It Was Already Too Late

"I guess, you really are but a weak person. You act cold to hide that weak heart of yours. But what would you gain? Imaginary peace? You're just deluding yourself that everything was over and everything have passed. But unless you faced it yourself, nothing would be over."

Her eyes have turned dead after hearing his words and being pushed away. And those dead eyes are looking straight at him. He felt guilty but he couldn't speak.

"You only know how to runaway, you only know how to hurt those around you. You must be waiting, waiting for the day when everyone have turned their back and left you alone before realizing that you were at fault."

"They are there to help you cope up not to pity you. You may be 19 years old now, but what I see is a 9 year old kid who can only feel pity for himself."

She didn't bother with her hand, blood flowed but she didn't care.

"And I am not an orphan, I have my brothers out there. It just so happens that thay hated me to the core. So don't act like you too know everything cause you don't. Don't act like you are the only one hurting because you're not."

"No wonder even your family can't get through you, you are too close minded who only knows how to act. Go on and wallow in your own pain, I no longer care."

After speaking she opened the door and slammed it behind her. She didn't cry at all. She didn't want to show more of her tears to such a person.

She wanted to speak more with him but the last straw was his words of her being an orphan.

Even if she wanted to help, he had stepped on her far too much.

Ashton was left standing in the office, he couldn't move nor didn't know what to think. He knew he went over board by calling her an orphan and even if he wanted to take it back, it was already too late.

*****

"Hello brat? I guess I could only apologize. In the end even my own shamelessness and stubborness couldn't get through him."

"That's-"

"I'm sorry, fighting with him is a bit tiring. I just called to let you know. Well then."

Ashley wanted to speak more but what followed was the end of call tone.

She can also tell that Amber was truly down. Her brother must have gone overboard.

But since she was still in school, she decided to just give him a call once she get home.

*****

After half an hour, Ashton started cleaning up the mess. He then noticed that the cake was plain. No words of greetings or a candle, like she really did just come to eat breakfast.

He threw what he just picked up and called Carl to have someone come and clean his office. Before he shut himself inside the room.

Carl who arrived with a cleaner an hour later was shock to see the mess. He was even more shock to see the blood by the door.

He wanted to check on Ashton but he knew he couldn't during this day. So after cleaning up, they once again left the room in its silence.

A call was what disturbed Ashton's sleep that afternoon.

"Brother it's all my fault, what did you do to Amber?"

"Why do you care?"

He had always been like that, on this day, he was so grumpy that his usual gentleness towards Ashley would also disappear.

"Because I already told you, I was the one who told her. I can tell from her voice that she was truly down. What did you do?"

"..."

"How did you chase her away?"

"Why the sudden concern for her? You have always been Madison here, Madison there, why the sudden change?"

"You are being unreasonable right now brother. Is that how you see me? Someone who only cares about the past?"

"Is it not? You angrily came here because of that right?"

"Don't go changing the topic and tell me what did you do to Amber?"

Ashley maybe young and she might have some lingering fear to Ashton but when she too gets mad, she can fight back all those fears.

"..."

"I don't care if you push everyone away, but it was I who pushed her to go to you today. If you are unhappy you should have blamed me instead. She had no idea of your birthday but I informed her and told her to be with you."

"Then stop being a busy body and leave me alone. Isn't that all that I ask from you?"

"Can't we even care for you? This should be a happy day but in the end it became a tragic one. Even though I always say Madison, Madison. In reality I am also blaming her."

She started sobbing, "She took this day away from you. She took you away from us. She's just a bad person who took my brother away from me."

"Enough Ashley before I get mad at you as well. Now that Amber is here, you suddenly told me that you hated Madison, I never thought my sister is so easy to please."

Ashley's tears started flowing freely. Her brother have always been unreasonable during this day. But all of them wanted him to stood back up. Yet all he did was to say hurtful words when one confronts him on this day.

"Shouldn't you be happy that even though mom told her that you are scary when it is this day, she still went and accompanied you? She was so strong."

"Strong? Hah, she was but an orphan who runaway after saying some self -"

"You didn't."

Ashley's face was in horror as she listened to her brother.

"Did you perhaps call her an orphan?"

The time she spent with Amber allowed her to understand that she was truly a very very strong person. She rarely gets down and shows it to anyone. Even during phone calls, not once did she sounded so weak like a while ago.

"..."

Hearing no response from her brother, Ashley knew she guessed it right.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!! IT WAS US YOUR FAMILY WHO ASKED HER THE FAVOR. SHE WENT TO YOU BECAUSE OF US, WHY?? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO CRUEL!!"

After that, the call ended. In his anger, Ashton threw his phone on the ground and went to the bathroom.

*****

"What happened?" Gideon who was at home heard her shouting from her room and went to check on her.

"Brother is too much grandpa," Ashley looked at her grandfather and started crying harder.

"Wh- Why? Did you call him? You know he was not in his right mind during this day. You shouldn't have done it, what did he say this time?" Gideon sat beside her and asked gently.

"I asked Amber yesterday if she can accompany brother today. She was after all a very strong person and I admire her for that. I just didn't expect that brother would be too cruel to her."

Gideon furrowed his brows, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's all my fault grandpa, I shouldn't have told her to accompany brother."

"Calm down and tell me, what did your brother do to her?"

"He... He... He called her an orphan. He didn't tell me at first but it was a slip of the tongue. So when I asked him if he called her that, he became silent."

Ashley cried even more. She didn't know yet how painful it is to lose someone but she knew it is very painful when you are left alone. When you have no one else but yourself.

Gideon's face darkened, he never expected his grandson to be so narrow minded even though it is this day. His words are truly unacceptable.

He knew Amber must have tried to speak to him and he must have reached his limit but his words are still unacceptable.

After coaxing his grand daughter and tucking her in after she fell asleep, he went out and called for his assistant.

"Get me the earliest flight to star country this instant."

It seems he needed to step out and get some sense on that mind of his grandson.

"That ungrateful brat, he didn't even know how to be thankful to the person who gave him his second life."

Upon coming home, Kyle and Liana were shock to see him with his luggage.

"Where are you going father?"

"To beat that son of yours, we left him alone for so long that he became so unruly. I am starting to regret leaving him there."

He then went ahead and explained to the couple of Ashley's phone call.

Liana instantly called Amber, "Madam?"

She couldn't decipher anything from Amber's voice.

"I... I heard of what Ashton have said... I... I really wanna hit that child of mine..."

"Please madam, I think I myself have went overboard for him to lash out. But with this exchange I can tell, he truly has a fragile heart. Another emotional blow and he might end up becoming a person full of bloodlust."