Chapter 263 Find an Opportunity to Get Close to Her
"You think you can compete with me? You're not even close." Ambrose's voice dripped with cold disdain.
Who did Ulysses think he was, putting himself on the same level?
Ulysses understood his superiority but didn't rise to the bait, firing back calmly instead.
"Whether I measure up or not—that's for Scarlett to decide. I might not be your equal now, but the future's a different story."
Ulysses believed that down the road, his value to Scarlett wouldn't be any less than Ambrose's. If anything, it might be greater.
Ambrose's brow furrowed as he turned to look at him. "For a discarded pawn, you sure dream big."
Ulysses just smiled, completely unfazed.
Half an hour later, Chase returned and whispered something in Ambrose's ear. Ambrose shot Ulysses a skeptical look.
After a moment, Ambrose told Chase, "Let him go."
But Ulysses didn't move. Instead, he settled into a nearby chair with deliberate ease. "You tell me to leave, so I have to go?"
Ambrose had only needed to confirm whether Ulysses was the one who'd taken Scarlett. Now that he had his answer, there was no reason to keep him. He drained his glass and headed for the door, tossing out a warning as he left.
"If you ever harass her again, I'll make sure you don't get the chance to develop another personality."
The meaning was that he'd kill him.
Ulysses watched his retreating figure, a sinister smile curling at his lips.
By the time Ambrose returned to Lakeside Garden, it was already eleven. Both kids were asleep, and Scarlett's bedroom door was closed. He stood outside her door for a long while before finally turning away without knocking, retreating to the guest room across the hall.
She'd asked him not to come to Lakeside Garden. But he couldn't stay away—not after what he'd done wrong last time. This time, no matter how much she didn't want him there, he was coming back.
The next morning, he ate breakfast with the kids. Hayden looked up from his plate and asked casually, "Dad, are you coming to the parent-child event tomorrow?"
Ambrose nodded. "I will."
Hayden's face lit up. He glanced at Scarlett across the table. "Scarlett, all the other kids' parents are going tomorrow. Can we team up and win the grand prize?"
Hayden only had his dad attending, while Yara only had her mom. So Hayden had come up with a solution: merge into one team.
This was Scarlett's first time attending one of Hayden's parent-child events, and she was determined to give him everything he asked for. Even though she didn't want more contact with Ambrose, for Hayden's sake, she'd endure it.
She nodded in agreement.
Hayden clapped his hands excitedly. "Tomorrow we're totally winning! I've never won before."
Hearing Hayden's bittersweet complaint, her chest tightened. She'd never miss another important moment in his life.
"Yara, I'll help you win tomorrow too." Ambrose was also attending Yara's parent-child event for the first time, wanting to make up for all the lost time.
Yara nodded happily.
Ambrose glanced up at Scarlett, his heart already anticipating tomorrow's event.
On Friday, Scarlett drove both kids to school and went inside with them.
This morning was the parent-child activity.
The campus was decorated warmly and festively. Scarlett took the kids to their classroom first, then followed the class to the event area.
Ambrose stopped by the office first to handle some business before rushing to the venue. By the time he arrived, the activities were about to begin.
Long lines of families stretched across the grounds, voices buzzing with excitement. Every child's face glowed with happiness, and the two little ones were no exception, chattering away cheerfully.
"Hayden, Mommy's here!" Suddenly, a sickeningly sweet voice rang out.
They all turned to see Octavia.
Hayden's face immediately scrunched up. He hadn't invited her, and he definitely didn't want her here. He shot Ambrose an annoyed look. "Dad, did you call her?"
Hayden wasn't pulling any punches.
Ambrose's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Octavia to show up either. Since he hadn't yet exposed her identity fraud, he wasn't sure how to get rid of her at the moment.
He looked at Scarlett. She was staring right back at him, her eyes demanding an explanation. He said, "I didn't call her."
Scarlett shot him a sharp, irritated glare before looking away.
"I don't want you here." Hayden said it directly to Octavia.
Octavia's face stiffened, but she quickly plastered on a smile. "Hayden, Mommy hasn't been able to come before, but from now on, I won't miss a single event."
"Don't need you to." Hayden walked over to Scarlett's side.
Scarlett had been suppressing her anger ever since Octavia stole her son. Now, watching her try to steal his parent-child event too, she was furious. Right in front of Octavia, she reached down and took Hayden's hand, making her position crystal clear.
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to steal my son?" Octavia glared at her venomously.
Parents all around turned to watch. They already knew about the tangled mess between these people, and now they were curious to see what Ambrose would do.
One was his current girlfriend. The other was the mother of his child.
Scarlett smiled faintly. "Who's stealing from whom? You know the truth."
Octavia's confidence wavered, but she forced herself to keep going. "Don't stand there being all passive-aggressive. Hayden is my son. You're challenging me in front of everyone—what is that if not trying to steal him?"
"Don't think because no one's called you out yet that you can keep spouting nonsense."
Octavia froze. What did Scarlett mean by that?
The things she'd done?
Did Scarlett know?
No. Impossible.
Then Ambrose spoke. "Leave. Now. Unless you want to cause a scene in front of everyone and drag the Mitchell family name through the mud."
Octavia stared at Ambrose in shock. Did they know about the kids?
She'd come today partly to test the waters.
Indigo had warned her they might know.
But now she didn't dare take the risk. Still, leaving right now felt unbearable. Since they hadn't said anything outright, she decided to take a step back.
"I'm just here to watch. I'm not participating—I hurt my foot. I'll just stand on the sidelines."
Just then, it was Hayden's turn.
The game required parents to tie balloons to their ankles, then carry their child on their backs while running. Whoever ran the fastest earned the most points. The balloons couldn't pop.
Hayden grabbed Scarlett's hand with one of his and Ambrose's with the other. The two adults crouched down and tied balloons to their ankles.
The game began. Hayden stood happily on their bound feet, shouting, "Go, go, go!"
Scarlett and Ambrose worked together with surprising coordination, though Scarlett wasn't a fast runner. Seeing this, Ambrose wrapped an arm around her waist and, using his strength, scooped her up along with Hayden and took off running.
Scarlett hadn't expected him to pull a move like this—and in front of everyone, no less. Her face flushed as she looped her arm around his for balance, hissing under her breath, "This has to be cheating."
"It's not," Ambrose said.
He was on the board of trustees. Who was going to call him out?
Finally, he had an excuse to be close to her.
"That's amazing!" The other moms called out enviously.