Chapter-301 Start

Keifer's POV

"I'm sorry, Jay."

Damn it! I couldn't even say it to her properly. This is all Aries' fault. I was caught off guard. And now I heard her crying again before the call ended. My fist clenched while holding the phone.

"Sir, Mr. Clyde is waiting for you." one of the employees said.

I slightly turned my head and answered, "Give me a minute."

"Yes, Sir." he said, and I heard his footsteps fade away.

As soon as I get back to the Philippines, that Aries is going to get it from me. He called me just to tell me not to come back. Is he crazy?

Well, the answer is yes. He is crazy. What I don't understand is how I ended up talking to Jay-jay when it was him who called. He's probably tricking me

I tucked my secret phone into the pocket of my coat. Adjusted my necktie before walking back into the conference room.

Clyde was waiting for me, sitting comfortably in his—my swivel chair. I walked over to him and kicked the chair.

"Move. That's my chair."

He glared at me. "I'm still the CEO, Keifer."

"That's my chair," I repeated.

He frowned before standing up and moving to another swivel chair. I dusted the seat off briefly before sitting down.

I looked at Clyde, who was clearly sulking. His face still showed marks from the punches I gave him.

"Enjoying watching my face?" he asked sarcastically.

"Nothing enjoyable in your face."

He handed me a few sheets of paper. A list of companies in Asia that could potentially be partners or good investment targets. I scanned it, looking for a particular name, but for some reason, Fer Corp wasn't on the list.

"List of the companies in Asia. Their portfolio is over there." He pointed to the end of the long table. "Since you're now moving forward to your rightful throne, why don't you start with the responsibility."

"Fer Corp is not on the list," I said, checking it again.

"What?" he asked. "What Fer Corp?"

"Fernandez Corporation. Located in the Philippines."

He raised a brow. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

I put the list down and shook my head. "Never mind. I'll just add it to the list."

He suddenly frowned and looked at me with intense disapproval. "Seriously? Don't you dare add a shit to a pile of gold."

Isn't he the shit?

"It's not on the list because it's not a good company. Simple as that." He added before leaning back and putting his feet up on the table.

I rolled my eyes and reread the list. I recognized a few of the companies. The ones with strong grossing over the past few years were the first I chose to check profiles on.

"Clyde," I called out, and he looked at me. "Hand over the portfolios. Thanks."

"I beg your pardon."

"Forgiven. Hand me the portfolios." I gestured toward the end of the long table.

He chuckled in disbelief. "Wow."

It was clear he had no intention of obeying, so I stared him down. Clyde really has that Watson trait—from the way he stares back at me to the way he moves. Too bad he's useless.

"The portfolios," I said again, and he groaned in defeat.

He stood up to get the portfolios. They were thick, so he had to go back and forth just to carry them all. When he finally placed them in front of me, he looked at me while slowly raising his middle finger.

I smiled sweetly and raised my middle finger in return.

"Tsk! Wow, you're a one true fvcker," he said sarcastically.

"Whatever," I snorted and took the portfolio I wanted.

He returned to his seat. He took out his phone and started playing games. I could even hear the sound effects. I chose to ignore him and continued reading. I sorted the portfolios according to each company's status in the economy.

Surprisingly, a lot of potential companies were located in the Philippines. Singapore and Korea had the most rapidly growing companies in Asia.

When I finished what I was doing, I noticed Clyde had already fallen asleep in his seat. I checked the time on my wristwatch. It was already lunchtime and I was still stuck here with my idiot cousin.

I'm hungry.

I looked for the intercom, which was accidentally covered by papers. I asked the receptionist to bring us lunch. Since Clyde was asleep, I chose the food myself.

It took almost half an hour before the food arrived. I didn't bother waking him up and just ate on my own. Times like this, I always think about her.

I wonder if she's eaten.

I remembered how she ate. She never cared about where she was—if there was food, she'd show her love for it.

I could barely recall a time when she refused to eat anything. And she really had a big appetite. But what amazed me was her body—it hardly changed, despite how much she ate.

Suddenly, I choked when an image of her giving me a sharp look popped into my head.

"Please tell me you're dying." It was Clyde.

My coughing probably woke him up. He stood and grabbed one lunch pack and a bottled water.

I drank mine to ease the irritation in my throat.

"So you're not dying?" he asked in a flat tone. "Too bad."

Clearly, his mind was drifting off and he wasn't even thinking about what he was saying.

I almost forgot—he doesn't have a brain, so nothing filters his words before they come out.

He started eating, so I just let him be. He finished his food right after I finished mine.

Then he took a few of the lists and portfolios.

"Visit them. Do your thing," he said before tossing the papers toward me. "Check their offers, whatsoever."

I took the papers and arranged them properly. I was about to scold him for his behavior when I noticed he was already snoring. He fell asleep that fast.

Why does he look so sleep-deprived?

My secret phone suddenly vibrated. I glanced briefly at Clyde before taking it out of my pocket.

It was from the last person I expected to receive a message from.

From: Demon

Message: Schnee would like to meet you.

What would that person want from me now? Then it suddenly clicked. He's one of the people assigned to give me my initiation task.

I replied to Angelo to ask where we'd be meeting, but he didn't respond. Minutes passed and another message came—this time from an unknown number.

It was an address, which I assumed was our meeting place.

I didn't waste any time. I got myself ready and left Clyde still deep in sleep. I just left the papers with his secretary.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, the car was already waiting for me. I told the driver where I was headed. It wasn't that far, but because of the heavy traffic, it still took us almost an hour to get there.

Before I got out of the car, I checked my surroundings.

Coast is clear.

I got out and entered the restaurant. My eyebrow rose when I noticed that there was no one else inside. It's a restaurant for crying out loud—there should at least be some customers. But I had a good idea why the place was empty.

Ervin Schnee was silently enjoying his food. I walked toward him, and he immediately smiled when he saw me. It was a very playful smile.

"Watson... Have a seat." He used his knife to point at the seat across from him.

"What happened to this place?" I asked while pulling the chair to sit.

"I rented the whole place. I don't like noise while having nosh," he said and swallowed his food.

My nose crinkled in disgust. He eats like a pig. Well, he did a good job renting the whole place—people wouldn't want to see him eat either.

"What do you want from me?" Just get to the point.

"See that jewelry store across the road?" He used his knife again to point at the store outside.

Thanks to the big glass windows of this restaurant, I could see everything outside. It was a vintage-style jewelry store, but there was nothing in the display window but empty boxes.

"I think it's out of business," I said to Schnee before glancing back at him.

He took out his phone. He held it up to me and showed a ring with a large diamond in the center and two smaller ones on each side.

"The store owner doesn't want to sell that ring. He said something about feelings," he said before taking his phone back.

Okay, I know what he's up to.

"You want me to buy it for you?"

He grinned like a child. "Yes, please."

I rolled my eyes. If this is part of the task, it's too easy. So, Angelo is telling the truth. Their group will definitely take advantage of its new recruits. They'll ask me to do things just because they know how badly I want to be part of them.

"Okay. Wait here."

I left him and walked straight to the jewelry store. The bell rang as I opened the wooden door.

I almost raised an eyebrow as I scanned the whole place.

It's empty.

There was nothing in the cupboards or display window. Just empty jewelry boxes.

Did they get robbed? Or go bankrupt?

"Leave." an old voice said. "I saw you talking to that idiot guy across the road. I won't let him get the ring."

I turned to see who it was. An old man with a single eyeglass lens. He was busy looking at something on his table behind the counter. I slowly walked toward him.

"Did you get robbed?" I asked, pointing at the empty cupboards.

He laughed at what I said. He shook his head and removed the monocle from his left eye, placing it inside his chest pocket.

"You're not from here? So tell—" He stopped when he had a chance to really stare at me.

"Do I have something on my face?" I asked, which made him look away.

"I beg your pardon. I thought you were someone I knew." He arranged a few papers on top of his table. "You're a Watson?"

"Yes, I am."

He nodded briefly. "That makes sense."

My forehead creased. He obviously knew someone in my family whom I resembled.

"Do you know someone from my family? I'd guess it's my grandfather since they say I look like him."

He chuckled briefly. "Certainly." He finally stopped what he was doing. "So, how can I help you? I bet you're not here for my rub jewelry."

He was obviously making fun of my earlier question. I scratched my eyebrow. I hadn't meant to say it that way.

I noticed how he looked at my arm, which still had a bandage. I raised it to show that it was fine and I could use it normally.

"It's nothing."

"You said so."

He suddenly placed a red cloth on top of the counter. One by one, he laid out colorful rings on it. I saw the ring Schnee wanted me to buy for him.

There was something different about his rings. Yes, they sparkled like any other expensive jewelry, but I felt something while staring at them.

"I don't use expensive materials. Diamonds need to be ordered first before I make the ring. If that doesn't answer your question—my store was not robbed. I do not put them on display because someone like your idiot friend across the road will buy it and put it to waste," he explained.

Now it made sense. That's why the jewelry boxes were empty—because he makes them customized for someone.

For my Jasper Jean.

"Can you make one for me?" I asked, feeling a joyful warmth in my chest.

He stared at me for a moment. "It depends. Can you describe the receiver of the ring?"

It's not really my intention to buy her a ring. But for some reason, I saw her teary-eyed smile while I was slipping a ring on her finger. I couldn't hold back my smile.

"Well, she's really different."

"All women are different," he said, giving me a playful look. "In the eyes of their men."

I laughed shortly. "I don't think there's a right word to describe her. But I'll still try," I said, and he nodded. "She likes food and she's not ashamed of it. She doesn't care what other people say about her. She does what she thinks is right. Friendship and family are important to her. She's also one of the boys. Would you believe me if I told you she punched me?"

He laughed at my question. "Now, describe her the way you see her."

"I see her as the queen of my empire," I said without any hesitation.

"And you are her king?"

"Yes, but..." I said, which made him confused. "I am willing to leave my throne as long as she's sitting there for me. I can do that to protect her."

It took me a long time to realize—she doesn't need a king to sit by her side. She needs a man who will protect her. I will shine my sword, but not my armor, so that I can fight with honor—not for a show.

"That's a very dangerous feeling you've got there, young man," he said, and I noticed the notebook he was writing in.

He's taking notes of what I'm saying. Does he really need to do that?

"When is her birthday?" he asked.

"May 29."

"Oh dear. That's in two months."

"I understand if you can't—"

He shook his head. "Don't challenge me. I've never failed on time."

I couldn't hold my smile. My first gift for her birthday. We finished the transaction with my payment. He asked for my details so he could contact me.

I went back for the ring that Schnee really wanted. At first, the old man didn't want to sell it, but in the end, I convinced him that I'd return it if that guy ever gave it away for nothing.

I also found out that the ring was actually for one of his customers, but eventually, that guy broke up with his girlfriend and never came back for it. I paid double so the old man could return the original payment to him.

I stepped out with a strange smile. I can't wait to have that ring and give it to Jay. I returned to the restaurant and handed over the ring.

"Wow, you did it."

"Make sure to take care of it."

He smiled wickedly. "Of course. Same way I treat my other jewelry collection."

Collection?

"This is for your collection?"

"Yes," he said and started walking out of the restaurant. "I'll send the money later."

How unusual. I've never heard of a guy collecting jewelry. As far as I know, it's a woman thing.

Jeez. They're all weird.

I looked outside when I noticed the driver stepping out of the car. He was talking to someone over the phone. I walked out of the restaurant and stopped in front of him.

"Sir Keigan said your flight is tonight."

I nodded at him and got inside the car. We headed straight to the hotel. As soon as we arrived, I walked quickly toward the elevator.

Keigan and I still hadn't talked about the incident. I tried to bring it up, but he quickly changed the topic—obviously avoiding it. I couldn't help but think about his situation.

The scary part is, Keiren saw it before. He experienced the changes in his older brother. I just hope he doesn't notice that something's wrong with his Kuya.

I walked fast as the elevator doors opened. I went straight to our suite, where I found Keigan on the phone with someone.

He turned to me. "...Yes. He's here." He ended the call and set his phone down. "It was Clyde. He said you should start getting to know the companies on the list. I booked your flight tonight—"

"You're coming with me."

"What?" He looked confused.

"I need an assistant. Honey's obviously no use since she's too busy with her textmate."

I had no plans of leaving him here, especially now that I knew his situation.

"I don't think I can help you—"

"You already helped me. You planned everything for me, remember?"

He nodded briefly. "Then help me again. This time, as my assistant."

I saw how his lips slowly formed a smile. "O-okay. I'll get everything ready."

He went straight to his room, and so did I. I began preparing the things I'd be bringing. But this wasn't just a trip back to Asia.

I'll make sure to see her. To see my future Queen.