Jayjay'sPOV.
I rushed inside the house, and the scene in front of me made my blood run cold. Several massive guys with guns were standing in the living room, crowding around Keigan. Keigan was fiercely shielding Keiran behind his back, while one of the armed men—who looked like a lead guard—pointed a gun directly at his chest.
The moment Keigan noticed me, his eyes widened, and he frantically signaled me to stay completely quiet. I froze in place. Suddenly, in one swift motion, Keigan pushed Keiran toward me. Keiran bolted across the room and hid trembling behind my back.
Looking at the main man leading the group, it clicked instantly. I knew exactly who he was. He was their father, Keizer.
He turned his cold gaze toward me, a sickening smirk spreading across his face.
"Oh, my daughter-in-law. Welcome," he said, slowly clapping his hands together. He began taking slow, deliberate steps toward Keiran and me. We both instinctively took a step back, looking for an escape. We turned to run for the exit, but the doors had already been slammed shut and locked by his men. Damn it.
I turned back to face him, forcing my voice to sound much stronger and braver than I actually felt. "What do you want?"
"My son," he replied smoothly.
Keigan quickly moved over, standing beside me and placing himself defensively in front of Keiran.
"Don't call me that!" Keiran shouted from behind us, his voice shaking with pure anger. "I never want to be the son of a monster!"
I could see Keizer's jaw tighten; the insult was clearly pissing him off.
"Give me my son, and I will let the rest of you go," Keizer demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"Never," I said, stepping forward to look him straight in the eyes. "I promised Keifer I would protect these two, and I am not stepping back." Keigan took a step forward with me, standing his ground.
Keizer chuckled coldly. "Then tell Keifer to hand everything over to me, or give me my son."
"Neither of those is going to happen," I snapped.
"Okay then," he said.
Before I could even process what he meant, a guard lunged from behind and tightly pinned my arms to my sides. Two more guards rushed forward, doing the exact same thing to Keigan and Keiran. Keizer turned around, about to walk away while his men dragged Keiran along, when suddenly, the front doors were completely burst open.
Section E, along with Percy and Aries, came charging into the house!
"JAY!" Aries yelled, his eyes wide with panic. He tried to sprint toward me, but a wall of guards instantly blocked his path. There were just too many of them. It finally made sense why there were so many strange cars parked outside the house. Wait... as the doors crashed open, I could hear girls' muffled voices crying out from inside the black cars on the driveway. Did he...?
"You said you only had our girlfriends! How the hell did Jayjay end up here?" Calix demanded angrily, his fists clenched.
"She came here all by herself, which is even better," Keizer replied with a smirk. "Because Keifer will definitely come back for her."
Damn him. I didn't even want to look at this jerk, let alone call him 'uncle' or give him a shred of respect, especially after Keifer told me about the horrific things he did to Tita Serina and him.
"Let us go!" Aries shouted, suddenly throwing a powerful punch at the guard nearest to him.
That single punch ignited total chaos. The rest of Section E immediately threw themselves into the fight. Seeing my chance, I violently threw my head backward, slamming it directly into the nose of the guard holding me. I heard a satisfying crack, and he let go, groaning in pain. Freeing myself, I quickly lunged forward to break Keigan and Keiran free from their captors.
I dove straight into the brawl, managing to take down two guards myself while the boys handled the rest. I couldn't fight as carefully as I usually did because my main focus was desperately trying to shield Keigan and Keiran in the middle of the madness.
Suddenly, a deafening gunshot echoed through the house.
Everyone froze instantly. We all turned our heads toward the staircase. It was Keizer, holding a smoking gun in the air.
"ALL OF YOU, STOP!" he bellowed.
We all stopped moving. I immediately pulled Keigan and Keiran tightly behind me to protect them.
"Take them with us," Keizer ordered his men, waving his gun threateningly at all of us. "And the rest of you will come along quietly... or else."
We all exchanged worried glances, then looked over at Aries. Realizing we were completely outgunned, Aries gave a tight, reluctant nod. Surrounded by a heavy wall of armed guards, we were forced out of the house and led toward the waiting vehicles.
They shoved us into the large cars. I made sure to pull Keigan and Keiran into the same car as me, along with Aries, Ella, Honey, and Percy. I sat right in the middle of the two boys, gripping their hands as tightly as I could. My own hands were trembling. I was absolutely terrified, but I couldn't let them see it.
"Everything is going to be fine," I whispered softly to both of them, squeezing their hands. They looked at me and gave a small, brave nod.
The ride felt agonizingly long. After at least two hours of driving in tense silence, a structure finally began to loom in the distance. It was an old, abandoned building that looked like it was in the middle of being demolished. The guards harshly forced us out of the vehicles and dragged us inside the dusty concrete ruins. Before I could even process my surroundings, something heavy suddenly struck the back of my head. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and everything went completely black.
...
I opened my eyes slowly, my head throbbing with a dull, painful ache. As my vision cleared, I saw a man standing directly in front of me. I frantically looked around the room and realized everyone had been tied tightly to wooden chairs. Even Keigan and Keiran were bound. The rest of Section E and the girls were grouped together, while my chair was placed completely isolated right in the dead center of the room.
"Mutya? Right?" Keizer asked, his cold eyes scanning my face as Section E anxiously watched us. "So, the legendary Mutya sits in the middle."
"I don't care about your absolute nonsense! Just let us go!" I shouted, the defiance burning through my fear.
He just let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "First, let's have Keifer join the party."
Dylan, his right-hand hitman, stepped forward and handed him a phone. Keizer began typing something rapidly on the screen. Suddenly, he raised the phone camera toward us and snapped a picture of our captured group.
"He isn't picking up my calls, so I need to send him a little visual motivation," Keizer smirked. A second later, his phone started ringing loudly. The smirk on his face widened as he held the device up to his face and answered.
"Leave them right now!" Keifer's furious voice roared through the speaker. Hearing his voice made my heart instantly drop straight to my stomach.
"If you want them alive, you better get over here, son," Keizer replied smoothly, turning the camera around to show all of us tied up. "Otherwise, you won't be able to see a single one of them ever again."
Seeing the sheer danger we were all in, tears slipped down my cheeks entirely on their own. "DON'T COME ALONE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to warn him.
Keizer instantly cut the call, his face darkening. Before I could even blink, one of his guards stepped forward and delivered a harsh, brutal slap across my face.
"JAY!" everyone else shouted.
"Don't touch my sister" Percy shouted.
My cheek immediately went entirely numb, and a sharp, metallic taste flooded my mouth. In the chaos, I realized my panic had given me enough adrenaline to secretly slip my hands free from the loose ropes on my chair. Shaking, I raised my fingers to touch the corner of my swollen lip.
"Jay! Don't look at your hand!" Aries yelled frantically from across the room.
But it was already too late. I lowered my hand and looked down at my fingers.
B-blood.
Red, vivid blood was smeared across my fingertips. I froze, completely paralyzed, unable to tear my eyes away from my own hands as a suffocating wave of childhood trauma crashed over me.
"Jay, look at me! Just look at me!" Aries begged, his voice laced with pure panic because he knew exactly what was about to happen.
"You're useless"
"You're just a burden"
"You should die"
"I should kill you here!"
I couldn't hear anyone anymore because the voices that i don't even recognise were in my head now. The room started spinning violently. Without even realizing it, I stumbled out of the chair, I grabbed my head because it was throbbing so hard, suddenly my hand hovering near my mouth as I desperately tried not lick my fingers but it happened and I tasted blood. My breathing turned shallow, the room tilted, and my vision instantly collapsed into total darkness.
Keifer'sPOV.
The moment the call cut, I immediately phoned the pilot of my private jet. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think—all I knew was that I had to get back to her.
Now, I was finally back in the Philippines, pulling up to the exact coordinates my father had sent me. I kicked the doors open and sprinted inside the abandoned building, only to witness a sight I never, ever wanted to see again.
My Jayjay was fighting all of that jerk's guards entirely by herself, swinging a heavy metal rod with lethal precision. The rest of Section E and the girls were still tied securely to their chairs. Aries was frantically thrashing around, trying to break his ropes to help her, but he couldn't break free.
As I got closer, I noticed a small smear of blood on Jayjay's lip. Oh, no. Her eyes held absolutely no fear; her face was completely blank and expressionless. Nearly every single guard was already lying unconscious on the concrete floor, leaving nobody standing except for that monster of a father.
"JAYJAY!" I roared.
Her head snapped in my direction, her blank eyes locking onto me. Without wasting another second, I ran straight toward her. I threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly and burying her face deep into my shoulder.
"Shh... everything is okay now. I'm here," I whispered frantically, gently prying the heavy metal rod out of her stiff fingers.
"Keifer, get away from her!" Aries shouted from his chair, his voice laced with terror that Jayjay might turn on me and hurt me in her blind rage.
But I didn't care. I didn't care if she struck me, as long as I could bring her back. Right now, I needed to get her somewhere safe to sit. Reaching up, I yanked off the tie from around my neck and carefully tied it over her eyes, blocking out her vision completely. I gently guided her over to an empty chair and forced her to sit down.
Only then did I turn around to face the man responsible for all of this nightmare.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I yelled, my voice echoing with pure fury.
"I only want what I told you before, son," Keizer replied with sickening calmness.
Beside him, Dylan suddenly stepped forward, raising his gun and pointing it directly at a blindfolded Jayjay. "Give the boss what he wants, and everyone walks out of here alive," Dylan threatened.
But I had come prepared. In one fluid motion, I whipped out the gun hidden in the back pocket of my pants and fired a shot directly into Dylan's leg. He let out a sharp cry and collapsed instantly. Before my father could even react, I pulled the trigger again, shooting the monster straight in his leg as well.
As they both fell groaning to the ground, deep red blood began pooling onto the floor. Knowing the sight would trigger Jayjay all over again, I quickly moved to shield her blocked line of sight.
"I already called Angelo and the police. They will be here any second," I announced coldly.
I rushed over to Yuri and quickly sliced through his ropes. The moment he was free, he ran to untie Aries, and the three of us rapidly worked together to untie the rest of Section E and the girls. Once everyone was loose, I sprinted straight back to Jayjay's side and grabbed her trembling hand. I knew if I took the tie off her eyes right now, she would see the blood on the floor and lose control again, so I left it on.
"K-Keifer..." she whispered, her voice incredibly small.
I squeezed her hand tightly. "I'm here, Jay. Everything is fine now."
The moment she heard my voice, she clung desperately to my arm, burying herself against me. "Keiran...?" she asked quietly.
Before I could answer, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the entrance. Angelo and a squad of police officers burst into the room.
I looked over at Aries. "Aries, can you stay behind and tell the police exactly what happened here?" He gave me a firm nod. I then turned to face a very worried Angelo. "Can you take Keigan and Keiran back with you?"
"I can," Angelo agreed immediately, looking between me and his sister. "But where are you taking Jayjay?"
"Anywhere. Just far away from here," I replied bluntly.
I scooped Jayjay up and led her quickly out of the dusty building. The moment we stepped out into the fresh air, far away from the blood and the chaos, I gently untied the cloth from her eyes. She looked up at me, her vision clearing, and suddenly burst into unstoppable, heavy sobs.
"I... I did that again, didn't I? I did it again, Keifer?" she sobbed, her entire body shaking against me.
I pulled her into a tight, crushing embrace, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "Shh... you only did it to protect yourself and everyone else. It's okay."
I gently pulled back just enough to cupping her chin, forcing her tear-filled eyes to look directly into mine. "Everything is fine now. Understand me?"
She gave a small, shaky nod through her sobs. I gently wiped the tears from her pale cheeks and led her to my car, helping her into the passenger seat and carefully buckling her seatbelt.
Climbing into the driver's seat, I started the engine and hit the gas. Throughout the agonizingly long drive back home, I kept glancing over at her. She was staring blankly out the window, completely lost in her own heavy thoughts. I reached across the console, wrapping my fingers around her cold hand and squeezing it lightly to remind her I was there. She looked over at me but didn't say a word.
By the time we finally pulled into our driveway, she had completely drifted off to sleep from pure exhaustion. I quietly got out, walked over to her side, and carefully carried her sleeping form all the way inside the house. I laid her down gently on the bed, pulling the covers up over her. I kissed her forehead and finally walked into the bathroom to take a hot shower, desperately needing a moment to wash away the stress of the day.
I changed into some clean, comfortable clothes and was just about to walk out of the bathroom when my phone buzzed loudly against the marble sink. I picked it up and saw a message from Honey.
From: Honey
The unknown number that was texting Jayjay was definitely your dad. He even attached little hidden microphones all over your house. The servants just found them planted in your living room, your bedroom, your brothers' bedroom, the kitchen, and even in your home office. But everything is completely clear now. It's obvious it wasn't a stranger, so we investigated further and found out it was one of the new maids who helped him. She is already at the police station now.
To: Honey
Okay, fine.
I hit send, a massive weight lifting off my shoulders knowing the threat inside our own home was finally gone. I walked out into the bedroom and saw Jayjay sleeping peacefully on the bed. However, that small, stubborn stain of blood was still smeared on the corner of her lips.
I quietly opened one of my desk drawers and pulled out the first aid kit. Walking back over to the bed, I sat on the edge and began to carefully and slowly treat her split lip. I moved as gently as possible, trying my absolute best not to wake her up. Fortunately, she didn't even stir, which was good because her mind and body desperately needed the rest.
Once I was finished, I packed the kit away and laid down on the mattress right beside her. I just stayed there for a while, silently looking at her face. As if feeling my presence, she shifted her position in her sleep, rolling over until her forehead softly bumped right into mine.
She opened her eyes halfway, blinking sleepily as she looked at me.
"Keifer..." she muttered, her voice thick with exhaustion.
Without another word, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled herself close. I hugged her back tightly, holding her against my chest as a deep, peaceful sleep finally took over both of us.
I woke up a few hours later, rolling over only to find that the space beside me on the bed was completely empty. Jayjay was missing. Frowning, I stood up and quietly walked downstairs.
As I approached the kitchen, I spotted her. She was practically buried inside the fridge, thoroughly exploring every single shelf for food. I stepped up behind her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"AHHHHH!"
She let out a piercing scream and literally jumped in the air. In a split second, her instincts kicked in; she snatched a butter knife right off the counter and pressed it directly against my neck—all while keeping her eyes squeezed tightly shut!
I lightly tapped the top of her head. "Open your eyes, stupid."
She opened one eye, blinking at me in the dim kitchen light. "Oh... it's just you," she sighed with massive relief, dropping her shoulders and tossing the butter knife back onto the counter.
"Why on earth are you awake at this hour?" I asked, pointing toward the large wall clock.
She squinted her eyes, trying to read the hands on the clock in the dark, and nervously scratched her head. "My hunger completely refused to let me sleep," she admitted.
Without an ounce of hesitation, she casually climbed up and sat right on top of the kitchen counter, looking down at me with a huge, adorable pout.
I looked at her suspiciously. "What exactly do you want?" I asked, knowing that look all too well. She was definitely acting like she wanted something from me.
"I'm hungry," she whined.
"Do you want me to make some food for you?"
She nodded her head frantically, her eyes lighting up. I let out a soft sigh and grabbed an apron hanging nearby. Wait, if I was going to be the one cooking for her in the middle of the night, then least she could do was help me put it on. I held the apron out toward her.
"I am absolutely not going to cook," she warned, crossing her arms.
I just smirked and bent down a little, bringing myself to her height. Realizing what I wanted, her mouth formed a cute 'O' shape. She took the straps and carefully looped the apron over my neck, tying it behind my back.
Once the apron was secure, I walked over to the cabinets, scanning the ingredients and trying to figure out what to whip up. Suddenly, she reached out and pointed at a chocolate bar sitting near the stove.
"Make me hot chocolate!" she demanded happily.
I shook my head with a smile and got straight to work. Within a few minutes, the rich, warm drink was ready. I poured it into a mug and handed it over to her. She eagerly took a careful sip.
"Oh, wow! This is amazing," she praised, her eyes widening. But then, she suddenly stopped and shot me a deeply suspicious look. "Wait, where is yours? Because I am absolutely not sharing mine with you," she declared, defensively shielding the cup with both hands.
"Fine, don't share. I didn't want any anyway," I laughed softly, amused by how fiercely protective she was over her sweets.
She nodded in satisfaction and happily went back to drinking her warm chocolate. When she finally finished the last drop, she looked up at me and flashed a wide, radiant smile. My eyes immediately traveled to her mouth—the edges of her lips were completely covered in chocolate smudges.
I grabbed a clean tissue from the dispenser and leaned in, very gently and carefully wiping the chocolate away, making sure not to put any pressure on her healing, injured lip.
I walked over to the trash can to throw the tissue away. When I turned back around, I found her sitting on the counter with her arms spread wide open, sporting a massive, mischievous grin.
I understood exactly what she meant without her saying a single word.
I smiled and turned my back to the counter, bending down slightly. She didn't hesitate for a second, instantly hopping right onto my back. I securely locked my hands under her legs, and she wrapped her arms loosely around my neck, resting her chin on my shoulder as I carried my sleepy, well-fed wife back upstairs to bed.
Jayjay's POV.
I was resting comfortably on his back as he climbed the stairs. Once we reached our bedroom, he gently placed me down on the bed. I quickly slid under the covers, and he lied down right beside me. He wrapped his arm tightly around my waist, pulling me in until my head was completely buried in his chest. I tried my best to fall asleep, but my mind was racing. An hour passed by like that in the dark.
I finally drifted off, but a little while later, I was startled awake by Keifer's phone buzzing loudly right under my pillow. Slipped out of Keifer's firm grip, I pulled the phone out and quickly turned it onto silent.
Suddenly, I felt like eating something again. But this time, I wanted something freezing cold. What should I eat? Ice cream. Yes, ice cream!
I was just about to swing my legs out of bed when Keifer's hand shot out, grabbing my wrist and pulling me right back. My head bumped against his chest as he wrapped his arm around my waist all over again.
"Keifer, let go," I muttered, tugging against him. He just shook his head, his eyes closed. "I am warning you."
He completely ignored my threat. The absolute audacity of this guy to ignore my warning!
"Why? I'm not letting you go," he mumbled sleepily.
As I sat there thinking about my precious ice cream, I felt a wave of frustration. Wait, acting mode on. I suddenly started fake crying loudly.
It worked like a charm. He sat up instantly, his eyes wide with worry. "What happened? Jay, are you in pain?"
"No!" I cried even louder, sniffing dramatically. He tried to grab my hands to comfort me, but I quickly hid them behind my back. "I want ice cream! Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!"
I started repeatedly punching his arm lightly while he just stared at me, completely stunned, before he broke into a laugh. I instantly stopped my fake crying and glared at him. "Go and bring me some."
He nodded with a smile and got out of bed. After a few minutes, he walked back into the room holding a massive tub of ice cream.
"Yayyy!" I cheered, clapping my hands happily.
I sat cross-legged on the mattress, and he sat down right beside me in the exact same position. He opened the lid and handed me a spoon. I eagerly dug in, and he started eating along with me. Whenever the freezing cold ice cream touched the corner of my lips, it stung a little, but the coldness actually started to numb the throbbing pain.
Keifer must have noticed that I kept pressing the cold spoon against my injured lip over and over again. Without a word, he set his mug down, walked out, and came back upstairs carrying a small basket filled with ice cubes. He took his spoon, buried it into the ice for a few seconds to get it freezing cold, and then gently pressed the back of the metal spoon against my lip.
"Does it hurt?" he asked softly, his eyes searching mine.
I shook my head. He pulled the spoon away, buried it back into the ice basket to chill it again, and gently pressed it back to my skin. He kept doing it repeatedly, caring for me so tenderly that I finally reached out and caught his wrist.
"Why are you doing it so many times?" I asked.
"It helps reduce the swelling and the pain," he answered gently.
"Yeah, but it's enough now," I smiled. I took the spoon from his hand and placed the entire basket and the ice cream tub onto the side table.
I lied back down on the pillows, pulling him down with me. I turned my back to him, and he instantly snuggled up close, hugging me tightly from behind. I literally—like seriously, completely—tried my absolute best to sleep, but insomnia was kicking my butt. Frustrated, I rolled over to face him and watched him sleeping so peacefully.
Feeling mischievous, I reached out and playfully pinched his nose, squeezing my own eyes shut right after.
"Oww... Jay, stop it," he grumbled sleepily, batting my hand away loosely before drifting right back off. Okay, so he was officially exhausted.
Finally, I let out a massive yawn and actually felt a wave of sleepiness. I closed my eyes, but the moment my head hit the pillow, the sleepiness vanished again. Oh my god, what is wrong with me tonight?!
Keifer clearly wasn't in the mood to get teased, but I was definitely in the mood to tease him. Let's do this. I opened one eye and peeked at his sleeping face. Reaching out, I flicked his forehead and quickly shut my eyes tightly again, pretending to be fast asleep.
He groaned softly and sat up. Even with my eyes closed, I could literally feel him staring down at me suspiciously. I cracked one eye open just a tiny bit to see what he was doing, making sure he wouldn't notice. Thankfully, he didn't. He just sighed, turned his back completely toward me, and lay back down to go to sleep.
Wait... is he actually mad at me?
I reached over and nudged his shoulder, but he didn't give me any response.
"Keif," I called out softly. Nothing.
"Hubby," I tried again, using the magic word.
That did it. He opened his eyes, rolling back over to face me. "Hmm?" he murmured, his eyelids already drooping shut again.
"Are you mad at me?" I asked, reaching up to mindlessly twirl a strand of his hair between my fingers.
"I'm not. Just go to sleep, Jay," he mumbled.
I pouted, completely lost in my thoughts. Without even realizing it, my grip tightened, and I accidentally yanked a strand of his hair way too hard.
"AHH! Jay!" he yelped, his eyes snapping wide open as he glared at me in painful disbelief.
"Sorry! I really didn't mean to!" I squeaked, quickly letting go and lying back down.
To make up for it, I shifted closer and hugged him tightly from behind. He didn't move or say anything, so I lightly tapped his back. "Turn around," I demanded softly.
He gave in with a quiet sigh and turned around to face me. I grabbed his arm and carefully placed it around my waist, while I wrapped mine around him, burying my head deep into his warm chest.
"Now sleep," I muttered, a wide smile spreading across my face.
In the quiet darkness of the room, I could feel him smiling back against my hair. Wrapped securely in his arms, the restlessness finally faded away, and I peacefully drifted off to sleep.
The End 🌸.