Chapter 204: SORRY
Hazel felt her stomach churn. She vomited up the dinner she had eaten earlier. The fire in the candy shop was not an accident. Someone instigated it.
But who had done that, and for what reason? All this time, Rize had been conducting straight business. He didn’t side with any family. He sided with money, though that reason alone was enough to give him enemies.
And as much as he was a nuisance, he was also the source of their information. He could provide anything that you needed and find whatever you wanted.
He was like a double-edged blade. But no one disturbed his business all this time.
Hazel tried to trace back what happened this afternoon. She met with Rafael Scar there. He was there with his niece.
It didn’t seem like he came to make an offense against Rize. If he did, why would he bring a child with him? Hazel knew he loved his niece. He wouldn’t put her in a crossfire.
But, if it were not him, who else came after him?
And if Hazel had to track down all the people Rize had offended, the list would be endless. She would be on the same list as well.
Currently, Hazel was inside the bathroom. She did a great job of acting as if nothing happened. Ranon didn’t seem to notice the turmoil within her.
He told her to go back to their bedroom and lie down, because she looked tired.
"Who had done it?" Hazel pulled out her phone and checked on Ranon’s. He was in the middle of a conversation with Ares regarding the candy shop.
As Hazel expected. He was going to investigate it. He also knew about the real business of that place, something that she was not even surprised about.
"There is no victim," Ares said. "The whole shop was burned down, but there was no one there."
He was very quick to gather this information, even though the fire happened three hours ago. He got all the details that Ranon needed.
"But I don’t know where Rize had escaped. He must be hiding for now. There is no way it was a short circuit that caused the fire, like what they said on the news."
Ranon agreed with that.
"Look for him."
Afterward, they discussed the situation with the company, mentioning that Ares and Lucian would submit their resignations by the end of the month. This move would likely create another uproar, as both of them were significant figures within the organization.
"Denzel will get a heart attack."
"He will be fine," Ranon replied nonchalantly.
At that point, Hazel stopped listening. Tomorrow’s family gathering would be very interesting, though this was not the thrill she was looking for at this moment.
Hazel sat down on the toilet and stared at her engagement rings. The diamonds shone brightly. They agreed that she would keep the ring after their divorce.
Divorce...
Hazel heard the cracking sound from outside. Ranon had entered their bathroom, and she decided to go out.
Ranon said as he saw Hazel approach him. "Ashlyn is with Renna. I will get her." He came to charge his phone, but was surprised when Hazel suddenly hugged him from behind.
"No, leave her with Renna. She has been dying to sleep with her." Hazel slipped her hand under his shirt, and his stomach tensed because of the coldness. "I want you to take care of only me tonight."
Hazel needed a distraction, and having sex with him was a good distraction for her.
Yet, Ranon turned it down. "It’s not yet a month." He turned around and cupped her face. His stare was very intense, until Hazel thought he could see straight to her soul. "I will make it up to you later."
"But I want it now." She pulled his collar and forced him to bend down, kissing him fiercely, as if she was venting out her frustration.
Because Hazel leaned her weight on him, it caught Ranon off guard; his hip hit the table, but it didn’t stop his wife from getting what she wanted.
Ranon could feel her desperation. It was not about sex. She was a mess right now from the things that she couldn’t explain, from the problem she couldn’t share.
"Hazel." Ranon pulled away, but Hazel tripped him, which caused him to kneel in front of her.
The look of shock in Ranon’s eyes emboldened Hazel even more. She wanted to be in control because she felt everything was slipping away through her fingers.
She needed a sense that she held authority over something. She hated the feeling of being helpless and hopeless.
"What do you want, Hazel?" Ranon asked. He could get away from her if he wanted to, but why would he?
"Take off your shirt."
For a split second, Hazel thought Ranon would refuse her request. Why would he follow her crazy antics? He was not someone who would enjoy being dominated.
But, to her surprise, he did it.
Ranon took off his shirt without breaking eye contact with her. He tossed his shirt away, and this made Hazel’s throat dry. "Done," he said in a low voice.
They shouldn’t have intercourse, and Hazel knew that, but they still could do something else, right?
Hazel was standing in front of him; she ran her fingers through his hair and suddenly yanked his head back. Her brown eyes were slightly darkened.
Tracing her fingers down his neck, Hazel spoke in a sultry tone. "You will do what I told you to do."
"Anything."
There was a cunning smirk on the corner of his lips. He was looking forward to what Hazel was about to do. This was another side that he didn’t know she had.
However, before it could escalate any further, Renna’s voice could be heard from outside the door. She told them that Ashlyn had fallen asleep and she wanted to put her in her crib.
"Don’t move; stay here." Hazel pushed Ranon down into a kneeling position again when he was about to stand up and get their baby.
Of course, it would ruin their moment, which Hazel didn’t want to.
She went to the door and opened it slightly, just enough for her to see that Ashlyn was sleeping peacefully in Renna’s arms.
"Let her sleep with you tonight," Hazel said, her voice slightly hoarse. The baby was already sleeping, and it wouldn’t hurt anyone if she didn’t sleep in her crib for one night.
"Okay!" Renna readily agreed with the request. She immediately walked away, afraid that Hazel would have a second thought, or Ranon would come out and snatch the baby away.
Once Renna walked away with the baby, Hazel locked the door. She didn’t want to be disturbed and then returned to where Ranon was.
But that man had stood up; he was leaning against the table and watched her with a hooded gaze.
"I told you to stay. I didn’t tell you that you can stand."
"My bad." Ranon tilted his head. "Is there a punishment for me?" The way he said it, he was looking forward to it.
***
James drove in silence with Carl sitting next to him. Neither of them said anything.
Today, Carl was allowed to go back home for the weekend, but he needed to return to the rehabilitation center on Monday.
Carl didn’t look forward to it; he didn’t even feel relieved to go back home. Anywhere felt the same for him.
And because of what happened, he would be sentenced to criminal charges and sent to the juvenile detention center for half a year. His grandmother came to disagree with that, but James didn’t budge to help him further.
He said this was a lesson that he needed to learn. Carl said nothing about that.
He knew deep down that James still blamed him for ruining his marriage. He used to say that he was responsible for his divorce, because one of the reasons that Laurel didn’t want to fix things with him was his attitude.
Carl said nothing in response to the accusation.
"Has Laurel ever come to see you?" James finally broke the silence between them when they were about to arrive.
"No," Carl replied, but he didn’t look at his father. His eyes were fixed on the street out there.
"Tell me if she ever contacts you."
Carl didn’t reply to that request. That was the first thing James said to him. He didn’t even ask about the progress of his rehabilitation.
If Laurel were here, she would be very hands-on with everything.
***
Hazel woke up first, and to her surprise, Ranon was still sleeping next to her. They didn’t even sleep on the bed but on the carpet.
There must have been a time when Ranon took a blanket and covered them with it, because Hazel didn’t remember that she got a blanket.
His arms still wrapped around her, his left hand rested on her stomach, and when Hazel lifted it up, she saw a mark around his wrist, because she had tied him too tightly.
She traced her finger around the red mark and thought about last night. She might as well scare him with her sudden burst of violence.
Feeling a little bit guilty, Hazel checked another mark on his body and found a few scratches on his chest. Some were too deep; they were bleeding.
She caressed them as well.
"Those hurt."
Startled, Hazel looked up and then saw his swollen lips, which drew a lazy smile. "Sorry."
"I am not."