Chapter 181: TROUBLESOME WOMAN (2)
All of them knew the reason why Ranon was in charge of the company, and the hassle that Denzel had to go through to get Ranon.
Therefore, the only person who would suffer if Ranon stepped down from his role was Denzel. He forgot this fact in his momentary anger.
However, his pride didn’t allow him to correct his mistake. He had bowed his head once, when he asked Ranon to step in; he wouldn’t do it again.
In his mind, Ranon had tasted the privilege that came with his status; it would be hard to let go of such power. Men were drawn to power; it was their nature.
And that was where Denzel miscalculated Ranon’s reaction.
"If you can’t even control one woman, what can you do to control thousands of people?" Denzel was well aware that he was treading hot water, but he couldn’t take a step back.
"She is my wife, not someone to control."
"Bullshit!" Denzel slammed his fist against the armchair. The gesture was less impactful since he didn’t have the necessary strength, but it portrayed his outrage.
On the other hand, Hazel chuckled.
Ranon must hate his father so much to infuriate him to his early grave. At this rate, Denzel could get a heart attack. Even so, still, he didn’t manage to break Ranon’s calm. Ranon was unfazed.
Right now, Hazel was standing outside Ranon’s home office with the door slightly ajar; she could hear their conversation.
"I should have known better that your upbringing doesn’t suit this responsibility!" Denzel hit the sore spot.
Hazel couldn’t see Ranon because he had his back against her, but she herself felt it was very personal—something that she shouldn’t hear.
"You can’t even handle your woman, you can’t even handle Laurel, what can you do?!" Once again, Denzel slammed his fist. "We can’t break ties with the Starling family!"
Their conversation had suddenly spread to an entirely different topic. Denzel had been calling Ranon to stop the divorce proceeding between Laurel and James, but he was being ignored.
Therefore, with the problem involving Hazel, Denzel used this opportunity to straighten his son.
"Okay." Ranon suddenly stood up, and this shut Denzel up immediately. During the whole conversation, he barely spoke. "Father, since you think I am not qualified for my position, I will take a step back."
Legally, Denzel had no right to make any decisions, since he had signed over everything to Ranon. But as his father, of course, he held some power over him. Or so he thought.
Soon, he learned how wrong he was to post this threat on Ranon.
"Ranon, what do you mean?" Ema asked. She was smart enough to take this role; she knew Denzel couldn’t get down from his pride. She was clear about their position and Ranon’s importance in the company. "Don’t be rash."
But, just like before, Ranon paid no mind to her. "It’s very late, Father. Let’s discuss the details of the transition later." He subtly kicked his father out.
Denzel opened his mouth to stop Ranon from leaving, but he couldn’t find the right word to make him stay without stepping down from his pride.
On the other hand, Hazel didn’t have time to run away when Ranon opened the door and managed to catch Hazel’s figure waddling into their bedroom.
Somehow, the sight brought a smile to his lips. He was not even angry when she was caught eavesdropping.
And when he entered the bedroom, he saw his wife was pretending to be asleep. Ranon didn’t confront her, but when he lay down next to her, his hands became restless.
She had thrown his shirt to the corner of the room, and now she was naked under the blanket, which made it easier for him.
When Ranon caressed her arm, Hazel didn’t react, but when his fingers brushed her collarbone, he saw a subtle movement.
Seeing this, Ranon became even bolder. He traced his fingers down to her chest and cupped her breast. She slightly jerked away from his touch.
Yet, when Ranon pinched her nipple, Hazel finally lost it.
"Stop it!" She hissed and swatted his hand away. This man was very shameless! Hazel bet he knew she was not sleeping. "You touch me without consent."
"I have never consented whenever you start riding me at night."
Ah! Hazel wanted to claw his mouth. He was so filthy! "That’s the baby, okay?! That’s pregnancy hormone!" Hazel narrowed her eyes and looked down at a certain part of his body. "More so, he agreed with me."
Ranon nodded, acknowledging that. "He often did. But he is not a voice of reason."
Now Hazel was speechless.
***
Laurel brought new clothes and warm food for Carl. She couldn’t take him out, since she didn’t have the connection like Ranon did, but at the very least, as they knew she was part of the Leightons, they didn’t make things difficult for her.
Nolu was still there to assist her as well.
When the morning came and Laurel had just talked with a lawyer sent by Ranon, James came. He looked haggard and was surprised to see that Laurel was there.
He didn’t expect her to be here.
However, when Laurel saw James had come, she intended to leave. There was nothing else she could do here; more so, as a father, it was his responsibility to take care of Carl.
"Laurel, wait!" James caught up with her outside the police headquarters. He grabbed her elbow to make sure she stopped. "Please, give me a moment."
He had been waiting for this opportunity to talk with her, but with how everything was going and with the involvement of Ranon Leighton, it was very difficult.
He couldn’t even pressure that man with their business deal to help him with his sister’s case. Ranon would be ready to cut all the deals between the two families if he mixed personal matters with business.
Ranon was not playing around when he said that, and from the way James saw it, it would be his loss to be on Ranon’s bad side. The Leighton company was at its peak in his hands.
"Please, just a moment. Give me a moment." James stood in front of her to block her way into the car. They were in the parking lot now.
Laurel looked around. Nolu was not there because he was still with the lawyer to take care of Carl. They were only waiting for James to come, so they could hand over the problem to him. He was the father after all.
Knowing she had no way out and it was only a futile attempt to fight him, Laurel finally relented. She was too exhausted to go through the hassle.
"What do you want?" She cut him off before he could say anything. "If you start with an apology, you better shove it down your throat. I have heard enough of it. You only cheapened the word."
James looked hesitant to find the right words to say to her. He indeed wanted to apologize, but Laurel had said that.
"I know I was wrong, but please, give me another chance. I will make it right for you." James didn’t let go of her elbow, just in case she tried to run away again. "You can check my phone all the time, my email, and everything else. You can monitor all of my movement, and I will tell you where I am all the time."
James sounded very desperate to get Laurel back; he promised the moon and the stars for her. Unfortunately for him, it was no longer nightfall for Laurel. It was a brand-new day. She didn’t need those things.
If he thought his offerings were a temptation for Laurel, he was gravely mistaken.
"I don’t have a desire to be a warden." Laurel frowned. It sounded very exhausting to control his movement. He was a grown-up man; why would he need to be monitored all the time?
"Anything, Laurel. Anything. Tell me and I will do it," he said in his desperation. "I will do anything you want me to do."
"Sign the divorce paper."
"Aside from that."
Laurel squinted her eyes. She no longer wanted to talk with him when he even broke the first offering. "There is nothing else I want aside from being free from you."
Laurel shook his hand, but instead, he tightened the grip. "No, please. This is not fair. You don’t give me a chance. I deserve a second chance."
"No, you deserve a smack on the head, with a screwdriver."
This time Laurel kicked his shin. James didn’t expect that. He yelped and let go of her elbow. Laurel used this chance to break free from him and rushed towards her car.
"Laurel, think about Carl! He became like this because of us!"
Once again, James used the same old tactic to manipulate Laurel.
"If only you had forgiven me and you had not been this difficult, he would not end up here!" James shouted; he stood in front of the car to prevent her from leaving.
This guy looked for death.
"You have met Carl, right? Do you know why he ended up with the wrong people? If only you had been there to guide him, he would not have gotten involved with them. Don’t you feel bad to see him like that?"
Laurel narrowed her eyes and stepped on the accelerator briefly to push James down. He immediately crawled away when he saw Laurel’s intention to run him over.