Ch. 176..180: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 176-180

Chapter 176: There is a bad news

Noah sprinted in hurry and embraced Alice into his arms. "Where did you go?" he asked getting worried when he couldn’t find her home.

Alice stood still in his arms, confused by his behavior. Slowly bringing her hands on his back she hugged him. "I went to buy some take-outs for us. It’s lunchtime Noah" her words made him relax and his hold on her loosen instantly.

Pulling away Noah held her by the shoulder and looked at her clueless face. He, himself didn’t understand why he reacted this way. Maybe, he felt she left getting upset by his stubbornness which made him conscious of his action.

Alice kept looking at Noah as his eyes were fixed on her as if he forgot to blink, thinking she might escape if he ever close his eyes even for a milli-second.

"Noah..." Alice called him as she couldn’t take his stare and that broke his trance.

"Let’s eat something. Aren’t you hungry?" she let go of his hand on her shoulder and turned away, keeping the food bags on the table

Noah watched and he blinked. Soon he came back to his senses and cleared his throat," Ahem... I thought you left getting upset with me for not forgiving you" taking the chair for himself he settle down.

Alice pursed her lips when he bought up the topic. Though she agreed with Ashley, she was still skeptical of doing it.

On her way back home Alice went to fetch some food for them as they both didn’t have breakfast in the morning. There she encountered a couple where the girl was trying to melt her upset man by feeding him food with her own hands.

And that was when she dropped Ashley’s idea and took the reference from what she had seen. And now she only hoped just like that man even Noah would end up forgiving her.

Arranging the plates with Noah’s favorite food Alice pulled out a chair for her and sat next to Noah.

It was always Noah who would feed her but now, she wanted to do the same for him. If she wanted him to forgive her then she wouldn’t mind trying it.

Noah was about to take the first bit when Alice stopped him," Let me feed you" she said making his eyes grow in shock.

Noah snapped looking at her, as he watched her bring the food close to his mouth," Ah..." he heard her say.

’What is she trying to do?’ he thought to himself and looked at the hand in front of him.

Opening his mouth, he took a bite and savor the food. As he kept munching his eyes didn’t dare to avert from Alice as she kept smiling bringing another bite.

"You asked me to come up with a better idea. So I came up with one" she said bringing the food close to his mouth.

"From today onwards, I will be pampering you the same way you do me. I want to make you feel special just the way you make me feel every day. Is this idea acceptable" she asked looking at him in hope.

Noah never thought Alice would change her way of approach and somehow he felt his heart skip a beat. She was changing her behavior for him which was itself a great achievement and he didn’t mind being pampered by her.

His lips slowly curled up into a smile and he nod his head before taking the bite. "This one is acceptable," his words made her feel better and she smiled watching him agree with her.

Noah too began to feed her as he didn’t want her to starve back and watch him end up eating before her. He wanted to be on the same page as her, so he wouldn’t stop himself from taking care of her just because now she was willing to pamper him.

****

Tristan was currently on a conference call with Ace, the foreman of Jaguar. In his absence, it was Ace who would look into the clan’s matter updating him on every detail.

"Boss, there is bad news," Ace said in distress.

Tristan’s eyes didn’t waver from the screen in front of him as he waited for Ace to speak.

"Alphonse is no more. His disposal was found in his penthouse a few days after Gabriel escaped. There had been rumors in the underworld that Gabriel killed him taking everything under his control and leaving the country "

Tristan remained calm without showing a reaction. He wouldn’t be surprised with Gabriel as he never shares a good bond with his father. He was the adopted son of Alphonse Moore, the leader of Aqua and also one of the reputed mafia leaders.

He had many mistresses but they never bore offspring as the man was incompetent to have one which eventually led him to take Gabriel under his wings which turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life.

He thought Gabriel would lead his clan following his footstep but his tyrant nature only bought problems for him.

"Keep an eye on his men and try to find more information regarding him" Tristan ordered Ace and ended the call.

He then looked at Karl who stood next to him," Did Lucan agree to meet us?" he asked.

"Yes boss," Karl answered.

"Good, Let’s see what he has in store for us" Tristan was looking for this meeting.

There was something about Lucan that made Tristan suspicious. Why would he join hands with Gabriel when he had so many ways to carry on his legacy in the illegal world?

He turned silent as he pondered his thoughts, but even after fidgeting with his brain, he couldn’t connect the dots that would give him the answer.

*****

Knight Mansion

Grace was sitting on the lawn reading something when she heard a honk and she snapped looking in that direction.

Her eyes widen in surprise when she watched Dante stepping out of his car as he scanned his vision around and it paused on her.

"Dad" she voiced and stood up, keeping the book on the table, and approached him.

"Oh, my daughter" Dante engulf Grace in his arms and kissed her head.

****

Inside

"You are a day late dad" Grace complained passing the glass of water to Dante.

Dante pursed his lips and gulped the water slowly. He wasn’t allowed to move recklessly as his first treatment turned out to be a little rough on him.

Matt warned him to be cautious about his movement or else he would collapse if not taken care of properly.

Grace scrutinized Dante’s careful actions. He looked so pale and also seemed to the lost weight which was quite surprising. The way he held the glass with both his hands as if he trying to stop it from falling.

Once Dante was finished drinking water he passed the glass back to Grace. He was still feeling tired after a long journey so he excused himself to his room to take a rest.

Grace was surprised to see how weak Dante looked. The shine in his eyes looked so dim and he even forgot to ask about Gavin.

Once he was out of her sight, she asked the maid to keep his luggage in his room and then walked to the study.

As soon as she stepped in, she saw Trevor busy reviewing some documents. Without getting bothered by his current situation she approached him.

"Darling, dad is home" her words were casually accepted by him as he didn’t bother to look up.

It looked like he was already aware of his arrival which was why he didn’t look surprised. Sometimes she even doubted Trevor for being so composed whenever she would bring up Dante’s topic.

Once he was done, Trevor closed the file and looked up to meet her furious gaze.

"What?" he asked getting intimidated by her angry look.

"Why do I think you already knew about his arrival? Trevor are you and dad trying to play games with me?" she didn’t hold back this time and sneered.

She had been having her doubts that Trevor and Dante had been in touch with each other all this while which was why he would always end up brushing her worries, taking Dante’s side.

Even now when she told him that Dante was home, he didn’t respond to her the way she expected him to but rather kept his calm which irked her.

"Haha... dad is home" he tried to act surprised but failed when Grace rolled her eyes at him.

Trevor was too bad in putting an act and failed miserably." You can’t act Mr. Trevor Knight, so shut it up and answer my damn question" Grace was in no mood to watch his comic because he sucks really bad.

"Darling, why would I play games with you?" Trevor stood up from his seat and approached Grace.

Grace wanted to snap at him for lying because after spending so many years with him she knew he wasn’t a predictable man but with many hidden talents and sugarcoating was one of them.

"I only learned about his arrival when the maid came up bringing coffee for me. It was her who informed me about Dante" he turned to show her the cup on the table and found her crumple face relax a little.

But still, she wasn’t convinced. Narrowing her eyes, she said," For now, I agree with you but if I happen to find that you and Dad are up to something then let me warn you, Trevor. I would spare my dad but you... there is no way" her words carried a threat in them and that made Trevor gulped as he pursed his lips into a thin line.

Chapter 177: Should we bathe...

Tristan returned home after work when he was informed about Dante’s arrival. Instead of heading to his room, Tristan first went to meet his grandfather.

"So the old man is back" he entered the room in a light-hearted mood and saw Dante glare at him through his glasses.

Ignoring his sullen face Tristan approached him and sat on the chair." I thought uncle Matt wouldn’t be leaving you so early" his words made the old man snap at him.

"I knew it was you who asked Matt to manipulate me with words" Dante knew it was Tristan’s idea to get him ready for the treatment which was why Matt kept pestering him giving him so many reasons to get on board with his therapy.

But what made him agree to them was when Matt told him that his treatment would somehow prolong his life a little and he would be able to spend more time with Grace and his grandchildren.

That was the moment when he lost and eventually agreed to step in. He wanted to see how long was his life extended. Was there really hope in his case or it was given an assurance?

"You wouldn’t have agreed if I had asked you. I had to find some other way to convince you" Tristan defended himself not taking the blame completely on him.

As much as Dante wanted to spend his remaining day with them Tristan wanted him to live long without counting his days.

Dante scoffed his words and waved his hand in the air. "Whatever... But inform Matt not to get me too often to the hospital, that place sucks" Dante scrunch his nose still remembering the smell of the medicine he was medicated on.

The taste was still lingering on his tongue which sometimes gave him nausea.

"That’s not how it works grandpa. If you want to recover then you have to follow uncle Matt’s words" Trevor wasn’t going to give in to his stubbornness this time.

Dante sneered at his words and watched him stand up to leave. Once Tristan reach the door, holding the knob he turned back and said," I think it’s time for mom to know about your health grandpa. I don’t think we can keep her in dark for long"

Dante’s sharp gaze dimmed when his words stuck like a bolt to his chords. He knew Tristan had been helping him to keep this secret to themselves, even Trevor helped him so much but now Grace being doubtful about him made him nervous.

How long was he supposed to hide this thing from her? One day or the other she would find it but wasn’t it better if he tell her by himself?

Averting his gaze away from Tristan, Dante nodded his head." I am preparing myself" he said.

Tristan nodded his head and stepped out of the room. Once the door closed Dante heaved out a shaky breath.

Trevor had too told him the same but he was still not courageous enough to tell Grace that his time was running up. Even though he was trusting the treatment but he had no idea how long his weak body would reciprocate to the dose.

Leaning back he pinched the space between his brows. It was so difficult for him to build up the courage to face his daughter but as Tristan said they couldn’t keep her in dark any longer.

Grace had started to doubt him and it wouldn’t take her long to find it on her own if not stopped.

"She is just as stubborn as me" Dante chuckled with a sad smile and closed his eyes.

****

Tristan stepped into his room and found it empty. In the afternoon when he called Ashley she was reading the scripts and he could tell that she was, because the entire table was filled with piles of paper.

"Maybe, she must be with mom" mumbling he removed his suit and stepped into the bathroom to take shower.

Undressing, Tristan stood under the shower and turned on the tap letting the water stream over him.

Resting his palm on the wall he leaned forward. He was about to get the body wash when a voice spoke from behind him," Let me"

Ashley’s voice beamed from his back as she took some body wash in her hand and started applying it on his back.

"I thought you were with mom," he said turning off the tap and circling to face her.

" I was discussing something with Miley," she said without lifting her eyes to meet his depth one.

Tristan forgot to check on the balcony where Ashley was having a conversation with Miley about the script she found interesting. Once she was done talking, she stepped inside the room when she heard the shower sound.

Knowing who it was she slowly stepped inside the bathroom removing her clothes as she approached the well-sculpted man who looked like Adonis under the shower.

Tristan traced his eyes on her naked body and his lips curled up into a playful smile, "You came prepared" his deep words made Ashley blush.

Now that they both were naked standing under the shower, shouldn’t they just bathe themselves? But no, both Ashley and Tristan had other thoughts which soon turned wild.

Ashley felt like her skin was burning under his scrutinizing gaze and she slowly moved closer resting her palm on his chest.

"Should we bathe.... together?" she said and this time she raised her eyes to meet his blue intense orbs.

Ashley was completely whipped by his charm that she even forgot to blink and let herself get immersed into the spell he cast on her.

Tristan was amazed by Ashley’s bold move. She was becoming more open with her thoughts and didn’t hold back in expressing them.

"Sure" without any second thoughts he agreed and reached his hand on the shelf to take the body wash.

His eyes never left hers as he quicken his movement, pinching the gel on his palm before he rubbed it and started applying it to her body.

Tristan gently traced his palm on her chest making circles around her round boobs. Biting her lips Ashley tried to suppress the moan when she felt him pinch her erect nipple.

"Tristan" she called his name and he looked up watching her dazed face.

"Shouldn’t I clean up everything" Tristan wasn’t going to leave any chance that won’t seduce her.

He said they should take it slow but he was finding it difficult to stand firm on his words.

Ashley bobbed her head as she couldn’t think straight. She was standing here on her will, and now she had to accept what was coming ahead.

"Yes..." she answered absentmindedly.

Chapter 178: You read it already

Tristan’s lips curled up at her response and the next second he let go of her buds sliding his hand down to her stomach as he applied the gel gently and then moved a little down reaching to her private area.

Ashley gasped when his finger brushed her petals and she held on to his shoulder for support. Her legs wobble when began rubbing her clit giving her the sensation of intense heat rushing through her body.

"Umm... Tristan... I think" she couldn’t finish her words when suddenly Tristan slammed his lips on her and sucked her every word swallowing into his mouth.

Using his other hand Tristan lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist getting proper access to her vagina.

Thrusting his finger deep into her core, Tristan made Ashley cum first. "That was fast," he said pulling away from the kiss.

Tristan’s eyes fixed on her dreamy one as he slowly kneeled lifting her leg and resting it on his shoulder.

"You want to try something different wifey," he asked in anticipation.

"Anything will do as long as I can please you," Ashley said without any second thought. She liked it when Tristan satisfied her with his exceptional ways. Not only her heart but also her body would give in to his demands.

"You won’t be disappointed wifey" he winked making her smile and then averted his attention to the opening that was dripping.

Ashley’s palm that was resting on Tristan’s shoulder clenched when his tongue invaded her private part licking the sweet nectar from her pot.

He brought his finger, thrusting deeper into her core as he prepared her for another climax. His tongue kept licking the drops while his finger kept thrusting in.

Ashley felt her body wobble as she couldn’t handle the strange sensation flickering all over her skin.

It was painful but it was also pleasurable. Letting go of his shoulder Ashley held onto his hair clenching it into a fist allowing him to taste her more.

"Tristan... I am about to cum" she said breathlessly and just after a few more thrusts she reach her climax once again.

Satisfied with the outcome Tristan pulled away once he finished cleaning her down there and stood up capturing her lips.

Kissing her die-hard Tristan flipped her body facing to the wall and entered her from behind.

Ashley, still in a daze, whined when she felt him thrust into her without warning. Holding her nape, he kept banging her until he reach his climax.

It was the wildest sex both Tristan and Ashley had experienced and it turn out to be a blissful one.

"Did you like it" Tristan’s breathless voice whispered into her ear and she smiled biting her lips and giving him the answer.

Once they both felt their racing heart normalize they resume their bath and stepped out after cleaning themselves.

Both got changed and headed to the dining area. Now that Dante was back, the house turned out more lively.

"Grandpa, next time when you leave for country X take me with you. I really need a vacation now" Gwen sighed dramatically making Tristan arch his brow.

"As if you are always on a run. Most of your work is covered by Karl, then why do you need a vacation" he sneered feeling offended.

Tristan was never strict with Gwen from the beginning, but his way of working was hectic, but that didn’t mean he burden Gwen with very little work.

"That’s why I am saying send both me and Karl on a small vacation. We really need to enjoy our lives away from work"

It had been a long since Gwen had gone on a vacation, but now she really needed one.

Tristan frowned and was about to snap when he heard Ashley’s excited voice," That sounds great. How about we too go on a vacation, it would be so fun"

Gwen gave a thump up to Ashley and looked at Tristan whose crumpled face cleared and his gloomy eyes beamed with happiness." Sure why not. If you need a vacation then why not, I can arrange everything" he said without a second thought.

Everyone at the table was rendered speechless. Tristan the most workaholic member of the family agreed to a vacation without creating any fuss.

"Am I dreaming or my ears are ringing?" Gwen’s dramatic action made Tristan scoff.

"Is this my same brother who hated the word vacation? How come he changed his mind so easily" she continued her act making everyone smile.

Though Tristan had followed Ashley when he was trying to court her yet he couldn’t term it as a vacation because he was making plans to woo her and make her fall for him. So in his words that wasn’t even considered a vacation.

On other hand, it was really hard for everyone to see Tristan taking a break from work and enjoying his time. He had always been working without having any time for himself, so when he agreed to go on a vacation it completely surprised the people around him.

"Okay now, that’s enough of teasing. Gwen... have your dinner" Grace said making Gwen stop annoying Tristan.

"Smile" Ashley whispered asking Tristan to let go of his irritation and they both started eating the dinner.

Once they were done everyone headed to their room. Now that Tristan was planning to have a vacation, Gwen couldn’t stop herself from informing about it to Karl. He was the one who needed a break along with Tristan.

"What!!.. boss is planning for a vacation?" Karl was shocked rather than surprised. Tristan going on vacation was like finding water in the desert.

His always busy boss, who never enjoyed his life and worked his ass hard being the CEO of Melanin and also the Supreme leader of Jaguar had forgotten that words like holiday also exist.

But wait, didn’t he go on a fake business trip, so he could court Mrs. Knight?

"YES... he is and I am so excited that we will finally be able to have fun" Gwen’s chirpy voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Brushing off his thoughts Karl too grasped Gwen’s word. He really needed a break as it had been years since he had gone on a trip apart from Business one. And now he was eagerly looking forward to enjoying his time with Gwen and everyone.

****

Tristan’s room

"Alice and Noah are in," Ashley said placing her phone on the side table before she turned and wrapped her arms around Tristan’s torso while she rested her head on his chest.

Ashley was yet to finalize the best script and she had given that responsibility to Finn. It was he who would pick the good one out of all she picked.

Tristan hummed tracing his fingers on her arm. There was a long pause between them when Ashley bought up the topic she left in the afternoon.

"Tristan, I wanted to talk with you about something" propping her head she looked at Tristan who stared back at her.

He remembered about her wanting to tell him something but at that time he couldn’t listen to her as Ace’s call made him end his call with her. But now that there was no one around, he was ready to listen.

"Tell me," he said tracing his knuckle on her cheeks.

Ashley didn’t know how Tristan would react but she didn’t want to keep things from him. If it had happened once, she would’ve treated it as a prank but when it happened twice, she couldn’t bring herself to neglect it.

Closing her eyes she heaved out a sigh. "Tristan that day inside the restaurant, I stumbled across a man who gave me a letter"

Opening her eyes she looked at him, trying to see some reaction but with his lack of response, she felt her voice shake. She was about to continue when Tristan’s sharp voice took her by surprise.

"Do you believe, whatever was written in that letter" her eyes widen as she pulled away watching him in disbelief?

’How did he know what was written in that letter? She didn’t tell anyone about it’ Tristan to followed and sat facing her.

He wanted her to answer. The way her eyes looked at him in disbelief, he feared to see the same disappointment in her eyes for him once she learns his truth.

"Y-you read it already?" she asked and saw him lower his eyes as he agreed to her words.

"Then you must also know, the man I danced with at the launch party" she just fluked knowing if Tristan had clue about the letter then he must also know about the mysterious man.

Tristan nodded his head and this time didn’t dare to raise his head to look at her. He said he needed time to open up about his other identity as the Supreme leader of Jaguar, one of the most powerful mafia gangs but he feared she would still love him knowing how dark his life was.

Ashley scoffed feeling dejected all of sudden. He was aware of everything from the beginning yet he kept silent. Was the love-making also a part of hiding his aggression? she couldn’t help but think as he had suddenly turned wild with her after that day.

 

Chapter 179: Fight

There was a long silence between the two as no one spoke. Ashley was still trying to understand Tristan’s behavior lately. The way he used sex to hide his anger, at first didn’t make Ashley doubt his intentions but now when she finally realized, it turned out to be his way of soothing his inner torment.

His secret which he was so scared to tell her was making him turn into someone whom she wasn’t familiar with.

Tristan was always a sweet and caring guy who loved her endlessly but that night after the party, she had seen lust completely taking control over his mind and body as he aggressively made love to her.

The gentleness in his action was replaced by aggression. The softness in his eyes was replaced by lust. That night was the first time Tristan ended up hurting her as he couldn’t control his anger.

Shutting her eyes, Ashley tried to calm herself. She wanted to sort her thoughts and relax so she would finally talk with him. She wanted to know who these people were, and how did they know about their marriage.

She wanted to know why would a random person give her a letter which would make her doubt her husband’s identity.

"You knew there was something suspicious going around us but instead of talking about it with me you used sex as an excuse to divert your attention"

Tristan snapped at her and yelled," Ash how can you say that? You know whenever we made love it was out of love and not forced pleasure"

Tristan didn’t like the way Ashley termed their love as some kind of manipulation. Yes, he admit that his mind was revolving around the situation that occurred at the launch party and he just needed her solace to feel secure.

But that didn’t mean, he used her as a plaything to suppress his surging anger.

"But you used them to tame your burning rage. Instead of talking with me, you used sexual pleasure to vend your anger" Ashley yelled climbing down the bed.

Pacing back and forth she tried to understand Tristan’s unexpected behavior. He said he loves her but he also keeps things from her and to bury them he approached her in the wrong way.

"You know that’s not the truth Ash. I just don’t want you to get into any trouble. I am trying to protect you" Tristan too climbed down the bed and approached her making her stop, holding her shoulder.

"And who are you trying to protect me from? If I had already known the threat then wouldn’t I be able to be alert? You wouldn’t have to increase the security around me" she scoffed at his explanation.

Ashley thought she knew Tristan but he was like a maze that she was trying to crack. One time he is sweet but the other time his anger overshadows his sweetness.

"I told you, I need some time to open up. There are a few things about me that you don’t have to come across with Ash. Why can’t you understand..." Tristan sounded defeated.

He wanted to speak but he also knew it wasn’t something that she would be proud of. Having a mafia lord as a husband would erase her faith in him. He didn’t want her to get familiar with the world which he kept his family away from.

It was too dark and away too different from her expectation and he didn’t want her to get involved in it.

"Is it a crime to know, what my husband has been going through? You ask me to share my problems with you and then why can’t you do the same? Isn’t it unfair to see the person you love hurt himself silently" Ashley jerked of his hands away from her shoulder and took a step back.

Her eyes started to tear as she couldn’t contain her emotion. She wanted to know why he wasn’t ready to speak and was tormenting himself.

Ashley hoped he would now speak after such an outburst but still, he was quiet which only mean he didn’t have enough faith in her.

Wiping off her tears she spoke," Fine, it that’s what you want then let it be but let me also warn you Tristan just the way you want me to stay away from your problems... even you have to do the same"

"You know that’s not possible Ash" Tristan snapped plainly rejecting her warning.

"If it’s possible in your case then it should be possible with mine too" declaring with a challenging tone she turned and walked out of the room leaving Tristan alone to deal with it.

****

Garden

After having a fit with Tristan, Ashley reached the lawn area to release her anger. It was very rare for her to show her displeasure but today with Tristan’s adamant behavior she couldn’t control her emotions.

"Why is he complicating things between us? Can’t he just tell me" she muttered brushing her hair as she tried to calm her nerves.

Tristan had managed to pull her buttons and now she was finding it hard to shut. She wasn’t upset because of the sex thing but she was upset because instead of sharing his torment he chose to remain silent.

But he badly failed when he hurt her in that process and that was the moment she realized something wasn’t the way he tried to show it.

"Ashley" a familiar voice snapped her out of her trance and she flinch.

"Grandpa Dante" holding her heart she heaved out a sigh when she saw Dante approaching her.

He looked at her in confusion as he stopped in front of her once he reached," What are you doing here. And where is Tristan?" he asked when he couldn’t see his grandson around.

At the mention of Tristan’s name, Ashley’s face crumpled which Dante easily caught. Did they fight, he thought.

There was no way Tristan would let her out at this hour unless they had a drift.

Dante was aware of the things happening in Tristan’s life as it was also connected to him. He had warned Tristan to allow Ashley to know his life outside being the CEO everyone knew, but he still was waiting for the right time.

And now, things seem to be a little problematic between the too.

"I know, I shouldn’t be asking it but did you both fight" he lowered his voice making her gasp in surprise.

’Was it too evident on her face,’ she thought touching her cheek.

Chapter 180: She wasn’t that stupid

Pursing her lips into a thin line Ashley nodded her head. She didn’t wanted anyone to know about their fight as they were mature enough to handle it but unknowingly grandpa Dante came to learn about it.

"So I was right. You both had a fight. But why?" he asked.

Dante was the only person who knew Tristan inside out. When he first met Tristan, he never thought the boy would carry a mighty aura of a leader within himself. For the outside world, he was a calm person who liked to mind his business but very few knew that once that calm person lost his cool, he would bring a storm taking away everything that comes in his path.

"Grandpa is it wrong if you want to share your spouse’s problem?" Ashley crossed her hand and turned to face Dante.

"No,"

"Then why don’t Tristan understand it" she flared.

Dante understood what she meant. He couldn’t blame the girl because her husband had never let anyone see his problems. He had been handling it by himself without letting anyone know.

"Hmm... so that’s the case," he thought while rubbing his chin

" But, have you ever thought, why would Tristan want to keep you away from his problems?" his question surprised her.

Ashley pursed her lips as she shook her head. She neglected Tristan’s words when he asked her to give him some time. She was so annoyed by his silence and inner hurting that she lashed out without thinking rationally.

"Tristan isn’t someone who liked to share his problems with anyone. He had always been like this" Dante smiled as he talked about Tristan’s one trait which was very annoying.

He always thought he had things under his control but he was wrong, whenever something goes beyond his range he loses his cool which leads him to torment himself mentally.

"But I want to share his burden. Is it too much to expect from him" Ashley asked.

"No, it isn’t too much but in Tristan’s case, it’s kind of difficult" Dante didn’t want Ashley to misunderstand Tristan.

"His insecure thought is sometimes his enemies and to hide them, he sometimes acts stupid" he explained.

"Insecure" Ashley mumbled as she remember that night after the party, Tristan literally beg her not to hate him for hurting her. He asked if she would leave him if he turn out to be someone who isn’t the one she expect him to be.

"But what is he insecure of?" she asked.

"Losing you is his biggest fear. He is scared if one day you find his deepest secret you would hate him or worst leave him" Ashley widen her eyes in shock when Tristan’s and Dante’s words matched.

Patting her shoulder he continued," It wouldn’t have been hard for him to talk with you if his life was that simple and sorted. I blame myself for that" his remorseful voice expressed his pain.

Dante still felt guilty for dragging Tristan into his world, because he knew once you step your foot into the darkness there is no way of coming out. Even if you don’t want to you make many enemies who wanted to see your downfall.

Ashley looked at the old man for some time as if she was trying to see through his words. It wasn’t hard for her to join the dots and she finally understood what he meant.

****

After talking with Dante, Ashley was trying to process her thoughts. She wasn’t that fool to not understand what Dante was trying to tell her but still, she found it hard to grasp.

Heading toward their bedroom Ashley stepped in only to find it empty. Knitting her brows she remembered the fight and her shoulder dropped in defeat.

"I shouldn’t have overreacted" now she regretted giving hard time to Tristan.

Heaving out a sigh, she walked toward their bed and lay down. She thought it was better to give Tristan some space as they both had to sort their thoughts and ease their anger so they would finally talk.

The silence inside the room was killing her. She was so used to Tristan’s talk that now she felt sour. Deep down she wanted him to come to her and embrace her just like he did every night.

But she knew this wasn’t going to happen, at least not tonight. After the heated argument, she doubted whether Tristan would even talk to her.

"Argh!! I messed up everything" she cursed scolding herself.

Calming her restless heart she laid still staring at the wall above and Ashley soon drifted to sleep. Her mind was tired and so was her body and it didn’t take her long to fall asleep.

****

The day Ashley woke up alone on the bed. Finding the space next to her empty and cold she understood Tristan didn’t return to their room last night.

Just the thought of him avoiding her jabbed her heart. She knew she was at fault for lashing out at him but wasn’t it his responsibility to come and soothe her?

Disheartened Ashley climbed down from the bed and headed to the bathroom. Quickly taking a shower she stepped out of her room, and headed to the dining area.

She thought maybe she would see Tristan but to her surprise, he wasn’t present there with everyone.

"Good morning" Grace’s cheerful voice broke her trance and she forced a smile, hiding her disappointment.

"Good morning" she answered and sat next to Gwen. Placing the food on the table she leaned to Gwen and whispered," Does your brother have an emergency meeting today?" she asked as low as possible.

Gwen turned her head looking at Ashley in surprise," Didn’t brother tell you he is traveling for a business meeting in the country M"

Ashley frowned and shook her head in no. Last night after the fight they didn’t see each other. She was waiting for Tristan to show up but he didn’t which only meant that now he was trying to avoid her.

Gwen found Ashley’s reaction a little strange but she didn’t voice her thought. She could tell that the couple wasn’t on talking terms because Tristan wasn’t someone who would ever forget to inform Ashley about his travel.

’Did he find out that I told everything to Ashley about him being a secret lover’ she paused and looked at Ashley who shrug her shoulder asking her what happened.

’No, there is no way brother would let me have breakfast so peacefully if he happened to know it was me who opened his secret to his beloved wife’ breathing a sigh of relief Gwen continued eating her breakfast.

****

Country M,

Head office

The temperature inside the meeting hall dropped when Tristan’s cold eyes send chills to everyone member present inside.

It was a sudden visit that the CEO decided to pay and that took everyone by surprise. No one thought that the boss would call everyone for a meeting on such short notice.

Tristan had been rejecting back-to-back every proposal that the employees presented. It felt like they were walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers as they came up with as many ideas as possible but none of them impressed the iceberg.

Even with the air conditioner on, they were still sweating, praying that this silent torture to end somehow and they escape from this hell. Just when they all were getting used to the chilling aura they heard a sudden noise.

Thud

A loud bang echoed inside the silent room making everyone flinch. Karl who sat next to Tristan woke up from his drowsiness and looked at the employees, lowering their heads when Tristan’s furious voice beamed from his side.

"That’s it. Is this all you have" standing up from his chair, Tristan started pacing back and forth.

"I asked for that one better proposal, yet no one of you was able to provide it. Is this how you work in my absence" resting his hand on his waist Tristan looked around.

"Two hours... you all have two hours to bring me fresh ideas or else I will fire every one of you" with all said, Tristan, turned around and walked out of the room in fury.

Karl who also woke up by the shattering earthquake gave everyone a pitiful gaze and left the room following his boss.

On his way to the cabin, Karl heard Tristan slamming every file on the desk in anger which made him halt right in front of his office door. Slightly opening the door Karl peeked inside and saw Tristan slumped down on his chair with his head rested back.

His eyes were closed and his chest heaved up and down showing how badly he was pissed this time but, why was he so frustrated.

Closing back the door, Karl thought not to enter the lion’s den, or else his condition would also end up like those in the meeting hall.

Walking away from there Karl reached the company’s balcony and made a call to Gwen.

"Hey handsome, already missing me," her cheerful voice beamed through the call.

Without answering her greeting Karl came straight to the point," Did Ashley and Tristan fight?"