Chapter 44 Holding Her Hand
The moment that sweet voice rang out, a little tornado swept through the house. Ambrose turned just as Yara came barreling into the room.
"Mommy! Hayden talked to me! He promised he'll keep talking to me from now on!"
Yara's eyes went wide with excitement, practically glowing.
Scarlett paused what she was doing, turning to look at her daughter. Something warm bloomed in her chest as she smiled.
"That's because you're too adorable, sweetheart. Of course, Hayden wants to talk to you."
Yara beamed like the sun itself. She crooked her little finger, beckoning Scarlett closer, then whispered conspiratorially in her ear.
"Mommy, Hayden's gonna sleep with us tonight too. But we can't tell Ambrose."
Understanding dawned on Scarlett's face. She smiled, playing along. "Deal."
With Scarlett's approval secured, Yara bounced toward the door again. But spotting Ambrose in the doorway, her little feet skidded to a halt. She tilted her head back to look up at him.
"Ambrose, it's dangerous to go home too late! You might run into bad guys. You should leave while it's still safe!"
Her cheeks were flushed pink, and in her white bathrobe, she looked absolutely precious.
Ambrose looked down at Yara. Even though he could tell she was basically kicking him out, his mood lifted unexpectedly. A playful impulse struck him.
"What if it's too late? Should I just sleep here?"
Yara shook her head firmly. "Mommy won't let you."
"Why not?"
"Because you're a boy. Boys can't sleep over at a girl's house."
"Hayden's a boy too."
"He's just a kid."
The back-and-forth carried clearly to Scarlett's ears in the other room. Hearing Ambrose get schooled into silence, the corners of her mouth twitched upward.
"You should head home now. I'm leaving!" Yara waved her little hand and scampered off toward Hayden's room.
Ambrose watched her tiny figure disappear, shaking his head with a helpless smile.
"Heard that? Hayden's talking now." Scarlett emerged from the room, stopping at the doorway.
Ambrose raised an eyebrow. "My judgment calls never miss."
Scarlett sighed internally.
The man just couldn't resist taking credit, could he? Typical of someone who'd been worshipped his entire life.
Well, she wasn't about to feed his ego. "Don't yell at Hayden anymore. He has self-respect too. The more you yell, the worse his condition gets."
Ambrose's gaze settled on her, heavy and thoughtful. He nodded, accepting the lesson. "I'll leave him in your care from now on."
Something about his phrasing felt off. Scarlett took a couple of seconds to process it, then her expression turned serious as she corrected him on the spot.
"Mr. Boleyn, helping Hayden with his speech issues is just a transaction. Once he's recovered, the deal's done."
Under the hallway light, Scarlett's delicate features seemed to glow with a pearly luminescence. But her eyes held nothing but cool rationality, her tone maintaining its usual professional distance.
Ambrose leaned lazily against the hallway wall, head tilted, watching her with amusement. "Did I say anything about after the transaction? What's going on in that head of yours?"
Heat crept up Scarlett's face at being called out. She muttered under her breath, "Well, maybe don't be so vague."
"You should go. I need to talk to Hayden about going back to school tomorrow."
She moved to step past him, but Ambrose suddenly reached out and caught her wrist. The dry, warm heat of his touch made Scarlett flinch, yanking her hand free.
She glared at him. Ambrose acted like nothing had happened, his expression dead serious.
"Let him hang out with Yara for a few more days. Once I handle the situation at school, they can go back together."
Scarlett had been ready to snap at him about the whole hands-off thing, but seeing his nonchalant expression, calling him out would make her look like she was overreacting. She swallowed her words and said instead, "Yara won't be going back to that school."
"Why not? It's not your fault. It's definitely not Yara's fault. The school and the teacher are the ones who screwed up." Ambrose's voice dropped to ice.
Scarlett looked at him, realizing he knew about Yara being forced to withdraw.
"Let them rest at home for a few days. Once everything's sorted out, they can go back to school."
"Hayden's definitely going wherever Yara goes." Ambrose added.
The implication was clear: if Yara didn't attend that preschool, Hayden wouldn't either. Scarlett understood the bond between the two kids, so she didn't argue. She'd wait to see what the lawyer said before deciding anything.
After Ambrose redirected the conversation, Scarlett couldn't exactly circle back to him, grabbing her wrist. Once they'd finished talking, she turned and headed to her room, closing the door firmly behind her.
Ambrose stared at the shut door, exhaling heavily. Then he turned and headed for the front door, leaving Scarlett's place.
---
Midnight Oasis Bar. Ambrose pushed open the door to Ruben's private room. The second he stepped inside, voices called out in greeting.
"Ambrose!"
His old buddies all called him by his first name. "Mr. Boleyn" was just the title he'd earned over the years—what outsiders called him.
Ambrose walked over, his expression flat. The room wasn't crowded, just the usual crew of close friends who knew him inside and out. They didn't mind his lack of reaction—this was just how he was.
But Ruben was a cop, blessed with keener observation than most. He immediately picked up on Ambrose's sour mood. As he poured drinks, he leaned in close and murmured.
"Ambrose, you're looking pretty grumpy. Don't tell me Scarlett got under your skin?"
Ambrose cut him a look that could kill. "You called me here. What's this about?"
Ruben wasn't the least bit intimidated. He put on an innocent act. "Haven't seen you in forever, man. Just wanted to get together. What else would it be?"
After setting down the bottle, Ruben leaned in again, dropping his voice to a whisper.
"Ambrose, when did Scarlett get married? How come none of us heard anything about it?"
In Silverlight City's political circles, Scarlett's identity wasn't exactly a secret. Ruben naturally knew who she was.
But after Owen's downfall, Scarlett's name had vanished from those circles entirely.
Scarlett and Wesley had gotten their marriage license in secret. The very day they registered, Owen's scandal broke, so the marriage never got publicized.
They'd essentially had a secret marriage. No wonder outsiders had no clue.
"There's a lot you don't know." Ambrose's response was ice-cold.
Ambrose lifted his glass and took a sip. Ruben was about to press further when someone suddenly spoke up.
"Did you guys hear? Owen's daughter is in the next room over, entertaining clients. Never thought she'd end up like this."
Ambrose froze mid-sip, his eyes shifting to the speaker. Ruben caught it immediately.
"Vance, who are you talking about?"
"Owen's daughter."
After getting confirmation, Ruben glanced at Ambrose. His expression hadn't changed, but his eyes had darkened. Ruben quickly followed up.
"You sure about that?"
"The Mitchell family booked the room next door. They're trying to land the new district art museum project, so they invited Owen's daughter to entertain the higher-ups they're schmoozing." Vance Dixon answered.
Ambrose swirled his glass, his tone deceptively casual. "Which daughter of Owen's?"