**Keifer's POV**
"You're always hanging around with Yuri, but he's such a coward" Percy said, taking another sip of his drink.
I shook my head. I'd just pretend he was drunk. His answer was miles away from my question.
How did I become so gullible?
"I don't care about Yuri's cowardliness. I'm here for Jay-jay's phone number" I said, signaling the bartender for another drink.
"I have a lot of things to say before I give you her number."
I rubbed my temples, fighting off the headache. Why was I even bothering to sit here with him?
"You know what? I think I'll just find another way to get her number." I said, reaching for my wallet.
"Okay… I'll just tell Jay-jay to change her number" he said, grinning like a maniac.
I couldn't believe it. He was doing this on purpose. I put my wallet away.
"Just tell me everything you're worried about. Stop playing games!"
He slammed his glass on the counter, making the bartender look over.
Percy's seriousness returned.
"I just don't understand why you let Aries suffer like that" he said, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "You should have been the first to stand by him, but you were the first to leave."
I frowned. "Don't act like it's all our fault. If you'd let us know you were alive, this wouldn't have happened."
"My mom never let me contact anyone here! Not even my family!"
"You should have at least tried. Just one sign that you were alive!"
"And then what? I still couldn't show up; it was useless!"
"But we could have searched for you. Aries, Yuri, Angelo, and I could have searched for you."
I couldn't believe I was saying this. I didn't expect this conversation to turn into a shouting match. I knew he knew I had a lot of things I wanted to say to him, and I knew the others felt the same.
"…But obviously, it's pointless to fight about it now. It's done, so there's nothing we can do" I added, taking a drink.
He shook his head. "The damage caused by my disappearance was huge."
The damage was so great it even ruined the reputation of Fer. Corp. Everyone knew Aries was a Fernandez, and the accident involving the four of us was public knowledge. Many investors and stockholders pulled out.
That's when their downfall began. They tried their best to save the company, but the Hanamitchis caused even more problems.
Poor Angelo.
"So huge…" I whispered, taking another sip. "What's the real reason you came back? Obviously, you're not here to get your life back."
"I plan to get Felix and take him to the US. My crazy father left money for him, but he can't claim it because the insurance company can't find him" he explained. "…I'll also take Jay-jay to her father."
"Do you plan to tell her?"
"What?"
"That her father has cancer."
He paused, looking at me in surprise. He probably didn't expect me to know.
When I said I would help Jay-jay find her father, I meant it. But I didn't stop there, as Jay-jay thought. I used my resources to find him. It was harder because her father was based overseas.
The Marianos were extremely private. They used different names for their business ventures. There were very few family photos available. I couldn't believe someone like him could hide himself from the business world.
Rory and Edrix were lucky to have gotten a little information about him and Percy back then.
"Wow…" he said sarcastically. "…I'm impressed with what you can do. You even found that out."
"My lawyer found out. He was in New York and looking for someone who could help me. Then he saw Mr. Fernandez at the hospital getting chemotherapy."
"How did your lawyer know him?"
I cleared my throat. "I had him look for him before for Jay-jay. When I got a picture of him, I gave it to my lawyer to find additional information."
"Impressive!" he said, a mocking smile on his face. "You're willing to do anything, huh? Is that love?"
Yes, it is!
I ignored him and kept drinking. I asked for another drink after finishing mine. Percy did the same.
"Can I have her number now?"
"Kiss first!" he replied.
I almost threw my glass at him, but I changed my mind; I didn't want to waste the drink.
"Just tell me if you're drunk" I said, almost commanding.
"I'm not! You got here first."
I shook my head and took a sip. It took a long time for me to get drunk. It seemed I inherited that from the Watsons. I only recently found out we had that trait in the family. I thought it was just because my body was used to alcohol.
There were many things I still hadn't discovered about the Watson family. It was scary to find them out, but it was scarier not to know any of them. What else did they have that I didn't know? I didn't want to know, but I did at the same time. I felt like I could use it against them.
One dark little secret.
"Freya…" he said.
That's what I'd been waiting for him to ask. I just needed to explain, and I could get Jay-jay's number.
"Was she happy when I disappeared?"
I slightly shook the glass in my hand. I hated to say this, but there was no point in hiding it.
"She didn't even cry when we thought you were dead. I thought she was just being brave, but I was wrong." I took a sip from my glass. "…I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I will. She wasn't really into you back then."
I heard his quiet laugh, followed by him quickly downing his drink. He swallowed it like it was water.
He gestured to the bartender. "Give me something hard."
Give him a solid earth rock.
The bartender placed a glass with ice in front of him and poured the drink.
He drank it before speaking again.
"Because she's into Yuri" he said, drinking again. "…I didn't see it back then, but I knew she had a hidden crush on Yuri."
My forehead creased. "Did she date you to get closer to Yuri?"
He shook his head. "I don't know, but…"
He obviously couldn't continue. It was probably painful.
"That's what it looks like." I finished his sentence, and he nodded. "She had her chance with him, but Yuri messed up."
"He's a fvcker!" he shouted, slamming the glass on the counter. "He took advantage of my Freya! If he didn't really like her, he shouldn't have done that!"
He rested his head on the table while continuing to talk, but I couldn't understand him anymore.
I signaled for another glass from the bartender. He looked at me as if checking my condition.
"Aren't you drunk yet, Sir?" he asked while pouring my drink.
"Nope. Still not drunk" I said proudly.
Percy suddenly stood up. I thought he'd fallen asleep or gotten drunk and couldn't handle it anymore. It seemed he was still wide awake.
"How did you and Freya get together?" he asked seriously.
"I really liked Freya. So, when I saw her crying because of their breakup, I took advantage of the situation and comforted her." I shook my head.
Remembering my actions made me regret our past. I shouldn't have approached her back then. I should have let her fix herself first. She was a mess, and starting a relationship while in that state was a huge mistake.
"Did you take good care of her?"
"With my best." I answered shortly, taking a drink.
"Did you make her cry?"
I did…
I didn't know if I should answer him. I was ashamed of what I did to her in the past.
I promised myself I would take care of her. In the name of Percy—whom we thought was dead. But I didn't because of my anger management issues.
"Silence means yes" he said, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor with a stinging pain on my cheek.
He punched me! He actually punched me while I was distracted. Was this why he came here? Because he wanted to punch me?
"That feels good." he said, looking at his fist.
He returned to his seat, and I stood up. I took my glass and pressed it against my cheek. If I didn't need anything from him, I would have returned the punch. But I needed Jay-jay's number. And Percy just gave me a crucial piece of information—Yuri's involvement with Freya. This changed everything. This wasn't just about my family's plans anymore; it was about protecting Jay-jay from the people closest to her. And that included Yuri.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson❤️🥹
Message: Jasper Jean Mariano
I saw her look of confusion. She looked around, causing me to quickly hide my phone. She seemed to be looking for the person who was texting her.
When she didn't find anyone, she stared at her phone again.
It was a good thing I'd bought a new phone and SIM card last night. I planned to call her with the new number because she might recognize my old number and not answer.
I also bought a new phone so Keigan wouldn't wonder why I kept changing numbers.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: hu u? [Who are you?]
She texted me, and I quickly typed a reply.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: You're my everything.
She didn't reply because Ci-N approached her with a plate of pancakes.
I sighed. I took the opportunity to set a password on the phone. I'd fallen asleep last night, so I hadn't been able to do anything except save Jay-jay's number.
"I don't want it!" I heard her shout.
I saw the plate and pancakes fly through the air before landing on the floor. Everyone fell silent and looked at them.
"I-it's okay… I-I'll get m-more." Ci-N said, trying to hold back his tears. He even forced a smile, but it didn't stop his tears.
"Stop this! Can't you see?! We're not going back to how things were, so give up!" Jay-jay shouted again.
I wanted to approach her to stop her, but that would be a wrong move, especially with our situation.
"Jay-jay." David tried to stop her, but she glared at him. Suddenly, we heard someone sniffing. I looked at Ci-N, who was looking down, wiping his eyes.
I felt sorry for him. He was struggling because of our—my—stupidity. Jay-jay had become stubborn, even with him.
"W-why? Why should I g-give up?" He looked up to face her. "…Did you give up when I was accused of stealing? Did you give up on Calix and Mica, on Denzel and Grace, on Drew? Did you give up on any of us?"
I saw Jay-jay avoid his gaze. She was affected! She was still there! My soft-hearted, hard-headed, fist-fighting Jay-jay was still there!
That was a good sign!
For some reason, I felt a surge of hope. I felt like pushing forward with our plans. I wanted to hurry them up before I lost her for good.
"…So don't tell me to give up! Because you didn't give up on us, so I won't give up on you" Ci-N added. "…Just wait here! I'll get more pancakes." He walked towards Eman. Everyone patted him on the arm to show their support and pride. But Jay-jay was quick. She left the room without anyone noticing.
"Am I the only one, or did she just get even more stubborn?" Yuri said.
He was observing, just like me. I shrugged before sitting down.
"Who were you texting earlier?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing important."
He nodded briefly. "About last night. Are you really giving up on Jay-jay?"
"Let's not talk about it anymore."
He didn't say anything else, but I felt his gaze on me. He was observing again, trying to figure out my reaction to his question.
It was hard having an observant friend.
It wasn't long before Sir Alvin came. Jay-jay also entered, but she didn't even look at Ci-N, who was sitting next to her. I didn't notice who cleaned up the mess on the floor.
I couldn't help but look at her.
She was isolating herself.
I sighed heavily.
She barely looked at our side for the whole morning. She went to the restroom, but after that, she didn't do anything else.
Ci-N tried to get her attention, but she was clearly not interested.
Until lunchtime. They tried to invite her to eat, but she left quickly.
So slick.
"It's Kuya again," Felix said while helping Eman.
"At least someone's feeding her." Yuri said before standing up.
Most of them approached Eman to get food. I chose to stay. I wasn't in the mood to eat. I wanted to prepare myself mentally. There was still time until later, but I wanted to smash their faces into my fists.
Relax, Keifer. You'll have your chances.
I closed my eyes, and her face was the first thing I saw. Her eyes, full of pain and misery. I wanted to touch her face to wipe away her tears.
But I was scared I would cause her more pain. It felt like my hands had thorns that would wound her if I touched her.
I would take that chance. If holding her meant hurting her, then I would do everything to ease it. If I needed to cut my hands just to be with her, then I would cut my whole arms.
"Keifer!" Someone called me.
I opened my eyes to see who it was. All of them were looking at me like I'd said something weird.
"What?"
"Damn it! The dude had a wet dream!" Rory shouted, and everyone laughed.
My brows furrowed. I did what?! I didn't sleep, so why would I have a wet dream? Did I say something inappropriate?
I looked at Yuri, who was grinning. "Did I say something?"
"You moaned and said her name" he gave me a disgusted look. "…You're gross."
"I wasn't having a wet dream. I was just resting my eyes while thinking about something," I explained.
He shook his head while still grinning. They continued eating while talking about me. I couldn't help but get irritated.
Yuri put a plate of rice and viand in front of me. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Eat. We need our energy for later" he said, smiling.
"I'm not hungry."
"If you get beaten up later, I won't help you."
"Then don't. I won't get beaten up, so I won't need you." He laughed briefly. "What's the real reason we're joining this fight later?"
"To show who's the real boss. It's also a good opportunity to get rid of our old enemies." To get rid of the people who were bothering Jay-jay.
"I hope you can do it. That would also get rid of the people who are bothering Jay-jay." he said, looking me straight in the eyes.
Was he trying to trick me? I couldn't believe he still didn't believe what I said last night. Now I hated his ability to observe.
I was forced to eat to keep busy and avoid his questions. I felt heavy, and as time went on, it got heavier.
I wanted this day to be over. I wanted to defeat them.
We were almost finished eating when Jay-jay entered the room. Percy was with her.
What now?
She seemed to be looking for someone and looked at Ci-N, who was in front of them.
I noticed Felix suddenly moving away, changing his seat.
"What's your problem?" I heard Eman ask him.
"I'm fighting with him. He'll probably scold me if he sees me." Felix explained.
I looked back at the three of them. The two kids were fighting over who would sit next to Jay-jay.
Knowing Ci-N, he wouldn't let Percy win. They continued arguing until…
"This ugly kid is so annoying! He's such a loser!"
Yup! Ci-N won just like that. I chuckled quietly, along with the rest of Section E, who were also listening to them.
"He called me ugly and a loser! I'm going to beat up this kid!" Percy complained to Jay-jay.
She obviously didn't care. She left Percy and sat in her seat. I took my phone out of my pocket and stared at her number for a while. I badly wanted to text her, but I didn't want to be too obvious.
I pressed the message button next to her name. I composed a message but ended up deleting it. I typed again and again, deleting it at the end.
I wanted to throw my phone. I was hopeless. Maybe a blank message would be a good start. She would respond, and she would start the conversation.
I clicked send without hesitation but immediately regretted it. Who would send a blank message and expect a reply?
Maybe me.
And I was right. She ignored my message!
I panicked and typed another message, sending it without rereading it.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: ILoveYou my Everything…😍
What a dimwit?! I typed whatever came to my mind. On the bright side, she responded.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Gunggong! [Stupid!]
So sweet.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: I'm not Gunggong but maybe an Ulupong. [I'm not Stupid but maybe an Asshole]
I quickly hid my phone when I noticed her looking. I could sense her irritation.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Cno kb? Tiglan mo na ko, hnd ka nkktwa. [Who are you? Can you please stop, you're not funny]
What's 'cno kb'? I couldn't understand her words. Was this what they called Jejemon? She had the same style as Tiger. It was annoying to read.
(Note: Jejemon is a type of person in the Philippines who makes the language hard to read or understand 😆.... mostly some of us become jejemon because we're too lazy to type and ended up making the words look shorter but we're actually got used to it so most of us can understand it fully...)
I kept staring at her text message. I tried to read it and sighed when I finally understood it.
I composed a message. Maybe a little clue.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: I'm ur saviour. I saved you from your kidnapper and claimed my price that same day.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Ulowl men! [You idiot]
So sweet! Keep cursing; I'm adding it to my list.
Profanity.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: I miss ur lips. Can I claim it again?
I knew she was pissed.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: The fvck! Cno kba tlga?! [Who are you really?]
Again! Profanity.
To: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: I told u. I'm ur saviour. I saved you while you were blindfolded.
Come on! It was so easy. Every clue I was giving her was pointing at me.
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: Ikw yng humlik skin? [You're the one who kissed me?]
Yes, I am!
From: MyFutureMrsWatson
Message: u got it right. 😉
"Keifer…" Yuri called me, and I looked at him.
"Why are you smiling to yourself?"
Oh, fvck!