Chapter 4: Brazen

LEVI.

When Arielle disappeared into her mother's room, Levi was afforded the time to look at his daughter. He didn't know how he would act before her.

She glared at him with her green eyes and said, "You were mean to Mummy and Grandma. I don't like you."

Levi swallowed the pain he felt from his daughter's rejection. He said, "And your mother didn't teach you that you don't speak to your older ones like that?"

"Your mother didn't teach you too, because you were rude to my granny," Lilliana replied.

Levi wondered if she got her smart mouth from him. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Because your granny was a rude fu...person! I don't take rude people very well, something you clearly don’t too."

Lilliana gripped her teddy bear harder. "You were rude to her too."

"She was rude to me first!" Levi wondered why he was arguing with a little girl in the first place.

"She was rude first because you looked grumpy. And you must have done something bad to granny. She wouldn't be rude to you if you haven't!" Lilliana snapped.

Levi laughed at Lily's defense of her grandmother.

"Your granny just met me today, I don't understand why she should talk to me like that. I hate to be talked down to."

Lily looked contemplative, "So, you react rudely to someone who says something bad to you?"

Levi wondered what he was teaching the poor child, for the fact that he was cold and rude didn't mean his -potential- child had to be the same.

"That being said, we leave now!" He stood up, exclaiming loudly.

He turned his back on the petulant child with a stance that matched his and walked to the door.

"I still hate you just so you know…Mummy!"

Levi's heart burnt with something he didn't know, he didn't want to accept the fact that his child hated him. He shrugged and retorted, "Good for you”.

Levi could feel rather than see Arielle in the house. He didn't want to believe anyone had such power over him, such that his senses were on high alert whenever she was around.

Arielle arrived and grabbed her daughter's hand, before picking her suitcase with the other hand.

Levi's first instinct was to help but he decided against it. He had to show how cold he was, It was what would help them.

" Levi", Arielle called. "Can you at least, help me with the car seats?"

Levi looked in the direction she pointed and there were two ugly but neat car seats there.

"You should hire someone to do these things for you. Don't expect me to make a habit of carrying these ugly car seats for you next time" He scowled at her, then glanced at his daughter.

"Please", Arielle pleaded.

Lily stood behind her mother, gripping her skirt like she was scared of him but in reality, she was glaring hard at him.

Levi sighed and went to grab the car seats. He didn't know why he kept ruining his chances of getting closer to his “potential” daughter.

They trudged behind him as he walked briskly to the car, listening to their animated communication. He glanced back at them.

“His family”

If only they were complete but he would do everything in his power to make that happen.

He dropped the car seats by his car, waiting for Arielle and Lilliana to come closer.

He sent a quick text to his team, " Any Update?"

His second in command Stone was quick to respond, "No, but we are getting closer."

"I've been away for over an hour and you've got no update?" He texted back before putting it in his pocket.

He glanced at Arielle and Lilliana, as he beeped the car open "Get in the car, you can put the bag in the trunk."

Arielle settled at the back beside her daughter's car seat, the other car seat is beside Lilliana.

"Get into the passenger's seat, Arielle! I'm not your driver." Arielle kissed her daughter's head and quickly did as Levi said. He finally put the car to drive.

Levi woke up that morning feeling as unamused as he had always felt. His life went the same way every day and it was about to change.

He had told himself severally that he didn't want children, he didn't need them but no matter how hard he tried to push his daughter and her mother away, his heart bled more.

It was very glaring that he had to keep them, even if it took getting married to Arielle. It was obvious they were not safe on their own because someone found out he was their father and Levi himself didn’t even know until today.

He wondered how that came to be but decided to leave that for a further date when he finally caught the criminal who kidnapped his son.

He listened to Lily sing rhymes to her mother, and watched the proud smile on Arielle's face. He noticed Arielle had a very tired look and he wondered how overworked she must be.

Lily's little wristwatch beeped.

"Mummy! Time for drugs." Lily exclaimed. Levi was surprised she didn't sound like the girl scolding him earlier.

Arielle gave her a bottle of water and put a drug in her palm. She took the drugs like a good girl. "Done!"

Arielle laughed a bit.

"When is Tom-Tom coming home?" Lily asked. Arielle’s smile quickly dimmed.

"Soon my love. Levi is here to help us take him from the bad guys." She replied.

"They took him because he was alone, right? Because I was in grandma's room and I didn't sleep next to him, right?"

Arielle whimpered a bit next to Levi. Levi's hand tightened on the steering.

"No, baby. Bad men will always do bad things" , Arielle said in response.

Lily frowned at her mother's response.

"Rude man, will you take me with you so that I can kick the bad men that took my Tom-Tom?"

Levi was put on the spot, he glanced at Arielle for help.

"No, baby, your heart can not take it”, Arielle told her daughter.

Levi was puzzled so he asked her, "What happened to her heart?"

"I told you she has a hole in her heart and she needs surgery to cover it."

Levi's jaw dropped, she most certainly didn't say that to him.

"I'm fine! I'm stronger than the bad men." Lily proclaimed.

"I know but you have to stay away from bad men. They are very…" Arielle's phone rang in her bag. She frantically searched for it, hoping it would be a call from the kidnapper.

She was correct.

"He is the one,” She said to him, showing him the blocked number calling her.

"Pick it and put it on speaker,” he said in his usual commanding tone.

Arielle asked Lily to put her headset on and play games on her iPad. Levi stopped in front of a mansion gate, the gate swung open but he didn't drive in.

She did as Levi asked and picked up the call. A voice from the other side of the call said, "Hmmm... Are you playing happy family with that criminal you call baby daddy?"

"Please, I did what you asked of me." She replied.

"No, you didn't. You did quite the opposite."

"You motherfucker! I will kill you when I get to you!" Levi roared.

"But I will kill your son and deliver him to you before all that if you don't get to me with the estate contract in an hour. Your baby mama might not know what I’m talking about but I know you understand what I am referring to ", The kidnapper hung up the phone.

Lily began to wail.

"Please don't let them do this to me. The twins are all I've got."

Everything was about to go awry wrong. Levi knew he had to do something and quick…