Chapter 34 Spring Dream
Ambrose went silent for a few seconds before his next question cut even sharper.
"What if Wesley stops caring whether Delta finds out he's married? What if his parents keep harassing you every single day—what then?"
She'd thought about that scenario before. If they really went that route, she had ways to handle it.
But right now, the Ross family was desperate to keep Wesley's marriage under wraps. As long as she had that leverage, getting those divorce papers signed would be smooth sailing.
"They won't risk letting Delta know. Not yet."
"The Ross family showed up at Yara's school today and caused a scene. That's your definition of 'won't risk it'?"
Scarlett's grip tightened around her phone. When she'd threatened to tell Delta today, Wesley hadn't even flinched. But the second she'd mentioned Ambrose's name, his whole attitude had shifted.
But Opal—Opal was terrified.
The moment Scarlett had threatened to go to Delta, Opal's arrogance had crumbled like wet paper.
"You keep using me as a threat," Ambrose continued. "How long do you think it'll take before he realizes it's just a bluff?"
Her scalp prickled. Did he have her place bugged or something?
"Don't get the wrong idea—he just jumped to conclusions about you and me, and I... went along with it out of desperation."
She rushed to explain, terrified he'd misunderstand.
Ambrose fell silent for several beats before letting out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "This isn't the first time you've taken advantage of our... ambiguous relationship."
Every hair on Scarlett's body stood on end. Last time with the project contract—yeah, she'd definitely exploited the murky nature of their connection to seal that deal.
And now she'd done it again.
"Mr. Boleyn—"
"Want to make it real?"
Scarlett had been about to apologize when his suggestion blindsided her. Her body went rigid. Her mind spun in circles. How was she supposed to respond to that?
Was this some kind of test?
"Mr. Boleyn, please don't joke about stuff like that. I'm divorced with a kid—no one would buy it."
"We don't need everyone to buy it. Just the Ross family."
Scarlett let those words settle for a few seconds before forcing a light, casual laugh into her voice.
"You've already helped me so much, Mr. Boleyn. I'm afraid even one project wouldn't be enough to repay you."
"One project definitely won't cut it. I need something else from you."
Her eyebrow twitched. The words tumbled out before she could stop them. "Like what?"
"I need you to take care of a child for me."
Scarlett had braced herself for something along the lines of "repay me with your body." Hearing "take care of a child" instead left her sitting there with her mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound.
"Not willing?" Ambrose asked suddenly.
Scarlett snapped back to reality and cleared her throat with a small cough before managing to speak.
"How old is this child?"
"Same age as Yara."
Scarlett was still puzzling over whose child this could be when Ambrose added, "It's not difficult."
He was right—it wasn't. Taking care of one child versus two didn't make that much of a difference. But whether this kid would even want her taking care of him was another story. If he didn't, this could turn out way harder than any project.
"Boy or girl?" she asked.
"A boy. He shows signs of autism. Lack of maternal affection has made him withdrawn—he barely speaks."
The moment she heard that description, Hayden's face flashed through Scarlett's mind. Without thinking, she blurted out, "He doesn't have a mother?"
"He's never had a mother in his life."
Scarlett's heart ached at the thought of any child going through that. It was like how Yara had grown up without a father. But at least Yara was healthy.
"I can't give you an answer right away. I need to think about it. Plus, I have a job—if I'm working, I won't have time to take care of a child."
"You can work normal hours during the day. I just need you to live with him in the evenings, let him feel loved, get him to open up and talk."
After a few seconds of contemplation, Scarlett said, "Let me meet this child first."
There was a long pause on the other end before he revealed the truth. "You've already met him. Yara's classmate. Hayden."
Scarlett's jaw dropped again. So it was Hayden. Right—they were both named Boleyn. Were they uncle and nephew?
"What's your relationship to him?"
"He's my son."
Ambrose had a son?
Shock rippled through her.
"You have a son?" The words burst out before she could filter them.
"You have a daughter—why can't I have a son?" Ambrose said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"That's not what I meant. I just... I've never heard anything about you being married. Finding out you have a son is kind of shocking. Like I just stumbled onto some huge secret."
"Well, since you now know my secret, I guess you don't really have the option of refusing anymore."
Scarlett went quiet.
After thinking it through calmly, she had to admit—Hayden was adorable, well-behaved, got along great with Yara, and seemed to like her too. She could feel it. Taking care of him probably wouldn't be that hard.
Weighing the pros and cons, the exchange seemed worth it. The only sticking point was the living arrangement.
"Mr. Boleyn, would it just be your son living with me, or would you be there too?" Scarlett straightened up.
"What do you think?" Ambrose's tone was mild as he threw the question back at her. Scarlett got the message loud and clear—of course, he'd be living there too.
Living under the same roof as Ambrose? That made the decision a lot harder to swallow.
"Think it over. Let me know when you've decided." Ambrose wasn't pushing. He was giving her space.
After hanging up, Scarlett flopped back onto her bed, Ambrose's words still echoing in her head. Ambrose had a son. The same age as Yara. Had he had a child without being married?
No need to guess—probably some messy history there.
But living with him? That felt wrong on multiple levels.
A single man and woman, each with their own child, sharing a home? No matter how she spun it, something about that felt... weird.
But then her thoughts circled back to Hayden—a little boy who barely spoke, showing signs of autism—and sympathy bloomed in her chest.
For a while, "yes" and "no" ping-ponged through her brain without resolution.
Finally, she decided to stop overthinking it. She got up and padded over to Yara's room to check if she was asleep.
Back when they'd lived with the Ross family, Yara had always slept in Scarlett's bed. But now that Rhea was around, Scarlett had given Yara the room next door, helping her learn to be independent.
Yara was curled up with her giant teddy bear, her breathing soft and even. Every so often, the corners of her mouth would lift into a smile.
Seeing Yara's peaceful sleeping face settled something in Scarlett's chest. She tucked the blanket around her daughter before slipping back out.
That night, Scarlett had the weirdest dream.
In it, Hayden called her "Mom" and clung to her, refusing to let go.
Then the scene shifted to that night—the night she'd lost her innocence.
The man above her was relentless, his presence overwhelming. She struggled but couldn't break free. In the dim lighting, she forced her eyes open through the pain and caught sight of the man's face.
It was Ambrose.
Scarlett's eyes flew open. In the darkness, her sleepy gaze was wild with panic. She lifted a hand to her forehead—her palm came away slick with sweat.
Why would she dream something so bizarre?
Why had the man from that night turned into Ambrose in her dream?
Was it because she'd been in contact with Ambrose too much lately? Had her subconscious just... swapped him in?
If too much contact was causing her to have dreams like this, that was absolutely mortifying.
Jolted awake by the nightmare, Scarlett couldn't fall back asleep. She lay in bed replaying the entire day's events in her head, and the more she thought about it, the more awake she became.