Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 3) English (On-going)

Keifer's POV

"Where are you from?" Keigan asked.

I sat on my bed and took off my shoes, letting my brother talk without interruption.

"You were supposed to have a date with Ion," he continued. "Do you know she kept calling me because she was worried about you?"

"Please thank her for her concern," I replied and stood up.

I walked straight to my walk-in closet and started changing into my office uniform. Keigan was still talking, but my mind was elsewhere.

"Don't let other people decide for you," Uncle Kier once told me. "Know your goal and never, ever let them distract you."

I sighed, remembering the last time I was allowed to see him. After that, the elders banned me. All I ever did was make headlines.

He had just gotten out of the hospital and returned home, but he still couldn't walk properly. He had suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, his butler was quick to act and knew exactly what to do.

For a moment, I thought I was going to lose another family member.

"Go see Ion," Keigan insisted when I emerged from the closet.

"Maybe later," I said while putting on my shoes.

I left the room without looking back, but I knew Keigan was following me. His lecture followed, too.

As we reached the dining area, I saw Honey eating. She sniffed the air—either at me or the person behind me who was still babbling.

"Keigan," I turned to face him. "Get some sleep first. I know you were awake all night."

"It doesn't matter. What's important is your date with Ion."

Honey suddenly coughed loudly, hitting her chest before drinking some water.

"D-date with that old woman?" Honey asked, pointing a finger at me.

"She's not that old. She's just a few years older than Kuya. Like you," Keigan said.

Honey's face twisted into a grimace.

"I'm only two years older than Keifer. Two years," she muttered with a sigh. "If you'll excuse me, I've lost my appetite."

She left, and Keigan and I remained. But I took the opportunity to slip away and follow Honey.

"I'm not done talking to you!" Keigan shouted, but I ignored him.

My head was starting to hurt from his endless lectures. With each passing day, my brother became more insistent about that engagement.

I wasn't about to fall into the same trap Jay-Jay did with Yuri.

I followed Honey as she left our suite and walked straight to her room. She was surprised when I entered right after her.

"What the fuck, Keifer!"

"What happened while I was gone?" I cut to the chase.

"As usual, Keigan is preparing for that engagement. You missed your birthday," she said, turning her back to me.

"What else?"

"Where were you?"

"I visited Keiren," I said, sitting on the sofa. "He gained weight. He looks really happy there."

"That's nice. Where exactly did you take him?"

I shook my head. "Somewhere."

She suddenly gave me a sharp look, narrowing her eyes as she grabbed a piece of bread from the plate she was holding.

"You were in the Philippines! You hid him somewhere in that country," she accused.

I simply raised an eyebrow. She claimed to have lost her appetite but was still eating.

"Answer my question."

"Your cousins all wanted to celebrate your birthday—Watson style," she said before setting down her plate. "And your dear brother wanted to introduce that ION girl to everyone." She emphasized Ion's name with a hint of sarcasm.

Not gonna happen.

"And you? What did you do in the Philippines?"

"Nothing."

I got up and left. I had no intention of giving her any clues about where I'd been.

As I stepped into the elevator, I felt the stares of the other passengers even though I wasn't looking.

"That's him. The Watson guy."

"I heard it's him."

"Soon, he'll be the richest bachelor in town."

Bad news. I'm not a bachelor. I'm already committed and soon to be taken. She's the only one I'm waiting for—the sweet yet ruthless 'YES' of my lovely queen. ❤️

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out. Quickly, I walked out of the hotel, where my driver was already waiting.

"Watson Enterprise, now," I instructed as I got into the car.

I gazed out the window. Even though the flight had been eight hours long, I hadn't gotten much sleep.

The image of Yuri with Jay-Jay made my blood boil. That damn Japanese guy was really making a move. But that wasn't even my biggest problem.

Someone wanted Jay-Jay dead.

Someone from our past—the ones we thought we had already defeated. Those bastards just didn't know when to stop.

And the biggest threat of all—Ryosuke Sato.

He was openly acting like we weren't a threat to him. I pulled out my private phone and checked my messages.

Felix had texted, saying he was trying to earn Jay-Jay's forgiveness. Good. Little by little, she was starting to forgive our Ulupong—I mean, our friends.

I just hoped she'd forgive me, too, when I returned.

Then I checked Angelo's message about the ongoing threat. He was blaming us and pressuring me to track down and eliminate Sato.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't.

My resources weren't enough. His network was wider than mine. Rory and Edrix couldn't trace him. Meanwhile, Yuri was busy contacting their embassy.

Damn this!

I dialed Edrix's contact number. It rang a few times before he finally answered.

"Keifer..."

"How's Jay?"

"It seems it's still not obvious. We've already caught five people hovering around him." He sighed. "It would be better if she stayed home for now. Thankfully, those people seem to be afraid of her big brother, so they haven't entered the house yet."

She had nothing to be thankful for. If Angelo were truly capable, they wouldn't be hanging around his house in the first place.

"Follow Jay as much as possible. Don't leave her side."

"Ugh, so frustrating! Jay-Jay is so stubborn. I wish we could all be at ease with her."

I moved the phone to my other ear. "Don't make it obvious."

"Yeah, yeah. It's a good thing David and Ci-N are keeping an eye on her. At least the two of them have a reason—"

"Don't forget to remind David about his limits."

I heard a soft chuckle. "Yeah, yeah. Got it. Anyway, Rory and I still have more to discuss."

I ended the call and stepped out of the car as it stopped in the parking lot. Without hesitation, I walked straight into the building.

Employees greeted me with bright smiles. It seemed word had already spread that my birthday was approaching. Things were about to change.

As I stepped into the elevator, the people inside greeted me just as quickly. I remained silent, cold. It wasn't that I held a grudge against them—I just didn't care. The same way they never cared about me before.

When the elevator doors opened, another group of employees greeted me. I ignored them and headed straight for Clyde's office.

"Tell me something interesting," Clyde said with a grin.

His secretary—the one I knocked down before—was standing beside him. He still had visible marks, but he looked better. For now.

He instinctively stepped back, lowering his gaze to avoid mine. I wasn't sure whether I should forgive him or break his bones for real.

"What's with the smile?" I asked in a flat tone.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me, birthday boy?"

I raised an eyebrow. He was starting to get annoying again. That's how he reacted when he found out about Ion. I badly wanted to wipe that grin off his face—with my fist.

"I'm not in the mood for your games," I said, turning to leave.

"Oh, come on! Stop pretending with us."

I stopped for a moment and glanced at him. "I am not."

"I saw that girl, Ion. She's a darling," he said proudly. "If you're marrying her, what happens to the other girl?"

I turned fully to face him. I knew exactly who he was talking about—my Jay-Jay. My senses become sharp every time someone mentions her name.

He grinned even wider, seeing my reaction. "Are you planning to have two wives?"

"I'm not. And don't you dare mention her name in front of me just to satisfy your urge to piss me off."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Why not?"

I glared at him, and he laughed. "The next CEO is already having an affair. You're truly a Watson."

"At least I have the woman I love. How about you?" I shot back.

His smile vanished.

Gotcha.

"You should get ready. We have a meeting to attend, and the elders want to talk to you," he said, quickly changing the topic.

He stood up and left the office. This time, it was my turn to smirk. I followed him to the conference room, where his secretary handed me the papers I needed for the meeting. The topic of my upcoming birthday kept coming up. Even in our subsequent meetings, it remained a part of the conversation.

I had only one answer. "I'll let you know soon."

Though the truth was—I had no intention of celebrating my birthday. I only wanted to be with the woman I loved. Without her, my existence in this world meant nothing.

After lunch, we met with the greedy brothers. Uncle Kier wasn't with them—he needed full bed rest.

"We're planning to throw a party for his birthday," Clyde announced, all smiles.

"Invite all the well-known families in town, including the royal family. Gather the family chefs, and talk to your cousins to help with the preparations," the eldest instructed. Clyde nodded in agreement.

"Do we really have to celebrate? There's nothing special about my birthday," I said.

The eldest shot me a sharp look. "Well, it's the birthday of the bastard—the trash who will inherit everything from this family. We should celebrate that unfortunate truth."

His words dripped with sarcasm. Thanks for the insult. The others laughed along with Clyde. I let them see that I wasn't affected. Maybe they enjoyed throwing hurtful words at me, but they meant nothing. They were wasting their time.

"In that case, I'll invite my friends," I said.

The eldest's expression instantly darkened. "You mean your trash friends? No, you can't."

"It's my birthday. I have the right—"

"The right to ruin our name again? No, you don't!"

I stood up, locking eyes with him. "Then you'll have a party without the celebrant."

Without waiting for a response, I walked out. Clyde called after me, but I ignored him. Every time I sat near the eldest, my lungs felt suffocated. He still carried the intimidating presence—the superiority of a Watson.

I chose to return to the office, but I had nothing urgent to do, so I went home early instead.

"Keifer!" Ion greeted me with a hug as soon as I stepped inside.

I pushed her away slightly, but she ignored it. Across the room, I saw Honey watching us with a disgusted expression. She even shook her head.

"Acting like a teenager," she muttered.

Ion pulled away and smiled at me brightly. I couldn't return the smile. If I didn't know her, I probably would've pushed past her.

"Why are you here?" I asked, walking past her.

"You forgot our date, so I decided to pay you a visit."

I glanced over and saw Honey behind her, mocking her by mimicking her expressions.

"Probably something will happen when I return home to the Philippines. I can't wait," she said, making me stop and making Ion look at her.

"What? Who will get hit?"

"I don't know. Maybe you, but my bet is on Keifer."

I glared at her to make her shut up, but Honey never really knows when to stop. She was definitely teasing. I don't want another headache.

Ion looked at me with concern. "Are you worried about Angelo? I know you won't let him hurt you—"

"Oh no, not Angelo. My dear, you should be ready to meet Jay."

"Enough!" I shouted, but both of them really didn't want to stop.

"Who's Jay? Is that your new friend? I wouldn't be surprised if you had many friends," Ion said to me.

Her eyes looked so innocent—the same eyes she used to look at him with. And now, she was using them to deceive me.

"She's not just a friend," Honey said, laughing. "Brace yourself."

"Honey, please," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"It's okay. I want to know your new friends."

I shook my head. "Wait for me here. I'll just change my clothes."

I went straight to my room to change. I just wanted peace, so I'd give it to her.

I didn't take long because Honey might say something else. I didn't want to say anything to Ion because I wasn't sure what she was capable of yet. I didn't even know her friend who was helping her.

"Where are you going?" Honey asked, eyeing me from head to toe.

Ion answered instead. "I'm not allowed to go far. We'll probably just be in the hotel garden."

I nodded briefly. "Let's go."

Honey gave me a weird look, as if she were saying I was about to die.

Ion's arm was linked with mine as we walked toward the elevator. Just like she said, we stayed in the hotel garden.

There were a few people walking around, chatting. The plants were trimmed into different shapes. A fountain stood in the middle, surrounded by a maze of bushes. Benches were scattered everywhere, along with trash bins.

"I met your cousin Clyde," she started. "He seems like a nice guy."

I almost choked at what she said.

Nice guy, my ass.

Ion separated from me and approached the orchids. I still couldn't figure out what she wanted or why she agreed to this engagement. She wouldn't gain anything from me, especially since her friend seemed even wealthier.

"You like the orchids?" I asked.

She smiled back. "Then you'll have your own orchid garden. Once we get married, I'll organize the house."

She looked at me and smiled. "I do."

She stiffened, unable to meet my gaze. She probably couldn't believe I had said those things.

"T-that's a good idea," she said, and I could tell she forced herself to smile.

"Do you want to stay at home and be a housewife? Or do you want to do something while being my wife?"

"Whatever you want."

"You can start a business or work at the same time."

She moved slightly away from the orchids and walked around. I followed her a few feet behind.

"It doesn't matter to me."

"Really? Well, it's your choice anyway."

She stopped and faced me, her smile hesitant.

"It's not like we're getting married immediately, right?"

I smirked. "We'll get married before we go back home to the Philippines—the day after my birthday."

She gulped before biting her lip. Everything was slowly becoming clear to me. She didn't want to marry me. She wanted something else—something she planned to gain in the process.

"D-don't you think that's too fast?"

"No. This is arranged anyway. The date and time don't matter at all."

"I think it's better if we get married in the Philippines," she suggested.

I stared at her intently, trying to figure out what she was planning, but her eyes were too innocent.

"As you wish," I said and walked ahead.

She immediately joined me, linking her arm with mine. We talked a little about the place and how her life had been lately, but she carefully chose her words. We walked around the whole garden. Throughout our conversation, one thing became clear to me.

She was up to something.