Chapter 132 The Seductive Woman
Jack couldn't stop replaying the scene in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted lending her money. What if she had borrowed it for some other guy? If he hadn't seen her with Aidan today, along with those two kids, he might have been just as fooled as Aidan. That shameless woman. He had completely misjudged her. She was just as bad as Emily, maybe even more cunning.
"Jack, what's wrong? Did I say something?" Aimée's anxious voice broke through his thoughts. She clung to him like a docile kitten, her eyes wide with worry. When he didn't respond, she added cautiously, "Jack, if I said something wrong, just tell me. I'll make sure not to do it again."
So annoying.
He didn't want to marry Aimée at all.
But his mother had already set the date.
He felt like he was being led to the gallows.
"Jack, please say something," Aimée pleaded, her small hand gently shaking his arm, her voice trembling.
Her voice softened his mood a bit. He couldn't take out his anger at Alison on Aimée. After all, Aimée had waited for him for five years, the most precious years of a woman's life. And she was carrying his child.
He turned and took Aimée's hand. "Aimée, it's nothing. I just felt a bit stuffy inside. Let's go pick out the wedding dress." As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Aidan and Alison walking out of the hall. He stopped and carefully intertwined his fingers with Aimée's.
Hand in hand, they walked slowly towards the garage. Their clasped hands swung between them, like a knife stabbing into Alison's heart.
Aidan noticed Alison's face growing paler and led her to sit on the steps in front of the villa. The kids had seen the mango tree outside the playroom window and were clamoring for some.
"Alright, be careful. Just pick a couple, don't spoil them," Alison thought. Kids will be kids, causing all this fuss without a care. It must be nice to be a child, carefree and happy every day.
Aidan went to pick the mangoes, and the kids ran out, rushing past Alison towards him. "Mommy, wait for us! Daddy will pick more for us, they'll be fresh!" Alison forced a smile. She couldn't speak. Jack must have heard that. He would definitely think those two kids were Aidan's.
She couldn't hear the kids' laughter with Aidan anymore. All she could hear was the sound of the white Lamborghini starting and driving away. She couldn't see Jack, but she knew he was in the driver's seat, with Aimée beside him, the woman carrying his child and soon to be his wife. Happiness passed right before her eyes, but it was Aimée's happiness, not hers.
She didn't know how she made it back to the hall. The kitchen staff had already peeled and sliced the mangoes, sticking toothpicks in them. The yellow flesh looked delicious, but she had no appetite.
"Mommy, have a piece," Sophia said, holding a toothpick with a piece of mango up to her mouth. Looking at Sophia's little face, Alison couldn't bear to refuse, even if she was upset. But she really didn't want to eat.
"Sophia, you eat it. Mommy doesn't want any."
"Mommy, are you mad at Ethan and me? Mommy, look, Daddy is so good to us. Please don't be mad. Can we live with Daddy?" Sophia pleaded, and Ethan joined in, "Mommy, please?"
Ethan had been so happy picking mangoes. Having a daddy felt different. Now he could proudly tell his friends at preschool that he had a daddy, and not just any daddy, but the CEO of YD. Yesterday afternoon, when he and Sophia arrived at the YD building, they were awestruck. Their daddy was no ordinary man.
Ethan was convinced Aidan was their dad. The man who had just left, though he looked a bit like their dad, wasn't friendly at all. He didn't even say hello.
Aidan was also waiting for Alison's answer. He hoped she and the kids would move in. He was growing fond of the kids, even though they weren't his. They made him look forward to Aimée's baby even more. Being a father felt pretty good.
But Alison remained silent. Aidan grew more anxious than the kids. "Alison, please think about it."
Alison frowned even more. "Aidan, I told you, Jackson..." She had to bring up Jackson again.
Aidan smiled, not angry. He said to the kids, "Go play on the swings. We'll join you soon."
"Okay, Daddy," the kids replied in unison and ran off.
With the kids gone, Aidan turned to Alison. "Alison, the kids said Jackson only visited twice. He's just their godfather. It's not easy raising them alone. You can't do it forever..."
"Aidan, this is my personal matter. Please give me some space," Alison interrupted, clutching her chest as she stood. "I think I should go. This isn't my home."
She turned coldly to leave. Aidan tried to grab her hand, but she shook him off. She didn't want to embarrass him in front of others, but now that they were alone, she let her anger show. She was really upset.
"Alison, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. This isn't my home. I should go," she reiterated.
Even though she shook off his hand, Aidan stubbornly grabbed it again. "Alison, give us a chance, please?"
"No," she replied coldly, feeling a twinge of guilt.
Hearing her answer, Aidan reluctantly let go.
When had he ever been rejected by a woman?
Alison was the first, and the first to break his heart.
He was unwilling to accept it. Was he not good enough?
He could win countless women's hearts, but not Alison's.
He wanted to give up, but no matter how he struggled, his heart remained with her.
Watching her frail figure, he said softly, "Alison, come back to work at YD."
Alison stopped but replied coldly, "No, I have my flower shop. I can support myself and the kids."
She had been humiliated when YD fired her. She wouldn't go back. She didn't want to give Aidan any hope, or she'd become the kind of fickle woman she despised.
No love, just a soft heart.
Her soft heart had hurt her time and again, first with Jackson, then with Aidan.
She had to be firm. Thinking of the way Jack looked at her, her heart ached.
In the garden, the kids were on the swings. They'd be four after autumn. Time flew. They were growing up. Watching their happy faces, like a scene from a fairy tale, she didn't want to break their joy. But she couldn't let them think Aidan was their dad.
In the sunlight, she watched the kids for a long time. Behind her, Aidan watched her just as long.
He didn't follow her out. He was conflicted. His pride told him not to, but he didn't want her to leave.
He stood there, watching her, watching the kids. A warm feeling of home filled his heart.
At thirty-three, maybe it was time to settle down.
But she had to break the kids' happy moment. Alison, holding back her pain, walked to the swings. "Sophia, Ethan, it's time to go home."
"Mommy, can we play a little longer, please?" Sophia looked back at Aidan standing by the glass door, her face pitiful. She didn't want to leave, didn't want to leave the dad they had just accepted.