Chapter 173 - Not A Chance!

Koji was holding his breath when he saw that Dr. Akiyawa was about to divulge the test result to him. However, he was ticked-off when he heard the answer the Doctor gave him.

"I'm sorry, COO Hanada, as you know... -the law will not allow me to divulge the result to you without the permission of the patient. It's a private matter for the patient. I hope you understand!" Said Dr. Akiyama with a slight smile on his face and eyes shimmering do to the excitement.

Koji felt hopeless after hearing what the Doctor said; however, he didn't show it. He knows the law, and he was just hoping that if the Doctor thought that Koji is the father, he would tell him. 

"I understand! You don't need to explain it to me. Alright, then! Thank you so much for your time. I'm going to go ahead and see if I could catch up with them in the lobby. Goodbye!" He then turned around and walked out. He was devastated, and it was showing on his face as he saunters towards the elevator.

Dr. Akiyama continued to gaze at Koji as he left the office while shaking his head and grinning from ear to ear. "Now, I know who the child's father! Hahaha! That child is so lucky, he/she would be born with a silver spoon. One of the candidates to inherit the THJ Group is the father.

"This is an opportunity that I would not let go. Now that I know who the father is, I will make sure to give Miss Gusman the VIP treatment. You never know, this child could be the heir when the time comes. Hahaha!" Dr. Akiyama mumbles to himself happily as he walks back inside to go back to his work.

===

As Koji walked back to his car, he was in deep thought that he had overlooked Grandmother Hanada's assistant- Harumi. She just finished picking up Ashley's prenatal vitamins and rushing to the elevator, because Grandmother Hanada and Ashley were already waiting for her in the car

She suddenly stopped when she saw Koji in deep thought while walking. She quickly hid on the side of the wall, until Koji passed by.

"Why is he here? I wonder if he had followed us wanting to know if ma'am Ashley is ok? Hmmm, Chairwoman needs to know about this; you never know?" Harumi whispered to herself as she quickly searched for the stairs.

Because she was wearing heels, Harumi's step was slow. She decided to remove her shoes so she could walk fast. She almost ran a marathon to were Grandmother Hanada and Ashley was waiting for her.

As Harumi approached the vehicle, "Hah! Hah! Hah!" She paused for a moment and took a deep breath before putting on the shoes again. She stood up straight and fixed herself before continuing to walk properly to the car.

"What took you so long? I was about to call you back to tell you just to take a taxi if you haven't arrived yet." Grandmother Hanada scolded Harumi. One could tell from the look on her face that she's not used to waiting for anyone.

"Sorry, Chairwoman!" Harumi replied as she went inside the car while catching her breath.

"Alright! Alright! it's late, and I want to relax first." Grandma Hanada said while she was waving her hand in the air. This is a signal for the driver/bodyguard to leave.

"Go! Hurry up, cause I saw someone!" Harumi whispered to the driver.

"What are you mumbling about? Why are you rushing the driver?" Said Grandma Hanada. She still has a very good hearing at her age. Therefore, she heard Harumi's whisper.

Harumi prefers not to say who she saw in front of Ashley. She just thought of another reason to tell the old lady so she would quiet. "I'm sorry, my stomach is a bit of a problem. Because I know you're waiting, I could not stop and use the restroom." 

"Hmmm, driver hurries up, you don't want Harumi to have an accident here!" She said as she raised her eyebrows and has a stern look on her face.

Ashley just kept quiet as the car drove by. She thought very deeply about her situation. She was thrilled because she's now pregnant, and just as what grandma Hanada said, Tanaga might let her go.

However, she still couldn't help but worry about their current situation. Whenever she thought of the contract that's inside her suitcase, she can't help but be afraid. Unless she hears it straight from the horse's mouth, there's still a chance that once she gives birth... - They would go on their separate ways. What will she do then when this happens? Suddenly Ashley's face turned sad.

Grandmother Hanada noticed that Ashley's face had suddenly changed while staring at nothingness. Sadness was evident on her beautiful face. It concerns her, 'It's not right, I need to think of something that will cheer her up.'

"Harumi, contact KC tell her that I need her to go to the mansion. Ashley and I would be going on a date and we need to look our best." Grandma Hanada said while she was still looking at Ashley who didn't even hear what she just said. Ashley was still staring at nothingness, while in deep thought.

===

Meanwhile, Koji had returned to THJ Headquarters. Instead of going straight to his office, he decided to go straight to Grandmother Hanada's office. He's anxious to hear the news direct from the horse's mouth.  Since Ashley is directly reporting to him at the moment, he figures that he has the right to worry about his assistant's well being.

However, Koji's biggest disappointment was that when he arrived at his grandmother's office, -there was no one there but her secretary.

"You mean Chairwoman hasn't returned yet? Do you know where they went with, my assistant?" Koji asked with a slightly raised voice. It is clearly visible that his irritated.

"I'm sorry, COO Hanada. But Mrs. Harumi didn't tell me where Chairwoman was going." That's all Akari said before she went back to what she was doing. This made Koji even more upset because the secretary had ignored him.

Koji could do nothing but return to the office and work. He still has a lot of appointments that day, half a day was just exhausted from his pursuit of Ashley.

"Get a grip, man! It is not like this is the first time you feel this way." He mumbles to himself while walking toward the elevator.

'But then, after carefully thinking it over, it was actually the first time he ever felt that way. By age twenty-five, he had never had a serious relationship. So 'technically, it was the first time he'd felt that way.' Koji thought as he waited for the elevator. 

When the elevator opens, he first let out a loud 'sigh!' before going inside and back to his boring office. 

Koji was still out of his mind when he came to his office. So he didn't notice that someone was sitting in the waiting room and drinking a cold drink.

When the person saw him enter the door, he quickly stood up to greet him. 

"Ahem! Ahem! Good afternoon COO Hanada!" Greeted Alden Sanches, who was there to give a presentation for their collaboration. While he was saying his greetings, he has his hands extended for a handshake. At the same time, looking behind Koji to see if Ashley is with him.

When Alden saw that no one was following Koji, the smile suddenly disappeared and he became agitated. All excitement gone in the wind.

When he heard that Ashley was Koji's temporary assistant, he couldn't wait to go to the THJ Group Building to make the presentation.

But now that he noticed that Ashley was gone, his recent excitement was replaced by regret. He didn't even realize that all of a sudden, he just breathed a sigh of relief. It was as if he had been covered by heaven and earth.

This action was not overlooked by Koji's hawkeye and he didn't like it one bit.