Chapter 58

Zie

Ashton and I had just finished the second session on Ramon's clinic and we were on our way now to my company. My secretary called me and said there was an emergency so instead of taking Ashton to the penthouse I decided to tag him along so that I could get to the company as fast as I can. Ashton also thinks that it's more convenient if he just comes with me.

I don't know but when I heard the voice of my secretary I could not help but be anxious, I feel like the moment I step my foot on the company bad news will gonna follow me. When I arrived at the company I immediately parked my car in the parking lot.

"Will you come with me inside or do you want to wait here?" I asked Ashton.

"I'll just wait here so I can't disturb you on whatever you do inside," Ashton replied, I wanted to tell him that he is not disturbing nor bothering me but I chose to just nod and get out of the car immediately.

As soon as my feet step at the company's entrance I felt strange, every employee I passed was greeting me with a drowsy voice as if I had not paid them for a year. When I arrived at my office I was pleasantly surprised that my head editor and my secretary were waiting outside.

"What's going on?" I can't help but asked the moment they notice me. I was even more nervous when I saw the problematic look in their faces.

"Let's talk about it inside, Zie." Brendon, my head editor, responded. Upon entering the office I immediately sat down in my swivel chair and raised an eyebrow at my secretary.

"Um, w-well something happened." My secretary said nervously.

"What?" I was annoyed when she stopped, I was freaking nervous, I was very clueless about what was happening right now and what's with their look of pity to me?

"Our printing company in the Visayas and Mindanao was caught on fire," Brendon said stopping which cause me to stop breathing, looking at Brendon with disbelief. Brendon handed me his cellphone which I immediately took, I swallowed my saliva when I saw the news that was flashing on the screen of the phone.

"How did this happen?" I asked angrily and throw Brendon's cellphone on the table.

"The police are already investigating the incident, sir." My secretary replied but I just glared at her.

"Fuck! How about the damage?" I asked frustrated.

"The entire warehouse in the Visayas was almost destroyed while the warehouse in Mindanao was over fifty percent damaged, all in all, we have seven casualties." My secretary replied, I could not control myself and punched the table in front of me, my fist bled but I just ignored it. I could see the shock of my secretary and Brendon's face at what I did but they did not comment.

"How about the families of the casualties? Has anyone complained?" I asked as I facepalmed trying to control my emotion. I wanted to punch someone, I wanted to throw all the things my hands touched.

"No one has filed a case yet sir, I have already called some of them and they said they will not file a case if we'll pay them money and also paid for the burial." My secretary replied, I just nodded at her.

"Please leave, I want to be alone right now," I said and immediately turned the swivel chair behind them. Moments later I heard their footsteps coming out until the door closed.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I shivered and pulled my hair trying to suppress the burning anger inside me.

I can't help but think that the fire that happened in my two warehouses seems to have been intentional because they were burned at the same time, the chances are very small that everything just happened by chance. This is driving me crazy.

For about five minutes I was probably just sitting and staring into the distance, deep in thought as my cellphone rang one after another. I immediately took it out of my pocket and I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrow when I saw my father calling, my face darkened seeing his name, and immediately canceled his call. I received a few texts but I did not bother to open and read them. I was above to put my cellphone back in my pocket when it rang again, my father was calling again, I was itching to cancel the call.

But it looks like my good father can't get what I want to convey to him, I don't want to talk to him. I just sighed and quickly answered the call when my cellphone rang again, I did not bother to look at the screen anymore.

"What? Can you please stop calling me?" I shouted on the other line. I heard someone laughing at the other line.

"Looks like this is the wrong timing for me to call you, Zie." The person on the other line replied and to my great surprise when I heard the voice of the caller, it was not my father's voice. My brows furrowed as I looked at my cellphone screen and was shocked to read that my father's name was not registered on the screen but is Gabriel.

"Why are you calling me, Gabriel?" I asked in a relatively calm voice.

"I've heard what happened to your warehouse," Gabriel replied.

"Yeah! It was all over the news." I said as a matter of fact. I rolled my eyes in annoyance as if Gabriel can see me.

"Well, I called you to say that if you need any help just say so and I will help you," Gabriel said, I would have liked to believe that he was sincere in what he was saying when I remembered our previous encounter inside the club.

"Stop playing games Gabriel, how many times do I tell you that I am not selling Ashton. Ashton is not for sale." I said in gritted teeth almost shouting.

I only heard laughter from Gabriel.

"Well, a piece of advice? I think you need to prepare yourself for what will happen next to your company. Wait? Do you still have a company?" Gabriel said and laughed sarcastically. My brows furrowed in confusion, I was suddenly stunned to hear what he said, at first I could not process what he meant by what he said but later every word he said gradually sank into my brain. Now, it all makes sense.

"You're the person who set fire to my warehouse. Fuck you, Gabriel." I said and took a deep breath. It all makes sense now, what happened to my warehouses was not accidental but intentional. Gabriel did it.

"You'll pay for it, Gabriel. You son of a bitch. I didn't do anything to you, fuck you." I said angrily, my grip on my phone tightened. I want to punch him on his face because of so much anger.

I was even angrier when I heard Gabriel laughing on the other line as if he was very happy with what he did to me. He was not even afraid of my accusation or he didn't even try to deny that he was the mastermind of it all. He's powerful after all and he can have the law in his hands, but I am not powerless either and I'll make him pay for what he did to me.

"Name your price, Zie. Give me what I want and I'll take full responsibility for what happened to your warehouse. I'll take care of everything, in less than a week, I will make sure that the Mendez Publishing already recovered." He said.

His offer is very tempting but I shook my head as if he can see me on the other line.

"No! You can have anyone but Ashton, Gabriel," I answered emphatically and he didn't seem to like my answer.

"After everything that happened, you still chose to keep Ashton. So I want to know what's with him and you don't want to let him go." He said and laughed as if he's saying a joke.

"Well, you know me Zie. You know I won't stop until I get what I want. So if I can't have Ashton in a good way maybe it's time for me to use my last card." He said meaningfully which makes me shudder.

"What do you mean?" I asked gulping, I could not help but feel nervous.

"Don't be scared, Zie. I'm just looking at Ashton's delicious body right now, he looks sad and I think he wants my companion. What if I'll accompany him?" He said that makes my heart beat faster than normal. I quickly got up from my chair and walked out of my office.

"Never touch Ashton, Gabriel. Fucker, I'm gonna kill you if ever you lay a hand on my baby." I said angrily and walk faster, I didn't care if my employees were looking at me in confusion.

"You're sweating," Gabriel commented when I arrived at the parking lot, I was so confused I forgot where I parked my car earlier, I swallowed my saliva while looking for my car.

When I saw a familiar car not far from me I immediately ran towards it and looked inside, I was heaved a sigh of relief when I saw Ashton's body inside my car, he is wearing a headset and seemed to be listening to music intently.

When I made sure Ashton was okay inside, I immediately turned my attention back to the phone and looked around.

"You seem tense, Zie," Gabriel said on the other line.

"Stop this madness right now, Gabriel. I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me, remember that." I replied angrily, as usual, he just laughed when he heard my threat.

"Aww, I'm scared." Gabriel teased and laughed. To my great annoyance, I immediately dropped the call and got into the car.

I smiled at Ashton as I got into the car, he removed the headset that was attached to his ear and smiled at me but then he immediately lost his smile and suddenly grabbed my hand.

"What happened to your hand?" Ashton asked, his face furrowed in confusion as he scans my hand. I immediately looked at my hand and only then did I notice that it was bleeding. Ashton took a handkerchief and immediately wrapped it around my hand. I felt so angry and maybe my mind was so caught up with what happened to my warehouse so I didn't realize my hand was bleeding when I punched the table earlier.

"Is there a problem? Why is your hand bleeding?" Ashton asked again as he could not get an answer to his previous question.

"I'm okay, let's go back to the penthouse," I said and turned on the car engine, I immediately started driving the car. He did not even ask any more questions but I feel like he is still staring at me as if he is reading my face.

When we arrive at the apartment, Ashton immediately went straight to the bathroom and when he came out he was carrying a medicine kit. He told me to sit on the bed, I raised an eyebrow at him and laughed as I sat on the bed. He took my hand and removed the handkerchief he had wrapped earlier.

"Aw, aw, it hurts," I complained and pulled my hand over Ashton's grip, he gripped my hand tightly and continued to clean the blood that had dried on my hand.

"There, it's over," Ashton said after applying a bandage to my wound.

I smiled at Ashton and ruffled his hair with one hand, "Thanks baby," I said sincerely.

"Hmm." His only response and suddenly approached me, I just felt his hands curling around my waist and hugged me tightly. I smiled broadly at what he did and reciprocated his tight hug.

"You're so warm, baby," I said and closed my eyes. This is what I need right now, someone I can hug or cling on whenever I have a problem, whenever my heart is full of anger. This is what I need, Ashton's hugs are so relaxing, he makes me feel like I'm not alone.

"Everything will be okay, Zie." He comforted me even though he did not know what was happening. I just nodded and tightened my grip on Ashton's waist even more.

"Let's stay like this a little longer, you're keeping me sane," I replied to him. I closed my eyes and I was already drowned to the relaxing feeling of his embrace.