Chapter 84 - 84

Tristan was very busy the past few days. Work was very hectic, and no matter how much effort he put into it, the problem did not seem to get solved. Tristan and his whole team pulled so many all-nighters but still, there were so many issues.

All the projects were going to the rival company. When bidding for the projects, the rival company had underbid them several times. They were losing money, but they didn't seem to care. All they wanted was to beat the Ambrosio group at any cost.

They didn't know who this other company was. Every investigation led them to a dead end. They were covering their tracks very well. Were they trying to monopolize the market? Tristan was getting frustrated, trying to find out who was out there to get him. There was something he was missing, and he didn't know what.

It was 11 pm, and he decided to go home and rest. Maybe some sleep will help him clear his head. Make him look at the picture from a different angle. 

Tristan was sitting at the back of the car with his eyes close. Dark circles were forming under his eyes from fatigue and lack of sleep. He terribly missed Ava. He hasn't seen or talked to her in a week. She texted him every day, and all he could tell her was he was busy. He needs to make it up to her.

He thought everything was going smoothly when it came to business, but now out of the blue, there is this big hump that he can't seem to overcome.

The car felt like it hit something. He was propelled forward and hit his head on the seat in front of him. He opened his eyes and looked back. A car had hit them from behind.

The driver pulled over and got down to talk to the other car's owner, but they just drove off. It looked very suspicious.

"What happened?" Tristan asked the driver.

"Sir, I noticed that the car that hit us had been behind us ever since we left the office. I didn't think it I needed since there are still a lot of cars on the road, but now I think they've been trailing us.

I also know that they hit us intentionally because I gave them enough space to go around but they just stayed behind us the whole time," the driver said.

"We are lucky the damage was not that big. We can report and have it fixed tomorrow," the driver added.

"Hmmm.. okay, let's go home," Tristan said.

Tristan was sure it was not an accident because the place where it happened was a residential area. Not too many people lived around there and used this road. He needs to get this investigated.

The driver looked in the rearview mirror one more time before driving off. He wanted to make sure nothing else will happen tonight. He looked at Tristan and noticed blood dripping from the side of his forehead. 

"Sir! Your forehead is bleeding! I'm taking you to the hospital," the driver said worriedly.

Tristan took a handkerchief and dabbed on his forehead. The cut wasn't big. He said, "There's no need. I will apply some ointment after going home." 

After getting home he was about to dress his wound when his phone rang. It was Ava. He frowned because it was already midnight, and she was still awake and calling him.

As soon as he took the call she said, "Tristan, I miss you."

"I miss you too," Tristan's face softened.

"I haven't seen you for the past week. I don't think you want to see me anymore," she complained.

She was not in the mood to go to school. She kept on checking her phone all day to see if Tristan called or texted her. Aside from his short replies, she hadn't heard anything else from him.

Today she went to bed very sad. "What happened to our daily video calls and text? He won't even bother to pick up the phone to call me," she thought. It bothered her a lot, so she tossed and turned in her bed.

Finally, she decided. "If he's not going to call me, then I'm going to do it. I don't have to wait for him. I don't care if it's already midnight," she said to herself.

"I'm sorry little one," Tristan felt guilty because of work he had neglected Ava, and she was feeling aggrieved.

He was thinking, maybe it was time to let the special team investigate who this rival company is. It is not a coincidence anymore that I am losing too much business.

"Tristan, can I see you tomorrow?" Ava asked with a lot of hope.

"Uhm...I can't. I'm very busy tomorrow," Tristan stammered. He could just imagine how sad her face must have looked after his response. He did not want to dampen her mood, but he had no choice.

"Oh... Okay... I get it," Ava murmured and sighed, disappointment evident in her voice. Each word and sigh was like an arrow piercing through his heart.

It would have made him feel better if she threw a tantrum. Calling him names and giving him unreasonable demands, but she was so understanding, and that made him feel more horrible.

"My love, give me a few more days. I just need to take care of some things. I promise I will make this up to you," Tristan pleaded.

"Don't worry, I know you have a lot of important things to do," Ava said. Her father worked very hard like Tristan, and there were some days that he never came home. Her mother used to complain about her father in the same way.

"Go to bed. Don't you have school tomorrow?" Tristan coaxed her.

"Tristan, I want to see your face before I sleep. I want to do a video call, please," Ava requested.

Tristan did not want to do a video call. He just finished dressing his wound, and he knows that Ava will be worried if she sees it. But then again, she'll be more hurt if he rejects her request.

"Okay, just for a few minutes okay," Tristan agreed.

"Tristan, what happened to you? Are you hurt?" Ava panicked as soon as she saw his wound.

"It's nothing. I had an accident," Tristan stated.

"Accident! Tristan, why didn't you tell me? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Ava asked, alarmed. She was wondering if he was hiding something from her.

"Little one, it's just a small wound. I am not hurt anywhere else. Stop worrying," He tried to convince her.

"No! Stand up! I want to see with my own eyes," Ava said tearing up. She was getting scared that he was hurt more than he was telling her. She hadn't seen him in a while and now he's hurt. She just wanted to be near him and hug him.

Tristan stood up and showed her his arms and legs. He turned around and showed her there was nothing wrong with him.

"Little one, please don't cry," Tristan said anxiously.

"I'm not crying," Ava said, wiping her tears away. Tristan did not know what to say. He just looked at her helplessly.

"Tristan, go to bed and rest. Can you please call me even though you are busy?" Ava requested softly.

"I will call you, I promise. Now go to bed and don't worry too much. Goodnight! my love," Tristan said gently and cut the call.

He regretted not calling her. He had been alone all his life, so he never needed to inform anyone of his whereabouts. When he had too much work to do, he would usually forget to eat or sleep, and nobody cared. But now that he had Ava, he knew that he had to let her know. He didn't want to worry her. 

He needed to learn how to do this naturally for both their sakes. He will not make the mistake of not calling again. Losing Ava was not an option. Calling her was not hard to do.

The next day wasn't any better. The bad news was waiting for Tristan at the office.

Major shareholders of his company were selling most of their stocks and were not giving them any reason why. They were affecting the market, and the whole office was a mess.

"PA Jack, the shareholders could not have decided to do this overnight. Someone else is probably behind this and has been plotting for a long time. The question is, who and why?" Tristan said

"Boss, I think your accident last night, all the other losses and now, this is not a coincidence. I checked the CCTV, and the car that hit you was recorded to be waiting outside our office for the past few days. They've been watching," Jack said.

Everyone feared going against the Ambrosio family because they know that if they get caught their lives and their families will not be spared. But this person was really brave, and he was not afraid to lose anything.

"Go check who the shareholders sold their stocks to and let the police start the investigation of the accident," Tristan said.

Jack nodded and went out to investigate. 

After a day of sleuthing, he finally found the culprit.

"Sir, our rival's name is James Morgan. He was the businessman who had tempted all the shareholders to sell their stocks, telling them he would give more return on their investment. He was also the person taking all our projects. The suspicious thing is that he was only interested in the project that the Ambrosio group was after. It looks like he was intent on targeting only us," PA Jack said, showing all his evidence.

"Why haven't I heard of him before? What about his family?" Tristan asked. He was familiar with all the big businessmen, and he has never heard of this guy.

Not everyone was capable of competing with Tristan.

"Sir, there are no records or any information about his family. He was abroad all these years and only returned last month. There was one thing I found that was really important," Pa Jack said.

"And that is?" Tristan was curious.

"James Morgan was your father's business partner. In fact, your father's last project was with James. Since your father died, the project has been put on hold. It was the same time James left the country.

I tried to find out about the project details, but unfortunately, I couldn't find much, except for this," Jack put a file in front of him.

Tristan took the file. His father's last project was Zane automobiles.

He was very young when his father died so he didn't really understand what his father's work entailed.

The day his father died, he remembered he promised Tristan to take him to a newly opened restaurant. When they were getting ready his father got a call. He recalled his father looked very tense after the call. He told Tristan he had to leave and will take him out next time.

Tristan was very disappointed and even threw a tantrum. The next morning when he woke up, he got that news that his father passed away. Tristan did not take the news very well. He was so mad he broke all the furniture and turned his room upside down.

"It's time to meet this James," Tristan replied coldly.