Chapter 126 Persuasion
With the cat officially out of the bag, Ambrose figured he might as well just lay all his cards on the table. It would save them the trouble of sneaking around later.
He took Yara from Scarlett's arms, walked over to a nearby chair, and settled her onto his lap. His voice was gentle, almost conspiratorial. "Your mommy will always be your mommy. No one can ever take her away from you."
Yara's big, watery eyes stared back at him, her little lip jutting out in a pout. "But you slept with Mommy last night. She was supposed to sleep with Hayden and me."
She was a sharp kid, with a clear sense of boundaries. For years, it had been just her and her mother against the world. Not even Wesley had ever claimed Scarlett's nighttime hours. In Yara's rulebook, Ambrose staying over meant he was stealing her mother.
"Ambrose, I only ate a little bit of your candy, and now you're living in my house and stealing my mommy! You're so mean! I don't want you here anymore!" Yara's accusation came out on a wobbly, tear-filled breath.
Ambrose sighed, a sense of helplessness washing over him. He'd known this was coming. If Yara found out, she'd genuinely try to kick him out.
Despite the ache in his chest, he maintained his patient tone. "Yara, you're a big girl now. You need to be more independent. Look at Hayden. He never fusses about sleeping with me."
"That's because you don't love Hayden," Yara retorted, her logic impeccable in its own way. "Mommy loves me, and I love Mommy, so of course we have to sleep together."
"Well, if I love your mommy too, then it's not wrong for me to sleep with her, is it?" Ambrose reasoned, trying to follow her line of thinking.
From her desk, Scarlett shot him a glare that could have frozen lava. What on earth was he saying? He was really laying it on thick, even spouting nonsense he didn't mean.
The mention of love made Yara's defenses shoot straight up. Forgetting to cry, she pinned him with a suspicious stare. "You said you liked pretty women!"
Ambrose's brow furrowed. When had he said that?
"Ambrose, did you just decide to go after my mommy because you couldn't find anyone prettier than her?" Yara pressed.
Then it clicked. He remembered once saying he liked women as beautiful as Scarlett. Yara's memory was a little too good for comfort.
"Yara," Scarlett coughed, trying to signal Ambrose to watch his words.
He glanced over at her, but instead of taking the hint, he just said, "Why don't you go get ready? I'll talk to her."
"Yeah, Mommy, go brush your teeth," Yara chimed in, suddenly on his side.
Well, looked at that, Scarlett thought. Something they could agree on.
Seeing that Yara wasn't giving her a hard time anymore, Scarlett was more than happy to make her escape. Ambrose started this mess; he could be the one to clean it up.
"Just talk to her properly. No more exaggerations," she instructed as she stood up, unable to stomach any more of his ridiculous claims.
"Don't worry, Mommy. I don't believe anything he says anyway," Yara said, a tear still clinging to her eyelash as she tried to comfort her. The sight was so adorable that it made Scarlett's heart ache.
She walked over to them and knelt, stroking Yara's hair. "You remember this, okay? Mommy loves you the most. No one can ever take your place."
Yara wrapped her small arms around Scarlett's neck. "I love you the most too, Mommy."
Watching the syrupy-sweet scene, Ambrose pinched the bridge of his nose. With a mom this doting, what kid wouldn't be clingy?
After Scarlett left, it was just the two of them. Yara, still perched on Ambrose's lap, puffed out her cheeks and glared at him, launching a preemptive strike. "Ambrose, I don't approve of you liking my mommy."
Ambrose turned her to face him directly. "Didn't your mom just say she loves you the most? Even with me around, I can't compete with you. Besides," he leaned in, his voice dropping, "your mom works so hard taking care of you all by herself. I can help her, share the load, so she won't be so tired. Don't you want your mommy to have an easier life?"
That hit a nerve. Yara had seen firsthand how much Scarlett struggled within the Ross family. She wanted to help, but she was too little. Now, here was someone offering to make things better for her mom. Yara froze.
She stared at Ambrose, her expression unreadable. He saw he'd struck the right chord and pressed his advantage.
"Remember when you were sick? If it were just your mom, she would have been worried sick and had to carry you everywhere. She would have been exhausted. She might have even gotten sick herself before you got better."
Yara thought back to that day. Ambrose had held her, and she'd felt so safe. She even remembered the doctors at the hospital thinking he was her dad. For a fleeting moment, she had wished he were.
"And last night," he continued smoothly, "your mom didn't sleep with you, but you don't sleep with her every single night anyway. If it's okay on other nights, it's okay for last night too. Worst case, you can just have a sleepover with her tonight to make up for it."
Yara watched him quietly. Ambrose offered a small smile. "Do you think I have a point?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she asked a question of her own. "If you like my mommy, why did you go on a blind date with someone else?"
"That's just Hayden talking nonsense. I didn't go on a date with anyone else," Ambrose stated firmly.
Yara fell silent, her two little index fingers tapping against each other as she processed everything. Ambrose reached out and gently booped her nose. "So, you're not kicking me out now, are you?"
"I still have to think about it," she said, suddenly all business.
Ambrose raised an eyebrow. "Alright. You think it over. But remember, with me here, no one will dare to bully you and your mom. Not even your grandma."
The mention of Opal brought a shadow back into Yara's eyes. She never wanted to see Opal again. Having Ambrose around it did seem like a good thing.
"Ambrose," she began, her voice small, "that time at the hospital, that mean grandma said I was your kid. Was she telling the truth?"
This time, it was Ambrose who was caught off guard. He paused for a few seconds before replying, "If you want it to be true, then it is."
Yara sighed, a world-weary sound from such a small person. "I know it's not. She doesn't like me and always wants to give me away. That's why she said I was your kid."
With that, she slid off his lap and stood before him, her expression serious. "I'll think about whether I'll let you stay here."
And with a final, decisive nod, Yara walked out of the study, leaving Ambrose alone in the chair. He stared at the empty doorway and let out a huff of laughter that was equal parts amused and exasperated. A kid this smart was going to be the death of him.
Because of the morning's drama, the kids were late for school. Scarlett had to clock in at the office, so Ambrose was tasked with kindergarten drop-off duty.
After seeing the children off, Ambrose arrived at his company. Ryder was waiting for him, holding a tablet with the day's schedule.
Ambrose glanced at it before looking up. "Have you gotten in touch with Orion?"
"I have. He said he's available to meet, but it has to be tomorrow morning, at his office."
Ambrose considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. We'll go tomorrow. Make the arrangements."
Ryder left just as Chase walked in, stopping in front of the desk. "Mr. Boleyn, the people in the Gold Valley District are playing hardball. They're sticking to the story that Cleo took a bribe."
Chase paused for a beat. "I also found out that someone from their side has been in contact with Ulysses's people."
A frown creased Ambrose's brow. "So, this was a setup by Ulysses."
"It looks that way," Chase confirmed. "I think Ulysses also put pressure on the detention center. Wesley was released suspiciously fast."
So, Ulysses was determined to keep sinking his teeth into Scarlett.
"Mr. Boleyn," Chase added, "I just got some new intel. Ulysses has been actively recruiting high-net-worth individuals lately. It looks like he's trying to build a capital empire."