KEIFER'S POV
"I'm sorry, Jay."
Damn it! I can't even tell her properly. It's Aries' fault. I was caught off guard. And now, I heard her crying again before the call ended. My fist clenched around 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 fading away.
As soon as I get back to the Philippines, I'll deal with Aries. He called me just to tell me not to come back.
Is he crazy?
Well, the answer is yes. He's really crazy. I'm not the only one who doesn't understand how the person I was talking to turned into Jay-Jay. He's probably tricking me.
I hid my secret phone in my coat pocket. I adjusted my necktie before walking back to the conference room..Clyde was waiting for me, sitting comfortably in his swivel chair. I walked up 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 and moving to another swivel chair. I shook the chair a little before sitting down. I looked at the frowning Clyde. His face still showed marks from my punches.
"Enjoying the view?" he asked sarcastically.
"There's nothing enjoyable about your face."
He handed me some papers—lists of companies in Asia that could be good partners or investments. I scanned the list, looking for a particular name, but for some reason, Fer Corp wasn't there.
"List of companies in Asia. Their portfolios are over there," he said, pointing to the end of the long table. "Since you're now stepping into your rightful throne, why not start taking responsibility?"
"Fer Corp isn't on the list," I said, checking again.
"What?" he asked. "What's Fer Corp?"
"Fernandez Corporation. Located in the Philippines."
He raised a brow. "Why does that sound familiar?"
I put the list down and shook my head. "Never mind. I'll just add it myself."
He frowned deeply and looked at me with disgust. "Seriously? Don't you dare add trash to a pile of gold."
Isn't he the trash?
"It's not on the list because it's not a good company. Simple as that," he added, leaning back and putting his feet up on the table.
I rolled my eyes and re-read the list. I knew a few of the companies. The ones with good grossing records in the past few years were the first I chose to check.
"Clyde," I called, and he looked at me. "Hand over the portfolios. Thanks."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Forgiven. Now hand me the portfolios." I gestured toward the end of the table.
He chuckled in disbelief. "Wow."
It was obvious he had no intention of helping, so I stared at him. Clyde really had Watson-like traits—from the way he looked at me to how he acted.
Except he was worthless.
"The portfolios," I said again, and he groaned in defeat.
He stood up and began gathering them. They were so thick he had to go back and forth to get them all. When everything was stacked in front of me, he looked at me while slowly raising his middle finger.
I smiled sweetly and raised mine in return.
"Tsk! Wow, you're a true fucker," he said sarcastically.
"Whatever," I snorted and picked the portfolio I wanted.
He went back to his seat, pulled out his phone, and started playing games. I could even hear the sound effects.
I ignored him and continued reading. I sorted the portfolios regardless of the company's economic status.
Surprisingly, many potential companies were located in the Philippines. Singapore and Korea had the fastest-growing companies in Asia.
When I finished, I noticed Clyde had fallen asleep in his chair. I checked the time on my wristwatch. It was already lunchtime, and I was still stuck 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 wake my partner and ate alone. Times like this always make me think about her.
Has she eaten yet?
I remember how she ate. She didn't care where she was—if there was food, she'd show her love for it. I can hardly remember the time she refused to eat something. And she really had a big appetite. But what amazed me was how her body never changed much despite eating so much.
All of a sudden, his annoying face popped into my thoughts.
"Please tell me you're dying," Clyde said.
My coughing probably woke him up. He stood up and grabbed a packed lunch and a bottle of water. I drank mine to soothe the irritation in my throat.
"So you're not dying?" he asked in a flat tone. "Too bad."
It was obvious he was just saying whatever came to mind. I almost forgot—he doesn't have a brain, so there's nothing to filter the nonsense he says.
He started eating, so I didn't let him. He finished his food right after I finished mine. He took some of the lists and portfolios.
"Visit them. Do your thing," he said before throwing the papers toward me. "Check their offers, or whatever."
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 is he always so awake, then suddenly out?
My secret phone suddenly vibrated. I glanced briefly at Clyde before pulling 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.
Why would I need that guy? Then it suddenly hit me—he's one of the people who'll give me the initiation task.
I replied to Angelo to ask where we would meet, but he didn't respond. Minutes passed, and then another message came—this time from an unknown number.
It was an address. I figured it must be the meeting place. I didn't waste any more time. I cleaned up and left Clyde, who was still fast asleep. I just grabbed the papers from his secretary.
When I stepped outside, the car was already waiting. I told the driver the destination. It wasn't far, but the heavy traffic stretched the ride to nearly an hour. Before getting out, I looked around.
The coast is clear.
I got down and entered the restaurant. My eyebrow rose when I noticed there were no other people inside. It's a restaurant, for heaven's sake—there should be customers. But I had a feeling I knew why it was empty.
Ervin Schnee was silently enjoying his food. I approached him, and he immediately smiled at me—a very playful smile.
"Watson… have a seat." He pointed to the seat across from him with his knife.
"What happened to this place?" I asked as I pulled out the chair and sat down.
"I rented the whole place. I don't like noise when I eat," he said, swallowing his food.
I crinkled my nose in disgust. He ate like a pig. Well, he did a good job renting the place—no one would want to watch him eat anyway.
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
Let's just get to the point.
"See that jewelry store across the road?" he said, pointing again with his knife toward the store outside.
Thanks to the large glass window, I could see everything clearly. It was a vintage-style jewelry store, but there was nothing on display—just empty boxes.
"I think it's out of business," I said, glancing back at him.
He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of a ring. It had a large diamond in the center, flanked by two smaller ones.
"The store owner doesn't want to sell that ring. He said something about feelings," Schnee explained before putting his phone away.
Ah, I get it now.
"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, then it's too easy. So Angelo wasn't lying—the group really does take advantage of new recruits. They'll make me do anything just because they know how badly I want to belong.
"Okay. Wait here."
I left him and headed straight to the jewelry store. The bell above the wooden door chimed as I entered. I nearly raised an eyebrow while scanning the place.
It was empty.
There was nothing in the display cupboards—just empty jewelry boxes.
Had they been robbed? Or bankrupt?
"Leave," said an old voice. "I saw you talking to that idiot across the road. I won't let him have the ring."
I turned to see who it was. An old man with a monocle over one eye, busy working on something behind the counter. I slowly walked toward him.
"Were you robbed?" I asked, pointing at the empty display cases.
He laughed at my question and shook his head, removing the monocle and placing it in his chest pocket.
"You're not from around here, are you? So tell me—" He stopped mid-sentence as he got a good look at my face.
"Do I have something on my face?" I asked, which made him quickly look down.
"I beg your pardon. I thought you were someone I knew." He began organizing a few papers on the table. "You're a Watson?"
"Yes, I am."
He gave a short nod. "That makes sense."
My brows furrowed. He clearly knew someone in my family that I resembled.
"Did you know someone in my family? I'd guess my grandfather—people say I look like him."
He chuckled softly. "Certainly." He finally paused his work. "So, how can I help you? I assume you're not here for my 'rubbed jewelry.'"
He was obviously poking fun at my earlier question. I scratched my eyebrow in mild embarrassment. I noticed his eyes glanced at my bandaged arm. I lifted it slightly to show that it was fine and usable.
"It's nothing."
"If you say so."
He suddenly laid a red cloth on the counter and carefully placed several colorful rings on it. I spotted the one Schnee wanted.
There was something different about these rings. Yes, they sparkled like expensive jewelry, but I felt something as I stared at them.
"I don't use expensive materials. Diamonds need to be ordered in advance before I craft a ring. If that answers your question—no, my store wasn't robbed. I don't put them on display because people like your idiot friend across the street would just waste them," he explained.
That made sense. The jewelry boxes were empty because he only made custom rings for someone specific.
For my Jasper Jean. ❤️
"Can you make one for me?" I asked, excitement blooming in my chest.
He stared at me for a moment. "It depends. Can you describe the receiver of the ring?"
It wasn't really my intention to buy her a ring. But for some reason, I saw her teary-eyed smile while I was slipping a ring onto her finger. I couldn't hold back my own 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 briefly. "I don't think there's a right word to describe her—but I'll still try." He nodded. "She loves food and she's not ashamed of it. She doesn't care what others say about her. She does what she believes is right. Friendship and family are important to her. She's also one of the boys. Would you believe me if I tell you she once 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 hesitation. ❤️👑
"And you are her king?"
"Yes, but…" I paused, which made him confused. "I'm willing to leave my throne, as long as she's sitting there for me. I'd 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, not my armor—so I can fight with honor, not for show.
"That's a very dangerous feeling you've got there, young man," he said.
I noticed the notebook he was writing in. He was taking notes of what I was 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 as I paid. He asked for my contact details. I went back to the ring—the one Schnee loved so much. At first, he didn't want to sell it, but in the end, I convinced him I'd return it if the original buyer still wanted it.
I found out the ring was actually meant for one of his customers. But that guy broke up with his girlfriend and never came back to claim it. I paid double so he could return the money to that guy.
I walked out with a strange smile. I couldn't wait to have that ring and give it to Jay. I went back to the restaurant and handed over the ring.
"Wow, you did it."
"Make sure to take care of it."
He smiled wickedly. "Of course. The same way I treat the rest of my jewelry collection."
Collection?
"This is for your collection?"
"Yes," he said and began 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, that's more of a woman thing.
Jeez. They're all weird.
I looked outside and saw the driver getting out of the car. He was talking to someone on the phone. I walked out of the restaurant and stopped in front of him.
"Sir Keigan said your flight is tonight."
I nodded and got into the car. We went straight to the hotel. As soon as I arrived, I quickly walked to the elevator.
Keigan and I still hadn't talked about the incident. I tried to start the conversation, but he quickly changed the topic—obviously avoiding it.
I couldn't help but think about his situation. The scary part is, Kieran saw it before. He experienced the changes in his older brother. I just hope he doesn't realize that his big brother has a problem.
I walked quickly when the elevator opened. I went straight to our suite and found Keigan talking on the phone.
He turned to me. "…Yes. He's here." He ended the call and put his phone down. "That was Clyde. He said you should start getting familiar with the companies on the list. I booked your flight for tonight—"
"You're coming."
"What?" He looked confused.
"I need an assistant. Honey's obviously no help since she's too busy texting her crush."
I had no intention of leaving him here, especially now that I knew about his condition.
"I don't think I can help you—"
"You already did. You planned everything for me, remember?" He nodded slightly. "Then help me again. This time, as my assistant."
I saw the way his lips formed into a smile. "O-okay. I'll get everything ready."
He went straight to his room, and so did I. I started packing the things I needed. But this wasn't just a flight home to Asia.
I'll make sure to see her. To see my future queen. ❤️