Chapter 121 Want to Get Her
Yara pounded on the door. When she got no response, her little face scrunched up with a gravity that was almost comical on a child. She turned to Hayden, her voice low and serious.
"You stand guard here. I'm going to get Rhea to open the door with the spare key."
With that, she turned, and her little legs carried her away in a blur, leaving Hayden squatting by the door, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Inside the room, the knocking had jolted Scarlett awake. Hearing Yara run off, she shoved at the man beside her.
"Get back to your room. Now."
Ambrose's long arm just tightened around her, showing no intention of moving. "If they see, they see. They'll have to find out eventually."
The thought of the kids knowing their secret sent a jolt of panic through Scarlett. Her voice rose, laced with urgency.
"Ambrose, what did you promise me?"
They had just made up, and Ambrose didn't want to rock the boat. With a sigh of reluctant defeat, he sat up. Still groggy, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, scooped his clothes from the floor, and pulled them on. Just as Scarlett was getting dressed herself, he turned back, wrapping her in a hug and stealing a quick, deep kiss before finally heading for the door.
He pulled it open to find Hayden standing right there, his big, watery eyes staring up at him. The moment they registered Ambrose, they narrowed into an indignant glare.
"Dad, you're already going on blind dates with other people. What are you doing in Scarlett's room?"
Ambrose let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Since when am I going on blind dates?"
"That woman yesterday! She said it was a blind date. She even gave me a goldfish to try and get me to like her." Hayden spilled the entire story from the day before.
This was news to Ambrose. His tone dropped a few degrees. "And you accepted a gift from her?"
At that, Hayden looked a little guilty and took a half-step back. "Well, you're the one going on dates. Why shouldn't I?"
Ambrose's brow furrowed. "Only an idiot believes everything they're told."
The insult stung. "So I'm an idiot? Fine! Then you don't have to bother with me anymore. I'll just live with Scarlett."
With that, Hayden tried to dart through the gap between Ambrose and the doorframe, but Ambrose was faster. He snatched the back of Hayden's shirt, lifting him clean off the ground.
"Where's the goldfish?" He demanded.
Hayden's short legs kicked in mid-air. "Why do you want to know?" He asked defensively.
"We're giving it back."
Hayden had no intention of returning his new prize, especially not if it meant it would just end up in Ambrose's pocket. He yelled for backup.
"Scarlett, save me!"
Scarlett, who had heard the entire father-son showdown, had no choice but to intervene. She walked over and gently pried Hayden from Ambrose's grasp, cradling him in her arms and shooting Ambrose a reproachful look.
"You're scaring him."
A sour pang of jealousy hit Ambrose, seeing how protective she was of Hayden. "He's getting more and more out of control because you let him get away with everything. Now he's even taking gifts from strangers behind our backs."
Scarlett's approach to parenting was never about force; she knew the boys responded to kindness, not commands. She looked down at Hayden, who was nestled securely in her arms.
Hayden, feeling safe, looked up at her with a bold declaration. "Scarlett, I have lots of goldfish. I'll take care of you from now on."
A genuine smile touched Scarlett's lips. "Hayden wants to take care of me? That would make me so happy."
Hearing no rejection from her, a wide grin spread across Hayden's face. "Then it's a deal. I'll take care of you, but not my dad."
Ambrose, still standing in the doorway, fell silent.
"But Hayden," Scarlett continued softly, "you have to earn the right to take care of me. I need to know I'm in good hands."
Hayden pondered this for a moment, then his eyes met hers again. "Okay. I'll give the goldfish back. And I'll earn lots more goldfish in the future."
"Then I'll be waiting for you to earn them," Scarlett said, her smile warm.
Just then, Yara came rushing back with Rhea in tow, spare key in hand. Seeing Ambrose in the open doorway, she stopped, confused.
"Ambrose? What are you doing here?"
Ambrose glanced at Scarlett, who gave him a subtle, pleading look. "I came to open the door," he said smoothly.
Yara didn't question it. She rushed into the room and saw Scarlett holding Hayden, and her face fell. "Mommy!"
Scarlett heard the possessive whine in her daughter's voice and quickly set Hayden down, scooping Yara into her arms instead.
"Mommy was just taking a little nap. Did you get scared?"
Yara wrapped her arms tightly around Scarlett's neck and nodded. "From now on, you can only hug me."
Scarlett chuckled softly. "I know, sweetie. I only hugged Hayden because his dad was about to give him a time-out, and Mommy was rescuing him."
Yara, a kind-hearted girl at her core, couldn't bear the thought of Hayden getting in trouble. She glanced from Ambrose to Hayden and back again. Alright, she decided, she could forgive it. Just this once.
Watching the scene unfold, Ambrose understood. Scarlett wasn't exaggerating. If Yara knew he'd spent the night in her mother's room, she'd probably try to kick him out of the house herself. For now, their secret had to stay a secret.
"Well, shall we get some breakfast?" Rhea chimed in, expertly breaking the tension.
That weekend afternoon, Scarlett stayed home with the kids. Ambrose did too, but he focused most of his attention on Yara. His new strategy was to win her over first. That way, if she ever found out about him and Scarlett, she might not be so quick to sentence him to exile.
On Monday, the kids went back to school, and Scarlett returned to the office, diving headfirst into her work.
A major meeting with government officials was on the schedule. It started just after nine and ran until a mid-morning break at ten-thirty.
During the break, she checked her phone for missed calls and saw a new message from Briar. She tapped it open.
[They all had a lot to drink that night, but don't worry, nothing happened. And I heard Ruben say he wants to work with Finnian on some kind of cybersecurity project.]
Scarlett typed back a quick reply.
[Good. As long as nothing happened. If Finnian lands that project, it'll be a big win for him.]
Briar didn't respond immediately, probably busy. Scarlett put her phone down and poured herself a cup of coffee.
She had just finished it and was about to head back to the conference room when her phone rang. Pausing, she glanced at the screen: Cleo. She answered.
"Cleo."
"Scarlett, I'm in trouble," Cleo's voice came through, tight with anxiety.
Scarlett's brow furrowed. "What happened?"
"I resigned. Wesley got out of holding a little while ago, so I went and gave my notice. He acted fine with it, but just now, he told me someone reported that I took a bribe on the Gold Valley District project. He's threatening to sue me for corruption."
Scarlett's hand tightened around her phone. She had personally mentored Cleo through the Gold Valley project; she knew every step of that process inside and out. Besides, that project was ancient history!
"Do they have any proof?"
"The project manager from Gold Valley is the one making the accusation," Cleo said, her voice trembling.
"And what's his story?"
"He's claiming he gave me fifty thousand dollars in cash."
"His word against yours, with no evidence? That's ridiculous," Scarlett scoffed.
"He says they're going to launch an investigation into me... and you."
And there it was. Scarlett suddenly understood everything. This was Wesley's retaliation. She'd rejected his pathetic plea for forgiveness yesterday, and now he was playing dirty.
"Let him investigate," she said, her voice turning to ice. "I'd love to see what he thinks he can find."