Chapter 522 For the First Time

Did he have a fight with the madam?

Nancy quickly shook that thought off. She had watched Duncan grow up from childhood. Despite not always being agreeable to the things his family arranged for him, he had always had a good relationship with his mother. For him to quarrel with her would be very unlikely.

Perhaps something else had happened that made him come back home early.

Briefly thinking about it then brushing it off, Nancy went about with her own work.

Duncan went upstairs, but instead of going straight to his bedroom, his feet led him to the room where Ashley had stayed before.

He pushed the door open and found himself in the midst of her lingering scent.

His eyes wandered all around the walls. Everything was the same as before Ashley came- all traces of her were gone, as if she had never been here.

No one could have ever guessed that what Haley told him stunned him to the bone. For a moment, he sank to a half-witted silence, not knowing what to do.

Nothing else made sense. All he knew was that he had to drive back home and see Ashley's room for himself.

He hadn't even dared to take out his phone to see, as if to put off finally knowing the truth, afraid to see with his own eyes an answer he might not be ready for.

Haley was walking outside when he realized that he had forgotten something important. He stopped in his tracks and lowered his head, thinking of what it was that nagged at him. Suddenly, his head shot up and he turned around to run back to the villa.

How could he have forgotten such an important matter? Now that Ashley was almost taken away by somebody else for good, he could only imagine how sour Duncan's mood must be. Haley sprinted as fast as his legs would allow him. Right now, he should be beside Duncan as a friend. He had to watch out for him in case he did something reckless that he would only come to regret later.

Haley was out of breath when he reached the door of the villa. He rang the doorbell repeatedly, until he was face-to-face with a very surprised Nancy.

"Mr. Haley?" she asked as joy took over her surprise. "Duncan just came back. Goodness, you're out of breath. Would you like to come in?"

His appearance was a pleasant surprise to the older woman. Duncan and Haley had known each other since they were kids, and Haley often came to v

brooding like an idiot. People always said that love turned even the wisest man into a fool.

What was even more infuriating was that it was Haley, and not Duncan, who was at his wit's end trying to find a solution.

It was as if Duncan wasn't even worried at all.

As he pondered in annoyance, Duncan just sat there, lost in his own world. What Haley didn't know was that this outward display of calmness belied just the opposite: even Duncan himself didn't know what sort of face he should be making.

Truth be told, he wanted to call Ashley. He hadn't seen her for a long time, and he wanted to hear her voice.

He had never felt this way before, and he had never thought that he would miss someone so much.

But, with the strong desire to see her also came fear. He was afraid. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if she told him something he was not ready to hear.

If all of it was true, what next? For the first time in his life, he was at an utter and complete loss.

He glanced at Haley who was still standing nearby. His restlessness was evident even when he just stood there. "You should go," Duncan said. "You don't need to worry about this. I'll take care of it."

How could Haley leave him like this? He came back to check on Duncan, and Haley could clearly see that he was not alright at all. It was the first time Duncan had ever fallen in love.

And to make matters worse, it was a love that was doomed from the start. He didn't even have a chance. With such a terrible turn of events, how could he leave his friend?