She was on speaker that even Kyle and Gideon could hear her words."I can tell from our exchange that he lost someone very important to him causing him to be the person he is today. Which means that once he experience it the second time, we may no longer be able to save him from destruction."
"This..."
"I am only reporting what I have witnessed, I didn"t know what time you will be free and I am glad that you have called me. I tried as well to help him but if he didn"t want to help himself then there"s nothing I can do."
They heard her took a deep breath, she spoke a lot but they couldn"t hear anything from her voice. Whether she"s sad or not.
"I guess that should be it. I am retiring for the night, have a good night as well madam."
After that she ended the call.
"I"m leaving the place to the two of you for now, when I accepted her proposal, I have promised her father that we will take care of her. But my stupid grandson... *sigh* anyway I"m going now."
As they watch the car leave, "Kyle, father knows who Amber"s father is?"
Kyle really couldn"t lie to his wife, he could keep a secret but he couldn"t lie.
"Yes."
"You know too?" noticing his reaction, Liana asked once again in furrowed brows.
Kyle sighed and brought her to the sofa in the living room.
"Remember when father asked her if she really was just the daughter of doctors? During that first phone call?"
Liana nodded in response.
"Well, it just so happens that her name is... That her real name is... Nathalie Price."
"No..."
"I don"t think she would lie about this to father. Adding to her achievements, we have witnessed how her company boomed even though it just started."
Liana felt like all her energy have left her, "Then the couple. The couple that came to us three years ago."
"Father said, that it must have been the two of them. They must have heard of Ashley"s sickness and came to help but also needed some a.s.sistance."
She could only cover her mouth. When she heard of their death 10 years ago, she was completely devastated for Sarah was truly like a sister to her.
Who would have thought that she still met her after that, yet now...
"Oh I really want to hit our own son," after sometime she was finally able to say in between her sobs.
"Father is already on his way, he can hit him for us as well."
"I can tell that he must have already known of her ident.i.ty, but does he not remember that he owe his life to her?"
"I guess not, he was in shock back then remember?"
Then the two of them fell silent, Liana was feeling horrible upon knowing who Amber was.
She promised to herself when they heard the news of Nathan, Sarah and Nathalie"s death, that she will watch over their two sons.
Yet now, she was unable to protect Nathalie who was left alive.
"She was a nice girl, but Ashton... *sigh* Oh that stupid son of mine."
*****
The whole place was turned upside down, the daggers weren"t on the board but was instead on the wall. The pots were crashed on the floor, the cofee table was thrown to the side.
The only thing that was not damaged in the living room was the cabinet enclosing the tattered dress.
And she was kneeling in front of it, her forehead touching the gla.s.s, her hands on it as well. The wound was not bandaged at all, revealing a one inch wound, going down from between her pinky and ring finger.
Her phone that she had just used a while ago was sent flying on the opposite side, hitting the kitchen counter, its screen full of cracks.
She was silently kneeling with her eyes closed, her body was trembling as well. She didn"t know what to really feel, whether to be sad or to get mad.
*****
The next day came and Carl have returned to the office and found Ashton in a very bad mood. So after serving him coffee he left the room and stayed in his table.
The door never opened for the whole day and no one visited him. It was in the afternoon when Leslie came, "Was Amber here?"
"No, miss Wood didn"t come at all."
"I see, thank you very much."
After that she turned around ready to leave, but she was baffled. Yesterday Amber didn"t come to cla.s.s and today she once again didn"t attend. Her last absence was when she had her sickness.
But now, she couldn"t even reach her on the phone.
"Uhmmm, I was just wondering. She had been absent since yesterday and I couldn"t reach her on the phone. Is there a way we can contact her? We were going to talk about some issues on the fourth product today."
"I"ll try and check on her, then I shall contact you after that," Carl politely told her.
After she left, he got up and was about to knock when he remembered. Yesterday the whole place was in a mess and blood was on the ground. When he saw Ashton today, he looks like he was in a very bad mood.
"Could it be that they had a fight yesterday?"
"Is my stupid grandson inside?" he was then stunned to hear another voice beside him.
"Master!!"
"Is my stupid grandson inside?" Gideon repeated his question.
"He is, sir."
Gideon went straight inside and closed the door behind him. Ashton was so focused in his computer that he didn"t notice the door opening and closing.
"You called my granddaughter-in-law an orphan and you sit here like nothing have happened. Quite bold of you."
"Grandfather!!"
Ashton stood up instantly upon hearing his grandfather"s voice.
"Why are you here?"
"Why am I here? Are you really asking me that?"
He sat down in the sofa and Ashton could only sit across him.
"If it was me las.h.i.+ng out at Ashley, I really am regretful. I tried calling her since the morning but she wouldn"t pick up."
"*sigh* When will you grow up? Did you really only hurt Ashley? Was she the only one?"
Ashton looked away, he understood that Gideon was also talking about Amber.
"I"ve heard before coming in that she didn"t enter her cla.s.s since yesterday. Did you know?"
He could only shake his head. Somehow he can understand the reason why she didn"t enter yesterday but he didn"t expect that she won"t enter today as well.
"And? You"re just going to sit there? Have I ever taught you to go around and hurt other girls? You were so kind to your mother, to your sister, even to that Madison girl. What happened now?"
Ashton pursed his lips, he didn"t want to answer.
"I know there is a voice recorder in your office. Bring to me the recording of what happened yesterday."
"Grandpa."
"Don"t grandpa me and bring me the recording."
In reality there was also a hidden camera in the office, it became a habit to all of them to always install one in each of their office. For most of the things that happened in the office are very important ones.
Having no other choice Ashton opened his laptop, it was always sent to a cloud he created, the recordings of both the hidden camera and recorder.
He sat down across Gideon and played everything that happened yesterday morning.
And as it did, Gideon couldn"t help but shake his head.
"Show me the video."
Ashton was even more skeptical, he had hurt her yesterday. That is why he was guiltier towards her.
"I"ve already heard the voice recording, I can tell that you must have hurt her physically. Now show me the video recording."
He could only oblige. Gideon felt even more sad upon seeing the whole event.
He closed the laptop and turned to look at Ashton.
He knew that 19 was still an immature age. Even with how mature Ashton might seem. He was still but a kid.
He couldn"t help but agree to Amber when she said that she was facing a 9 year old kid.
"I can see that you didn"t mean for her to get injured. But son, why don"t you want to help yourself as well?"
His voice was not field with anger but it was calm and gentle.
"That girl didn"t say anything about what had happened, what she told us was what she had noticed about you. Warning us of your own condition."
Ashton remained silent with his head bowed. He finally looked like a teenager in front of his grandfather.
"I think that she really wanted to help you. It was her natural reaction, even when she was still young she had this character of watching over the people around her."
Ashton looked back up at him, his eyes filled with confusion.
"You may not remember it or that it must have not registered in you back then, but it was that girl who saved you when you almost drowned."