Chapter 209: TRAINING GROUND
"Why are we here?" Hazel glanced at Ranon. He was wearing a simple shirt and jeans. He looked relaxed and homey.
They met in front of an old building that she assumed was a boxing club. The place was in dire need of reconstruction. The monument sign on the front was almost unreadable.
Ranon had asked Hazel to meet with him here, but she didn’t have any idea why.
"There is someone that I want you to meet." Ranon took her hand; by this time, he did it naturally, and Hazel didn’t mind it at all.
They were in public, and they had done more than just hold hands. With the renewal of the contract, they would spend another year together.
Hazel had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, she was relieved because she still could use Ranon’s source, but at the same time, she couldn’t move as freely as she wished.
Even though they would hire a babysitter for Ashlyn, there would be a lot of people around her. She couldn’t leave the house as she pleased, and her movement was rather restricted.
Well, there were pros and cons to her decision, but she was probably a little bit biased, because being with Ranon was convenient and... comfortable.
"Who? Is this someone important?" Hazel heard a loud sound from inside. It reminded her of the training ground in the Lozens.
"Yes."
When Hazel stepped inside, she saw that many men were training and sparring with each other. Unlike her initial impression of the building, the interior was surprisingly decent. They had a lot of equipment, as well as a ring for sparring in the middle.
Now, Hazel wondered why Ranon had taken her here.
"Who is it?"
Hazel didn’t hear what Ranon said because she was distracted by the murmur around her. They were wondering whether it was Ranon Leighton, and they were not trying to be secretive about it.
"Ranon?" One of the men approached Ranon. He was only wearing his boxing shorts, and his body was covered in sweat. His black hair was damp, and his small eyes looked strange on his big face. "Is that really you?"
"Long time no see, Dalton." Ranon recognized him, and the man named Dalton’s eyes lit up.
"It’s really you!" Dalton beamed and then turned to inform the other. "Hey! This is really Ranon!"
Two more people approached them, and when they were about to hug Ranon, he sidestepped to avoid them.
"You smell."
"What? After so many years, this is what you said!?" Dalton scowled while the other chimed in. They tried to get to Ranon, but he put Hazel in front of him to draw their attention to her.
"Is she your wife?" The man named Elric asked. He was a bald man with a moustache. Even though he looked young, his voice was hoarse, reminding her of an old man.
"Yes."
Hazel smiled as she greeted them, but she was caught off guard. Ranon should have briefed her before taking her here; at least she would have known what kind of situation she was facing.
However, when she looked up and saw Ranon’s eyes soften while interacting with these people, she forgot her annoyance.
Ranon didn’t get along with anyone, and if he looked relaxed with them, it meant they were close. They must be his old friends from before he joined the Leightons.
They talked about his life and how they often saw him on television. They teased him about his wedding and, to some extent, Hazel too.
Asking her about how she could subdue him and how she could stand his bad temper.
"Do you know that he is the best fighter here?" Dalton asked proudly, but Elric elbowed him, as if warning the man that he talked too much. "Oh, forget about it."
"It’s okay; you can tell her." Ranon knew why they were hesitant. Not many people knew about his life before he became a Leighton.
And only then did it click Hazel. "I would love to see him sparring." She smiled brightly. She wanted to spar too! She wanted to know her body’s strength.
She had never really had a fight with Hazel’s body, but she knew this body was rather stiff and weak. That was why she started to exercise, but of course, it was not enough.
"We should spar before you leave!" Dalton said cheerfully. "Like the old time."
They discussed a few more things about the past, and Hazel learned one or two things about Ranon, but she still didn’t understand why he took her here.
"Where is Desgar?"
"He is in his office," Alen informed him. He was the skinniest among them, but also the tallest. His body was not bulky like Elric’s and Dalton’s, but you could see his muscles. He had shoulder-length hair that he tied behind his nape.
"Do you mind if I leave you here for a while?" Ranon asked Hazel. "They will show you around."
"No problem." Hazel didn’t mind, but she was still figuring out why she was here in the first place. She had expected him to take her out for a romantic dinner to celebrate their new contract.
She had expected they were going on a date! Ugh!
Well, this was her fault for not confirming it again with him.
"I will be right back." Ranon kissed her forehead, and this made the other three men snicker, yet Ranon didn’t bother with that.
He then went to meet with Desgar, while Hazel was under the care of these three.
"I will show you around," said Dalton. He was the talkative one.
***
"Carl, you need to eat more. You are so skinny."
His grandmother’s voice sounded like she was standing across the room, even though she was right behind him, tending to his meal.
"You will get sick if you keep being like this. You don’t need to worry; your father will not let you have jail time."
No. His father would put him in jail himself because he still thought Carl was the reason why Laurel refused reconciliation. After all, he had said something unforgivable.
At times, his father could be very funny. He blamed his son for his affair.
If it were not for his grandmother, James would have let Carl take care of everything on his own. He hated his son for no reason.
"Do you hear me, Carl?" Wena shook Carl’s shoulder, and he startled.
"Yes?" His eyes focused on Wena again, but there was no life in them. There was no spark that she used to see in his eyes.
"Don’t be like this, Carl." Wena sat down next to him, and she pushed the food in front of him, but there was no sign that he was interested in eating anything. "Laurel will not come back. There is no point in hurting yourself. Don’t punish yourself. It’s not your fault."
"Okay."
"I met and talked to her, but she is so self-righteous." Wena sighed. "I knew from the beginning that she is a heartless woman. If only she were willing to forgive and forget, she would not ruin the family."
Wena was still thinking that Laurel should have forgiven James. They still could work things out as a family, instead of ruining it.
But she was too prideful. She didn’t even think of Carl.
"You wouldn’t have fallen into the wrong crowd, and you wouldn’t be facing legal problems, if she were willing to come back." Wena thought it would make Carl feel better, shifting the blame to her.
"Granny, did you meet with Mother?"
"Laurel? Yes."
"Can I have her address?" Carl’s voice was emotionless. It was hard to guess what was on his mind right now.
"You will not be able to convince her. Just forget about her."
"Give me the address," Carl said sternly.
Wena was startled a bit because there was a flash of rage in his eyes.
***
Hazel was amazed because the building was not like how it looked from the outside; this place was huge.
They didn’t only have boxing training, but they also had a shooting range. There were not many people here, but among them, she saw two women fiddling with their guns.
They caught her attention because one of them mentioned Ranon’s name in their conversation.
"I saw Ranon Leighton here! See this; I captured a picture of him with his wife!" The girl with red hair showed her phone to her friend. She had her back facing Hazel; thus, she didn’t see that the woman in the picture was right behind her.
However, her friend saw Hazel and gestured to her friend to stop gushing over someone else’s husband; only then did she turn around and see Hazel. Her face turned red.
Actually, Hazel didn’t mind this; it was pretty entertaining, to be honest. They could gush over Ranon all they wanted, because at the end of the day, she was his wife. The woman who had a child with him.
"He is always very popular," Dalton commented. "But, don’t worry. He is fiercely loyal to his woman. He used to date a woman, who..."
Elric elbowed Dalton again; he was talking too much, but Hazel chuckled at his gossipy tendency.
"Ema, right?" Hazel didn’t mean anything; she only wanted to hear something light. "Tell me, how was Ranon with her?"
The three of them looked at each other and were not sure how to proceed with Hazel’s request.
"I want to know him more, so I can tease him later." Hazel genuinely wished to know more about Ranon.