.
Blood.
Gunshots.
Pain.
Jay.
My eyes widened.
Jay.
I needed to get back to her.
I needed to wake up.
She needed me.
"Jay.."
My voice came out as barely a whisper.
The darkness shattered.
Bright light flooded my vision.
I immediately shut my eyes again.
"He's awake."
A familiar voice.
Slowly, I forced my eyes open.
Percy.
Yuri.
Aries.
The three idiots were staring at me like I'd returned from the dead.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Percy asked, shoving his hand in my face.
I blinked.
"Tss... two, asshole."
The relief in the room was instant.
"He's definitely okay," Aries muttered.
I ignored them.
"Where am I?"
"London," Yuri answered.
The memories started returning.
The attack.
The surgery.
Everything.
My chest tightened.
"Is Jay okay?"
The room fell silent.
Of course that was my first question.
Percy let out a tired sigh.
"Angelo went to check on her."
I frowned, my throat still burning from the tubes and medication.
"What happened to me?" I asked quietly. "How many days was I out?"
Percy and Yuri exchanged a glance.
"Two days, Kiefer," Percy finally answered.
My eyes widened.
"Two days?"
He nodded.
"You lost a lot of blood. Your body went through hell." His voice softened. "The surgery was successful, but recovery takes time. Your body needed those two days to heal."
Aries suddenly shoved phone into my hand.
"You made my sister so clingy it's honestly embarrassing."
I frowned.
Then saw the screen.
421 missed calls.
From Jay.
My heart dropped.
Then I saw the messages.
I miss you.
Kiefer, I need you. Please answer me.
The words hit harder than the bullets ever had.
I closed my eyes.
For two days she thought I'd ignored her.
For two days she cried while I lay unconscious.
And I wasn't there.
I wasn't there for her.
The guilt nearly crushed me.
The others kept talking.
Explaining things.
Making plans.
I barely listened.
Because all I could think about was Jay.
As long as I could see her...
Everything would be okay.
That night, Gale finally started.
Mia worked miracles covering the paleness in my face.
Even then, standing hurt.
Breathing hurt.
Existing hurt.
Percy and Aries practically carried me into the venue.
"It's going to be hard to manage this," Jare muttered.
"I only need one hour."
I swallowed another painkiller.
"Just keep people away from me unless it's important."
Nobody looked convinced.
Neither was I.
But we didn't have a choice.
Tonight was important.
Tonight we needed answers.
Instead...
Everything went wrong.
I stood near one of the tables, gripping a wine glass just to keep my balance.
The painkillers were the only reason I was still standing.
My vision kept blurring.
Then someone suddenly stepped in front of me.
Before I could react—
She kissed me.
My entire body froze.
The second she pulled away; I shoved her back.
"What the fuck—"
"FUCK YOU KIEFER!!!!"
My blood turned cold.
That voice.
I turned around.
Slowly.
And there she was.
Jay.
My wife.
My entire world.
Standing only a few feet away.
Her eyes were full of hurt.
Betrayal.
Anger.
Before I could speak, something hit my chest.
One of her heels came flying straight at me.
Then another.
I barely dodged it.
This one hit the floor beside me with a sharp crack.
Ignoring the stares around us, I bent down and picked up both heels.
The simple movement sent a violent pain through my body.
My stitches pulled.
Then tore.
A warm sensation spread beneath the bandages wrapped around my abdomen.
The wound had opened again.
I knew I was bleeding.
I knew I should have stopped.
But none of that mattered.
Because Jay was standing right in front of me.
Furious.
Heartbroken.
Beautiful.
Her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
Her chest rose and fell with every angry breath.
I should've been terrified.
Instead...
I couldn't stop staring at her.
She looked breathtaking in red.
Beautiful.
Furious.
Alive.
God, I'd missed her.
For two days, I'd been trapped in darkness.
For two days, I'd fought just to open my eyes.
And now she was finally here.
I smiled without meaning to.
Wrong move.
She punched me.
Once.
Then again.
Pain exploded through my ribs.
I lost my balance and crashed to the floor.
Cole and Angelo immediately grabbed me.
"Kiefer!"
But I wasn't looking at them.
I was watching Jay walk away while holding champagne.
And that hurt far more than my injuries.
"I need to follow her."
"Kiefer, blood is leaking through your bandages," Cole snapped.
"I don't care."
The room spun.
My vision blurred.
"I need my wife."
Because right now, there was only one thing on my mind.
Jay.
I needed to find her.
I needed to explain.
I needed to tell her that what she saw wasn't real.
That it was a trap.
An illusion carefully created by someone who wanted to destroy us.
Most importantly...
I needed to tell her that I would never touch another woman.
Never.
Not willingly.
Not knowingly.
Not when my heart had belonged to only her.
The guilt sat like a stone in my chest.
Even if it had been a setup...
Even if my vision had been blurred from painkillers...
Even if I had barely been able to stand...
I still hated myself for it.
How had I let that woman get close enough to kiss me?
How had I failed to stop it before Jay saw?
The image of her face kept replaying in my mind.
The hurt.
The betrayal.
The tears she tried so hard not to shed.
It made me feel sick.
"I need to see her," I repeated.
After changing my bandages, Cole drove me to the nightclub.
The second I stepped inside, I found her.
Jay.
She was standing near the bar.
Beautiful.
Broken.
Waiting.
Like she'd been waiting for me all along.
Then she started walking toward me.
Slowly.
Unsteadily.
"Kuya..." she mumbled
"I think I'm imagining things."
Her eyes never left mine.
"He looks like Kiefer."
My chest tightened.
Even drunk.
Even heartbroken.
She still found me.
She still recognized me.
Out of everyone in that crowded nightclub...
Her eyes had found mine.
"Jay," I said softly.
She froze.
For a second, hope flickered across her face.
Then she shook her head.
"No."
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"You're not real."
Before I could say anything else, she stumbled forward and crashed into me.
The impact nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs.
Pain exploded through my abdomen.
I felt something warm spreading beneath my shirt.
The stitches had opened again.
I was bleeding.
But I didn't care.
Because Jay was in my arms.
For two days, I had been unconscious.
For two days, she had cried, worried, and waited for me.
And somehow...
Even through the alcohol clouding her mind...
She still searched for me.
Still needed me.
Still found her way back to me.
Just like she always did.
The pain in my body was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.
Because I could finally see how much I had hurt her.
Not intentionally.
But I had hurt her all the same.
By disappearing.
By not answering.
By not being there.
When we finally reached the car, she grabbed my collar before I could open the door.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric.
Her eyes were glassy with tears.
And then she broke.
"Didn't you miss me at all?"
Every word felt like a knife.
"Why didn't you call me back?"
Another knife.
"Why didn't you answer me?"
I couldn't look away.
I couldn't defend myself.
Because from her perspective...
I had abandoned her.
While she sat there waiting.
Crying.
Missing me.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
If only she knew.
If only she knew I had spent two days trapped in darkness, fighting my way back just to see her again.
If only she knew that the first word I had spoken after waking up was her name.
I gently reached for her hand.
"Jay..."
My voice cracked.
But she was too hurt to listen.
And honestly...
She had every right to be.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and opened the passenger door for her.
"I'll drive."
Because right now, the only thing that mattered...
Was getting my wife home.
Then, while we were in the car, Clyden finally told her to stop holding everything in.
To let the pain out.
And she broke.
Completely.
Every word that left her mouth felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest.
The fear.
The betrayal.
The sleepless nights.
The endless crying.
Nothing compared to the pain I had endured in the hospital.
Because this was Jay.
And she had suffered because of me.
She cried until there were no tears left.
Cried until exhaustion finally claimed her.
I reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Jay."
My voice cracked.
"I'm here."
A tear rolled down my face.
"And I'm always yours."
She looked at me.
Lost.
Broken.
Terrified.
"I would never cheat on you."
Never.
Not in this life.
Not in the next.
Whoever set that trap...
Whoever made her cry...
I was going to make them pay.
When we arrived home, everyone was asking questions.
I ignored all of them.
The only person who mattered was her.
I lifted Jay into my arms.
Immediately, she buried her face in my chest.
Holding me tightly.
Like she was afraid I'd disappear again.
"Kiefer..."
She kept saying my name.
Over and over.
Like she needed reassurance that I was really here.
That I wasn't a dream.
That I wasn't going to disappear again.
Every time she whispered my name, her fingers tightened around my shirt.
Holding on.
Refusing to let go.
Like if she loosened her grip for even a second, I would vanish.
My chest tightened.
God...
How scared had she been?
Then she whispered something that completely shattered me.
"Don't get sick of me."
My breath caught.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I buried my face in her hair.
Holding her tighter.
As if I could somehow protect her from every insecurity she'd ever had.
"Never."
I kissed her forehead.
"Never, Jay."
I tightened my arms around her.
"You'll get sick of me first."
I carried her upstairs.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring the blood soaking through my bandages.
Ignoring the concerned voices calling after us.
The only thing I cared about was the woman in my arms.
Into our room.
Into our safe place.
When we reached our bedroom, I gently lowered her onto the bed.
The second I laid her on the bed; she grabbed my shirt.
Refusing to let go.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
The first real smile I'd seen all night.
And it nearly broke me.
Because she had no idea.
No idea how much I loved her.
How much I needed her.
How close I'd come to never seeing her again.
She slowly drifted to sleep while still holding my shirt.
Still holding me.
I wanted to stay awake.
Wanted to watch her sleep.
Wanted to make sure she never cried again.
But my body had finally reached its limit.
The pain.
The blood loss.
The exhaustion.
Everything hit at once.
My vision darkened.
The last thing I felt was Jay's hand gripping my shirt.
The last thing I heard was her soft breathing beside me.
Then my body gave out.
And I collapsed onto the bed next to my wife.