Page 374 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“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.

9

Bryce

I was livid. I wanted to tell my mother so much, but I restrained myself since everything that came to my mind was so ugly that would turn this dinner into a downright disaster.

I’d given up a long time ago on my parents accepting my plans, determined to make the most out of my business with or without their support. Their reluctance to support me was one of the reasons why I’d stopped visiting them as often as before. Sometimes, I just wasn’t ready to listen to their lectures about my career, so I used my work as an excuse not to see them.

Tonight my mother had crossed the line. Chloe was already doing me a big favor by pretending to be my girlfriend, so she wasn’t supposed to witness our arguments. She wasn’t supposed to deal with my emotional baggage. So having Chloe hear my mother giving me the same old reproval was more than enough to make me furious.

All I’d asked for was one normal dinner with my family. What I’d gotten? And they said this was all about the family time, what a joke.

“I’m not wasting my skills or passion, Mother.” I always called her mother when I was mad at her. “I’m putting them to a very good use, but of course you wouldn’t understand that. I’m done with trying to make you understand me. All you’ve been doing these last few years is showing me again and again how disappointed you are with me, and I’m tired of it. I think it will be best if Chloe and I leave now.”

She scowled, hurt by my sudden decision. “What? No, love, don’t say that. Please, let’s calm down. We’re supposed to have a nice family dinner…”

“Like you just said—we’re supposed to have a nice family dinner, but it’s nothing like that. Chloe doesn’t have to listen to us bickering all the time. That is why it’s the best to end our dinner here.”

“No, Bryce, wait!”

I left the kitchen annoyed with my mother, set on making this project successful more than ever.

***

My mood went south the last night and it only got worse after the restless night. I’d been barely able to sleep, rolling around in my bed, the argument I’d had with my mother playing on repeat in my mind.

They didn’t understand. They didn’t understand how hard I worked for my future, considering me overly ambitious and wide of the mark. If only they took a look at a bigger picture, they would be able to understand how much this meant to me, even though being a doctor and helping my patients had been something I’d dreamed about from the start.

This had been a toss-up, but the pros of developing my own business were too good to disregard. I was making more money than ever, wasn’t I? What was wrong about securing my future and the future of my family?

Still, there was a voice deep within my mind that kept telling me that maybe my parents were right. Maybe my argument was full of holes and I’d been making a grave mistake here.

We had left my parents house soon after I got out of the kitchen, and even though my father didn’t tell me anything, his expression spoke volumes—he was yet again disappointed with me. Chloe and I didn’t speak at all during our ride back to the hotel, which only made my anxiety levels rise, and I wished she didn’t have to see me like this.

The rough sex we’d had before we went to sleep was good, but it couldn’t relieve me from stress, so when I woke up this morning and took Chloe to the hospital for the tour, I was ready to spit fire. I was supposed to take it slow, but as we walked through the corridors, listening to the representatives’ spiels, I was unable to stop grumbling.

“This place doesn’t look the way I imagined it to be,” I said straightforward.

“It doesn’t?” Mr. Roberts, one of the sellers, asked, stopping mid-step to look at me.

“I looked at the documents you provided, but they show something completely different. The capacity is insufficient, and the placement of the wards isn’t right. The whole place is structured wrong.”

“But, sir, we assure you that with a minimal investment, it will be able to reach its maximum potential.”

“I would already be investing enough money into this property. I don’t want to go bankrupt just fixing this place.” Okay, that had been an exaggeration, but I needed to get my point across.