CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER TWENTY: YOU ARE DOING TOO MUCH

Kendrick’s POV

"I need you to be at the main house as soon as possible" I said to my friend Jasper, who is also Grandpa’s personal doctor as soon as he picked.

"Okay I will be there shortly" he replied and I hung up.

"Boss, what happened?" Evans asked while breathing rapidly.

"Get in and drive" I said with a serious tone and he quickly started the car without any further questions.

I have never regretted choosing him as an assistant, he always knows what to do.

"Grandpa isn’t feeling too well" I informed him, he sighed and increased the speed of the car.

The drive took almost an hour, Jasper’s car was already parked outside and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did he eat?" I heard Jasper’s voice as I rushed into Grandpa’s room.

"Hey" Christy greeted me before getting up from the bedside to give me space.

I nodded and quickly held Grandpa’s hand, his face looked pale and his white hair scattered on the pillow and he had really dark circles.

"What’s wrong with him?" I asked Jasper, who was busy scribbling in his notepad.

"He isn’t sleeping well, he seems to have a lot on his mind and it is weighing him down.

When last did Grandpa go out? Like an event or picnic?" He asked me but I couldn’t answer.

I have been away for the past three years and have neglected him. I felt so ashamed and couldn’t bring myself to look at his face.

"It is never too late to start Ken, better late than never" Jasper encouraged with a smile.

"Yes, why don’t we organize a little get together, just your friends" Christy suggested while staring at me.

"I think that’s a good idea, we can grill some barbecue" Jasper also added and I had to reluctantly agree.

I felt a gentle squeeze on my palm and turned to see Grandpa smiling at me.

"Grandpa, you made me worried" I complained with a sigh and he laughed.

"See, I told you he is very adorable" he said to Christy and she laughed as well.

"From the look of things, Grandpa has been very happy recently and has also been eating well. So he just needs to go out for some fresh air" Jasper concluded.

"Post in the group, tell the others to be at the villa on the hill in an hour" I said to him and he nodded.

Ding!

Ding!

My phone chimed repeatedly and I brought it out with a frown.

Jasper: Ken is organizing a get together, be at the villa on the hill in an hour.

Gary: Great, I really needed a distraction.

Anderson: on my way.

Mason: see you soon

I read through the messages before dropping my phone on the bedside table.

"Christy dear, I can’t wait for the both of you to get married and give me a great grandchild" Grandpa suddenly said to Christy and her face immediately flushed red in embarrassment.

"Grandpa, I need to go get ready," she said before running out of the room.

"I will also be waiting outside and is it okay to invite Mira?" Jasper asked and I nodded.

"What are your plans for Christy, when are you getting married?" He asked after we were left alone.

"Grandpa, marriage is not something we rush into and I am not ready to go into it either" I said with a frown.

How do I tell him that our relationship wasn’t real?

That it is just a contract that will expire in less than three months.

"You aren’t young anymore,do you want me to die before you marry?" He asked angrily.

"Stop talking about dying, you still have a lot of years to live" I replied to him with a smile but he just glared at me.

"Christy is such a nice girl, what is stopping you from marrying her? Do you want someone else to take her from you?" He asked me angrily but I couldn’t respond.

The thought of seeing Christy with another man made me feel extremely anxious and also angry.

"I will send someone to help you get ready" I said to him before leaving the room.

I had to change out of my suit and wear something more comfortable.

Christy was busy applying some makeup when I entered the room and she looked breathtaking.

She was wearing a light blue gown that highlighted her curves perfectly and her short hair was neatly styled.

"Hey, I brought out a tee shirt and jeans for you," she said with a smile when she noticed my presence.

I just stared at her without saying anything until she tapped my shoulder to pull me out of my little trance.

"Get ready quickly so we can go," she said with a smile.

"Don’t you think you are doing too much?" I blurted out a question that suddenly popped up in my head.

Her smile immediately vanished and she took a step away from me.

"I’m sorry, I have a bad habit of doing more than I am supposed to," she said with a fake smile.

I felt uncomfortable with the way she was acting and regretted what I said even more.

"Christy, listen, what I meant was..."

"I will keep to my own end of the contract from now on, I will only talk to you when necessary" she said before picking up her purse and heading out of the room.

"Shit!" I kicked the bedframe angrily before quickly changing my clothes.

Everyone was ready and they were waiting for me, as soon as I stepped out of the house, my instincts kicked in and I quickly dodged.

Grandpa’s walking stick flew past me and hit the wall before falling to the ground.

"You dare to dodge?!" Grandpa yelled angrily at me.

I picked up the walking stick and handed it back to him but he kept glaring at me.

I looked at Jasper and Evans for answers and they gestured towards Christy with their eyes.

Did she tell Grandpa about the contract?

My mind raced as I stared at her but couldn’t ask her directly.

"Why are you staring at her after making her sad?" Grandpa sneered before getting into the car.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched him

take the seat opposite Christy and give her a gentle pat on the head.

I wondered how they got so close in such a short time as Grandpa hardly allowed anyone get close to him after my father’s betrayal.

" If that stinky brat doesn’t treat you well, I will introduce you to my friend’s son, he is very responsible," Grandpa said to her, completely ignoring me.

It felt like I was the outsider and I could only watch him console her all through the journey to the villa.

"Hey, you guys sure took your sweet time" Gary said as soon as our car came to a halt.

We all got down and I saw our other friends, Anderson and Mason busy setting up the barbecue grill.

" Hello Sir" A female voice came from the side and we all turned to see Mira, Jasper’s fiance and also Mason’s cousin.

"Hello Miss Lancaster" Grandpa replied to her expressionlessly.

Then he gestured to Christy to get down from the car, as soon as she stepped down, Mira suddenly dropped her bag with a panicked expression.

"What’s wrong Mimi?" Jasper asked her worriedly but she immediately shook her head and picked up her bag.

" Let’s go dear" Grandpa said to Christy and they both took their seats.

"Oh my, you are the girl from...ouch!" Anderson was about to let the truth slip, luckily Mason was there to stop him in time.

He hasn’t a habit of speaking too much and saying what he isn’t supposed to.

"Hello Christy" Gary waved with a smile.

"Why are you smiling so much?" Grandpa asked him with a frown and we all laughed.

"If I was a stranger, I would have thought she is your granddaughter," Anderson said with a chuckle.

"If Kendrick doesn’t treat her well, I will have no choice but to adopt her" Grandpa declared with a serious expression and I knew he wasn’t bluffing.

Christy still hasn’t said a word since we got here and it was making me feel extremely guilty.

"Come on Jasper, bless us with your delicious barbecue" Gary said with a smile.

"Okay, prepare to be...."

"Why do you have to prepare it? The fact that you are not as rich as they are doesn’t make it right for you to be treated like a slave" Mira interrupted Jasper angrily.

Grandpa snorted and turned to talk to Christy, completely ignoring us.

"Mira, no one is treating me like a slave and Mason will also help out with the barbecue" Jasper said but Mira refused to let go of his shirt.

"Won’t you behave yourself?!" Mason asked her angrily and she quickly let go of Jasper’s shirt before walking away while sobbing.

Mason has always been strict with her, she was raised by his parents so had to keep her in check.

"Should I...."

"Let her be, she will come back by herself" Mason said to Jasper when he wanted to go after her.

He sighed before walking towards the grill.

"Attention seeker" Grandpa sneered in the direction that Mira ran off in.

*****

Unknown POV

Mira looked behind her to make sure she wasn’t being followed before bringing out her phone.

"Mom, she is alive and will take everything back" she cried as soon as her mother picked.

" Who is alive?" Her mother asked her.

"Eva" she whispered the name like something would happen if she said it any louder.

"That’s impossible, I watched her drown" her mother said with a lot of certainty.

"There is a girl that looks exactly like Aunt here and she is dating Kendrick" Mira said with a panicked voice.

"Calm down, we need confirmation," her mother said with a sinister tone.

"Okay, what should I do?" She asked with a sigh of relief.

"Get a strand of her hair so we can do a DNA test" her mother instructed.

"Okay Mom, I will get it" she said before quickly hanging up.

She adjusted her hair and expression before going to join the others.