Chapter-281 Heart Day

Keifer's POV

I'm running out of reasons to keep going with this damn plan. It feels like nothing's progressing. Everything we've planned is still hanging in the air.

And now I'm losing Jay-jay.

"Of all the things we planned... how many have you actually done?" Keigan asked me.

I cleared my throat. "I pushed Jay-jay away. I looked for allies—"

"What allies? The street fighters who keep picking fights with you?"

"They're not just—"

I saw him roll his eyes. "When we said allies, we meant someone powerful. Someone you can rely on anytime. Someone with a lot of connections."

"Someone like Angelo," Mr. Ryder added.

I simply shook my head. "I can find someone else."

"Where? In KingsGround? Other than drug lords, who else are you going to approach there?" Keigan's voice was starting to rise. "Come on, Kuya! We're all here trying to help you, but you won't even help yourself!"

I held my temple and massaged it with one hand. What else is missing?

"We're leaving sooner than the original plan," Mr. Ryder said. "...Staying here is only making it harder for you to do your part."

I don't wanna hear it!

I stood up right away and turned my back to them. They called my name, but I chose to keep walking. I was supposed to head to the basement, but I stopped. They'll find me there.

I turned and quickly walked toward the garage. I picked the simplest car I had.

As soon as I got in, I heard my phone ringing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Keigan's name on the screen. I silenced the phone and grabbed the key from the glove compartment.

I drove fast heading to KingsGround. It's the only place where I can drink without being disturbed by Keigan and the others.

My mind was almost blank. Jay-jay was the only one in it. She kept circling my thoughts. I don't want to lose her, but I have to push her away. How will I protect her?

Come on, Keifer! Think of something else. I'm out of options.

My grip on the steering wheel tightened. I accidentally pressed the horn when a car suddenly cut in front of me. I almost chased them down just to crash into them. Good thing I remembered where I was headed.

I turned the car at the corner into KingsGround. I was still far, but I could already see the many cars parked outside. All branded and definitely worth a fortune. Some were even limited edition or only sold abroad.

I parked next to a car from a brand I didn't recognize. I headed straight for the club entrance. The party was wilder than usual. Free beer was raining down. The club was packed with people desperate to dance.

I glanced toward Tiger's office. I saw a few men watching the crowd while holding glasses of alcohol. I arched a brow.

Who are they? Looks like Tiger has guests. I decided to head straight to the bar.

I was just about to sit on one of the stools when someone tapped me. I looked and saw the serious face of one of Tiger's bouncers.

"Boss is calling you upstairs."

I nodded briefly and followed him. My shoulders felt like they were about to drop as I climbed the stairs to his office.

When I opened the door, almost everyone turned to look at me. My forehead creased.

What the hell?

"Keifer!" Tiger called out to me with a wide smile as he approached. "Come in! Come in! I want to introduce you to my guests."

He slung an arm over my shoulders as he led me toward his guests. There were around eight of them, each scattered around the room with someone to talk to.

"Seriously Leo? A kid?" said the one sitting comfortably on a couch. He didn't look Filipino. More like European—sharp jawline, intense eyes. He had the kind of gaze that studied everything, even if he had a slight smile on his lips.

Tiger's brows quickly furrowed. "TIGER! Stop calling me Leo! It's Tiger!"

They all laughed. I looked at them one by one, trying to figure out if I knew at least one of them. Some looked familiar, but I couldn't place names to their faces.

"Who is he? He looks familiar." asked the man standing by the glass wall. He was different from the first guy. His features were soft—probably Korean or Chinese, judging by his mono eyelids that nearly closed when he smiled. He looked like the kind of person you wouldn't be afraid to approach.

"Everyone! This is Keifer Watson!" Tiger announced, gesturing as if I were royalty.

They all stopped what they were doing. One of them even almost spit out his drink, while the others exchanged meaningful glances.

"The Watson?" asked the man sitting at Tiger's desk, trying to confirm. "You mean the young heir of the Watsons?"

He looked like he couldn't believe it. I couldn't help but be annoyed. It was as if he knew me so well.

"The one and only," Tiger said proudly, patting my shoulder.

I looked at him irritably. "What is this about?" I asked under my breath.

He grinned at me teasingly, walked away from my side, and went to the coffee table. He poured a glass of liquor and handed it to me.

I took it with one hand.

"Isn't he a minor?" asked the one sitting beside the first guy.

"Minor has no meaning here at my club," Tiger said with a lunatic smile.

"Are you recruiting him?" the first guy asked again.

Recruiting? For what?

"Nope," Tiger answered while shaking his head. "He doesn't know anything about your frat."

I couldn't help but feel even more irritated. I didn't understand a word of what they were talking about. I knew they were referring to me, but I didn't get what recruitment or frat they meant.

I turned to Tiger and gave him a cold stare.

"Kindly give me a clue on what these people are talking about," I said with authority.

He didn't respond, but I heard reactions from his guests.

"Is it just me, or did I just see Angelo in him?" said one of them as he walked toward me.

I instinctively stepped back. He knows Angelo.

"They look alike. Not exactly, but in certain angles," said another one with glasses, typing something on his phone.

"Maybe Angelo knows him," said the first guy, swirling the drink in his glass. He turned to Tiger. "Does Angelo know this guy?"

I was seriously not amused anymore. I put down the glass Tiger had handed me earlier onto the coffee table.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think I don't have any reason to stay here," I said, about to walk away when one of them stood at the door, blocking my path.

"Kindly move before I lose my temper."

He smirked and crossed his arms. "You have the attitude of a Watson."

"Keifer. Right?" the first guy asked again, but I didn't answer. "Ervin Schnee," he said, raising his glass.

My tongue might as well have been cut out. No words could describe how shocked I was right then.

The owner of multibillion-dollar banks is right in front of me.

"I actually hate your family. Instead of saving money in our bank, they decided to build their own," he said before taking a drink.

"Someone's bitter," said the one with soft features, and they all chuckled.

"I am not!" He pointed a finger at Tiger. "Call Angelo. If he's not recruiting this kid, I will."

That "recruiting" again. What the hell is that even about? I was really done with all of this.

I looked at Tiger when I heard the phone ringing. He put it on loudspeaker. I frowned as I waited to see what would happen.

["What?! Make sure it's important!"] It was Angelo—obviously irritated.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Tiger asked teasingly.

["Fvck no! Didn't I tell you that I'm fvcking busy!"]

I heard the soft chuckles of those listening in. Ervin signaled for the phone. Tiger handed it to him.

"Angelo, my man!" he greeted cheerfully.

["What do you fvcking want, d*ckhead?!"]

Ervin laughed. "Come on! I just want to ask if you're familiar with Keifer Watson."

Angelo's line went quiet. So did the man watching Ervin.

["He's just a kid,"] Angelo said calmly, which felt out of his character. ["Don't mind him."]

"Look, are you planning to recruit him? Because I am."

Another silence on the other end. He was giving me a reason to believe he planned to talk to me about this. I didn't understand anything at all. All I knew was that these guys, clearly from different countries, knew Angelo. They mentioned something about recruiting, and Tiger said something about a frat.

["Don't."]

"I'm giving you two options. Recruit him or I will," Ervin said, then finally ended the call.

He tossed the phone back to Tiger, who barely managed to catch it. Then he looked at me with overflowing arrogance.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, nearly whispering.

"I'll tell you later. Just enjoy the party for now," he answered and threw an arm over my shoulder.

He picked up the glass I'd put down earlier and handed it back to me. He forced me to sit between Ervin and another guy I didn't recognize.

They asked a few questions. I chose to answer some, but not all—especially not the personal ones or anything involving the Watson family's wealth. Particularly Ervin, who kept prying about the rumored solid gold our family supposedly owned.

I wasn't going to say a thing.

It was obvious they were getting drunk. They had probably been drinking for hours.

Eventually, a few of them decided to head downstairs to find women to dance with, while the others decided to go home. When they were finally out of sight, I turned to face Tiger, who was tapping away on his phone even though his eyes were barely open.

"Mind explaining everything to me," I commanded. He smiled like a kid.

He straightened up in his seat and even burped, causing me to scrunch my nose at the stench of his breath.

"D-don't tell Angelo, oki?" He made the okay sign with his hand.

I nodded shortly.

"Angelo... heeeeee joined a fraternity before... we graduated high school," he explained, pointing at me with a swaying finger. "But... but... but this isn't some chheeeaaap frat. It's Internaaational!" He even raised his hand dramatically when he said international. "Each time someone recruits a high rank—10 million dolaaaars they get. Buuuut if you're low rank like me, 1 million dolaaaars."

He started poking my face. "You! You're high rank, thaaaat's why Ervin wants to snatch you!"

I could barely understand what he was saying. So, it's a fraternity… and there's money involved.

From what I understood, if I got recruited into what they called a high rank, the person who recruited me would receive 10 million dollars.

"Dooooon't! Tell Angelo I told you. He'll kill meeeee! He doesn't wanna recruit you because he's suuure you'll use that frat to wiiiiin your baaaaatttttttllleeee."

Is that so?

"Why did you and Angelo join that group?"

He laughed in an irritating way. "Because of Ion and Rafael."

I arched a brow. "I understand the thing about Ion, but what's with Rafael?"

"Raaaffy-baby was the first to join, thheeeennn he recruited Angelo, thhheeen me. That bastard must've been rolling in caaasssshhhh."

One of his eyes was already closing. He was close to passing out, so I had to get all the information I needed fast.

"What do I get from joining that frat?"

He grinned wide. "Aaaayyyyyiiieeee you wannnnnt toooo." He lightly slapped my face.

"Connection, power, money, and alliance."

I turned at his last words. Is this the answer to the alliance Keigan has been looking for?

They want someone like Angelo, and I just happened to meet a group of men like him.

"Then recruit me," I said, almost commanding.

"Dddiiiiii pidi!" he quickly replied.

What?!

"I thought you were a member too?"

He shook his head harshly. "Didn't you heaaaaarrr?! I'm a Low Ranker."

My forehead creased. "What's the difference?"

He suddenly closed his eyes and bowed his head. I smacked the back of his head. He couldn't fall asleep just yet. He lifted his head and opened his eyes.

"Did you just hit me?"

I shook my head. "Just answer my question."

"Thoooose Low Rankers can only recruit other low rankers. High Rankers can recruit both Low and High."

His head started dropping again, so I flicked his ear—hard. He sat up and glared at me while holding his ear.

"Is tat you?!"

"What if I become a low ranker, what will I get?"

"It's liiiiike... being a general to a king. You'll get protection, buuuuut you won't be as strong as the Hiiiigh Ranks. They'll also base it on your lyf status. If you can paaay the annual fee of 3 million dollarssss... WELCOOOMMME to High!"

There's an annual fee? That means if Angelo is a high ranker, he pays every year. But how can he afford that if they're struggling financially?

I patted Tiger on the shoulder. "Thanks. Go to sleep now." I pushed him down on the couch.

He flopped over like a fallen statue and didn't get up. I left him and exited his office. I searched for Ervin on the dance floor, but because of the crowd, it was hard to find him. I spotted him near the stage where two girls were dancing.

"Ervin!" I called out. "ERVIN!" I shoved the two girls beside him. He turned to face me with a scowl.

"What the hell?!"

"RECRUIT ME! RECRUIT ME ON YOUR FVCKING GROUP!" My throat nearly tore from yelling.

He slung his arm around me and pulled me away. He was way bigger than me, so I couldn't resist, especially with all the people packed in around us.

We made it off the disco dance floor, but he still didn't let go. Until I noticed—we were outside KingsGround.

He threw me aside and stared me straight in the eye. The way he looked at me gave me goosebumps.

"You disturbed us, jerk!"

"Recruit me!"

He shook his head. "I can't without Angelo's permission! You're his prospect!" He took a piece of paper from his wallet and tossed it at me. "Talk to him first and ask him to call me."

He turned his back on me and went inside. I picked up the paper he threw. A calling card. I crumpled it out of frustration.

I can't expect anything from Angelo. He won't let me join. But I had no choice. Looks like I really have to beg him.

This is for my Jay-jay!

I quickly got into my car. I nearly crashed into the luxury cars parked nearby from how pissed I was.

I drove recklessly, almost getting into an accident.

I just want this done. I want to be with Jay-jay—before I completely lose her.

It didn't take long before I reached their house. A few lights were still on. I checked the time. It was 12:52 AM.

I parked the car not far from their gate. It was open, and their maids were going in and out, seemingly taking out the trash.

I didn't wait for someone to let me in. I walked in on my own—and to my surprise, no one noticed me. I headed straight to the second floor. The light was dim but enough for me to see my way.

I knew Aries and Angelo's rooms. I've been here before. I was about to knock on Angelo's door when I noticed the room almost directly across from Aries's.

C-in told me everything about Jay's room. I didn't know if she was still awake, but I knew I wanted to see her. My feet moved on their own toward her door.

The light was off, but a faint glow was coming from what I assumed was a lamp. She said before that sometimes she had nightmares and blamed the darkness for them.

My hand lifted on its own to reach the doorknob. She didn't lock her door. I was right—the light was just from the lamp.

Her blanket was off, and she was curled up, shivering from the cold. I walked slowly toward her and reached for her face. Her cheeks were wet with tears. And even without asking, I knew I was the reason again.

I wiped her tears before picking up the blanket and wrapping it around her. I sat beside her and kissed her forehead multiple times.

"I hurt you again," I whispered. "I'm a jerk for hurting you so bad. I don't deserve you or your love." I kissed her forehead again. "But I still want it. I still want you."

I brushed a few strands of her hair aside and stared at her. Her brows were furrowed, and she was starting to sweat. She was also murmuring something I couldn't understand.

"Ssshhhh... It's okay. I'm here," I said while brushing her hair.

I adjusted the way she was lying and wiped her sweat. I didn't care if she woke up.

"K-keifer..." she murmured.

"Hey... I'm here."

"Mmmm... you... hurt..."

Are you dreaming about me?

I held her hand and kissed it. Out of fear that something might happen to you, I chose to hurt you instead. But now I'm scared to lose you—and if I have to tell you the truth to prevent that, then I will.

"Damn you... Keifer..." she muttered, making me chuckle.

"Profanity," I said, and kissed her lips—but it was a soft one.

I wiped the sweat from her forehead again and gently combed her hair with my fingers. After all this, I'm going to plan a grand date for just the two of us. I don't know how, but I'll make sure it happens.

"I know it's wrong, but I'll do it just so I don't lose you. When I tell you the truth, I hope you'll understand me." I was about to plant another kiss when someone interrupted.

"What truth? And why should she understand you?"

I pulled away slightly from Jay-jay and looked at the one who spoke. It was Aries, standing at the door. He looked at me like he was ready to kill.

"Move away from my sister. Now." He tried his best to sound calm. I smiled before slowly standing up. "Get out." I looked at his clenched fist. "Out. Right now." He remained calm. "Before I lose it and kill you."

"How will you kill me when you can't see anything? You're blind, your vision's dark."

He nearly lunged at me if he hadn't seen Jay-jay behind me.

Come on. Show me your capability.

"Aries, why are you there?" I heard his mother—or rather, his Auntie.

"Is she still—" She stopped when she saw me. "K-Keifer... H-how did you get in?"

"Sorry for entering your house without permission," I said and looked down.

I could tell she was flustered. She even placed a hand over her chest.

"Just don't do it again." She looked at Jay behind me. "Can you step out of there now?"

I looked at Jay-jay for a moment before nodding at her and walking out. They quickly closed the door behind me before Tita grabbed my arm. She pulled me slightly.

"Maybe you should just talk to Jay-jay tomorrow. It's late. She's already asleep."

"I actually came here to see Angelo."

She paused slightly, but still managed a smile at me.

"Then maybe you can wait for him in the living room."

Her anxiety was still obvious. I knew she was thinking something else, especially after finding me in Jay-jay's room. Add to that the fact that no one even noticed I had gotten inside. I walked with her.

"You don't have to worry. I didn't do anything to Jay-jay."

She forced a smile as she let go of my arm.

"It's not that. I just don't want Jay-jay to wake up. She still hasn't recovered her sleep. She's always been staying up late crying at night." She explained.

I nodded shortly to acknowledge her explanation. But I knew that wasn't the real reason. She was scared I might've done something bad to Jay-jay.

We reached the living room.

"Have a seat first. I'll get you some juice," she said, but I stopped her right away.

"Tita..." She looked at me, confused. "There's something I want to ask."

She smiled at me. "What is it?"

"Is it true that..." I sighed. "...you knew where Dad's child was before me?"

Her smile faded. "W-what... I-I don't understand."

"My monster of a father had a child before me. And Mom told me you know where he or she is."

She turned pale. She even held her chest. "I-I don't know! I don't know anything!" She slowly backed away. "I'm leaving!"

She knew!

I quickly blocked her path, startling her.

"Just tell me the truth and I won't bother you anymore."

She shook her head harshly. "I-I really don't know anything."

I held her by both arms. She tried to push my hands away, but I didn't let go. "Please... Tell me where my half-sibling is."

"I-I really don't know! Let go of me!"

"You don't understand—"

Suddenly, someone pulled me away from her. Then a fist came flying at me, landing hard and sending me crashing to the floor.

Fvck! It's the fvcking Demon.

"What the hell, Keifer?! What the fvck are you doing with my mother?!" Angelo shouted while hugging his mother protectively.

I wiped my lip with the back of my hand, stood up, and straightened myself.

"T-that's enough, Angelo. Don't hurt the boy," his mother said while pulling him close.

"What happened?" It was Aries. "What did you do, Keifer?"

"Leave now! Or I might not hold myself back!" Angelo hissed at me.

"I need to talk to you!"

He pointed a finger at me. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Just call Ervin Schnee and give him your permission!"

He suddenly froze, though he was still fuming. He took several deep breaths.

"Wait for me outside," he said before turning to his mother.

I quickly walked outside. I stopped in front of my car and yanked at my own hair.

She knows something. She wouldn't react like that if she didn't. I need to make her confess. But how?

I waited outside their house for almost an hour before I saw Angelo come out and walk toward me.

"You're not joining the fraternity," he started.

"What?!"

"I'm not letting you join that group."

"What's your problem with me?!"

"You have to leave," he said, then turned away.

He was about to walk away from me. I couldn't let it end like this.

"Why are you so quick to push me away? Is it because of Jay-jay? Because of the accident with Aries and Percy? Or is it something else?"

He stopped and looked slightly over his shoulder at me. "And what do you mean?"

"You wouldn't be this eager to drive me away over something shallow. Maybe you know something I don't." He still didn't move."...Where is my half-sibling?"