8
Chloe
Things took a turn for the worse, I thought, worried about Bryce. I glanced at the door, wondering if he was okay. They were in the kitchen more than ten minutes already, and I was becoming anxious, tapping my foot on the floor repeatedly.
Mr. Evander noticed me looking at the door, and he let a long sigh out.
“I’m sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable. You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“It’s okay. I have similar arguments with my parents, so don’t worry about it.” I smiled at him, feeling more comfortable next to him than I had thought I would be.
I had imagined Bryce’s parents to be stricter—more formal—but they were down to earth people who welcomed me warmly to their home and showed nothing but respect. I felt nice here, and I had to admit to myself that I enjoyed this pretence a little bit too much. A pang of guilt filled my chest because they were so nice, and I was deceiving them, pretending to be Bryce’s girlfriend. How would they react if they knew I was just his assistant? Just the girl he was sleeping with?
“It’s just that he’s working so hard. Too hard. And we can’t help but be worried about him. It seems like he’s obsessed with succeeding, failing to see what he already has.” He exhaled a long sigh, staring at some spot on the table. “I’m just afraid that when he realized that the life is short, it would be too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bryce always wanted to be a doctor. This was his biggest dream, and Ruth and I were more than happy when he started working in the hospital. He was finally doing something he’s been dreaming about his whole life. But then he began earning money, and somehow, his interests shifted. He wasn’t just a doctor anymore—he was a businessman—and we got to see him less and less.”
I had no idea how to respond to that. It was true that Bryce was super ambitious and had his full focus on expanding his business, but I’d thought that was something he had wanted all along.
“I’m sorry for bothering you with this. We just hope that since he has you now, he’ll be able to see some things from a different perspective. Maybe he would be able to focus on what truly matters instead of just chasing more money and power.”
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I told him I needed to go to the bathroom and excused myself. On my way down the hallway, I passed the kitchen and halted when Bryce’s and Ruth’s voices reached me. It seemed like they were arguing about work.
I tiptoed to the corner and peeked around it, spotting Bryce and his mother in the middle of the kitchen. My pulse accelerated when I saw Bryce’s face twisted in anger as he glared at his mother.
“You’re working too much, Bryce. I wouldn’t be surprised if you came here with business in mind.”
This hit close to home, and I saw Bryce wince. I thought he was going to tell her about going to see the hospital while we were here, but he didn’t, dodging her remark with a complaint about tonight’s dinner.
“Every single time. I was hoping to come here and have a nice dinner for a change, but no, you had to mock me and my work right in front of Chloe. And of all nights, you had to ruin this one. It was supposed to be a calm, family dinner, not a battlefield. Tonight was supposed to be about Dad, remember?”
“We just want the best for you, Bryce. We see how much this wears you down. You’re different.”
Bryce crossed his arms. “I’m not different.”
“Yes, you are. What are you doing with your life? Before, you were so passionate about your work. Now it’s all about those business meetings and money.”
“What are you talking about?” I flinched at Bryce’s sharp voice. I’d never heard him speak like this. “I am passionate about my work. It’s just that my aspirations have changed.”
“But why? I just want you to be a good doctor. Why are your aspirations so high? You used to love medicine, but these days I don’t even know anymore what you want. I’m afraid you’ve lost your vision.”
“I haven’t lost my vision, Mom. It’s just that my perspective has changed. I still love medicine, but this is better for everyone.”
“How is this better?”
“If I manage to expand my business, I’d be able to help more people. I’d make sure those hospitals provide the best service possible to clients.”
“I believe you would help people more if you went back there and worked with your patients, especially if you dedicate your time to research again. Imagine how much more that would mean to people. You’re so smart, Bryce, so don’t waste your skills and time on something like business and investment. That is not you.”
Deciding I’d heard enough, I moved away silently and went into the bathroom, my mind reeling with thoughts of their conversation.
I didn’t like seeing Bryce so conflicted. It was obvious that medicine was his life, but he was also a businessman, and I was sure he could be successful if he expanded his business. On the other hand, his mother was right. Somehow, it seemed that all Bryce was running after was power and more money, and he was already having more than enough money to last him a lifetime.
If he could go back to medicine and research, he would be able to find himself again and stop overexerting himself with work. He would be able to realize there was something else but that endless chase for money, and his parents would stop bothering him about work.
I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling like I’d crossed some invisible line when it came to Bryce. I wasn’t supposed to care this much about his future or his relationship with his parents. I wasn’t supposed to feel this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that was telling me that maybe Ruth was right, and Bryce was completely wrong. Maybe he had lost he way.
I wasn’t supposed to feel anything, but here I was—feeling more than I wanted to admit myself—and I wondered what I was going to do about it.