Ashton met Alexander the next day at their gym. The interaction did him well although he didn’t get any information on Hayley. Alyssa was going to her grandparents’ house in California and Alexander was planning to join her there with Eva. They were so busy with their own lives that no one knew anything about Hayley.
Ashton drove over to Hayley’s mansion and waited to see her. His condition was like that of a scorned lover. What choices did he have? She still had her phone switched off. The security guards at his condominium informed him in the morning that she had vacated her apartment last night. It shocked him immensely. There was only one place for her to go to and that was her parents’ house. So here he waiting patiently a little further down the street.
After five minutes, he saw Hayley and her dad leave the mansion gates in her dad’s car. Were they going to work on a Sunday? He followed them to see where they were off. This time, he was determined to clear the misunderstanding between them. If they went to work, he would go too, only to keep a watch on her. He would catch hold of her after work.
To his dismay, they headed for the airport and he left the chase. So Hayley was leaving on a work trip. There was no point in chasing her! He would wait for her to return.
He waited patiently for the next ten days. She didn’t contact him and he stopped calling after a few days. All his explanations, his feelings, lay buried in his heart. He missed her immensely, but there was nothing he could do than wait. Strangely, Madison didn’t bother him at all in the next ten days, although he knew someone was tailing him around wherever he went. It was an uncanny feeling since it wasn’t Madison’s car.
Should he seek police protection? Was it Gambino’s men watching him before attacking him?
Alexander called him to inform him that his dad was admitted to the hospital and needed him. He rushed to the hospital to take care of his foster parents. Afterwards, when all the tests were through and Daniel Van Every was out of danger, he brought him home.
Alexander was on his way back from California, and he called him to update him.
“What happened to dad, Ashton?” asked Alexander.
“I think he has cancer, but aunt Jodie hasn’t shown me the reports, and neither has she allowed me to talk to the doctor. I found out from the nurse,” said Ashton.
“What type of cancer does he have? Why is she hiding it from us? We can help dad if he indeed has cancer,” said Alexander.
“I don’t know the exact details, but the nurse told me he has lung cancer. Maybe aunt Jodie doesn’t want to scare us. The hospital discharged Uncle Daniel, and I brought him home. His treatment has started with Dr. William Franklin, a senior pulmonologist at Columbia, Dr. Clark Scott, a senior radiation oncologist, and Dr. Trevor Martin, a senior thoracic surgeon. Why don’t you meet them first to discuss uncle Daniel’s case? I’ll reach the hospital if you’re coming,” said Ashton, and Alexander felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to do this alone.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Meet me at the reception, bro,” he said with relief.
Ashton waited for him at the reception and he arrived after fifteen minutes. They embraced one another and went to meet Doctor Scott. The doctor informed them that their dad had been coughing blood and suffering from chronic chest pain when he arrived.
He was in the first stage of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer(NSCLC) which was completely curable. There was nothing to panic about, and they started his treatment immediately. Relieved, the two boys went to their parents’ house to talk to them.
“Oh, when did you return, Alex? You didn’t call me,” said his mom, hugging him close. Alexander noticed the stress lines on her face. It didn’t look like she slept much for the last two days. His heart went out to them.
“Ashton, will you stay tonight?” asked Jodie Van Every, hugging him too.
“Sure, aunt Jodie. If you want me to,” he agreed.
“I can stay too,” said Alexander. They went to see their dad, who was watching a football match.
“Dad, how are you now?” asked Alexander, sitting beside him.
“I’m fine, son, fit as a fiddle.” He cheered when his favorite player scored. “So, are you boys staying the night? Let’s watch the match together.”
“Shouldn’t you be resting, dad?” scolded Alexander. His dad looked at his mom quizzically.
“No, mom hasn’t told us anything. We went to Columbia and spoke to Dr. Scott. There’s no point in hiding your illness from us, dad. Let’s work together and heal you up, quick and fast,” said Alexander. His mom, too, sat beside him with tears in her eyes.
“Will he get better, Alex? I’m so scared,” she whispered. Ashton got up and hugged her, and she broke down in his arms.
“It is curable, mom. Dad needs to listen to everything the doctor says.”
“Don’t worry, aunt Jodie, we will fight this illness together,” said Ashton.
His mom hugged the two boys. “I’m so lucky to have you both in my life.”
For the next fifteen days, Ashton and Alexander lived at their parents’ house. They commuted to work from the Van Every home every day. It was just like they used to when younger.
They discussed the treatment and finally, their dad settled down into a routine, with check-ups, medicines, and lots of tests. Although he wanted to retire from his business, Alyssa wasn’t interested in taking over the reins from him. With both Alexander and Ashton in a different field altogether, there wasn’t any other option left for Daniel Van Every other than looking into VE Global Finance.
Although Ashton was busy, there wasn’t a minute when he didn’t think of Hayley. He still loved her, and his heart ached for her. If he could, he would have turned the hands of time and changed everything they shared that fateful night. He wouldn’t have let this grudge happen in the first place. He would have made wild love to her so that she couldn’t think of leaving his bed for the next two days! Every night he repented and yearned for Hayley. Surely she had returned from her business trip by now!
He tried calling her, but soon realized that she had blocked his number. Did she hate him so much now? He had to go over to her office to see her.
The next day, Ashton went over to her office after work hours, but she had left early with her dad.
“Ms. Barclay travels with Mr. Barclay these days. You need to take an appointment to meet her, sir,” said the receptionist, handing him a visitor form to fill up. Ashton frowned with dismay. Had their relationship come down to this now? Fine, he would fill up a form if that was what it took to meet her. He handed the filled-up form to the receptionist, who gaped at it with shock.
“Sorry, sir. I didn’t know you were the GM of Silver Spring.”
“That’s alright. Just call me on this number whenever Hayley gives me an appointment.”
He waited eagerly for a week, but the receptionist didn’t call to confirm his appointment with Hayley. It only meant one thing. She had no wish to meet him! It made him upset!
How could she punish him for such a trivial issue? She knew his equation with Madison. Then how did she jump to her own conclusions on seeing him go out with her? Didn’t friends go out with one another?
Daniel Van Every responded to the treatment well, and both boys went back to their busy lives.
At work, too many additional complications cropped up. The chairperson’s son, Francis Callaway, joined Silver Spring as the CEO and there was a clash between him and Ashton from day one. Ashton didn’t agree to the new rules he wanted to implement and there was a bitter war going on between them. As such, work wasn’t enjoyable anymore.
“Why don’t you look for other openings? With your experience, I’m sure you’ll find better prospects,” suggested Alexander as they worked out together at the gym. Despite their hectic schedules, they met almost every day in the morning to work out together.
“I didn’t want to hurt you or uncle Desmond. After all, I got this job because of you.”
“Rubbish. You got it because of your own capabilities. Anyway, uncle Desmond isn’t keeping well. He has a heart transplant in a few days. I don’t think he is in a condition to mind such a petty thing. Go ahead and look for a good opening.”
It got Ashton thinking. He was ambitious and didn’t want to waste his life at Silver Spring Resorts fighting the arrogant, good-for-nothing Callaway.