Chapter 6 Family First

• — JEIHRAL —
• [ Months earlier ]
• "J, did you talk to Ken?"
• "Why?" I glanced up from my phone to look at Daniel.
• He wasn't my favorite cousin, but he's the brother I never had. He'd been mostly quiet all night. Not the typical Daniel I'd known all my life.
• We sat alone at the dining table, finishing our simple brunch which Daniel groggily prepared an hour ago. His gym shorts looked as tight as his white shirt, while I wore dark pants and a sweater with my initials on the sleeve.
• One of Collien's birthday gifts for me last year. Still a favorite.
• "I know someone in that rehab center in Laguna." Daniel perked up. "The head psychiatrist's secretary called yesterday. Kenji might need to stay there for a couple months. Or a whole year."
• "We should drive him there." I held the warm coffee cup beside my phone.
• Our trouble-magnet cousin was at it again. Kenji ought to come to his senses soon and finally realize keeping away from his reprehensible group of friends would be best. For him, his depressed wife, and their two innocent kids.
• "You busy tomorrow?"
• "Where's the turd, anyway?" Daniel grimaced.
• "Still in the house, I hope." I grabbed my buzzing phone to check for messages.
• 3 new messages.
• 2 missed calls.
• The texts were from Shin—Ayashi's nickname. She's trying a friendly rapport with Kenji for the kids' sake, even while pushing for the annulment.
• A decade of turmoil and heartaches was her limit. She bawled in front of us that day she swore she could no longer stay legally married to Kenji. And we never blamed her.
• -
• 3 new messages
• From: Ayashi (New)
• "Hi J. Did Ken talk to u this morning?"
• Today 10:28AM
• "Did he text or call u?"
• Today 10:28AM
• "I can't find him. He won't take my calls. Talk to him please?"
• Today 10:29AM
• -
• "What?" Daniel sat back, watching me frown at my phone.
• "Shin's asking me where Ken is."
• "What'd she say?" Daniel crossed his pale arms and sighed. Ketchup stained his lips now.
• I tsk-ed. "Ken snuck out of the house."
• "How?"
• I shrugged. I wasted some time staring at the texts before calling Kenji's new number.
• One ring.
• Two rings.
• Three...
• It just kept ringing. Then I tried again. And again. Still no answer.
• Concerned and curious, I sighed and thought of the possible reasons. What the shit's Kenji up to now?
• A scowl etched lines on Daniel's puffy face as he grumbled complaints. He got up from his chair. "I'll call Rex."
• °
• [ 11:04AM ]
• "What else did you talk about?" Daniel asked with scrunched brows, his tone quite bored.
• It had been hours. Kenji's still nowhere to be found. The idiot wouldn't even pick up.
• Dad didn't need to know for now. "Mr. Han is in a meeting," his secretary would say over the phone. Dad didn't need another headache—he's too busy running his businesses that kept him on the Top 10 Billionaires list.
• Daniel and I should resolve the issue soon. By ourselves. I reclined on the couch in his living room.
• It's possible that Kenji hung out with his seedy friends slash enablers again. I should've known better than let him out of my sight.
• "What exactly did that asshole say to you?" Shirtless and hair still damp from his shower, Daniel paced around his quiet living room, his expression bordering on 'peeved and impatient' now.
• "Tan?"
• "Yeah."
• "He wants to cut a deal so I'd be obliged to help him launder their money." I shook my head and grinned, recalling that stupid conversation I'd had with the infamous drug kingpin. "That guy's as insane as his rap sheet."
• "Maybe he's blackmailing Kenji again," Daniel mumbled while scowling at his phone.
• "Possible." I sighed. "Ken reply to your texts yet?"
• "Negative." Daniel palmed his pale cheek. "Maybe he thinks we put a tracker on his phone and just left it somewhere."
• "I gotta show up at that charity auction. Like yesterday." I glanced at the wall clock. "You busy?"
• "Fine," Daniel murmured, his brows wrinkled by another frown. "I'll find dumbass."
• "If you hear from him, call me."
• °
• After attending a charity auction on behalf of my father, I went home to my condo with my driver and bodyguard—only to be surprised by the person we'd been looking for all day.
• Kenji stood alone in the corner of the dim parking area. He slouched beside the back entrance and wore dark clothes as usual.
• My fist clenched as my breath hitched. Where the heck was he all morning and afternoon? I sighed and resumed my steps. I'd smack him in the face if he was high as a kite again. "Where've you been?"
• "Pasig," Kenji muttered while pacing around me.
• "We've been tryna call you all day." I squinted at him, perusing his overall appearance.
• His hands kept fidgeting. "Got busy with something." Kenji scratched his nape. He couldn't look me in the eye. His face looked pinkish for some reason. He turned away from me and sniffled when I kept staring.
• Shit. The idiot probably snorted some again, or smoked a joint at the very least. "Coke again?" I took two steps closer to watch every bit of his reaction.
• Kenji made a face at my question, as if offended and in disbelief. "No."
• The annoyance made me grab him by the collar. I pushed him onto the wall. He was a good liar; I had a gut feeling he met up with his drug-dealing friends again. "Ken, fucking lie to me again, I'll drag you back to jail myself." I shoved him onto the wall when he tried to push me, my attention stuck on his fairly bloodshot eyes. "Or you tryna be a meth head this time?"
• "I'm not." Kenji spoke while clenching his jaw. "Diom met up with me."
• "Who?"
• "Armond's guy," Kenji mumbled, glaring back at me.
• "Why'd you meet up with those assholes again?" I let go of his collar.
• He didn't look like he was lying through his teeth. I knew his tells. Right now, he seemed rather nervous and embarrassed more than anything.
• "To make me pay up." Kenji dropped his gaze.
• "For what?"
• "A lot."
• "How many times do we gotta tell you to stay the fuck away from those criminals?"
• "Gotta pay back half of it next month," he murmured, barely looking at my face again.
• "Pay them for what? Didn't I tell you to stop talking to those assholes?" I couldn't help yelling.
• Why couldn't he understand that he could get killed next time he decides to meet up alone with Armond? Or any of that drug lord's goons.
• Ayashi and the kids wouldn't be the only ones inconvenienced by such news. But like always, Kenji always did his own thing rather than listen to our advice.
• "You wanna keep seeing your kids. Right? You wanna see Akira and Miyuki grow up and have lives of their own? Stop talking to those crooks and get cleaned up. That's all you gotta do, Ken."
• "I just don't wanna..." Kenji took a deep breath and kept staring at the wall beside him, his voice almost trembling. "Put them in danger again. It's why I gotta pay them back soon."
• "Pay them for what?"
• "I... I can't pay them back. I don't got any money left, Kuya," Kenji muttered after a brief silence. "I gotta find some soon or I'll end up in a ditch somewhere."
• "What? Why d'you gotta waste your money on those bastards?"
• "Had to borrow some, when I was doing time."
• "Why?" I sighed.
• "Half of it, I sent to Shin, for the kids. The rest, I used to pay for protection. I mean, while I was inside."
• "What?" I scoffed. Of course. I should've known earlier he owed those greedy shitheads. "How much?"
• "A lot." Kenji sighed.
• "How much d'you gotta pay back?"
• Kenji glanced at me before averting his eyes again. "One point five, at least."
• "In total?"
• "Almost two if I don't pay back half of it soon. Including interest."
• "Interest? Are you fuckin' kidding me?" I almost laughed.
• Those money-obsessed scums definitely weren't screwing around when it came to swindling other people for their own gain.
• Kenji was just too stupid to have realized it sooner. "Diom said I gotta pay so I wouldn't have to..." he mumbled while staring blankly at his worn-out gym shoes.
• "Stop talking to that piece of shit. I'll take care of it."
• "What? You serious?"
• "Stay away from those shitheads and just focus on getting help." I clasped Kenji's shoulder and peered into his face until he finally looked me in the eye. My anger ebbed away when I saw the fear and hopelessness in his eyes. "You owe it to Shin and your kids. You understand?"
• °