Never Let You Go

"Break off all your lover from now on," William said in a sharp tone. "Man or woman."

"He's not my boyfriend, you know I never interested to that word," Dave said with a chuckle. "Only one of the staff is facing to submit a report."

"Then don't tease him. I know he's to your taste, but from now on you have to stop playing around."

"Oh come on, Dad, my work has always been above par. My romantic life has absolutely nothing to do with my job."

"You're getting married, Dave. Gotta get married!"

"Ha? Married? With whom? This is a joke?"

"Sovi Leonard?" Dave's eyebrows shot up high.

William nodded firmly. "Yes. She will be back in three months, after completing her masters in London and after that you will be engaged and married very soon."

"Why?" asked Dave in a flat tone.

"Why?" his Father replied. "You will be my heir, Dave. I need to introduce you to all our connections and business associates, just like your grandfather did me. It's tradition."

Dave snorted in annoyance. "That's not what I meant. I was wondering why I should marry Sovi?"

"You didn't like Sovi? You were very close when you were little and she was very enthusiastic when her father proposed your wedding plans."

"That's what I mean, Dad. I've always considered Sovi like my little sister. It would be weird for me to marry her because I never had romantic feelings for her."

"Nonsense. Sovi is the perfect woman for you. You two are getting married and I will process my name change to yours after that."

Dave got up from his chair and came out from behind his desk to sit on the sofa in front of his father. He looked at the man's face with questioning eyes.

"What's the rush, Dad? I wasn't ready for everything you said just now."

William threw his back against the back of the sofa. "I took this business transfer from your grandfather when I was a two younger than you, Dave. There's no reason for you to feel unprepared."

"I don't want to marry Sovi. Never!" Dave argued stubbornly.

"You must marry, even if not with Sovi, you must still marry. But, Sovi is the best for our family. The heir to the Jan family must be sure to be married and have the certainty of being able to produce the next generation, before accepting the transfer of names from the previous generation. It's a hereditary tradition," William snapped impatiently. "You've played enough during this time, with your very carefree and reckless life. It's time for you to grow up and take over the leadership of this family!"

"Just point to Gary, then," Dave muttered half grudgingly. "Just because he's not your biological son doesn't mean he can't be the heir to this business. He's proven capable and reliable, is married and his child is due in five months. Beside, he is your golden child. You always love him more than me, so why don't you choose him as a heir instead of me? Be clear and fair, Dad!"

William took a deep breath and stood up from the couch, supporting himself with the dragon-headed staff in his hand. "He is indeed capable and reliable, even more than you are capable of, but after all blood relations are thicker than water. There have been instances where a Jan in the past gave full trust to his intelligent stepson rather than his stupid biological child to accept his legacy. It took only five years for that brilliant stepson to destroy the Jan name and build his own. Since then, it has taken decades to restore the Jan name to our country's business scene and there has been a lot of sacrifice."

Dave was silent, not daring to say anything else. He knew his father was harboring disappointment because of his refusal, but he also did not want to take the conditions put forward for him.

"Then give me five more years, Dad. No, three years I think will be enough. I will find a woman to marry me myself, not in an arranged way like this."

William's brows knit together. "I don't have three years."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

William didn't answer, but walked straight to the door and out of Dave's study. "Just be ready for Sovi! I had talk to her Father about this."

Dave stared out the window at the city streets 13 floors below, trying to imagine what Sovi Leonard's face would look like now.

He had known Sovi since she was five, whiny and sulky. He often teased and made Sovi cry, but the girl kept clinging to him.

Sovi and her family moved to Manila when the girl was twelve and they have not seen each other since. So, how could his father think of setting them up now? Dave sure, there is something hidden by his father.

Dave's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his office door. "Come in!" he exclaimed.

The door opened and a man with a stack of files in his hands trudged in, trying to keep the files from falling.

Dave stared at the man who entered in awe. The man is very pretty. Yes, pretty, although it is not customary to describe a man with that word.

Why was his skin so white, that had crossed Dave's mind, when the man got closer to his desk, he shouldn't take a bath often because his skin might become transparent.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dave, I brought the file you asked Mr. Kim before," said the pretty man.

Dave's brow furrowed looking at the pile of files placed on his desk. "Why did you bring him? Where is Kim?"

"Mr. Kim had to meet a client who came suddenly and it just so happened that I just finished compiling the files you need."

"What's your name? I've never seen you before."

"My name is Tristan. I just transferred from the North branch two weeks ago, Mr. Dave and I actually had your weekly meetings with you."

Dave tilted his head to observe this man named Tristan more closely. How could a man like this escape his sight? He is bisexual and he likes both handsome men and beautiful women. However, Tristan is someone different. He is handsome as well as beautiful. A unique blend.

"I'm going to go through this file and please tell Mr. Kim to come face to face with me again after he's done with the client. There's something I need to discuss with him."

"Yes, Mr. Dave, I will. Excuse me."

Dave watched Tristan's back disappear behind the door, but the soft vanilla scent he left in the air made Dave's blood boil.

Dave picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number. "Neena, can you bring me a copy of the latest staff data? I need to see something."

Dave put the phone down and waited. Tristan, hm?

***

"He's not ready yet, honey," Leah said carefully. "I heard that he just dated an actor who just debuted, two weeks ago."

William snorted. "He never took them seriously, whether it was a man or a woman. He knew clearly, eventually he would have to marry a woman and have children to carry on this family name."

Leah was furious, but she knew there was no way for her to express her displeasure openly. "What about Evie? Would she agree to marry Dave? They've been apart for so long and it might be hard for the two of them to adjust again."

"Don't worry, she is very enthusiastic and wants to meet Dave soon."

Leah sighed silently. She didn't like the idea of ​​Dave's wedding being planned by her husband at all.

Her stepson was unfit to be the heir, with his stubborn and unruly nature. Not once or twice, since he was in high school, that kid caused a scandal because of his carelessness and made William have to deploy a team of lawyers and spend a lot of money to cover up the problems he caused.

William's threat to cross his name off Jan's family list, which finally dampens Dave's actions. Leah couldn't accept that if William had previously intended to cross Dave's name out of the family registry, why was he now insisting on making him heir in the near future? William didn't even ask her opinion first.

"He still likes to play games," Leah grumbled displeasedly. "I'm worried about the continuation of this family business in his hands."

William took a deep breath. He felt a little guilty for putting Leah's feelings aside. However, he had more important things to think about than his wife's feelings.

"Honey, I know you don't agree with me appointing Dave now, but I have to because we are pressed by the company's problems with our branch company in several areas of Southeast Asia. Leonard will be a very significant help to us."

Leah clicked her tongue. "Gary is trying to restore order in the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam and you know he can be counted on," Leah said in a sharp tone. "Why don't you even consider what he's done so far for the name of Jan? Because he's not your biological son? Then, what did Dave do? I'm not even sure he noticed the trouble in the Southeast Asia branch offices because he was too busy with projects from the Middle East, which were not entirely successful."

William fell silent. He acknowledged the truth of Leah's words, but there were things he couldn't possibly reveal to anyone right now. He's not ready.

"You know I never thought of Gary as my stepson in the same way you did to Dave, but for this one, I can't make up my mind, darling. Even though I have the most power, I also have to listen to what my relatives think, for the sake of keeping this big family together. I have a big responsibility, honey."

"I understand. However, shouldn't you be able to control decision-making with your power? Why are you pressing your own child who is clearly not ready and still has to go through a long process until he is declared ready, while you have seen someone who is more capable and you rely on any time?"

"Leah, I think you should support my decision, not confuse or oppose me!" snapped William angrily.

Leah looked at her husband with a sad face. "Why should I do that when you're being unfair to me and Gary? You don't say anything about your plans and expect me to support you? You also treat Gary as nothing more than an ordinary employee even though since you added your name to his name nothing he always listen to you. He adores you and you know how he tries so hard to make you proud."

Leah stood up and walked out of the living room, leaving William slumped on the couch alone.

Leah took the car keys and without saying anything, she walked out of the house and drove out of the garage. She called someone from the car on her way.

"Linda, are you home?" asked Leah matter-of-factly, when her call was answered by the person she was calling.

"Yes. What's wrong? You want to come here? Just come, I just happened to be calling you."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Leah said, cutting off the conversation.

In less than twenty minutes, Leah arrived at Linda's house, her closest cousin.

The woman was preparing lunch, wearing casual clothes and bare feet in her minimalist style house.

Linda looked up as Leah came into the dining room and pulled up a dining chair.

"Fight with William?" asked Linda with a smile. She handed a plate to Leah. "Accompany me for lunch. You come at this time, you definitely haven't had time to eat anything at your house."

Leah wanted to refuse, but her stomach had been a bit sore since the trip earlier. "I had the maids set the table but I'm too annoyed with William," Leah muttered as she reached for the salad bowl.

Linda chuckled. "What is it?"

"William is going to marry Dave to a woman, the daughter of an acquaintance, sometime soon," Leah said in a high-pitched voice. "And he didn't even tell me about the plan, let alone ask my opinion!"

Linda was surprised. He looked closely at Leah. "Is the girl pregnant?"

Leah snorted. "You know how he plays. He never really takes anyone to dates. Just sleeps a night or two together, then dumps them like nothing happened."

"Yes, he's so handsome and masculine and hot, it's hard to resist his charm. You have to admit that your stepson does have a lot of charm and the rumour said he's good on bed," Linda laughed for a moment, before turning serious because she saw the unpleasant look on Leah's face. "So why did William suddenly decide on that?"

"He wants to certify Dave as heir as soon as he's married."

"Huh? What's the rush? Is William sick or having a hard time?"

"William is fine, but some of the company's branches in the Southeast Asia region are indeed in trouble. Gary has managed to deal with several branches, but William thinks that marrying Dave to his best friend's daughter will be the fastest way to solve the problem. However, I think, the reason is not only that. William is very secretive this time," Leah complained with a cloudy face.

"I thought, with everything you've done for him and Dave, William will at least give Gary his due?"

"He didn't take that into account at all and he even demanded that I had to understand. Damn it!"

"Then what are you going to do?"

Leah stared at Linda with teary eyes. "I don't trust Dave at all. I will thwart William's plan. Dave won't be able to become heir if he doesn't marry. Jan's family has strict rules about marriage. After all, even though Dave is bisexual and alway playing, I'm sure, he will still marry a woman for the surname Jan or he will lost his rights as Jan. He knows the rule of his family."

Linda thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "I have an idea," Linda said. "This might work. Want to hear it?"

***

"Lymph node cancer?"

Doctor Nodt looked at the young man in front of him with sympathetic eyes. "That's just a preliminary diagnosis, Tristan. I still have to do a lot of tests to determine how far the cancer has spread and what to do next after we confirm the diagnosis."

"That means, maybe it's not cancer, doc? Just some kind of mild tumor or gland disorder?" asked Tristan hopefully.

Doctor Nodt sighed. He wanted so badly to justify Tristan's words, as well as all the other patient cases he had worked on before.

Telling the patient or the patient's family about what they have to face next after confirming that the diagnosis is about what the patient is suffering from is the thing that makes him sad the most. "

Forgive me, Tristan, but I can confirm that it is lymph node cancer. I just can't say for sure where the cancer has spread and how fast it has spread."

Tristan took a deep breath and lowered his head.

"Tristan, if you entrust your father's care to me, believe that I will try to do the best treatment and care that I can do for your father," said doctor Nodt.

Tristan raised his head and smiled at the middle-aged man in front of him, who had been his family doctor for a long time since his mother was still alive.

"Yes, Doctor Nodt, you are my only hope because you have taken care of my family since mother was still alive. Just do everything that needs to be done, as long as my father can recover. I will pay whatever it takes for his recovery," said Tristan with full confidence.

However, Doctor Nodt could still hear the tremors in the young man's voice. Tristan returned to the room where his father was being treated, after discussing in more detail what to do for his father's next treatment process.

The old man he loved looked pale and helpless, lying in a large hospital bed with needles in his arms and tubes flying around him.

Ken Franera must have been in pain for a long time, but as usual, the man never wanted to say anything when it came to his difficulties or pain. He is stubborn.

Tristan smoothed the blanket that covered his father's stomach and bent down to kiss his forehead. "I'll be back later, Dad."

Tristan left the hospital and returned to the office. There was one report he needed to submit to the division head as soon as possible and because of his father's current condition, it seemed that tomorrow he would have to ask permission not to come to work. He had to accompany his father to undergo a thorough examination as he had agreed with Dr Nodt earlier. He also had to start looking for someone who could take care of his father on a day-to-day basis while he was at work.

John saw Tristan walking through the lobby as he was paying for his coffee order.

"Tristan!" called John as he quickly picked up his just-done order and pocketed the change from the cashier.

Tristan stopped walking and waited for John to approach.

"Why did you come back here? I thought you would accompany your father in hospital. How is he?" muttered John as he touched the elevator button.

"I have to finish the financial report for the public relations department soon, John. Tomorrow I may not be able to work because doctor Nodt doesn't want to delay a thorough examination of my father and he asked me to accompany him," Tristan replied in a languid tone. "I have asked Wion to look after my father tonight. The child is in need of money to buy a skate board and he is happy to accept my offer to look after father tonight until I come tomorrow."

John and Tristan were getting into the lift when the door opened.

"Oh, good afternoon, Mrs. Jan," John greeted, bowing his head, when he saw a woman who was in the elevator. Tristan did the same.

The elegant-looking woman nodded her head with a faint smile. "Good afternoon John."

"You want to go up?" John asked. "12th floor?"

"Yes. Thank you, John."

John pressed the buttons on the 11 and 12 and stood beside Tristan behind the woman.

"What did the doctor say?" asked John in a low voice. "It's nothing dangerous, right?"

"Lymphoma, initial estimate, stage two," Tristan answered in a languid voice.

"Oh my God, cancer?"

"Yeah. I've been feeling a headache since I came out of the hospital lobby earlier, seeing the initial bill I had to pay earlier."

John patted Tristan on the back sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Tristan. However, you should be optimistic that your father will recover. Just tell me if there's anything I can help with, I'll help you."

Tristan laughed bitterly. "Find me a sugar mommy, because my father's medical bills are going to be very expensive and I may have to sell myself to get the money."

John hit Tristan on the back of the head. "You are crazy!"

The elevator dinged with a loud sound and opened slowly on the 11th floor. John and Tristan stepped out past the graceful woman in front of them and John took a moment to say goodbye to the woman, who was looking at Tristan closely.

Tristan held John's hand after the elevator closed again. "John, is something wrong with me?" asked Tristan while observing himself. "My clothes are wrinkled? Or are there stains on my face?"

"Hmm? Why?"

"Why is Mrs. Jan looking at me as if I had horns on my head?"

John studied his best friend closely and shook his head. "Nothing strange. You're still handsome as usual, like a grown man magazine model."

"Bastard!" cursed Tristan while flicking John's forehead.

Tristan returned to his desk and turned on the laptop. "By the way, my cousin opened a bar behind this office and I heard they need a barista. Who knew you might be interested? Your skills as a barista haven't faded, have you?" asked John with raised eyebrows from behind his laptop.

Tristan stood up and looked at John's booth which was behind his. "Seriously?"

John looked up. "Hm. I'll recommend your name to him. Tomorrow."

Tristan smiled broadly. "Thanks, John!"

"But, Tristan, how can you manage the time?"

"No worry, I'll find a way."

John gave a thumbs up and returned to his work. He was closing his laptop when his phone rang. His brow furrowed when he saw the number on the screen. The operator number from 12th floor. Personnel division.

John touched the green button on his phone. "Hello?"

"John, come up here before you leave," said a woman voice on the line. John feel surprised. Its the voice of Mrs. Jan. "I need to ask you something about your friend who was with you earlier."

John was surprised and looked at Tristan who was tidying up the files. Confused. "Y-yes, Ma'am."

***