**Keifer's POV**
All around me are fields. That's all I see as I drive. I don't even know exactly where I am—all I know is I'm getting closer to Jay-jay. I pass by a few scattered houses, but not too many. My car engine roars loudly as I speed through the area.
I'm going at around 100 to 120 kilometers per hour. Whoever kidnapped Jay—they were clever enough to take her far away. Even if she tries to escape, they'll catch her again immediately.
It didn't take that long when I saw the old building. It was three stories high, with paint so faded it looked like it hadn't seen maintenance in years. Its name had mostly peeled off too—only the word "coop" remained.
I stop the car a few meters away. I can't risk being seen yet. I quickly get out and stride toward the building, my steps heavy and determined. Two men are smoking near the entrance.
Before they could even react properly, I slammed one guy's head against the wall. The other tried to back away, but I didn't give him the chance. I grabbed him by the neck, pulling his face close to mine.
"Where the fvck is my girlfriend?" I growled.
"N-n-n-na-sa…" He couldn't finish what he was saying because of how tight I was choking him. So instead, he just pointed toward the third floor.
I let him go—but not before landing a hard punch on his face. Then I turned and entered the building. I immediately looked for the stairs leading to the upper floors.
As I climbed up, someone familiar suddenly appeared in front of me. Before he could shout, I kicked him square in the chest. I'm not sure what his name was, but I know he's from that dumb Alphabet Gang.
The gang that uses letters as code names. They looked so stupid that Yuri started calling them that. The group had disbanded a long time ago, and we already beat them. Now, it seems like there's only a handful of them left. No wonder the building isn't crawling with guards like it used to.
I head straight to the third floor. Even before I reached the top of the stairs, I already heard laughter coming from one of the rooms.
I paused, listening carefully. From an open door, I saw Jay-jay tied to a chair, blindfolded. She was at the far end of the room, and all eyes were on her, so no one noticed me.
They were laughing at her. I used the moment to observe. I counted how many men were in the room and gauged their distance from where I stood.
"Babae…" one of them sneered. "…It's all over the groups now—you're Keifer's girlfriend. So why should we believe anything you say?"
Okay, maybe that part's on me. I've been telling people she's my girlfriend even if we're not really together.
Nice job, Keifer.
She's definitely going to be my girlfriend anyway. I was just being proactive. Letting everyone know she's mine—so no one else dares to make a move on her. Actually, I could've already announced that she's my wife. My soon-to-be wife.
But that might be too much too soon. She might actually get mad.
Let's stick with "girlfriend" for now.
"We were never together…" she said. "…He just used me."
Her words hit me like a punch in the gut.
But I knew it. I knew I had hurt her.
It hurts me too. Hurting her hurts me more than she realizes.
No worries… She's still mine. I'll make sure of that.
"He only used me to get back at my brother," she exhaled bitterly. "…I was the fool who fell for his trap."
"Ouch," someone commented.
"What did Keifer do to you?" another one asked.
She shook her head, as if she wasn't ready to tell the whole story. I didn't move. I needed to hear what else she had to say. But I was also confused. Why were these fools listening to her like this? Did they forget they were kidnappers and she was a hostage?
Turns out, they're just a bunch of gossipmongers.
"He made me fall for him! That damn charmer. And when I did fall, he said—jok-jok-lang!" she snapped. "…Good thing my coconut didn't split. That was almost the fall of Bataan."
It's not a joke. And I'm not *pa-fall*.
"What an a$$hole! Giving false hope!" another one shouted.
I arched a brow. Wow, the commentary from these guys. How embarrassing.
They all chimed in with their own takes on Jay's story. One even cursed me out, which really pissed me off. It felt like a storytelling session, and now they're on her side.
I didn't want to interrupt them yet. But we have to go.
"Nice story," I said, cutting through the chatter.
I saw the alarm on their faces immediately. They all scrambled to their feet, readying themselves. I was right. There were fewer of them now than before. The Alphabet wasn't complete anymore.
I spotted their leader—what was his code again? Z?—standing beside Jay-jay. His fists were clenched. The fury on his face was intense.
Maybe he's mad because we started calling them the Alphabet Gang.
They never really had a proper name. It was just a joke from Yuri, Felix, and Ci-N. They sang them the ABC song, and the name stuck.
I looked at Jay-jay. She seemed tense but not afraid. Maybe she recognized me.
"That was a heartwarming story," I said. "Only thing missing… is the part where I fvcking fall in love with you."
Someone suddenly lunged at me with a punch. I deflected his fist and countered with my own punch. That triggered the rest to come at me one by one.
It was easy. They were too weak now. Their movements were clumsy and poorly planned.
They hurled curses at me as they charged. I couldn't understand what they were shouting. I grabbed one guy and flipped him into the air. He hit the ground hard.
The others tried to rise and fight back. I twisted one's arm and kicked another straight in the knee. He likely broke a bone.
Soon, almost none of them were charging. They were beginning to back off.
Until a fist suddenly connected with my face.
That made me so damn angry.
Someone actually landed a hit.
"Gago ka!" Z yelled.
"You never learn," I said while rubbing my jaw. "I already put you down once. And here you are again."
He smirked. "So what?!"
I gave him a deadly glare. Cocky, even though he's the only one left standing. The rest of his gang is on the floor. Maybe that's why he dragged Jay-jay into this—to make me surrender. To use the woman I love against me.
"You had to drag *her* into this?" I nearly said *the woman I love*.
"Talkative bastard!" someone yelled behind me.
I spun quickly and dodged, shoving him face-first to the floor. I sensed his presence earlier. That's probably why Z had the guts to face me alone—he had backup waiting.
The guy crashed to the floor, and his knife flew from his hand.
Z was clearly shocked.
Suddenly, the guy stood up, grabbed the knife, and instead of coming back at me—he turned to Jay-jay.
No!
"Now, A!" Z shouted.
A raised the knife to stab her.
Blood rushed through my veins.
My feet moved on their own, closing the distance fast. The blade was inches away from her when I grabbed his wrist and held on.
Then I felt it—something sharp driving into my right side.
I tightened my grip on A's wrist and turned to see Z grinning smugly at me. Like he already thought he won.
I grabbed Z's wrist too—the one holding the knife embedded in me. The pain shot through my body, but I couldn't scream. Jay-jay couldn't hear me in pain.
I slowly backed away, dragging both of them with me.
Z pushed the blade deeper, while A tried to free his hand.
Then, A punched me hard in the chest with his free hand. I lost my grip, and he saw an opening to stab me again.
Everything happened quickly.
I grabbed Z by the collar and yanked him forward—
Using him as a shield.
I watched the pain cross Z's face as the blade struck him instead.
Now it was my turn to smirk.
He had the upper hand—but that's not happening again.
Z fell, looking at A in disbelief.
I reached for A's neck and choked him until he passed out. I didn't want to kill him.
I wanted him to live with the guilt of what he tried to do to his friend.
I'm not that evil.
The knife Z stabbed me with is still in me.
I can't pull it out or I'll bleed too much.
Jay-jay doesn't like blood. She might panic if she sees me like this.
I took slow, painful steps toward her. Every movement sent pain through my side. I winced with every step.
"W-who's there?" Jay-jay asked, her voice trembling. "W-what's h-happening? Where's K-Keifer?"
Hey… It's me.
I couldn't speak from the pain. I just forced myself to get to her. I needed to make sure she wasn't hurt.
"W-who are you?" she asked again. "…I-is that y-you Keifer? Please say something."
I stopped in front of her. My breathing was heavy from the pain.
I looked at her closely.
There were no obvious signs that they hurt her. Maybe a few small bruises.
She kept trying to free herself from the ropes that held her. I was about to help her, but my eyes drifted to her lips.
I remember my harshness the last time I kissed her.
I wanted to say sorry… because I had to do it. There's so much I want to tell her. But I have to save it for later. She can't know yet. It's better if things stay like this for now.
Her cheeks were smudged with dirt and bore faint bruises.
I smiled bitterly.
Sorry for making you suffer like this.
I reached out to touch her face. She immediately turned away, probably out of fear.
"Damn it! Stay away! Don't touch me!" she shouted, pulling her face farther.
I bit my lips to hold back a laugh. She just swore.
"Keifer!" she called out. "…help me!"
My smile faded, and I moved closer to her—but she only backed away.
I'm here…
She was about to cry, I could feel it. I saw her lips trembling. I wanted her to feel safe… but my eyes couldn't help but stay on her lips.
It felt like a magnet was pulling mine toward hers.
And then, the next thing I knew—our lips were locked together.
I badly miss kissing her.
For a moment, I could feel her relax… as if in that kiss, she found protection. She stopped moving, like she was trying to figure out who I was.
It's me… The man that you love. You're safe now. No one will hurt you now. I will protect you no matter what.
I pulled away to catch our breath. But then, I noticed the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't… please," she begged. "…have mercy on me."
Maybe she doesn't recognize me.
I stood up, about to remove her blindfold—but suddenly, pain struck my side. Blood began to flow. I had no choice but to pull out the knife still lodged in me.
I staggered from the sharp pain. Took several deep breaths, trying again to pull the blade. But my hands were trembling too much. It wouldn't move.
Looks like I need to call for backup.
I collapsed to my knees, drained of strength. I tried to get back on my feet, only to realize I had moved farther from Jay-jay's position.
I took a deep breath, tightened my grip on the knife handle, and with one heavy breath, pulled with all my strength.
I almost screamed from the pain—but what escaped me was the thud of my body hitting the floor. It made a loud noise. I forced myself to stand again, though my body was screaming in protest. I looked at Jay and started to move toward her—but then someone shouted loudly.
"JAY-JAY!"
I turned toward the door and saw Percy rushing in. Behind him was the entire Section E, all of them looking at me.
I signaled them to go to Jay-jay.
I tried walking away.
She must not see me like this.
I hadn't even reached the door yet when my knees gave out and I fell.
"Keifer…" It was Eren who rushed to help me.
Josh joined him, both of them trying to pull me closer to the wall and help me lean against it.
"Let me see your wound," Josh said, but I pushed his hand away.
"Don't. She doesn't have to know."
"You're badly wounded, Keifer. Hindi mo maitago yan sa kanya," Yuri said.
I saw they'd finally freed her from the chair. She must not see me.
I tried standing, but I was already dizzy from all the blood I'd lost.
Eren helped me up, with Josh supporting me as well. I immediately saw Jay-jay looking like she wanted to rush toward me.
Don't! You can't come near me. You don't like blood. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable because of me.
She stayed still, unmoving from where she stood.
I forced myself to keep walking, with Eren and Josh supporting me all the way until we reached the outside.
They helped me into Yuri's car.
I saw Jay-jay getting into Percy's car. I couldn't stop myself from watching her as she looked back at us. Her eyes… they looked so sad.
I'm so sorry, Jay.
All that matters to me is your safety. I don't care if you forget about me. I can bear all the wounds in the world as long as I know they won't hurt you again.
Their car left, and all I could do was watch.
"Keifer! Give me your car keys, I'll drive," Felix said.
I handed him the keys. Yuri got in and took the driver's seat. Ci-N, Eren, and Josh sat in the back with me.
"We're taking you to the hospital," Yuri said as the engine roared.
I couldn't respond. My mind was racing—how do I make sure this never happens again?
Maybe I need to cripple every gang that stood in my way… send a clear threat.
I was starting to feel cold. I didn't know if it was the air conditioning or the blood loss. My eyelids were slowly dropping.
"Keifer!" Yuri called out to me, but I couldn't respond.
My body was forcing me to sleep.
No matter how hard I tried to open my eyes, the drowsiness was too strong. I could hear Yuri and Ci-N talking, but their words were garbled.
My vision was blurry.
I didn't know what was happening around me, but I could feel them lifting me. It took a while before I realized I was lying on something soft. There was a bright light overhead—or maybe I was the one moving?
Darkness slowly crept in, and the last thing on my mind was Jay-jay… and the sadness in her eyes.
I don't know how long I'd been unconscious, but I woke up to voices—different voices, as if a group was gathered, talking. I could only make out a few of the words.
"Kuya said Jay-jay is fine," Felix's voice.
"What the hell is the Alphabet group's problem?" Calix sounded pissed.
"I don't know… but we have to make sure this doesn't happen again," Yuri said.
That's right. I have to make sure that this won't happen again.
I opened my eyes and looked at all of them. Some of them went quiet the moment they saw I was awake.
"Keifer… do you feel anything?" Yuri asked as he walked toward my bedside.
"J-Jay-jay…?"
"She's fine. She might already be home," Felix replied.
Suddenly, someone jumped onto my bed—at my feet.
It was Ci-N, smiling brightly. "Round two?" he asked excitedly.
David grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off the bed.
I tried sitting up, but pain shot through my wound.
"Easy… They said your wound was deep and you lost a lot of blood," Eman said as he gently pushed me back down.
"I—I have to make sure this won't happen again. I have to send threats to other groups," I said.
They exchanged glances. Some of them looked confused. Others looked like they didn't believe me.
"You're unbelievable. You pushed Jay-jay away, and now you're acting like you'd die for her," Mayo said, shaking his head.
"What's really going on?" Kit asked, clearly worried. "If you're angry, you can take it out on us—not on Jay."
"Did something happen that we don't know about?" Rory asked.
I shook my head. "It was all about the plan."
"Plan our ass! We're not stupid. We know you stopped!" Denzel snapped.
"So what now? What's your next move?" Drew asked.
I took a deep breath, trying to clear my thoughts. Only one thing was certain in my mind.
"Protect Jay-jay. Send warnings to those who try to touch her," I said with authority.
"You're a mess, Keifer. But whatever this is… for Jay-jay's sake," David said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
For Jay-jay. For her safety.