Ch. 471..475: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 471-475
Chapter 471: Bianca Peterson
The morning sun came basking into the tranquil room. As the cool breeze played along with the curtains, the figure sleeping on the bed slowly stirred.
As she tried to move her body she found it hard. Not only her head was throbbing but also her body was burning with fever.
"Ah, w-where am I?" She muttered finally witnessing her surroundings.
The place she was brought to wasn’t familiar to her.
"Did they-" her eyes widened in fear and she pushed her up, ready to run away.
"Ah..." Forcing herself she tried to climb down the bed but the moment her feet touched the cold floor to stand, she fell back.
She had no strength left within, but thinking she was brought back to the same place, her fears amplified.
Clutching the sheets with both her hands she mustered the strength and forced herself to stand when suddenly the door to her room opened and her head flung into it’s direction.
Her body shivered thinking about those men who tried to kill her, but when she saw the man walking inside her shoulder slumped down in relief and her eyes fluttered before rolling up and she passed out.
It had been hours since she slept but when something cold touched her forehead her eyes flung open and she gasped in shock.
Her heart raced in fear but then she heard a voice from the side and snapped her head in it’s direction.
"How do you feel now" Gabriel asked sitting on the chair next to her bed.
He had been putting on a cold water stripe on her forehead as she was burning with fever. Though her temperature was down now, still the girl looked pale.
Bianca couldn’t speak but as she kept observing the man he didn’t seem to be a threat and that made her drop her guard.
Moving her eyes towards the bedside table she pointed at the glass of water before looking at Gabriel.
"You want water?" he asked and the girl slowly bobbed her head.
Gabriel quickly got up and grabbed the glass of water before passing it to her.
"..."
"Oh, sorry" Keeping the glass back on the table, Gabriel first helped her sit on it and then passed her the glass of water.
Bianca slowly gulped down the water before passing it back to Gabriel. Lowering her head she started fidgeting
"I think you should rest. You still have a little fever" Gabriel said before getting up from his seat.
He didn’t want to make the girl feel uncomfortable due to his presence, so he decided to excuse himself giving her the time to rest.
Bianca on the other had snapped her head in his direction and frantically shook her head.
"N-No... You have already done enough. I’ll take my leave now" she said pulling away the duvet, ready to leave but Gabriel stopped her.
"No need to leave. You are still weak. I don’t want you to pass out again. So stay here until you recover. After that, you are free to leave. I won’t stop" With that he turned around and walked out of the room.
Bianca found the man rude as he spoke with her with a straight face but then she ignored everything knowing he was the one who helped her.
As she remained seated her mind drifted to the previous night’s incident and her lips trembled in fear.
Closing her eyes she released a shaky breath and then laid back on the bed with her eyes staring at the ceiling blankly.
As she looked ahead the door of her room once again opened and this time a maid entered inside with a tray of food.
"Miss, Young Master has asked you to eat something," she said placing the food and medicines on the side table.
Forcing herself up Bianca sat on the bed and bobbed her head. Once the maid was out of her sight, she opened the lid of the pot and soon the aromatic smell of vegetable soup hit her nostrils.
Unable to hold her hunger, she soon dived into the food and ended up finishing the entire bowl.
BURP!
Satisfied after consuming the delicious soup, Bianca then drank her medicine and soon drifted back to sleep.
****
Meanwhile, inside Lucas Hideout, the man roar at the three men who failed to kill one girl.
"You useless people. How can you not eliminate one woman and here you are standing and sharing your failure with me" Lucas lost his cools as his men returned without accomplishing their task.
The three men shivered at the sound of a dreadful voice and kneeled before him.
"Boss we tried our best to catch her but the girl was too smart. She tricked us" one of the men said.
Lucas’s blood boiled while listening to his excuse. Getting up from his seat he raised his wooden stick and smacked his head until he was knocked out
Thud!
The man fell down unconscious while the other two kneeled before Lucas gulped at their subordinate’s state.
Blood pooled around his head and they realized that if they happened to give any excuse, soon they would be the ones joining him.
Lucas’s lips twitched in annoyance as she shot his head at the other two. "Do you have anything to speak?" he asked.
The two men quickly shook their heads in fear. They didn’t dare to utter a word knowing how Lucas would silence them permanently.
"Now get up and find the girl before you two also end up joining your teammate" Lucas’s words startled the men and they quickly got up and rushed out of the room like rats.
Just when the two men left, Sandra walked into the same room and noticed Lucas’s tensed face.
As he processed further her eyes fell on the man who laid lip on the floor with blood oozing from his head.
Her brows knitted when she finally noticed the man and her head flung in his direction in shock.
"Why is he lying here?" she asked.
Sandra didn’t want to let negative thoughts irk her mind but watching the man they sent to kill the doctor who treated her while she drifted into a coma lay on the floor she felt the fear creep into her heart.
Lucas who failed to notice her presence snapped out of his thought and turned to face the anxious Sandra.
Staring at her for a few seconds he answered," They failed to kill the doctor"
A dreadful silence engulfed between the two but Sandra quickly snapped. "How can they fail to catch that woman? Didn’t you instruct them? You know we need to eliminate that woman before Tristan’s men get hold of her."
" I know, I know... you don’t have to remind me of that" Lucas snapped as he couldn’t handle her loud voice. Just like her, he was worried that Tristan’s men would find the girl.
Sandra frowned when Lucas raised his voice on her. Clenching her jaw in anger she said," Find her before it’s too late Lucas. We can’t risk anything this time" With a last warning she turned around glanced at the man, and dashed out of the room.
***
Meanwhile, inside Gabriel’s room, he was busy finding clues about the new stuff that Jennifer hired for herself. He found it a little hard to get through her information as the details were kept hidden.
Not only did she hide her face but even her name was hidden from the rest of the staff.
"How am I supposed to find who she is?" he muttered closing the file that consisted of information about Jennifer and the people who worked for her before leaning back on his chair and closed his eyes.
As he was busy thinking someone knocked on the door and his eyes flung open.
"Come in" Composing himself he watched the maid enter the room.
"Young Master, as per your instruction I gave the Miss food and prescribed medicine and now she is resting"
"Good. Make sure to monitor her fever. She seems too weak to even stand on her own" he said and soon the maid left.
Staring at the closed door, Gabriel then got up from the chair and walked to the bedside table. Opening the drawer he pulled out an identity card and stared at the picture.
"Bianca Peterson, Age: 26, Occupation: Surgeon at Fortis Plus hospital" The moment he read those last words, his eyes darkened in doubt.
Fortis Plus Hospital was the same place where they had located Sandra’s whereabouts but when their men went to inquire, they found nothing except for the fact that there was a patient who was admitted there a few days but was taken away even before she could recover.
They assumed that patient to be Sandra if not then why would she run away.
Clenching the card firmly in his hand Gabriel shoved it back into the drawer and said, "I need to interrogate her once she recovers"
Chapter 472: What on earth is wrong with this woman
Tristan woke up on the empty bed only to realize that Ashley had left for the shoot. Forcing his body up, he scowled recalling his behavior.
"I shouldn’t have overreacted," he said running his palm over his hair and jerked away the duvet before climbing down.
Taking a quick shower Tristan dressed up and stepped out of his room.
Reaching downstairs he found his parents and Gwen having their breakfast. The moment Grace’s eyes caught him, she called him.
"Good morning dear, come have breakfast," she said motioning the maid to serve him the food but Tristan immediately declined.
"No Mom, I have an urgent meeting to attend. I need to leave" Giving her a quick peck on her cheeks, Tristan strode out of the house.
Staring at his retreating back Grace muttered," Why is everyone leaving empty stomach this morning? First, it was Ashley, and now Tristan"
"You still don’t understand mom. These two are having a fight that’s why they are punishing each other by starving themselves" Gwen’s voice from the side snapped both Grace’s and Trevor’s attention.
"How do you know that?" they asked.
"Tsk, instinct"
Gwen who had stepped into the house at midnight had seen Tristan spacing on his balcony. He looked a little pissed, whereas Ashley she wasn’t even there with him, which only concluded that the couple had a tiff.
"I am sure it’s him. Ashley wouldn’t bring a fight unless he gave her a point" Grace declared.
Tristan was the most sensible child of hers, but sometimes he would too act stupid. It was common among the Knight men. They might rule the business world with their exceptional skills, but when it came to handling their emotions, they had no clue how to react.
"It’s all your fault" she snapped at Trevor, slamming the spoon on the table in fury.
"M-Me?" the man who was sitting silently was blamed for his son’s foolishness.
"Why is it my fault? Did I ask him to fight with Ashley " he argued feeling wronged for something he didn’t do.
"Of course, it’s your fault. You and your son both don’t have a conscience" she spat getting up from the seat and walked away.
"...."
Slide glancing at her father’s pitiful face, Gwen shoved the last piece of bread in her mouth and wiped off her lips, before getting up.
"Dad, I think Mom is right this time. You and brother both suck at handling your emotions" giving him a sorry look, she gently patted his shoulder and left from there.
"...."
****
Reaching Skylar Corps, Tristan headed toward his office where Karl was waiting for him.
"Have you prepared the documents, I asked for?" he asked walking towards his executive chair.
"Yes boss"
Passing him the file, Tristan went through it before signing the document. "Forward this news to Charles. I am sure after learning that we are canceling the project with them, he would come after me to negotiate"
"Yes boss" passing the file back to Karl, he then left.
Meanwhile, Tristan remained seated in his seat, but all his attention was fixed on thinking about Ashley.
Last night after he entered the room, Ashley had already fallen asleep. He had come to realize his mistake and wanted to apologize, but now he couldn’t since she refused to even see him.
"How about I visit her sets" he thought. His eyes sparkled in excitement.
’No, you can’t. She already forbade you from showing your face at her shooting location’ his subconscious mind spoke from behind and all the shine in his eyes dimmed instantly.
Falling back on his chair, Tristan sighed. He regretted being a dumbass at times. No matter how many times he said he was fine, he still ended up repeating the same mistake.
"Am I losing my mind" he snapped forcing himself up.
Lately, he has been showing symptoms of a pregnant woman with lots of mood swings. Even his wife had started to get annoyed by his constant nagging and if he kept continuing that then he doubted Ashley would soon stop loving him.
"No!... I can’t let that happen. It’s better I give her some space" he thought.
Tristan had to understand that he couldn’t always stop Ashley from doing things she liked. He can’t always control her just because he is scared that something might happen to her.
He was letting his fear overshadow his conscience, failing to understand her words. But now he had to stop and trust her.
He knew Ashley wouldn’t let anything happen to herself knowing that his life resides in her and if something happened to her then he wouldn’t be able to survive.
Bobbing his head in understanding Tristan decided to follow his decision and continued doing his work.
*****
Bianca had finally woke up and was feeling more refreshed than before. The medicine she took worked perfectly for her and now she felt like she was ready to leave.
Climbing down from the bed she looked for her ID card. She remembered wearing it before she ran off from that abandoned place. It was the only thing that helped her borrow a car and run away from those men.
"But where have it gone" She mumbled checking the pockets of her clothes, but found nothing.
"Did it fell somewhere" She snapped wondering if she lost it when she passed out or maybe...
"No no no why would he take it. There is no way he would have my ID" She assured herself with a forced smile and kept searching the card.
"Are you looking for this Miss Bianca? "
Suddenly the door of her room opened and Gabriel walked in carrying her identity card in his hand.
Bianca found his gaze scrutinizing, but she tried keep herself compose
Staring at him for a few seconds, she then stood up and turned entirelyto face him.
"Y-Yes" She whispered moving her eyes between Gabriel face and his hand.
Gabriel noticed the gleam of nervousness in her eyes but she quickly masked it.
’Interesting’
"So you are a doctor" Her mumbled looking at the card as he read it.
"Yet you couldn’t take care of yourself self"
Gabriel said with a sarcastic tone.
He wanted to see if Bianca was one of them and if yes the it was a right opportunity to tie her down.
Bianca on the other hand found Gabriel words a little taunting, yet he decided to keep quite.
He was the one who helped her and gave her a shelter for one night. If not for his kindness those men would’ve found her and she would’ve been dead by now.
"It’s not that I wanted to pass out of the road purposely" She replied. This time ber voice came out a little firm and rude that left Gabriel amused.
"I didn’t say like that" He played along.
Gabriel found the girl a little interesting. She looked like a lost puppy but her mouth was sharp as knife.
’It would be fun to play with her’ he lamented.
Bianca felt like this man was purposely trying to provoke her. But then why would he act so nice to her before.
’Was it all a plan. Is he one of them’
The possibility of him being one of the kidnapper strike her thoughts and she slowly took a step back.
Gabriel sarcastic smile faded when he noticed her small movement and his brow cocked in anticipation.
He had a feeling that the girl was doubting his intention, suddenly getting alerted about him. But that didn’t stop him from approaching her.
He wanted to know what was her next move.
"W-who are you?" She stuttered quickly fisting her hand in air ready to attack him in case he touches her.
"Gabriel, Gabriel Emerson" He answered taking a step closer to her while she took a step back.
Bianca’s eyes flutter listening to his name.
’Have I heard this name before’ she wondered and started pacing out.
It took her a few seconds to recognize him and once she did her eyes popped out from gee socket and the hands hanging mid air lossen and she squealed.
"Gabriel Emerson.... The hottest model who worked with The Ashley BrownBrown for Star Magazine shoot" Her voice raised like a whistle almost stumbling Gabriel on his feet.
".... "
"OH MY GOD!... I don’t believe this. I finally got the chance to meet you" Bianca beamed expressing her thoughts. She dropped her guards instantly and quickly ran toward him like an excited child.
Her eyes sparkle as she adored his beauty. The photos she had seen of him didn’t do justice to his beauty. He looked more handsome and charming in personperson and she couldn’t help but keep staring at him like a awestruck puppy.
Gabriel on the other hand felt like the entire world shifted to 360 degrees. The girl who was ready to fight him a few seconds ago quickly switched her mood into an die hard fan who was now drooling over him without any hesitation.
’What on earth is wrong with this woman’
Chapter 473: Ulterior Motive
Gabriel’s brows twitched in disbelief. Bianca whom he was trying to intimidate to get some information regarding Sandra’s whereabouts, instead left him surprised by her fangirling reaction.
Standing there astonished, Gabriel pursed his lips into a thin line and watched the lady sprint towards him.
"Can you give me an autograph? I am a huge fan of yours" she chirped like an awestruck fan.
The shine of her glittering eyes made Gabriel twitch his lips in awkwardness and the intimidating aura he tried carrying the entire time was now replaced by shock.
"A-Autograph?" he stuttered finding her reaction out of the world but the moment she bobbed her head like a child, he took a step back in threatening.
’This girl had seriously lost her mind. Who on earth reacts this way’
Bianca who had forgotten her purpose of sneaking out of the room, kept on fangirling the entire time, ignorant of the the fact that her words had stirred a mountain of shock in Gabriel’s heart.
Bianca was a professional surgeon but she was a huge of this rising model named Riel Scott. The day she had seen him on the cover paper of the reputed Magazine along with Ashley Brown, she was smitten by his beauty and charm.
She always wondered how can someone be this intimidating yet attractive at the same time. Though it was his side profile that captured his beauty, she couldn’t forget his charm.
With her eyes expectantly looking his way, Bianca then noticed his hesitation and the next moment she broke out of her trance realizing what she had been doing all the time.
"...."
As if someone had splashed her face with cold water Bianca’s face turned crimson red in embarrassment and she quickly covered her face with her palm.
"I am sorry... I didn’t mean to scare you" She apologized and quickly turned her back on him.
The silence drew between the two as no one spoke. It was after an entire minute, that Bianca remembered something and snapped around to face Gabriel.
"Can you give me back my ID? I need to leave"
Now that she was back to being her original self, Bianca switched back to being alerted. Now that she was doing fine, she had to leave this place.
After getting kidnapped by those men, she couldn’t stay relaxed.
’What if they come after me once again’ The thought of getting killed by some anonymous people without knowing the reason sent a shiver down her spine.
Bianca thought it was better for her to leave this house and file a complaint about her abduction and seek protection and for that, she had to reach the hospital.
Gabriel who had been silent the entire time cocked his brow at her change of aura.
Waiting for a moment he then asked," You think leaving this place will keep you safe"
Gabriel’s words caught Bianca off guard but she quickly composed herself. She had already guessed that Riel was aware of what had happened to her. If not he wouldn’t have been this vocal with her.
He didn’t beat around the bush and kept his words clear for her to understand. It was kind of overwhelming but at the same time, she couldn’t risk his life.
She had no clue why those men had abducted her but she was damn sure that they were going to kill her and were waiting for their boss’s order. It was her quick-wittedness that made her sneak from their grasp or else she would have been dead meat by now and no one would’ve known about her disappearance.
Maintaining her cold face, Bianca stretched her hand ahead and stated," I can’t keep hiding forever. Since you know what happened to me I think I should leave this place without risking anyone’s life and find a refugee from the cops. I am sure they would help me-"
"I can help you" Gabriel cut in and watched her purse her lips.
"You’ll h-help me but why?" she asked. Confusion taking over her calmness.
Bianca was thankful for his generous act, but she couldn’t risk his life any further. She knew he was a well-known figure and just because he wanted to extend a helping hand she couldn’t just accept it.
As her eyes keenly observed his face, she couldn’t find any suspicion behind his help. He remained faithful throughout the situation and that made Bianca wonder why was he even helping her.
"I know it’s hard for you to trust me, but let me tell you. I am the only one who can help you right now. Not even cops would be able to do anything"
The confidence in Riel’s tone made Bianca fume. The way he was doubting the authorities made her wonder if he was superior to the laws itself. But how?
This man had just started his career and was already basking with pride and power.
’Is he hiding something from everyone’ she doubted.
"But why do you want to help me? Aren’t you worried that the people who abducted me might come after you? Aren’t you scared that in return for your kindness, you’ll lose your life" she asked.
Bianca might not know the intentions behind his kindness, but one thing did make her doubt and that was, that Riel knew something about those people and she was his way to them.
Giving him an eye to eye contact, Bianca started racking her brain. She had already trusted him so far and accepting his helping hand might not be as threatening as it seemed to be.
What if he is right and those men might still be looking for her...again
"No, no I just can’t die so soon. I have so much to achieve’ she pondered to herself and agreed to his help.
"I think you should take your-"
"I agree" she blurted without letting him finish his words.
Gabriel’s face contorted in relief. He thought Bianca would still refuse to accept his help, but he was glad that she did.
For him, it was a win-win situation. With Bianca being with him, he would be able to track Sandra and the person who helped her survive the escape, whereas, for Bianca, she would find a refugee at his place without getting threatened for her safety anymore.
"I will ask someone to bring your belongings here" with an affirmative tone, Gabriel then walked out of the room without waiting for her response.
While Bianca could only keep looking at the closed door from where Riel just left.
"You can’t be this generous to a stranger unless you have an ulterior motive"
Chapter 474: There she is
Meanwhile, an entire day passed with Tristan fighting his urge to call Ashley just to check on her mood.
He might have tried convincing himself that giving her space would calm her down, but as time passed by and when Tristan didn’t receive a single call or text from Ashley, all his resolve slowly began to crumble.
He started doubting himself, wondering how Ashley never once thought of him while there wasn’t a second he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Ashley wasn’t someone who liked ignoring his message even when she was hell-upset with him. Just a small text reply from her would brighten his day. But now an entire day passed, and he hadn’t heard anything from her back.
THUD!
Slamming the file close in front of him Tristan raked his fingers through his hair frustratingly.
"I know, I am at fault, but that doesn’t mean she would ignore me like I don’t even exist" he complained staring the his cell phone that rested abandonedly on the table.
He was dying to receive a call from her end but no matter how much he hoped that damn cell phone didn’t ring.
Frustrated Tristan stood from his chair and grabbed the phone before dialing a number and said
****
Ashley had finished her shoot for the day and was ready to leave when suddenly Miley rushed to her side anxiously.
"What’s wrong Miley? Why are you panting?" Ashley asked noticing the heavy breathing coming from her manager.
"Ma’am I think you should hear this" Passing Ashley’s cell phone to her Miley took a step back.
Taking the phone from her hand Ashley frowned before looking at the screen and the moment she read the name the furrow on her forehead deepened.
"Dad... why is he calling me?" she muttered quickly pressing the answer button.
"Is everything alright Dad? I thought you forgot you have a daughter back in country S" she asked sarcastically as soon as she answered the call only to hear the man go silent the next second.
"...."
Richard who had been busy traveling and enjoying his life finally remembered his daughter and decided to call her out of the blue. It was quite unexpected since the man had entirely forgotten that she even existed, but now that he had finally remembered her, Ashley couldn’t stop being sarcastic with him.
"Dad! Are you there" she asked checking the call still going on but her father had turned utterly silent.
The moment Richard heard his daughter’s humorless tone, he sighed.
"I thought my daughter would be happy but guess she isn’t" Richard low spirited voice made her roll her eyes, but she didn’t mind listening to him. Instead, she chuckled at his heartbroken act
"Stop acting Dad. I know you have been too busy to even remember me, so stop being dramatic and tell me how come you remember your daughter" she asked dropping all the humor and coming straight to the point.
Heaving out a sigh, Richard dropped fake sadness and asked," Has everything good between you and Tristan"
His words made Ashley cocked her brow and she asked," Why would you ask that. Did that man complain to you about me?" her lips twitched in fury
Ashley had this nagging feeling when Richard called her out of the blue and now she understood why did even recalled her in the first place.
It was because of Tristan. That man when he couldn’t get to her called her father and complained about their fight to him.
’So childish’ she sneered mentally and heard her father laugh from the other end.
"So I guess it right. Something is not right between you two. I wondered how Tristan suddenly missed me so much that he called me to inquire about my journey and that too during his office hours" Richard chuckled thinking about Tristan’s call.
Richard had been staying in a motel at a hill station and was enjoying his hot coffee when suddenly he received Tristan’s call.
At first, he thought maybe like every other time, he called him to inquire about his whereabouts but when his son-in-law started talking in spirals he understood the couple had been arguing about something and Tristan was just trying to avert his mind because his daughter shut him down entirely.
"Just ignore him, dad. Your son-in-law has lost his mind" Ashley tried to brush off the topic. She didn’t want to deal with Tristan yet.
That man was acting so childish that now she gave up on him and let him deal with his problems on his own.
"But still, you shouldn’t ignore him for long Ashley. What if he might end up calling everyone just to divert his mind" Richard expressed.
Ashley didn’t answer him and remained quiet for some time before responding," I will talk to him later. So don’t worry. Even if he calls everyone, they all know he is the only one at fault"
Richard could agree with her. It wasn’t the first time Ashley had given anyone a silent treatment but he only hoped Tristan wouldn’t lose his mind in the process.
"Anyways, I won’t ask you to forgive him just like that but still spare that guy. He sounded so depressed when he talked with me"
"I won’t," she assured.
Changing the topic, Richard and Ashley talked about random stuff with him sharing his experience. Her father sounded so relaxed that she felt at ease listening to him.
After talking with Richard, Ashley got changed, and soon they left the set. On the way home, she kept on receiving calls from her friends and family who kept on asking the same.
While explaining every one of them Ashley finally reached the Knight Mansion. Stepping out of the car, she looked for Tristan’s car but when she didn’t find it anywhere, she assumed her husband wasn’t home yet.
Giving a final glance Ashley then entered the house only to find her family members gathered in the living hall.
"There she is..." Grace voiced pointing in her direction and soon Gwen rushed to her side.
Chapter 475: One of them
"Look who is here" Gwen cheerfully dragged Ashley further inside the living hall and it was then a tall slightly bulky person turned around flashing his everlasting smile.
"GAVIN! Oh my god, you look so different" Ashley’s shocked yet extremely happy voice made the boy sprint towards her and within a split second he hugged her.
It had been almost eight months since Gavin enlisted in the military and this was the first time after that he returned home.
"I just can’t believe it. You look so different. Where is my cute little brother" Ashley complained when she couldn’t see the boyish side of Gavin. He looked more mature and well-built with that military look. She suddenly missed his old version, the playful and naughty one.
The unexpected visit from Gavin left everyone surprised, especially Gwen and Ashley who were aware of his return. He had only informed me about his visit to his parents.
"I am still the same sister-in-law but where is my brother? Why isn’t he home yet" Gavin asked looking behind the main door and searching for his elder brother.
"Oh come on young man don’t tell me he hasn’t called you yet" Gwen who stood next to them started rambling, spilling Tristan’s childish act in front of her brother.
Confused by her response Gavin then looked at Ashley and asked," What is this silly girl talking? Why would brother call me. As far as I remember, he doesn’t even recall that I even exist" his confused eyes moved back and forth between his parents and the two ladies.
Though Tristan kept an update on Gavin’s activity, he never once called him. Tristan believed that having a chat with Gavin would make him homesick and to stop himself from getting distracted, he would only negotiate with the officials inquiring about his brother.
"It’s nothing... don’t waste your time racking your brain so much. Your brother will soon be home" Grace quickly butted in and changed the topic.
It was already a hot topic among the family members and letting Gavin know what was happening around them would only make the siblings tease their elder brother.
Dropping the thought of inquiring anything further the trio walked towards the elders and took their respective seats.
Ashley glanced at the time and then at the main door. She wondered what was taking Tristan so long to arrive.
"I think he is purposely delaying" Gwen whispered breaking Ashley’s chain of thoughts.
Turning around she glanced at the girl in confusion but she smiled in assurance in return.
Ashley simply stared at her and then resumed her talks with Gavin. He was back home for a small break and to make his stay happy Ashley decided to cook for them.
It was so rare for them lately to have a gathering together and now that Gavin was back, she finally got the chance to cook for them.
Excusing herself to her room, Ashley got changed and entered the kitchen along with Gwen.
Meanwhile, Gavin and his parents continued talking. Inquiring everything about his life Grace felt at ease. Initially, she was against his decision to join the military, but Tristan’s assuring words made her withdraw from her worries.
Now that she saw how happy he was it made her feel at ease.
"Mom, is everything alright between Brother and sister-in-law" Gavin suddenly asked.
Though he was curious to know what exactly happened, Gavin chose to take a mature way to ask.
Grace who was also bothered by her son earlier started wondering what happened to Tristan and how he started acting strange. Even Trevor informed about the argument the couple had a few days ago and how he found their son in his study.
At first, she thought it was a minor argument the couple had but today in the morning she once again noticed something strange in their behavior. If not for Gwen’s keen eyes, they wouldn’t have known about the drift.
"I don’t know what is wrong with Tristan, but I am sure his insecurities are getting the worst of him"
Tristan had always been protective of his people and to keep them safe he would restrict them from doing a few things. And after analyzing everything Grace understood where things were going wrong.
Gavin who heard his mother mumble to herself frowned and was about to question when the main door opened and finally Tristan walked in with a sullen face.
Gavin who was about to run to greet his brother halted his steps when he noticed the depressed look on his face and immediately turned towards his mother.
"Mom, should I go or let him think that we are invisible," he asked, hesitating as to whether or not to greet his brother.
He was still in denial when Tristan himself noticed the presence around him and his footsteps stopped on their own.
"Gavin!" the first name he uttered from his mouth after returning home.
Tristan was aware of the mid-breaks Gavin was supposed to have, but he never thought his brother would decide to show up.
"What a pleasant surprise. When did you come" Tristan’s entire mood changed and he marched towards his shocked brother who remained rooted on his ground, only to get embraced in a firm solace the next second.
"Erk... brother...you are choking me" Unable to hold the grip Gavin choked on his words and asked Tristan to spare him from the bear hug.
Tristan didn’t realize he had holding Gavin too tight unless he heard him groan. "Oh I am sorry" he apologized and then with the same awkward smile he looked at his mother.
"Did you both know he was coming?" he asked walking towards his parents and taking the seat on the couch.
Though he was talking with him his mind was lurking around the house trying to find his wife who he hadn’t seen since morning.
He knew she was back home. ’Her car was parked outside, but where is she? Doesn’t she miss me at all’ he thought suddenly feeling sad in his heart.
While his eyes searched the space, Grace caught the sight of his longing gaze and said," She is in the kitchen with Gwen" Her words caught Tristan’s attention and he awkwardly cleared his throat before giving her a nod.
"I’ll go and get changed," he said forcing a smile and soon got up to leave. As he walked upstairs Grace heaved out a sigh.
"Your son is just like you, useless"
"...."
Gavin pursed his lips stopping himself from bursting into a pit of laughter, and looked at his mother. Hooking his arms around her he asked," And what about me mom, Am I just like them"
"Not for now, but once I find you have someone you like and yet you act like your useless father and brother then, you are going to be counted as one of them"
"..."