Chapter 161 ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE

Chapter 161 ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE
Scarlett’s POV

I stood there, stunned into silence, staring at the man who had abandoned me years ago. Seeing him standing in front of me was so surreal that my brain felt fried.

Blue gave me a poke in the curve of my back from behind. I jumped slightly, caught off guard, and then a nervous, incredulous chuckle escaped my lips.

Principal Miller, the guards, and my father all looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to snap out of it. "Hello."

My father tilted his head, his eyes scanning my face carefully. "You seem to remember me."

"I was young, but I wasn't that young," I said snidely, rubbing my arms.

He hummed, gesturing toward the chairs in the room. "Please, sit."

I moved forward to sit down, and Blue immediately followed, dropping into the chair beside me without a moment’s hesitation.

My father’s brow pulled down as he stared at Blue. "Ah... what is he doing here?"

Nobody answered him. Blue didn't move an inch, and nobody in the room was foolish enough to attempt to remove him. Even Principal Miller looked like he couldn't be bothered to intervene, simply leaning back in the sofa with a bored expression.

Realizing he wasn't going to get his way, my father had to drop it and sit back down opposite us.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "So, what do we owe this visit to?"

The man looked at me, putting on a faint smile. "Are you not happy to see me?"

A loud, dry laugh erupted from my throat again. I truly felt like I was losing my mind in this room. I pinned a stare at him. "Can you repeat that question? I don't think I heard the right thing."

Thankfully, my father picked up on the sarcasm dripping from my tone. He cleared his throat awkwardly, adjusting his collar. "Anyways, I just came to see you. I heard that that man... Greg..." He spat Greg's name with obvious spite before continuing. "...was dead."

"How about when my mother died?" I asked coldly, my eyes narrowing. "Where were you then?"

The man waved his hand dismissively. "Why would I come back then? You had Greg to care for you. It's when he died that I thought you would be all alone, so I came back for you. I was even able to pull a few strings and get your sentence reduced to one year so you would be out of this place in no time. You will be able to come home with me soon. Isn't that good news?"

The man had the effrontery to look happy, though there was something forced and fake about his expression. It was unsettling.

"You didn't want me before, so why now?" I demanded, leaning in closer. "And don't give me that Greg bullshit. You had more right to have me than he ever did. You could have fought for custody. You just didn't want the responsibility."

My father’s fake smile instantly vanished, and he exploded, leaning forward with anger in his eyes. "How could I want a responsibility that was forced on me?! Your mother got pregnant with you intentionally just to trap me and make me marry her, even though she knew damn well I didn't want to! Why would I want a baby I never chose to have?!"

The words hit like a cold splash of water, but I held his gaze. "That's really good to know," I said bitterly. "So what made you change your mind now?"

He stammered for a second, his eyes darting away nervously as he rambled. "I just... I had a change of mind. You know people get better every day."

"Your story would have been perfect," I said, cutting him off harshly, "except for the fact that I know you already heard about Greg’s death and what happened to me weeks ago. You just didn't show up until today. Which means there is definitely more to this."

The man straightened his suit jacket, looking caught. "I was just preparing my mind for the burden... I mean, the responsibility of having you back."

I let out a bitter chuckle. ‘Burden. Wow.’

Blue, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke up. His voice cut through the room like a knife. "We will be leaving now."

He turned his chilly eyes onto my father. "It's her choice if she wants to go with you, right?"

My father glared at Blue, his temper flaring again. "Who the hell are you to interfere in my family business?"

Blue didn't answer with words. He just stared the man down with a look so scary and threatening that my father visibly flinched, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

My father swallowed hard, turning back to me. "Yes... but she will want to come along. After all, I am her only remaining family in the whole world."

"Oh, shut up," I said, standing up abruptly from my chair.

The man looked taken aback by my sudden outburst.

"Family, family, family," I spat, looking down at him. "You just keep throwing that word around loosely like it actually means something to you. I don't know why you are really here today, but you better not bother me again."

I reached out and tugged on the hem of Blue's shirt. He was still glaring at my father with daring eyes, looking as if he was actively toying with the idea of giving the man a thorough beating in front of the principal.

"Blue, let's go," I muttered.

He finally tore his gaze away from my father, and we exited the building together.

The cool morning air hit my skin, and I took a deep, shuddering breath, wiping my face with my hands. I forced a fake, cheerful smile onto my face, trying to pretend like that agonizing meeting hadn't just torn open old wounds.

Blue stopped walking, turning to look down at me. "Wipe that shit off your face right now."

My fake smile immediately dropped.

"You don't have to smile if you don't want to," Blue said, his tone softening slightly. "You can be angry and pissed off all you want, Red. It's nobody's fucking business."

I let out a long sigh, looking up at his sharp jawline. "You know, you are actually one of the people I am pissed off with right now."

A wry, faint smile touched the corner of his lips. "I know."

"When are you ever going to tell me what happened that night?" I asked, frustration leaking back into my voice.

Instead of answering, Blue reached up and gently palmed my cheek with his warm, heavy hand, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. "Go about your day. I need to get busy with the guys. Don't be sad."

He pulled his hand back, turned on his heel, and walked away, his long strides confident.

Damn him.

I stood there watching his retreating back for a moment before turning toward the student dorms. I needed to go find Rachael.

Operation uncover the mystery definitely needed to continue.