Chapter 257 He Is Anxious
Ambrose followed her back to the guest room, pressing a hand to his forehead in vexation.
After he took a shower, he stood agitated by the window, staring into the night. Her words echoed in his mind: 'Once she found her child, she wouldn't need him anymore.' Was she saying it just to provoke him, or did she truly mean it? The thought was a dull, persistent ache in his skull.
He replayed the past few days, his absence, and knew with a sinking certainty that he had handled it all wrong. He shouldn't have just disappeared like that.
With that realization, he turned, reaching for his phone. He wanted to send Scarlett a message, but the words wouldn't come. An explanation felt inadequate, an apology even more so.
'Forget it.'
His hand had barely dropped when the consequences of his silence crashed down on him again. He had to send something. He couldn't just let this fester.
He typed, his thumb hovering over the send button.
"Are you asleep?"
No reply. He kept typing.
"I promise I'll never hide things from you again. I won't just leave without telling you."
Both messages were sent into a void and met with a profound silence. He wasn't deterred. He sent one last message.
"Sleep well. Good night."
Still nothing. He had managed multi-million dollar projects with less anxiety than this. A wave of frustration washed over him.
The next morning, the children were surprised to see Ambrose. Yara, especially, hadn't seen him in days and was noticeably affectionate.
"Ambrose, where have you been? I really missed you," she said, her sweet childlike voice a balm to his frayed nerves.
In that moment, Ambrose understood with stark clarity that giving her the cold shoulder had been a huge mistake. You couldn't just ignore problems in a relationship and hope they would disappear.
Scarlett, however, had been treating him as if he was invisible since she woke up. When it was time to take the kids to school, Ambrose offered to drive them.
Scarlett accepted, the brief exchange granting her a moment of relief. As soon as they were gone, she grabbed her packed suitcase and headed for the airport.
Construction was about to begin on the boutique hotel project in Luminous City, and she needed to be on-site to review the final details and see if any last-minute changes were necessary.
Only when she arrived at the airport did she call Chase. She instructed him to inform Ambrose that he would need to look after the children for the next few days, as she would be out of Silverlight City.
Chase called Ambrose immediately. The moment he heard the news, Ambrose tried to call Scarlett, but she didn't pick up.
He resorted to texting, his words a frantic plea for her to be safe and to contact him if she needed anything.
Scarlett glanced at the message, her expression impassive as she powered off her phone.
Back at the office, Ambrose's mood was foul. During the executive meeting, he was a thundercloud of impatience, snapping at everyone. As the senior managers filed out of the conference room, they were all wiping sweat from their brows.
It was obvious to everyone that Ambrose was in a terrible mood. The whispers started almost immediately: he must have fought with his girlfriend.
His foul temper persisted throughout the day. At noon, he tried calling Scarlett again.
She didn't answer but sent a text in response.
"Whatever it is, let's talk about it when I get back. It's not a good time for me to take a call right now."
Ambrose sat frozen in his chair, staring at the message. 'Not a good time?' What could that possibly mean? A knot of unease tightened in his gut. He thought about the recent turmoil, the fact that she was in Luminous City all by herself, without her usual security detail. Worry for her safety gnawed at him.
He texted back.
"Call me when you can. I need to know you're safe."
There was no immediate reply. Half an hour later, his phone finally rang. Scarlett's voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
"I'm fine," she said.
Relief washed over him, just for a second. "Good. That's good. I'm sending a security team over. Just send me your address."
"That won't be necessary."
"It's better to be cautious," he insisted. "The Mitchell family might seem quiet on the surface, but they haven't forgotten the losses they took."
Scarlett paused for a moment. "Vaughn's people are handling my security."
The implication was clear, and Ambrose's jaw tightened. She was starting to draw lines, to separate their lives piece by piece, starting with small things.
She didn't say much else, only reminding him to take good care of the children before hanging up.
'Is she serious about this?'
That evening, the bodyguards brought the children back to Lakeside Garden. Despite his busy schedule, Ambrose canceled his dinner plans to be with them.
The kids were a little down, knowing Scarlett was away on business. Yara, in particular, was pouting.
"Mommy didn't tell me she was going on a trip," she mumbled. "Ambrose, how many days will she be gone?"
Ambrose wished he knew the answer himself. He hoped she would be back before the parent-child event on Friday.
Seeing Ambrose hesitate, Yara took his phone and started a video call with Scarlett.
When the call came through, Scarlett saw the incoming video and figured it must be the children. She answered.
As expected, Yara's face filled the screen, quickly joined by Hayden's. Yara launched into a piteous complaint about not being told about the trip. Scarlett soothed her gently, promising to be back soon, which finally placated her.
"Mommy, where are you now?" Yara asked, her curiosity piqued by the glittering lights in the background behind Scarlett.
"I'm out, sweetie. I haven't gone back to the hotel yet."
"Scarlett, who's that with you?" Hayden leaned closer to the screen, having spotted someone beside her.
"Just a colleague from work," Scarlett replied smoothly. "I'm busy right now, but I'll bring gifts back for both of you."
After a few more words, Scarlett ended the call.
The chat seemed to have lifted the children's spirits. They went off to take their baths cheerfully, leaving Ambrose alone with his phone and his churning thoughts.
He had caught a glimpse of a man's face. A colleague, she'd said. But it was late, they were in a bustling downtown area—it looked like they were out for a night in the town. And she seemed to be enjoying herself.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. After tucking the children into bed, he called Ruben and Felix, arranging to meet them for a drink.
In the dim light of a private booth at their usual club, Ambrose was sullen, downing glass after glass of whiskey without a word.
Ruben, ever observant, chuckled. "Trouble in paradise, Ambrose? Did you and Scarlett have a fight?"
Ambrose took another long swallow of his drink, his eyes lifting to meet Ruben's, but he said nothing. His silence was all the confirmation Ruben needed.
"You just went public with your relationship. How are you already on the outs with her?"
"Ambrose, is Ms. Mellon upset with you because of that post from the Sforza family's daughter?" Felix asked, getting straight to the point.
Ambrose's hand froze mid-sip. He looked up, his expression blank. "What post?"
"You don't know?" Felix saw his reaction and realized Ambrose was completely in the dark.
Ruben pulled out his phone and opened the post from the Sforza heiress. As Ambrose read, his face hardened into a mask of cold fury.
No wonder Scarlett was so angry. So there was more to it.
"Scarlett's been hurt before," Ruben said gently. "Seeing something like this, she probably lumped you in with guys like Wesley. You need to explain this to her, and fast."
Ambrose didn't move, just kept drinking. Just then, Ruben's eyes widened as he scrolled through his feed. His brow furrowed.
"Isn't this Scarlett? Why is she in his post?"
Ambrose leaned over immediately. His eyes locked onto a WhatsApp status update. The caption read: 'Finally met the goddess I've been dreaming about night and day.' Below it was a picture of Scarlett, bathed in the soft glow of city lights.
"Who is this man?" Ambrose's voice was dangerously quiet, colder than ice.