Chapter 33 She Wants to Seduce Me
Watching Opal leave, Scarlett let out a heavy breath.
The moment she relaxed, a stinging pain flared across her cheek. She lifted her hand to touch it—it hurt like hell.
Opal was like a bloodsucking leech. Once she latched on, there was no shaking her off. Scarlett needed to figure out how to handle this mess.
She turned and headed toward her car.
Standing in the distance, Hayden stared at Scarlett's retreating figure, lost in thought. Kai walked over after Scarlett got into her car.
"Let's go."
The man and boy headed to their car. On the drive back, Hayden pulled out his notebook and scribbled something down.
"Yara's mom mentioned Dad earlier. Does she want to date him?"
At a red light, Kai picked up the electronic notebook and glanced at it. He froze, unsure how to address this.
He'd heard what Scarlett said—she did mention Ambrose. But from what he could tell, she didn't have that intention. She'd just been misunderstood by her husband's family.
"That, I don't know. You'll have to ask your father," Kai said.
Kai had said it casually, but Hayden actually took him seriously.
That evening, he waited outside Ambrose's bedroom door. The moment he saw him, he held out the message board.
Ambrose took it and glanced at the words: "Are you going to date Yara's mom?" His brows knitted together immediately.
"Who told you that?"
Hayden reached for the board, but Ambrose held it back. "Talk to me. I don't answer written questions."
Hayden's brows furrowed—the expression a mirror image of his father's—but he stubbornly refused to speak.
Ambrose's patience wore thin. "Are you going to talk or not? Because if not, I'm going back inside."
Hayden just stared at him, saying nothing.
Frustrated, Ambrose shoved the board back at him and turned the doorknob. After stepping through, he paused at the threshold. "Well?"
Hayden glanced at him once, then turned and walked away, his stubborn back radiating a clear message: [suit yourself.]
Ambrose turned too, shutting the door behind him. He tossed his jacket carelessly onto the couch and headed for the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water filled the space.
Fifteen minutes later, the water stopped. Ambrose emerged from the bathroom in a robe, toweling his hair. He tossed the towel into a nearby hamper and left his room.
He headed to Hayden's room first. The boy was already in bed, giving him one indifferent glance before closing his eyes.
Ambrose stood by the bed. "So you're planning to play mute forever?"
Hayden kept his eyes shut.
"Fine. You want to be mute, be mute. But I don't raise mute kids. I'll send you back to your mother. I'll keep Yara instead—live with her and her mom."
The moment those words landed, Hayden's eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, glaring furiously at his father.
"Don't even think about it." The words came out through gritted teeth.
Hearing that, Ambrose's mood lifted instantly. He sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You want to live with us?"
Realizing he'd been tricked, Hayden yanked the blanket over his head in anger, refusing to engage further.
Ambrose's lips curved slightly. He patted the blanket like a doting father. "So do you want to live with us or not?"
Hayden stayed buried under the covers, silent.
Ambrose didn't push it. He stood up and tossed out one more line before leaving.
"If you're going to live with us, you'll need to talk more. You and Yara get along fine, but her mom's different."
Only when he heard the door close did Hayden peek out. Confirming his father was really gone, he sat up. Thinking about how Scarlett had called him the most handsome that day, a grin spread across his face.
After leaving Hayden's room, Ambrose went to his study and summoned Kai, asking about Hayden's strange behavior today.
Kai reported everything that had happened at the kindergarten in detail. When he finished, Ambrose fell silent.
"Mr. Boleyn, it looks like Ms. Mellon and her daughter aren't having an easy time with the Ross family," Kai concluded.
"Why should we care how other people are doing?" Ambrose said with a cold snort.
Kai fell silent.
Thinking Ambrose didn't want to deal with these matters, he stopped talking.
"You said earlier—she was trying to seduce me?" Ambrose suddenly asked.
Kai knew Ambrose hated when women used schemes to get close to him. He was carefully choosing his words when Ambrose said impatiently, "Does it take this long to think?"
Kai didn't dare think any longer. He nodded immediately.
"Ms. Mellon did say that, but I could tell she was just trying to piss off those two."
The next second, Kai saw Ambrose's expression turn cold. He wondered if he was angry at Scarlett.
"You can read her mind accurately?"
Ambrose's tone revealed nothing. Kai couldn't figure out what had triggered his anger, so he pressed his lips together and stayed quiet.
"Opal said Yara isn't part of the Ross family?" Ambrose asked again.
Kai nodded. "That's what she said in front of everyone. Most likely she was just slinging mud—after all, knowing the Ross family's temperament, there's no way they would've kept quiet about it until now."
Ambrose looked down, thinking. "What was her reaction?"
Kai frowned, thinking back. "Ms. Mellon went pale, but she didn't argue at all. She only said something to get Opal to leave."
Ambrose looked thoughtful, his hand on the desk tapping slowly.
"Kai, go get some rest." After a long pause, Ambrose dismissed him.
After Kai left, Ambrose sat in silence for a while longer. Finally, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
The ringing went on until it ended—no answer.
Ambrose's expression darkened. He slammed the phone onto the desk with a dull thud, then stood and left the study.
On the other end, Scarlett stared at the number on her phone in silence.
Why was he suddenly calling her?
After thinking for a moment, she casually called back. The phone rang several times before he picked up.
"Mr. Boleyn, I was busy earlier. Did you need something?"
"Yes." Ambrose's voice was flat, emotionless.
"Did you call me today about something?"
Scarlett looked down, thinking for a few seconds. "The day I hurt my foot, someone took photos and posted them online. Did you take care of it?"
"Yes." Another flat response.
"Thank you." She paused for a few seconds, then added, "Wesley's convinced we set him up. He's been pretty volatile—you should watch out."
"Just because you're scared of him doesn't mean I am." Ambrose's tone dripped with arrogance.
He had every reason to be arrogant.
Scarlett went quiet. Then she heard Ambrose ask, "Did he threaten you?"
Scarlett sat cross-legged on her bed. "I'm not afraid of his threats either."
Worst case, I'll take it to court. The divorce papers are signed anyway. These thoughts stayed in her head.
"His family gave you trouble today. How did you handle it?" he asked suddenly.
Scarlett was surprised at how fast he'd found out. "How do you know?"
"Bodyguard."
Scarlett frowned. Had a bodyguard been following her? Why hadn't she noticed?
But if that was true, the bodyguard had watched her get slapped and did nothing—definitely deserved a pay cut. Still, she didn't want to snitch, so she just said sullenly, "I handled it the way I needed to."
"Which is?"
He kept pressing. After thinking for a few seconds, Scarlett threw out one word, "Delta."