chapter 56

This chapter is dedicated to everyine for being supportive

Caden's POV

The day had almost ended when I got a call from the staff at my grandpa's house saying he was getting sick. It caused shivers to go down my spine as grandpa was getting really old and call me paranoid but I think one illness is all it took to finish the job.

I was packing my stuff when the call came in. It was on my personal line. Only friends and family had access to it. I never give out my personal line unless absolutely necessary.

"Hello?" The voice from the other end called

"Ethan is that you?" My best friend has a tendency of always changing his line. Due to his Casanova lifestyle, women always bugged him and he had to get rid of them by changing his line. I've always told him to not give it to them but he always quoted back "a phone number gives them the reassurance that you aren't using them"

"I'm not Ethan," the voice croaked

"It's Mister Jacob, your grandfather's Butler," I imagined him straightening his bow tie like he usually does. He's an old soul

"What's wrong old man," I joked.

"I'm afraid your grandfather is getting ill again. It started last night and I'm afraid it's getting worse. He doesn't want this to get to your knowledge but I believe you have a right to know," he whispered. Mister Jacob has been with grandpa for a very long time and I wonder how he copes with him. That old man was strict and stiff.

"He also refuses to take some meds and has a fever"

"Please get some drugs on your way here," he hung up

He knew I was never going to leave my grandpa when he was ill. We go over the same thing each year and he refuses to change. Last year, I had to leave my meeting unattended to for him and he's doing it again this year. Sometimes I feel he does it to get my attention. I'm kind of a workaholic and barely have time for myself or family so when he sees an opportunity to get me to come to him, he takes it.

Grandpa started the family business some years back and it has been with us for over forty years. It was passed on to my parents when grandma passed away as it took a toll on him. He had a stroke and fainted regaining consciousness much later but he was never the same. His heart was broken. My parents ran the company till their untimely death in a plane crash on their way back from a meeting. This again affected the elderly man as my dad was his only child. A stroke came for the second and he's body finally succumbed leaving him tied to a wheel chair and me and my little brother to run the company.

Grandpa was getting gray and blue and since I was older and my brother was still in college, I had to man up and take the reins. It wasn't easy as many thought I was too young and thus incapable of running Hale's Corporations but I proofed them wrong and I've been basking in the glory ever since. We aren't the biggest company but we'll get there.

I got to the park and placed the keys in the ignition and my baby roasted to life. One thing about me is my love for cars, I may not be all relaxed but I kept tabs on the newest cars and got them. A little compliment for my hard work and the sacrifices I have to make. My baby jolted and in a minute, I was on full speed to the closest pharmacy. I cited one from a distance but they were closing up or I increased my speed. It was really late and I'll probably not see another pharmacy for miles.

"Excuse me Miss," I voiced as soon as I got out of the car

"Goodness!" She placed her hand on chest before spinning to get a look at me

"You scared me" She uttered quietly

"I'm sorry but I really need to get some drug if you don't mind, it will only take a minute," I begged

"I'm sorry Mister but I just started working here and one of the rules was to close up at the exact time. I've been told of how men come and plead to open up and let them in but they end up stealing really expensive drugs. So I'm sorry but I can't help you," she said apologetically but didn't seem sincere as she went back to locking up

"Please it will only take a minute, I don't think any pharmacy will still be open at this time" I tried forcing my way in

"Hey Mister, I'm not letting you in," she pushed me causing me to take a few steps back as I wasn't expecting it

"Miss please, someone important to me is really ill and I'm not sure I'll be able to get the drugs elsewhere so just let me in," I was beginning to lose it with this girl. Her head seems thick because nothing I said I was getting through to her.

"And I'm repeating myself for the umpteenth time, no,"

Seeing as I wasn't getting anywhere with her, I decided to take my leave. I was being to loathe the girl. She seemed nice and pretty at first with her blonde hair and plump cupid bow lips but she had to open her mouth. I wasn't much of a dating guy as my last relationships haven't ended so well but I would have tried my luck with her till that last moment.

"Please," I tried my luck again as she locked up

"Mister I have a kid waiting eagerly for me to get home. He's probably crying his eyes out and has water running down his nose and that will only make it harder to get him to sleep so NO!," her eyes hardened this time but I was very persistent

"Please-

"Do you want to hear it in Spanish, NO," She cocked her head to the side slightly and I wondered how long she's been dying to say that to me so I gave it a rest and got in my car, driving off.

I reached for my phone to make a call where I usually kept it to find it missing. It yawned on me I must had dropped it when she pushed me. That witch!

I took a quick turn and raced back to the pharmacy to find the lady getting harassed. The armed men grabbed her purse and ran to their escape van racing off.

"You okay Miss," I asked the now hysterical lady

"Did you see that!," she screamed pointing in the direction of the empty trail the thieves left. Her once prefect hair was a mess and her blouse and skirt ruffled from all the times she fixed them checking if she had bullets holes. She was really frightened.

"Actually I did," I stated indifferently dropping my hands in my pockets

"And you didn't think to help or call the cops," she hissed seeming shocked at my reply

"Firstly, the men were about two to four men with two others in the van," I counted with my fingers

"And then there's me, just one person" I pointed to myself, lifting a finger for effect like she was a retarded child who didn't get what I meant. She must have felt insulted and tried to cut me off but I intervened

"And secondly, why should I help you? If you had opened up shop for me like I begged you to, we wouldn't have bickered back and forth and maybe I would have been really grateful and given you a ride home but your thick head wouldn't listen and now look," I was getting annoyed

"You are lucky they didn't force you to open up shop to steal, then you'd have been in deep waters and on your first day too," I joked lightly of the horrible situation causing her to shiver but I wasn't stopping

"Or maybe even shot at you, kidnapped you and who knows, maybe even have their way with you," I said stooping to her level and she did something I wasn't expecting

A slap sounded in the air

"Shut up, you have no right to talk to me in that manner," she wiped tears that escaped the puddle in her eyes and that's when I realized I was being a prick. I should be consoling her but here I was adding fuel to the fire.

"I'm-

"Say it," she rose her neck softly in a high and mighty manner before walking away

"They could come back you know," I shouted after her but she ignored me

I watched her hail a cab before heading to the house without the medicine and I still didn't get to find my phone. I checked after she left but it wasn't there. The robbers must have found it and thought it was hers as it looked expensive and took her purse. Or maybe I just left it at the office. I'll find out tomorrow. I really felt sorry for being a douche bag and would have followed her but I had pressing matter to attend to.

Yeeeee!! Caden is finally here

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