All Chapters of His Father’s Addction: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

HAZELWhen Elvis said "Dinner," I pictured something predictable, a fancy restaurant, white tablecloths, soft jazz bleeding into the background, the two of us splitting a bottle of red wine and talking about nothing important. Maybe a dessert menu we'd both pretend to debate before ordering pasta.I was wrong, again.He drove me to the most beautiful water resort I had ever seen in my life. The kind of place that made you stop mid-step and just breathe. The room had quirky lamps placed at odd angles, raffia doors that swayed with the breeze, and a bed positioned so you could see straight out to the water. A food tray sat on a hanging table, lantern light flickering just enough to make everything look golden.Elvis was wearing a short patterned two-piece with a round hat sitting on his head like a Caribbean. Not at all what I expected from a man whose default setting fashion was a pressed suit."You like?""Are you kidding me?" I laughed, spinning slowly to take it all in. "I love it.

ELVIS"Elvis, you've gone quiet."Edward gave my shoulder a light tap."Sorry." I looked back at him. "I got distracted for a second. But tell me, why are you so convinced your son wants anything to do with my assistant? It could've been nothing more than a harmless glance."I looked over again.Hazel was crouched slightly, smiling as she spoke to Donald now, who seemed more interested in showing her the toy car in his hands than anything else."Edward, the boy needs time," I said. "Let him heal at his own pace."He let out a sharp breath."Five years." He shook his head. "Five bloody years is long enough for a man to mourn."His voice softened."I loved my daughter-in-law. God rest her soul. But I want my son to be happy again. I want him to love again. Is that too much for a father to ask?"I couldn't blame him for feeling that way.Still, I'd only walked over to say hello. Somehow, the conversation had turned into Edward trying to find William a wife.And for reasons I couldn't ex

HAZELI pulled the sheet over my hands, hoping Elvis wouldn't notice how badly they were trembling.The moment he mentioned Jarvis getting engaged, my pulse spiked. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.Was he... getting married to my mum?Just a few minutes ago, I'd been shivering from the cold. I'd even put on thick socks and gloves before climbing into bed; now I was burning.Tiny beads of sweat gathered on my forehead despite the chilly morning. I quickly wiped them away before Elvis noticed."Your other son..." I finally managed, forcing my voice to sound steady. "He doesn't work at the company?""Jarvis?" Elvis shrugged. "He's doing well on his own. He's got his own business going. He'll be fine."That was all. Expecting Elvis to tell me every detail about Jarvis's life was wishful thinking."Oh." I forced a smile. "Congratulations, then. Looks like you've got a wedding to plan."The words tasted bitter.My mind wandered somewhere I hadn't allowed it to go in a l

ELVISThe past three days had been nothing but work.One meeting after another. Before I knew it, Friday had arrived.The week had gone by faster than I expected.Maybe I was overthinking it, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Hazel had been avoiding me.On Monday, something about her was different. The brightness in her eyes was gone. Even her usual smile never showed up.Instead of following me to most of my meetings, she stayed behind and pushed Betty forward. Between the two of them, everything still ran smoothly. I couldn't fault their work.Yet something felt off.No matter how busy I kept myself, my mind drifted back to Hazel.Our Sunday together replayed itself more times than I cared to admit.I found myself wanting another day like that.Hazel had a way of getting under my skin that I didn't fully understand. Every time she smiled at me, spoke my name, or simply walked into a room, I felt something tighten inside my chest.It was becoming harder to ignore. Wednesday only

HAZELI drove Elvis straight to the hospital.It was my second time coming here, and no matter how modern or welcoming the place looked, hospitals would never be my favorite place.After a few routine checks, the doctor looked up from Elvis's chart."Mr. Laurent, you need to slow down." He removed his glasses. "Your blood pressure is slightly elevated. Stress is catching up with you."He gave Elvis a pointed look."We've had this conversation before. You promised you'd take a break."Elvis looked exactly like a scolded child.I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.The ease between them made it obvious they went way beyond the usual doctor-patient relationship."Fine," Elvis sighed. "I'll be more careful."He pointed at me."To be fair, she's the one who dragged me here. You know how much I dislike hospitals."I folded my arms."Oh, really?"He glanced at me innocently.The same man who had practically forced me to spend the night in a hospital weeks ago was