KEIFER POV
Forgive me, Jay. This is the only way, the only damn way I can keep you safe.
Just wait for me, baby. Just a little more time. Once I have that inheritance in my hands and once I've built enough power to shield you from my so-called family, I'm coming back for you. I'll burn every bridge just to get to you, and I'll make sure those fuckers can never touch you again.
I'll explain everything. I'll spend every single second of my life crawling back to you if I have to. I'll work until my last breath just to earn your forgiveness and win back the trust I just shattered.
So please, fuck... don't cry. Seeing your tears is a slow death for me. I know I've hurt you, and God knows I hate myself more than you ever could right now. But I don't have a choice. I'd rather have you hate me and be alive than lose you forever.
I sat in my usual seat, the silence in the classroom heavier than it had ever been. It's been one week. One week since the incident that turned me into the villain in their eyes.
I can feel their stares—cold, judging, and filled with a betrayal they don't think I deserve to live down.
"Wow, he really has the audacity to come here now," Mayo whispered. His voice was laced with a bitterness that I deserved, but it didn't make it any easier to hear.
"Shut up, don't talk to him like that," Edrix interjected
"Keifer," Felix called out, his voice solemn.
"What?" I replied, my tone flat, masking the turmoil inside me.
"Jay-jay... she hasn't come to school for almost a week," Felix explained, his eyes searching mine for a reaction I couldn't show. "Kuya Percy said she's been drinking a lot at King's Ground."
King's Ground.
Fuck. That woman is really out of her mind, but she's my woman. Even now, through the mess I've made, I love her for that reckless streak. I just hope her inner barakuda stays buried.
Most people are scary when they're drunk, but Jay-jay? She's a different breed. She's the type to burn down the entire place when she's had too much.
Tss. Barakuda.
"Keifer," Rory said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I kept my face like stone. I can't let the mask slip. I can't tell a single one of them the truth yet—not if I want this plan to work.
"What do you want me to do about it?" I asked coldly.
The boys looked at me. Some looked at me like I was a complete stranger, others didn't bother hiding the hatred in their eyes.
I don't blame them. Jay-jay is our Mutya. In a class full of sixteen rowdy, problematic boys, she was the only girl who stood her ground. She took care of us, meddled in our messes when we didn't ask, and stood up for us when no one else would. And now, I was the one destroying her.
The atmosphere shifted the moment she stepped through the door.
Jay-jay.
She didn't look at me—not really. Her eyes were cold, like ice that had been hardened by the fire I set to her life. She took a seat as far away from us as possible, rolling her eyes with a disdain that cut deeper than any blade.
I felt a smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. There's that old fire. She was still fighting. But I quickly masked it, keeping my face a blank slate of indifference.
Then, she pulled out her phone. Her thumbs were moving fast, a small smile playing on her lips that wasn't meant for me.
Don't text them. Whoever the fuck it is, stop.
The urge to march over there, rip that phone out of her hand, and break whoever was on the other end of that line was suffocating. I didn't want to be this person, the guy who stalks her every move, but I had to. I needed to know.
I pulled out my own phone, opening the interface. Edrix had planted a tracker and a mirror-app on her phone back when we realized Percy was still alive. At the time, we thought Percy was a threat because of what Aries did—we were trying to protect her from a ghost.
It turned out we were wrong. Percy is her step-brother. At least that idiot is looking after her, though I feel a pang of pity for her. Back when Percy and I were actually friends, he was obsessed with that "I'm the handsomest man in the world" bullshit. He's annoying as hell, but he's safe.
But I still needed to see. My grip tightened on my phone as I waited for the data to sync. I'm doing this for you, Jay. Even if you hate me for it, I won't let anyone else take my place while I'm playing the villain.
I opened the mirror app and waited for the messages to load. I didn't want to be a creep, but I couldn't help it. Then, a single sentence caught my eye and made my heart skip a beat.
Jay: "Tell me a way to cancel the engagement with Yuri."
I felt a ghost of a smile tugging at my lips. So, she doesn't want to be engaged to that rooster anymore. Good. Because no matter what kind of game I'm playing right now, she's mine.
I scrolled down to see how Percy responded. I wanted to see if that idiot actually had a decent brain in his head to give her a good idea. But of course, he didn't.
Percy: "Sorry sis, none."
I watched Jay-jay from across the room. She rolled her eyes at her screen, her frustration evident in the way she huffed. I couldn't help but smile again. She's cute when she's annoyed.
Jay: "I have an idea."
Percy: "What is it?"
I leaned in, curiosity getting the better of me. What could that crazy brain of hers be cooking up now?
Jay: "What if I turn into a NUN?"
My smile died instantly. My grip tightened on my phone until my knuckles turned white.
Hell to the no.
Like hell am I letting that happen. If she becomes a nun, there's no wedding. There are no children. There is no future where she belongs to me. She really is out of her mind. Over my dead body, Jay-jay. You're not going to any convent; you're staying right here where I can eventually take you back.
I gripped my phone, watching the exchange unfold. Percy might be a self-absorbed idiot, but at least he knows how to talk some sense into her.
Percy: "Fuck sis, don't do that."
Jay-jay: "Why? That's the only way I can see."
Percy: "If you turn into a nun, you won't be able to eat any of your favorite meat. No more steaks, Jay. No more Samgyup."
I looked up from my screen just in time to see Jay-jay's expression shift. Her eyes widened, and her face went pale with pure horror.
Good. My foodie queen finally realized it was a suicidal idea. There's no way she could survive a day without her cravings.
Jay-jay: "I almost forgot about that. I can't live without food."
Percy: "Trust me, sis. I think if you try to turn into a nun, a very obsessed and possessive idiot won't let you anyway."
Jay-jay raised an eyebrow at her phone, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
Jay-jay: "Who the hell are you talking about?"
Percy: "I don't know, sis. Just a very possessive idiot who can't live without you."
Fuck you, Percy.
He was talking about me. That was the problem with having a best friend who had been by my side since we were kids—he knew my every move. He knew that even if I was playing the villain, I would never let another man—or even a church—take her away from me. Even Yuri hasn't figured it out yet, but Percy? He sees right through the mask I'm wearing.
I leaned back, my eyes never leaving her. Percy was a goddamn loudmouth, but at least he was keeping her distracted. Then I saw the next message pop up on my screen.
Percy: "I know a way to cancel the engagement."
Jay-jay: "What is it?"
Percy: "I kill the red rooster."
I felt a vein throb in my temple. That idiot. He's talking about Yuri. As much as I want to rip that rooster's head off myself, Percy's "solutions" are always a goddamn mess.
Jay-jay: "Don't do that. Then I would have to stay in jail with you."
Percy: "How?"
Jay-jay: "Obviously, if you get caught, you will tell my name. I don't want to rot in jail. I'm too pretty for that."
I almost choked on my own breath, trying to keep my face straight. Fuck, Jay. You really got infected by Percy's virus. That narcissism of his is spreading like a plague.
But as much as I wanted to laugh, it stung. She's worried about going to jail, but she isn't even looking at me. She's right there, just a few feet away, acting like I don't exist while she jokes around with that fool.
Tss. Just keep her laughing, Percy.
Ci-N finally gathered the courage to walk over to her, probably trying to bridge the gap like he always does. But the moment he opened his mouth, Jay-jay snapped.
She wasn't in the mood for small talk or comfort. Her voice echoed through the room as she yelled at him, her frustration boiling over until she stormed out of the classroom, her footsteps heavy with a rage I knew all too well.
"Someone follow her. She looks like she's about to kill someone," Drew said, his voice a mix of concern and amusement.
A few chuckles broke the tension in Section E. Despite the mess we were in, they still knew her well enough. Most of the guys stood up to follow her, not wanting to miss the chaos she was likely to cause.
I stayed in my seat, my hands clenched into fists under the desk. I wanted to be the first one out that door. I wanted to be the one to catch her arm and pull her away from the edge. But I couldn't move. I forced myself to stay still, my face a mask of cold indifference while my heart was racing to keep up with her.
The door burst open and Ci-N came sprinting back in, his face pale and his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"KEIFER!" he screamed, his voice cracking with a terror that made my blood run cold.
"What is it?" I demanded. My heart hammered against my ribs, an ominous feeling clawing at my chest.
"Keifer… Jay-jay…" he choked out. I saw it then—the tears welling up in his eyes, the sheer panic in his expression.
The mask I had worked so hard to maintain shattered instantly. I lunged forward, grabbing him.
"What happened to her?!" I roared, my voice echoing like thunder in the silent room. I didn't care who was watching anymore. I didn't care about the plan to protect her.
"Gago, Ci-N! Just tell us what happened!" Calix shouted, slamming his hand on a desk.
"She… she got hit by a car," Ci-N finally sobbed out.
"What?" Yuri's voice was somewhere in the background, faint and shocked, but I was already gone.
The world turned into a blur of motion. I didn't hear the rest of their cries or the sound of chairs flipping over as the others scrambled. My legs were moving before my brain could even process the horror.
No. Not like this. Please, God, not like this.
I ran. I ran faster than I ever had in my life, the air burning in my lungs. My mind was screaming her name over and over. I was supposed to protect her. All of this—the lies, the distance, the pain—was supposed to keep her safe.
If I lose her now, I'll burn the entire world to the ground.
Jay-jay, hang on. Don't you dare leave me.
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