Chapter 205: A FAMILY GATHERING
Hazel pursed her lips upon hearing what Ranon said. She averted her gaze and attempted to get up, but Ranon wrapped his arms around her and pushed her down again.
They didn’t have intercourse last night because Ranon refused it; no matter what Hazel did, he didn’t give in. But, of course, they had hundreds of ways to satisfy each other.
What is bothering you?" Ranon asked, he tangled their legs, and Hazel could feel his morning wood nudging the side of her body.
"Nothing," Hazel replied; she found it hard to express what was on her mind.
Ranon had anticipated that she wouldn’t answer his question after all, so he wasn’t bothered when she lied to him. "So, what happened last night?"
He gripped her chin and lifted her head.
Staring straight into his eyes, Hazel replied shamelessly. "Post-pregnancy hormones."
"I never heard that."
"You need to read more."
For a moment, a sense of peacefulness enveloped them both. After last night, Hazel felt a bit better. She felt even more relieved when Ranon didn’t question her sudden aggressiveness, as she didn’t want to lie to him.
She had lied to him so many times that she feared she would go straight to hell for it.
"About the divorce..." Hazel began, thinking that it was the right time to discuss it.
"Should you ruin the moment by talking about it?" Ranon buried his face against the crook of her neck; his hand was restless on her stomach.
"But we need..."
"...Sleep." Ranon finished the sentence. "We need more sleep."
"Ranon." Hazel pushed his body away because he was crushing her beneath his body. "Do you have a second thought?" She didn’t pick it up immediately, but she had this feeling that he was reluctant to end their contract.
Ranon finally lifted his head and propped his body with his elbows, trapping her. "Let’s extend our contract one more year."
"What?"
"My reputation is a little bit unreliable right now because I quit all of a sudden. If we have to go through a divorce, I will have a hard time building my own company."
"What?" Hazel furrowed her brows. "I don’t know that you will permanently quit the company and start a new one." She believed Ranon would return once Denzel gave in to his demands. "What about the five percent of revenue I will receive after our divorce?"
It should come from the Leighton company, but now that he quit, where should she get that?
"That’s why we need to renew our contract."
No clause in their contract mentioned what would happen if Ranon quit the job. That was a mishap on Hazel’s part. Damn it.
"You ruin me financially!" Hazel said with an accusation. She wanted to push him away, but he pressed her down again. "Are you taking revenge because of last night?"
"Why should I? I enjoy it. We need to reenact it again when you have fully recovered," Ranon said with ease.
Hazel didn’t know how to respond to that. She realized one thing: she couldn’t win an argument with him.
Seeing how Hazel’s face turned red and she looked as if she wanted to flee, Ranon didn’t tease her again; instead, his expression turned serious.
"That’s why I have this new proposal for you." Ranon shifted so he could look at her clearly. "Join me in this new business venture."
Hazel was speechless. She couldn’t even tell whether he was scheming against her or if he was being genuine here. It was hard to read his expression.
"Why do I feel as if I am walking into a trap?"
Ranon laughed at that comment. She couldn’t be more right about it.
Starting a new company was always in the back of Ranon’s head, the one without Denzel Leighton’s influence, but the timing was very right to string Hazel along.
He could spend his spare time with his newborn while making things difficult for Denzel. This could serve as a reason to extend their marriage contract as well.
And when the one-year term ended, he would find another way to persuade her until she agreed to sign a lifetime contract.
"It will be hard for me to start a new company with a ruined reputation." Ranon caressed her cheek. "We can be partners. You will get your share from this new company."
Ranon then listed all the benefits she could get if they were together.
"How can you be so sure this business will be a success?"
"Well, I have a track record of saving the almost bankrupt Leighton company; starting a new one wouldn’t be too difficult."
Ranon nudged her nose with his when she was thinking about what he said. This small gesture was sweet and intimate. It was very comforting for Hazel.
More so, I can help you with your post-pregnancy hormones. You got a fantastic deal here."
"Well, that’s more tempting than the share profit," Hazel teased.
Sex aside, Hazel had to admit that the benefits he mentioned earlier were legit, and it could be a good investment. After all, money was a crucial point in her plan.
She couldn’t get her revenge if she were broke.
Buying information alone already cost a fortune, not to mention how long it would take for her to take down those two families. It was not an easy feat. Even when she was full of grudges, she knew her limit.
"I will think about it." Hazel didn’t want to seem so eager.
"Good."
Ranon stared at her for a while before he rolled over and got up. He didn’t bring up Ashlyn deliberately; he somehow felt Hazel was not so fond of their baby. She didn’t harm her or anything, but whenever she was with the little one, she seemed methodical.
Other people might not notice this, but Ranon caught her blank expression a few times when she was with Ashlyn, when she thought no one was looking.
***
Carl was lying down in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling. He had not yet stepped out of his bedroom since he arrived last night, and he hadn’t even gotten his breakfast.
However, no one came to look for him. His father was busy with something else. He didn’t want to be disturbed and went to the office as usual.
They didn’t have much interaction, and this quietness in this house was killing him. It weighed heavily on him.
Today, his grandmother would come with his aunt. Both of them had been visiting him in the rehabilitation center more often than his father.
Even his biological mother had never come once. It was not like he was waiting for her visit, but now he knew how important he was to his biological mother, which was close to none.
She disappeared again from his life once things got hard, just like when Carl was little.
"Carl, are you inside?"
His grandmother’s voice travelled in, but Carl didn’t have the energy to even respond to it. He kept staring at the ceiling.
***
Hazel was wearing a red dress that Ranon had purchased for her. He liked her in this color, and he was right; this deep red color suited her well.
As Hazel stared at the mirror, she examined her reflection. She still carried some baby weight, especially around her belly, and her breasts appeared larger than usual.
Hazel needed to exercise, but Ranon said there was no rush. However, she had another agenda for why she needed to be fit as soon as possible.
"Admiring yourself?"
Ranon’s voice dragged Hazel back to reality. She smiled when she saw him in the mirror. "Well, what to do. I couldn’t help it. I am gorgeous."
"I couldn’t agree more with that." Ranon hugged her from behind; he was wearing semi-formal attire that matched her dress.
Not everyone could pull off this color and look good in it, but Ranon did it effortlessly.
"Let’s go. I don’t want to be late for our family reunion." The sarcasm was very thick in her voice. She would prefer to skip this ridiculous thing entirely.
But then, it would be a waste of her beautiful dress and her makeup.
"Being late an hour or two will be fine."
"An hour or two?" Hazel laughed. "What are we going to do there? Cleaning up the table?"
Thankfully, they disregarded Ranon’s absurd idea and arrived only ten minutes late with the excuse that Ashlyn had been fussy before they left. In reality, the little one had been calm the entire day.
For this gathering, they had reserved a private room in an upscale restaurant with a nature-inspired concept.
Inside this room, there was a small waterfall on one of the walls amidst a few flowers and plants. The ambience was calm and pleasant, a perfect place for a family meeting.
However, ever since Hazel stepped inside, she could feel the tension in the air. It almost felt as though she was coming to a funeral instead.
"I will have an indigestion," Hazel grumbled in a low voice, which only Ranon could hear. He was carrying the baby in his arms.
Once they made an appearance, all eyes were on them, and even Daniel was there. But it was Laurel who made the first move.
"Come here, what are you doing standing there?" Laurel waved her hand in her bossy style, and Hazel felt as if she had entered a den of vipers.
Especially with Ema, whose sharp eyes were fixed on the baby in Ranon’s arms. It was obvious that even Denzel noticed this.