To the Highest Bidder Go the Spoils

Chapter 7

Gavin's family was not excited to stay in the house with him and Zeke. He didn't blame them. For all they knew, Gavin had moved in with Zeke on his own accord. They didn't agree with it, but he couldn't tell them anything.

They hadn't wanted to have anything to do with him when they arrived. They stayed in their rooms for the first four hours and when dinner was served, they only spoke to Zeke. He was an outcast in the Duquesne family, and it wasn't his fault.

He kept his cool through his grandmother's birthday party. Even when she didn't want to hug him, he didn't let it affect him. He smiled and went about his day. His mother cast him pitying looks but she didn't talk to him either.

That hurt more than anything. He needed his mother, but she wouldn't say two words to him. He watched her from the other side of the room as his mind desperately wanted her to ask him what was going on and how he was doing. He would have told her everything at that moment. But she refused to talk to him. He knew it was wholly his grandfather's doing because he had told them Gavin had left on his own accord.

The night of the gala, Gavin hadn't wanted to go. He'd gotten dressed even though his entire being told him to stay home. Zeke had asked him if he wanted to stay home, but he'd gone because he'd made a promise. So they'd gone in separate cars. Gavin had remained quiet the entire time. Even at the gala, he had only spoken when spoken to and had given nondescript answers.

Zeke and Raoul had stolen the show. They had made a big show of giving huge checks to the charity which would undoubtedly be shown in the society pages of the newspapers and all over the blogs. Raoul had schemed the entire thing. It had taken Gavin several months to realize that he was nothing more than a pawn in his grandfather's scheme to build his old money into new money.

The entire night had grated on his nerves. By the time they'd gotten home and gotten ready for bed, he was ready to pass out from exhaustion. Zeke hadn't touched him in the last couple of nights. It was concerning but he enjoyed the alone time. Even though he was still in the same bed, he didn't have to worry about pleasing him.

Emily honked her horn. Gavin looked up from his book and waved. He heard her doors unlock as he walked over. He opened the door and got in the front seat.

"Where am I taking you?" she asked.

Gavin gave her the address and sat back in the seat. It was in the middle of the day so Mr. Sampson wouldn't be expecting him to leave campus. He'd asked Emily to run an errand with him before his scheduled time to be picked up. She had wholeheartedly agreed because she hadn't had a chance to hang out with him lately.

"Do you want to get lunch after we do what you need to?" she asked. She merged into traffic as she followed the GPS. "It's my treat."

"Sure," he said.

She glanced at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Before you start asking questions, I'll explain everything as soon as we're done."

Emily was satisfied with that answer, and they lapsed into silence as they drove down the road. Gavin watched the city flash by, and it gave him time to think. He had chosen Emily because he knew how motherly she was, and he was going to need someone to lean on in the coming months.

They pulled up into the parking lot of the doctor's office. Emily cast him a concerned look. He gave her one that promised answers later before he got out and went into the building. He walked up to reception and gave his name.

"Gavin, what's going on?" she whispered. "Why are we at a hematologist?"

"I had a doctor's appointment two weeks ago. The doctor noticed some spots on my legs that hadn't fully healed so he did some blood work. He called me into the office last week to tell me he'd found some abnormalities in my blood and that he was referring me to a specialist, to an oncologist and a hematologist. He asked me to bring someone I trusted because he was sure the news wasn't good," he explained.