Chapter 3

Harvey Ashton

I have witnessed blood more than anything in my life. Saw people dying in front of my eyes.

And still, no feelings could be brought out of me.

But this woman, she was something else.

Maybe it was the desperation or the happiness in her eyes that caught me by surprise. 

But she felt these emotions because she was dying. As if she was all too happy to just die.

Either she was nuts or went through something that death couldn't even hold a candle in front of it.

Carrying her in my arms, I sped towards my car.

My driver, Lewis, hot on his tails as he opened the backseat for us and sat himself behind the steering wheel as we headed towards the hospital. 

I couldn't let her die, there was just something about her that I couldn't ignore.

An hour later the doctor came out of the OT, “She is out of danger, we have taken the bullet out but we have to keep her monitored for the next 48 hours.”

I nodded at him in silent appreciation as he walked away.

My men didn't know there were innocent people at the club. We were after Marcus, my step brother, who killed one of my men last week.

I wasn't going to kill him but I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I didn't give him anything for it.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway and I turned my head to see my younger brother Shawn. 

“Harvey, why didn't you inform me about this. Something could have happened to you.”

“I'm fine Shawn. Deal with the mess for me.”

He sighed and sat beside me on the couch in the waiting room.

“It's my part of the business. You shouldn't involve yourself in this mess.”

He was weirdly protective for a younger brother. 

It came with the family business. 

I managed the clean side while he death with things that were supposed to be dealt in the dark in the shadows of a Security Company.

“Don't worry about it. Where is Marcus?”

“The boys couldn't get a hand on him. He flew.”

I clenched my fist as I thought of that Bastard. 

Greed and envy has made him a maniac. He didn't even consider family when bloodlust overpowered his senses.

A bed rolled out of the OT as the door opened. 

The girl was pale in the face. Guilt overtook me as I remembered the scene that happened at the club.

“Who is she?” Shawn asked. 

“Got shot between the chaos at the club.”

“Oh… were there other casualties?”

“I have asked the men to assure everyone was safe.”

My men were already inside doing what they were ordered to. When i reached the scene I had immediately called out for Lewis to put the fire on hold.

The last shot that rang in the club was swallowed by this girl.

She was strolled inside a VIP ward as I have arranged. It was fault on our side that brought her to such a state, I naturally would be the one to carry the responsibilities for it.

But I doubted the guilt would go away anytime soon.

“You're feeling guilty for her.” Shawn said as we walked out of the hospital. 

“It was my fault in the first place.” I replied back and got into the car.

“You don't feel guilt brother. That's new.” I ignored his statement and focused on driving. 

I had asked Lewis to settle everything at the hospital. And Shawn had already ordered his men to look into the club's matter and sort everything out there.

I added one more thing to tomorrow's schedule in my head and drove back home.

As we reached the Mansion, my birth giver was already there waiting at the door.

“Harvey, Are you okay?” She asked as I passed by her.

“You don't have to pretend to care for us Mom, your son in safe and in hiding. Well that is until we find him.” Shawn replied to her on my behalf.

“Is this the way you talk to your mother?!” I looked at the man walking down the stairs, my step father or my Uncle.

We both ignored him and moved towards our rooms.

“Harvey.” A voice called from behind me.

I turned to my grandfather who was standing there with silent command in his eyes.

He turned around and I started following him.

It was almost instinct now to know what he wanted to say from his tone. 

I closed the door to the study and sat in front of him across the table.

“He is your brother.” 

“I only have one brother Grandpa and his name is Shawn.”

He sighed and leaned back on his chair, “I don't want any bloodshed within my own bloodline.”

“He shouldn't have interfered in my matters and caused one of my men to die.”

“It could have been dealt with at home, in peace.”

“We have tried numerous times to settle the matter In peace with no desired outcome. It's high time I did it my way.”

His old wrinkled face looked at me with desperation. 

I couldn't blame him, he was getting old and with that his heart was growing soft.

He was caught in all of this family feud without any option to step out. 

But that didn't justify him saving his ass everytime I was after Marcus.

“You should get married fast. I don't think I can hold on for much.”

“You know, I'm not interested in marriage right now.”

“Well then it's time you should. I have been constantly getting pressure from both Inside and outside. I would eventually have to hand the business over to them, if you didn't marry soon.”

After saying that he walked out of the study. 

As I sat on my bed after the shower, I contemplated things. If I didn't marry, then the business would go into their hands. 

I wasn't greedy for this business but it was the most important thing to my father before he passed away.

And I know he wouldn't have handed even a share of it to his half brother and his son.

I opened the bedside drawer and took out an iPad to go through the profiles of women my grandfather has given me to choose from.

I decided on the first profile I saw and forwarded it to my secretary to arrange a meeting for the next day.