Charmed by the Billionaire CEO
Chapter 202: You can survive

Chapter 202: You can survive

"Ash... I-I am sorry" Tristan tried to apologize but

"...."

Ashley ended the call even before he could finish his words. She was so eager to talk with him but what he did.. he shouted at her. Now let him be, even she wasn’t going to call him back.

Tristan stood still blinking his eyes as he pulled back his phone while looking at it in confusion," S-she ended the call on me" he mumbled.

He was so into his brain that instead of asking her where she was he went on yelling at her. Sometimes even Tristan couldn’t understand himself.

"Now what should I do?" he asked himself and began running his brain.

Just then Karl walked in before knocking on the door and pulling out Tristan of his thoughts.

"Boss, we have a meeting in fifteen minutes with the marketing team" Karl finished his statement but found his boss a little disturbed.

’Did he again do something wrong to upset the lady boss’ he couldn’t help but think because his boss would act immaturely only when it came to Ashley. And with the looks, he could confirm it was regarding her only.

Tristan looked at Karl with a conflicted expression. Suddenly something click in his mind and he rushed to him," Karl you have to help me?"

Karl felt like his world shifted 360 degrees when Tristan came on asking for his help. The man who never needed any advice concerning his life came to him for help which was itself the biggest shock for him.

"W-what help boss" Karl found losing his voice but cleared his throat before Tristan could notice it.

"How do I coax my wife" Tristan’s words made Karl choke this time and like the previous one he couldn’t hold back and started coughing vigorously.

Tristan stood next to Karl with his hands in his pocket and shot a glare at him. "Are you done or do you want to keep on coughing"

Pursing his lips Karl stopped coughing and took a few deep breaths to calm his shock. Once he was composed he asked," But, boss how can I advise you? I am not even married"

Tristan’s face turned even ugly listening to his lame reason and he fired at him," Then are you going to keep dating my sister without marrying her?"

Karl’s jaw dropped when Tristan shot him back with a deadly remark. He gasped like a fish trying to speak something but could as Tristan’s cold eyes were freezing him like ice.

"If that’s what you are going to do then, break up with Gwen. She will find a better man who would marry her instead of wasting her time dating"

Karl felt like crying. His boss was bullying him using his sister as his weapon. Before he tells Gwen to end their relationship, it’s better to come up with a bit of better advice that would shut this man once and for all.

"Okay... okay boss. I will help you" Karl quickly came to his rescue motioning Tristan to lean forward.

Tristan’s lips twitched as he control his smile and leaned forward to listen to his advice carefully.

****

Dante’s room

After the confrontation, Dante was avoiding talking with Grace. He felt so embarrassed to face his daughter as he couldn’t look into her eyes she shed tears because of him.

His selfish decision of hiding his illness broke his daughter’s heart and now, he felt like isolating himself from everyone.

Drowning in his guilt, Dante snapped out when he heard a knock on the door. Sensing it must be Grace, he quickly laid on the bed, pulled the duvet over his body, and closed his eyes.

He thought maybe watching him sleeping Grace might leave the room and he would be again spared from talking to her.

"I know you are awake dad. So cut that act" Grace’s calm voice flinch the man on the bed and he cursed mentally.

In these few days of living with Dante, Grace came to understand one thing about him and that was his way of ignoring the confrontation.

Stepping in Grace, motioned the maid to keep the breakfast on the table and leave. Once the maid was gone and the door was shut, she walked to the bedside and pulled the duvet from his body, taking Dante by surprise.

"Now common, get up and stop acting" and this time Dante couldn’t hold on to his act and slowly opened his one eye only to see Grace standing next to the bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hehe... Grace, when did you come?" Dante continue to act normal as if he wasn’t caught and kept smiling cheekily.

"When you were pulling that sleeping act. Really dad, come up with a better idea now" Grace sighed and sat next to him watching him pull himself up and sit on the bed with a cute little pout.

Grace just shook her head watching him act like a kid who got caught by his teacher and now sat still with his head down.

"Now you will avoid me?" her words snapped his head up in surprise. Dante never thought Grace would come to understand his actions but then wasn’t she his caught who had a very strong observation.

Moving on his seat a little Dante cleared his throat because once again he was caught and now he felt useless. His was lacking smartness after stepping down from the supreme position.

Grace kept her eyes fixed on Dante as he crumpled his face while thinking something. She couldn’t help but smile leaving behind her aloofness for a second to see her father act differently.

"Okay now stop cursing yourself for getting caught. Here have breakfast before we have a serious talk" Dante stilled listening to her words and watched her walk to the table to bring the breakfast tray.

’What serious talk she is talking about’ Dante frowned as his brain began to come up with various thoughts.

Dante scrutinized Grace’s actions trying to figure out what she was about to talk with him but even with his eagle-like observing eyes, he couldn’t find any danger lurking around her.

Grace returned to the bedside and place the tray in front of him and without uttering a word Dante began to eat. He kept on glancing at Grace only to get caught by her.

"Is there something on my face dad?" she asked touching her face.

"HUH! No... nothing" Dante cursed once again and this time finished his breakfast without lifting his head up again.

Placing the tray back on the side table, Grace turned to face Dante. Though she said to everyone that she would convince him to opt for the surgery but now she was hesitating about how to start a conversation with him.

Taking a deep breath she looked down at his hands and reach to hold them. Dante could sense the anxiousness in his action and his crease deepened more than before.

"Dad, if I ask you something, will you give me?" she kept her eyes on their joined hands and asked.

"Is this even a question? There is no doubt I will let my daughter’s wishes be left unheard" Dante would never let Grace’s words skip from his mind. For him, she was still his small little girl, and her every wish was his command.

Tightening her grip on his hands she raised her head and looked into his eyes," Then for me can you live" she tried her best to hold back her tears but they still surged up.

Dante looked at her with complicated emotions sterling in his eyes. If it was in his hands, then he would’ve extended his stay for her but with the way his body was rejecting the medicines, he doubted if he would be able to fulfill her wish.

"This is not something I can change" he felt helpless the more he looked at her.

Grace looked at him with immense hope but he knew, there was no way for him to survive.

Dante had no idea about the surgery thing. He was still in the delusion of the previous result Matt mentioned to him.

"What if we can change this and you will live for long" Grace didn’t want him to keep assuming that there was nothing they could do to keep him alive when they had a way to prolong his stay.

"What do you mean?" he asked not able to understand her words.

Dante looked at Grace in confusion and saw her smile through her teary eyes. Bringing his hands up she kissed the back of his palm and said each and every word she heard in the study.

Grace trusted both Matt and Taylor and she wanted to give it a try only if Dante was ready. She knew forcing him will never let him see through her words and he would keep thinking otherwise.

"You can survive dad. There is hope for you to live" she finally said it and saw him open his mouth a little in surprise.

"B-but Matt said my b-body isn’t responding to the medicines" Dante kept recalling Matt’s words a day ago. He clearly heard him, then how can she say there is a hope.