**Keifer's POV**
Crystal clear. Every plan that Keigan and I talked about—every detail and step we needed to take—he laid out one by one with such clarity.
Keigan is really smart as fvck. I've known that for a long time, but only now am I truly seeing the extent of his abilities—things I used to overlook. I can't help but feel amazed.
He was just 14, soon to be 15, but he could think like an adult. That's the difference between him and Ci, even if both of them are intelligent.
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 could help me.
Our plan had Four Major Goals.
First, I have to control my anger management issue. They said it would be a huge problem in the future, especially when an enemy targets my weaknesses.
I agreed to that part. I really needed to control it—for Jay-jay. I don't want what happened to ever happen again. I'll never forgive myself if it does.
Second, face my relatives—and of course, Clyde. They'll do everything to get what they want: my inheritance.
Aside from Clyde, it's also the Elders that worry me. They're all targeting Jay-jay. But now that she's no longer connected to me, I hope they stop.
Third, face the monster. He's the last person I expected to do such a thing—for money. For my inheritance.
At first, his target was Keiren's custody, but now that I'm about to receive my full inheritance, his plans might change.
Lastly, protect the people around the Watsons. They are the ones relying on us—the real reason why Mom won't let go of the inheritance.
Sounds easy, but it's 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.
I have to be stronger. *More* stronger. Strong enough to defeat all my stupid enemies and protect everyone around me.
I have to get more allies. The more, the merrier. I can move freely if I have more.
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.
Keigan also said we might need to add things to the original plan. He's even considering a Plan B in case things get fvcked up.
Mr. Ryder, Honey, and I agreed to his plan. Our conversation ended quickly thanks to his clear explanations.
Right now, I don't even know how to start any of it. How can I, when Jay-jay's face keeps running through my mind?
When I wake up, while eating, even while taking a bath. Even when I get dressed or walk around—she's in my dreams, too. Always her. It only makes me miss her more.
Now, I'm dying to see her.
Suddenly, I hit the brakes of my car. I forgot I was dropping my siblings off at school.
"Next time, I'll just let the driver take me. You're zoning out again," Keigan said before opening the car door.
My lips formed a thin line. "Fine. Take care," I said, almost sarcastically.
Good thing we didn't miss his school.
As he closed the door, I let out a 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 to stay focused. We might get into an accident.
"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. I felt embarrassed. This should've been a family discussion, but we couldn't bring him into it. He was too young to understand.
"M-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 the school gate and let him get out on his own like he always prefers.
Before driving off, I checked if all of Keiren's bodyguards were in position. Once everything was clear, I left.
Now, I was headed to school. I'm praying that Jay-jay is alright. I know she's not coming to school today. She needs to rest after drinking at KingsGround. She shouldn't go back there.
Maybe I should talk to Tiger to stop her from going there again. It's not a good place for her to hang out. Maybe Angelo doesn't know yet. He wouldn't allow it if he did.
When I got to school, most students were already inside.
Nice. I'm late.
Jay-jay's probably going to say I outdid even the teachers and the principal in being late. Later than the latecomers.
I smiled at the thought of her teasing. She's sharper than most of our classmates when it comes to teasing. But she never wins when I fight back.
Typical Jay-jay. That's probably why Section E took a liking to her quickly—her personality's just like theirs.
I'm starting to miss those days. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. I have to focus. Our goals and plans are my priority now.
Before stepping out of my car, I made sure I had on my cold, expressionless face. I didn't want anyone seeing that I was dealing with something. They should be taking care of Jay-jay, not worrying about me.
I was near the classroom when I saw Josh hugging the black cat he always feeds. He looked at me with a blank expression, then sighed heavily. He didn't seem happy to see me.
He walked toward the room, and I did the same.
Silence enveloped the classroom the moment I stepped inside. I ignored it and walked straight to my seat.
"Can't they just switch? Let Jay-jay be the one in school and him be the one absent. I can't stand his face," I heard Eren say.
"Stop it," Kit told him.
"He has the nerve to show up here. Why hasn't he left yet?" Mayo added.
"Bro… can you just shut up?" Felix said in a threatening tone.
"Fvcking hell…" Drew muttered and hit the table lightly.
I can't blame them. It's better this way. If they knew everything, Jay-jay might find out the truth. I don't want them caught in my family's mess. I need them beside Jay more than I need them beside me.
I noticed Yuri beside me. He kept glancing at me with a weird expression. It was obvious he wanted to talk but held back.
That's the annoying part of our friendship. He always knows when I'm hiding something or lying. I don't know if I've become that transparent or if he's just memorized my behavior that well.
Then I heard my phone's message tone.
I pulled it from my pocket. 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 men I beat up before and now works for me.
My classmate? I immediately responded. Only two of my male classmates had the guts to approach her after everything.
To: +639*********
**Message:** Do you know who? I have 15 male classmates.
It didn't take long to get a reply.
From: +639*********
**Message:** I think his name is David. They looked so serious while talking.
I automatically looked at David's seat. He wasn't there.
My fist clenched. I couldn't help but feel angry—or jealous. It felt like he already made his move on Jay-jay.
Relax, Keifer… You're not yet sure.
He probably got near her with Percy's help.
I tried to calm down—just as he entered the classroom.
I didn't take my eyes off him until he sat down.
"Late ka. Drop ka na daw sabi ni Sir," Ci-N said, giggling like a child.
David answered her with a flick to the forehead.
I think he noticed I was staring at him. He looked back and raised his eyebrow at me.
We had a staring contest for a while. Testing who would last longer.
It broke when I heard my phone again.
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?!
Now of all times?
Looks like Ram's disappearance made things worse. The gangs he used to control are now taking over.
I can't help but feel nervous for Jay-jay. What if they're really after her now? Especially since she's outside and wandering around. Even with Percy by her side, I can't be sure.
There's only one option now.
I opened my phone and accessed the special app Edrix made for us.
**OTJ101**. This is the tenth version of the app. Edrix had a hard time making one that's just for us.
It has two parts—Jay-jay's phone holds the sender, while mine is the receiver. So every message and call she gets, I receive too.
I know I'm invading her privacy, but we need to know when Percy contacts her. We've been trying to catch him for a while.
But I also use this app to track her location—and, of course, who she's talking to. I often catch her out late at night because of this. It's also the reason we know where to find her when she's in danger.
I waited a bit until the map popped up. A pin showed her current location.
My brow arched.
The pin was moving fast—which meant she was also moving. Too fast, unless she was in a moving vehicle.
But where could she be going?
She's with Percy. Surely, he wouldn't take her somewhere dangerous. He knows what I'm capable of if he tries to take Jay away.
I decided to set my phone down.
I couldn't blame her if she wanted some time to clear her head. But sooner or later, she'll have to face us again. Angelo is letting her be for now because of what happened, but he won't allow her to ruin her studies.
"Hindi pa rin ba papasok si Jay? Nag-aalala ako sa kanya," I heard Blaster say.
"Hanga't nandito si Keifer, hindi papasok yon," Denzel answered.
No. She *has* to come back. I won't be staying long anyway. They'll have to take care of Jay for now.
I leaned back and crossed my arms. I really couldn't stay still without seeing Jay. I miss her so much. I want to see her, but I have to train myself to endure the distance.
We all turned to the door when someone suddenly came in… Percy?
I immediately looked for someone behind him—hoping Jay-jay would follow.
But there was no one.
My forehead creased.
If he's here, whose car was Jay-jay riding? Who's she with?
Did she run away from him?
"Hoy, David!" he shouted. "…Why aren't you answering my calls?!"
David took out his phone. "It was on silent, sorry."
Something was wrong with Percy. He was out of breath, tense, uncomfortable. Like something bad 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 yet—I wasn't sure. But I had this gut feeling that something bad happened to Jay-jay.
Percy still looked unsettled, which only grew my suspicions.
He ran his hand through his hair and wiped his face.
He couldn't take it anymore. He suddenly snatched David's phone.
"What's going on with you?" David asked.
I quietly unlocked my phone. I checked Jay-jay's current location.
My confusion doubled when I saw she was far away. Far from the city—beyond the highway.
I pressed the pin to get more details. It gave me an exact address.
An abandoned office of a bankrupt company?
What is she doing there?
Fvck. Is she being kidnapped?
I looked up and saw Percy calling someone. But it seemed no one was answering.
"Fvck!" he shouted and handed the phone back to David.
"What the hell is going on with you?" David asked again.
"Jay-jay's missing."
I knew it.
Worry and panic took over the whole class.
I tried my best to stay calm—but the truth is, 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!"
"Or maybe she went home!"
Their voices clashed in confusion as they tried to figure out what exactly happened. Amidst the chaos, I heard the familiar tone of my phone message. I reached for it and opened the new message—another unknown number. But this one… this one was different.
**From: +639***********
Message: We have your precious girl. Same place in 30mins or you'll found her naked in our bed. Haha**
My fist clenched around the phone so tightly I almost crushed it. I didn't know who they were… but I will find them—and destroy them. They better not lay even a fingertip on Jay-jay.
"You were with her! How can you not know where she is?!" Yuri shouted at Percy.
Percy turned to him and gave a deadly glare. The way Yuri spoke clearly didn't sit well with him.
"Don't you dare preach to me!" he snapped, pointing a finger at Yuri.
"What the hell happened?!" It was Felix this time.
"She suddenly disappeared… I was just finishing the fight she started, and then she was gone." Percy answered with obvious irritation.
She got into a fight? This is bad. I thought Percy was helping her straighten out her life—but it seems like he's only making it worse. He's supposed to be keeping Jay away from trouble, not dragging her further into it. What is this guy even thinking?
"You're seriously not going to do anything?!" Yuri suddenly directed the question at me.
I looked at him, my expression unchanged. Without a word, I stood up, walked over, and threw my phone at him. He caught it instinctively.
"I already know where she is," I said flatly before walking out of the room.
I didn't care if they followed me or not. All I knew was—I'm going to finish them. The ones who took Jay-jay. I will rip them into pieces.
I reached the parking lot and jumped into my car. I started the engine without thinking twice if I might hit someone. All that mattered was Jay-jay. Her safety. Those bastards… they're going to die!
I caught a glimpse of the side mirror—Yuri and David's car were following me. Of course they were. But I had no intention of waiting for them. I slammed on the gas like I was racing to hell.
**Fvck them.**
I'm in a hurry to kill. My rage boiled past its limits. I wanted to tear them apart. I'd make sure they never even think of doing something like this again. And if it were up to me, I'd erase them from this world completely.
I made a sharp left turn when I saw a shortcut—one I remembered from the map they used. I heard the sudden screeching of tires behind me, the loud horns blaring. But I didn't give a fvck. I didn't see Yuri's car anymore in my rearview mirror. They must've gotten stuck in the mess I caused on the road.
It's just me now.
I will save Jay-jay… no matter what.