KEIFER'S POV
"I want everybody to leave," the Monster said.
But nobody moved. I held Keigan's arm, keeping him close to my side.
I wanted no one to leave—except him.
"My son and I will talk privately," he added.
But again, nobody moved. Everyone just stared at us.
"K-Kuya… w-what does he want?" my brother whispered. I could feel him trembling.
I couldn't help but feel angry. Why does he still have this effect on my brother? What did this monster do to him?
"No one will leave this room. If you want to talk to him, do it in front of us," Uncle Kier said firmly.
The Monster laughed. "You said so." He turned to me with a serious look in his eyes. "Anong totoo?" he asked.
I frowned. It seemed like he had no intention of letting the others know what we were about to discuss.
The Elders immediately voiced their complaints, confused by his words. Only Keigan, Uncle Kier, and I could understand him.
It was better to follow his lead. I had no intention of sharing our conversation with the Elders anyway.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"I know Serina left you some things. Now tell me what they are."
"Keifer!" the Eldest called out. "What is he saying? Tell us!"
I was about to speak, but Uncle Kier answered for me.
"Let them talk. Keifer will tell us later."
I turned back to face the man in front of me. I didn't understand what he was trying to find out.
"Nonsense," I said bluntly.
He shook his head. "What nonsense? Did he tell you?"
I stayed silent. Did he know that Mom had been killed? Did he know about the plan he made for Angelo and me? I couldn't risk saying anything that might expose the truth.
"He left you something, but I don't care about that. What I want to know is—are you really his son?"
I looked at Keigan and Uncle Kier, who were both clueless about what the Monster was saying. What was he trying to imply? That Mom betrayed him?
Bullsh*t!
"You're insane."
He laughed, a humorless sound. "I know you're a Watson. I've seen you since the day you were born. But the biggest question for me is—who is your father?" His voice rose.
He was clearly losing patience. I was also on the verge of snapping at him and his accusations.
"Mom wouldn't do what you're implying. Her last will proves it—"
"I know all of that! But your mother was too smart. She wouldn't let you get caught up in this."
"How can you say such a thing?!"
I couldn't contain my anger anymore. I felt Keigan holding onto me, trying to stop me from doing something reckless.
I also heard the faint murmurs of the Elders. They were probably trying to piece together what we were talking about.
"After everything you did to Mom, you still have the audacity to doubt her?" I spat.
"I have every right to," he said calmly.
For the first time, I saw pain in his eyes—but it disappeared almost instantly, replaced by coldness.
"I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. I knew she didn't like me, but I hoped… for years, I hoped." His voice was bitter. "And then I found out she had been doing something behind my back. I let her. I waited… until I got tired." His eyes turned deadly. "My suspicions were confirmed when the lawyer came on the day of her funeral. They planned everything so that the inheritance would go to you."
"Because you don't deserve it."
"I deserve that money! I worked hard for this family. But these Elders and your grandfather never gave me a chance to prove I was worthy of it. And they used your Mom—the woman I loved the most."
"You were never worthy of that money," the Eldest interrupted.
Dad turned to him. "Neither are you."
The Eldest stepped forward, but one of his brothers stopped him. The Monster turned back to me.
"What's the truth?" he asked again.
"The truth is right in front of you. Even if I don't want to be your son—that's the truth!"
"You're too much, Keifer. You've surpassed me, so why wouldn't I be suspicious?"
"Your excuses are pathetic!"
He laughed bitterly and snapped his fingers. In an instant, Dylan's gun was aimed at me. I immediately pulled Keigan behind me, feeling his grip tighten on my sleeve. At the same time, the Elders' bodyguards raised their own weapons.
"If you're telling the truth, give me the documents Serina left behind," he demanded.
"I won't give you anything," I said, forcing myself to stay calm.
But my heart is pounding wildly. Nothing bad can happen to me here. My brothers, my friends, and the girl I love so much need me.
Dad stared at me, his eyes filled with regret. We held each other's gaze for a few minutes until he gave up.
"If I find out my suspicions are true, I will desecrate your mother's corpse," he said. That made me snap.
Before I realized it, we were exchanging punches. My name echoed around me, shouted over and over. My fist struck his face multiple times, and I had no intention of stopping—until two strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me back with all their strength.
I screamed as my elbow hit the floor. Keigan and Uncle Kier rushed to my side.
"You son of a b*tch!" the monster roared as he struggled to stand.
I did the same with Keigan's help. My elbow throbbed painfully, making it difficult to move my arm and hand.
"Don't you dare disrespect her! She died because of you!" I shouted.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. "She died because she chose to die! I could have saved her, but she chose to leave us rather than stay with me!"
"Because you're a monster, and she loathed you!" I yelled, pointing a trembling finger at him.
He paused for a moment, collecting himself. Then, he looked at all of us.
"I will find out the truth, Keifer. I will," he said before turning his back.
His men followed him, closing the door behind them. The Elders' bodyguards immediately sprang into action, calling for medics to tend to me.
I could no longer hide the pain. I knew it wasn't broken—probably just a minor injury—but the ache gnawed at me, reaching deep into the muscles.
They took me to a room and sat me on the edge of a large bed.
"Tell us everything, Keifer. What did you discuss with him?" the eldest Elder commanded.
His cane struck the floor with a sharp crack, and, as always, his brothers stood behind him.
"Nothing you don't already know," I replied.
The medics entered, forcing the Elders to step aside. They examined my elbow, applied bandages for first aid, and informed me I needed an X-ray.
Once the medics left, the teasing began. I stuck to my story—I only spoke about the inheritance and mentioned additional information Mom had left behind that he was searching for.
I knew the Elders didn't believe me, but they couldn't force me to talk. Left with no choice, they eventually exited the room.
The moment they were gone, Uncle Kier and Keigan exchanged glances. I knew we had something important to discuss. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I finally asked,
"What did he mean?"
Both of them looked at me.
"I know you heard him."
Keigan shook his head, while Uncle Kier remained silent.
I turned to him. "Uncle, please."
"I'm sorry, Keifer. I don't know what he meant, but I do know your mother had a disease," Uncle Kier admitted.
Keigan and I exchanged startled glances.
"W-what kind of disease?" my brother asked hesitantly.
"She never told me," Uncle Kier replied.
Keigan and I slumped our shoulders in frustration. There was still so much we didn't know. How could we fight back when we were missing pieces of the puzzle?
I tried to recall everything Mom had left behind, but there was nothing about a disease—or about me not being that monster's real son.
"W-what if he's telling the truth?" Keigan suddenly asked.
Uncle Kier and I both disagreed instantly. Mom would never do something like that. She was smart; she knew any mistake would affect the plan for the future.
"That's nonsense," Uncle Kier said firmly.
"It's just a what if," Keigan muttered, his voice trembling. "That would mean I'm his firstborn child."
His hands clutched his hair in distress. "N-no! I can't! I don't want to be!"
I stepped toward him, but he backed away. He was having an anxiety attack. I needed to calm him down before he did something reckless.
"It m-means I'm the h-heir—No! I don't w-want to be!"
"Keigan! I'm the firstborn!" I shouted.
But he wasn't listening. He staggered backward, adjusting his posture erratically. I reached for him, but with only one good arm, it was difficult.
"He'll kidnap me again! He'll force me to do things! I-I don't want to r-rape women! I don't want to k-kill!" he cried, looking down in horror.
Rape? Kill?
"Keigan!" I called, trying again to grab him. "Did he force you to kill someone?"
He stumbled away, bumping into a table. A vase crashed to the floor, shattering loudly.
Keigan barely glanced at it before his body began to shake, his sobs breaking through. Then, suddenly, he started hitting himself.
"Keigan!" Uncle Kier yelled.
"I deserve this! I'm a failure!" Keigan slapped his own face, tears streaming down. "Keigan isn't like Keifer! He's useless! He's nothing!"
I froze, staring at him in disbelief. Was this what he had been told? Or what he truly believed?
"Keifer! Stop your brother!" Uncle Kier's shout snapped me back to reality.
I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around Keigan as tightly as I could. But he struggled against me, his grip suddenly tightening around my bandaged arm. The pain was excruciating.
"K-KEIGAN! STOP!" I screamed.
"Keigan is useless! Keigan deserves nothing!" he chanted, his voice growing more and more desperate.
The agony in my arm became unbearable, and I had no choice but to let him go. As soon as he was free, he stumbled backward, breathing heavily. I collapsed to the floor, my arm numb from the pain.
Keigan was about to hurt himself again when Uncle Kier did something shocking—he slapped him. Hard.
The force sent Keigan sprawling to the floor.
"U-uncle!" I gasped.
"He needs to wake up!" Uncle Kier said firmly as I struggled to stand.
I rushed to my brother's side, but what I saw made my breath hitch.
Blood.
A deep gash ran along Keigan's arm, likely from the shattered vase. He lay motionless, his wide, empty eyes staring at nothing.
"Keigan, let me help you," I said as I supported him with one hand.
He stood up, but there was still no reaction. His eyes were lifeless. I made him sit on the bed and looked around for something to wrap around his arm.
Just then, Uncle handed me his handkerchief. He glanced at me and my injured arm, seeming to understand that it would be difficult for me to tie it around Keigan's wound, so he did it himself.
"I already called my butler and asked him to call an ambulance," he said after tending to Keigan.
He looked at me and my brother. I lowered my gaze, feeling disappointed. He was definitely going to ask me questions I didn't even know the answers to.
"I'll leave you here," he said before walking out the door.
As soon as I heard the door close, I sat on the other side of the bed. Keigan was sniffling—he was probably back to his normal state.
"I-I'm sorry, Kuya. I got scared," he said in a low voice.
"Did you… kill someone?" I asked carefully, trying not to sound accusatory.
He still hadn't told me what happened when that monster took him away. I doubted he would answer me or share anything. But, for some reason, he started to open up.
"He asked me to, but I didn't do it… so he hit me until he felt satisfied."
My fists clenched. I knew something had happened to my brother, but I never expected that monster to force Keigan to become like him. A monster.
"He also… raped women in front of me," he whispered before breaking into sobs. "I remember how they cried and begged for help."
I immediately moved closer and embraced him.
"…But I couldn't do anything."
I let him cry, just like he had before. My brother needed help. He needed it more than I did.
"I'm sorry for not being there."
Suddenly, he pulled away from my embrace. He wiped his tears and took several deep breaths.
"Listen to me, Kuya. I… I have something to tell you," he said, urgency in his voice.
I looked at him, waiting. His hesitation was obvious.
"T-There's something… inside me," he stammered. "I-I…!"
Lost for words, he started to panic.
"S-Someone… here!" He pointed at his chest.
"I don't understand. Please, calm down."
"A-Another Keigan! H-Here!"
Damn it!
I rushed toward him, but before I could reach him, I saw the rapid shift in his expression—and his eyes.
Then, with an unexpected force, he shoved me hard. My head slammed against something, and I collapsed.
"K-Keigan…" I called weakly.
My vision blurred, and then everything turned dark. The last thing I knew was that it wasn't my Keigan who had pushed me.