Hayley closed the door to her apartment and leaned against it, breathing hard. The kiss had her on the brink of surrender! No, she couldn’t afford to go down that path again, only to be shut out of his life. For the last four years, she had struggled to get a grip on herself and move on. Now she had chosen her career over a relationship. She couldn’t accept Ashton back into her life. It was better to think of him as a player and hate him.
She dragged her tired body to the bedroom to get ready for work. After fifteen minutes, she drove away to work without breakfast or coffee. It wasn’t working at all! She shouldn’t have moved into Ashton’s building!
The entire day she was busy, grabbing a quick lunch at the hotel itself.
“You look tired, Hails. Are you sure you aren’t skipping your meals?” asked her dad, noting how stressed she looked.
“Mornings are hectic because I’ve started working out. Most days, I don’t get to make any breakfast.” Her dad frowned with worry, shaking his head with disapproval.
“That’s not right at all. You need to adjust the time so that you can eat something to replenish the energy lost. Do the preparation the night before.”
Hayley considered her dad’s suggestion and nodded. “Yes, dad. I’ll do that.” She took an update about everyone at home and finally was on her way home. At the parking area of her building, she didn’t see Ashton’s car. Maybe he still hadn’t returned from work.
Quickly freshening up, she made dinner and then started her preparations for the next day’s breakfast, just as her dad had suggested. Strangely, there was no sign of Ashton even after an hour. What did she expect? He would come running to her the moment she arrived. Why would he? The kiss hardly meant a thing to him.
In the meantime:
“You have six months to pay off the interest, Pierce,” growled a restless Antonio. This time, he didn’t meet Gambino. Antonio received the payment in the office room on the ground floor.
“Fine, but if I find Kingsley after my girl, I won’t pay at all,” he protested, but it angered Antonio all the more.
“I thought Don had asked you to stay away from the woman.” Ashton was immediately on high alert. He had to straighten a few things here.
“Why should I? I’m repaying you everything. What I do with my personal life shouldn’t concern you.” Antonio massaged his temples and frowned, thinking of a proper retort.
“We’ll take it out on Big Steve if you don’t cooperate,” he said at last, his eyes glittering with hatred. Ashton’s jaws dropped to the floor with surprise. This was the first time they had given some information about his dad. So, he was alive.
“I’ll cooperate only if I can meet my dad once.” Ashton didn’t fear his life any longer. The wish to meet his dad was so strong that he wanted to fight anyone who came his way.
“He is fine here. He works in the basement where only employees are allowed. Sorry, you cannot meet him without Don’s permission.” Antonio’s grim face made him restless.
“What can happen if I see him once? It’s been nearly fifteen years since I’ve seen him. Are you guys human? It’s just a matter of debt, isn’t it? I’m still paying you back. Why can’t I see him?” he yelled, desperate to convince him. If anyone could help, it was Antonio.
“I can show you a video of him. You can’t meet him till you pay off the interest,” said Antonio adamantly.
“I have a feeling that this isn’t about money. Why have you still not released him?” demanded Ashton angrily. Antonio narrowed his eyes at him and gritted his teeth.
“Yes, you’re right. This isn’t about money. Your dad knows too much about us. We will never free him, even if you pay the amount. Have you got it now? Get out before you end up similarly.” Antonio called the guards to throw him out of the premises. Ashton panicked, stepping back from them.
“What about the video you promised to show me?” he asked desperately.
“Take him away and dump him outside the gates, Jim,” he asked his man.
“You can’t do this to me. I won’t go anywhere without seeing my dad, Antonio. I didn’t seek an explanation when you dumped me on the beach to die. For years, I’ve been paying off everything I have earned. I want to see my dad. I want to see him alive,” he yelled, pushing past the guards to storm towards a stunned Antonio.
“Cut it, Pierce. No one talks to me this way. I’ll silence you forever for daring to disrespect me,” said Antonio, pulling out his gun and pointing at his forehead. Ashton lost his composure and gripped the gun with both hands.
“Kill me then. I won’t leave without seeing my dad.” Antonio gaped at him for a split second, and then dropped his gun.
“You know I can’t kill you because of Francesca. Go away, son. You can only see your dad after you pay off everything. Don will never release him.”
“Fine. I’ll do what I need to.” He yelled back, storming out of the mansion before they could realize his intentions. Ashton was determined now. He wouldn’t pay off till Don agreed to release his dad. If not, he would take police help now. He had reached his limit.
As he ran past the guards towards the main gates, he caught a fleeting glance of a white Camry parked on the premises. With Antonio’s guards rushing after him, he had no time to check the number plate, but it looked like Madison’s car. It was dark outside and the lawn lighting wasn’t adequate, yet he didn’t miss the long scratch below the taillights, just like on Madison’s car.
Of course, there were plenty of white Camry around that had a distinctive scratch near the tail lights. Surely it couldn’t be Madison’s car! He rushed out as fast as his legs could carry him, out of the mansion, to his car. Driving away, he thought about what Antonio had told him.
A dangerous mafia man like Antonio never hesitated to kill anyone, then why did he do so in his case?
I can’t kill you because of Francesca.
Antonio’s words echoed in his head. Why did Don’s daughter want him alive and unharmed? The last time too they had dumped him instead of killing him. The wish to demand an explanation from Francesca drove him crazy, but he knew how impossible it was.
If only he could save his dad and sever all connections with Gambino and his men. If only he could live a free life with the one he wanted.
It was nearly midnight when he reached his apartment. He thanked his lucky stars that he was still alive. After Antonio had called him for the payment, he had doubts they would let him go without extracting the entire interest amount. Maybe Gambino wouldn’t, but Antonio wasn’t as bad as him.
After freshening up, he slumped to his bed as hot tears crept into his eyes. His dad was still alive! If only he could meet him just once. The tears streamed down his cheeks, and he embedded his face into the pillow and cried his heart out. Fifteen years was a lot of time. He hadn’t expected his dad to be alive! What exactly did they make him do in the basement? Was he imprisoned? Was he tortured?
From his encounter with Antonio, he realized one thing. Gambino would never release his dad, even if he paid all his money. He wiped his tears away and thought hard about his next step. Should he seek police help? What if they killed his dad? He couldn’t take the risk. Ashton fell asleep eventually, out of sheer exhaustion.
When he woke up, he was already late for work. There was no time to go jogging! He grabbed some coffee, scrambled eggs, and toast and rushed out. At the parking area, he saw a scowling Hayley searching her handbag for something. A smile tugged at his lips at the sight of her, looking refreshingly beautiful in a white pantsuit. How many did she possess? Her pink cheeks and lips, her tumbling chocolate brown curls pulled him towards her and he stood in front of her, watching her with interest.
“Lost something?” he drawled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. The sight of her alone was enough to brighten up his spirits.
Startled, Hayley looked up, clutching at her heart. “Oh, you! Yes. I forgot my apartment keys.” Ashton smirked, knowing it wasn’t a big deal since he had a spare set, anyway.
“How can you find that funny?” she scowled at him angrily.
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else. Maybe you dropped it on the Jogger’s track,” he suggested, unlocking his car.
“Hmph! I didn’t go jogging.” Ashton curbed a satisfied smile but faked a look of surprise.
“Why?” Hayley felt a little uncomfortable.
“I couldn’t wake up on time.” She couldn’t tell him about the ghost who forgot to wake her up in the morning.
“I see! Anyway, don’t worry about the keys. I’ll get a duplicate set from the landlord. Collect it from me in the evening when you return.” He drove away with a smile on his face, looking forward to the evening.