CHAPTER 240: I WANT YOU

"She is teething," Hazel said when she saw the look of worry in Ranon’s face because Ashlyn didn’t stop crying.

It was late evening, and Ashlyn had been very fussy since the day before. Now her body was slightly warm.

Ranon just returned when he heard the baby’s cry, and he went to the balcony, where Hazel was trying to calm her down.

Peni and Renna had been trying to appease the baby, but Ashlyn wanted her mother. She snuggled against Hazel’s neck, holding her rubber toy. Tears streamed down her chubby cheeks.

"Her body is warm." Ranon placed his palm on Ashlyn’s head. The baby raised her arms, asking her father to pick her up.

Hazel gave her to Ranon and felt her arms were sore since she had been holding her baby for hours. The little one was unwilling to be put down, and she only wanted her mother.

However, now that Ranon was here, she wanted her father to carry her.

"We will go to her pediatrician," Ranon said. He just came and had not yet even drunk a drop of water.

However, it was pointless to try to persuade him when he was so worried about their baby. After all, Ashlyn was already five months old, the car crash had happened almost two months ago, and Ranon had already recovered. He started his routine again as soon as he could get out of bed without feeling dizzy.

They also changed Ashlyn’s pediatrician. The previous one came from the Central Hospital.

Ranon currently intended to be the investor of the Royal Hospital, where he stayed after the car crash. His end goal was to become one of the hospital’s stakeholders.

Hazel thought that was a good idea, since it would put their mind at ease. The problem was that the Royal Hospital was a little bit far from where they stayed.

"Peni says it is normal," Hazel said as she followed Ranon to the elevator.

"She doesn’t know anything about a baby."

Hazel raised her brows. Excuse you, Peni had a child on her own.

But Hazel tactfully didn’t say anything about it. There was no point in talking sense into Ranon whenever he was being like this. Ashlyn would always be the apple in his eyes.

She wondered why Ranon didn’t want to have a child before, now that Ashlyn could easily wrap him around her little fingers.

"Because I didn’t want my child to have a father like me. I didn’t even like myself." Ranon turned on the engine and drove away from the parking lot when Hazel blurted out the question. She was holding Ashlyn, who kept whimpering uncomfortably.

"But you do like yourself now?"

"Not really, but I have enough money to secure her future, and more importantly, to get her out of trouble."

Hazel gave Ranon a side-eye look. "Are you implying that she will be a troubled child in the future?"

Hearing that, Ranon chuckled. "I hope not, but look at us."

They were indeed troubled adults. Nothing was normal with them, whether it was the topic of their conversation or how their relationship was built.

"Well, you get the point." Hazel shrugged her shoulders.

***

Hazel was uncertain whether Olivia knew about Lyle’s attempt to kill Ranon or not, but when she called last time, she didn’t show any sign that she was aware of it, and Hazel wanted to keep it that way.

The case involving Sam and another man who were captured that night had been solved. Ranon spared their lives because of Hazel’s insistence. She was not sure why, but Sam had a family, and it was enough to soften her heart.

Hazel thought that she must have grown weaker to spare her enemy. But then, she had met with Sam’s family once, and she didn’t want Sam’s innocent children’s faces to haunt her, now that she had a child herself.

But the situation was a little bit tricky now, because Aubrey rarely went out of the Barlowes’ compound, and Arlo was still recuperating from his injuries.

The last time Hazel heard from Ranon’s informant, he was undergoing treatment so that he could walk again. However, there was a high chance that he would be limp for the rest of his life.

Good. Hazel wanted them to suffer like that. It would be too easy for them if she killed them right away. Death was a mercy.

Meanwhile, even though Ranon’s informant was right, he didn’t know the details of the excruciating treatment that Arlo had to go through.

"What?! Why are you staring at me?!" Arlo threw the nearest book that he could reach, and it hit Aubrey’s face. She stared at him a little bit longer, and this made his temper flare.

"Your mother asked me to call you for dinner, but you are very busy with your work. I don’t want to bother you; that’s why I waited!" Aubrey yelled at him vehemently; she had had enough with his attitude. "I didn’t mean to stare at you! I don’t even want to look at you!"

It was a good thing that Arlo’s leg was a waste, because he couldn’t chase after Aubrey the moment she finished with her words and then ran out of the room. Arlo needed his crutch, and if he refused to use it, he would be limping.

Somehow, Aubrey wanted to thank Hazel for what she had done, but it would be better if she killed him right away.

Aubrey heard a few conversations here and there about what happened because they didn’t seem to care whether she overheard their conversation or not. She was useless in their eyes, and they kept her there to feed her baby, taking care of Bryer.

She was a prisoner here.

"Are you irritating him again?" Becca asked, squinting her eyes at Aubrey. "How many times have I told you not to anger him?" She glanced at the scratch on Aubrey’s forehead, where Arlo had hit her with a book, but she couldn’t care less. "Bring this food to him. At least, make yourself useful."

Becca put the food on the plates and then told Aubrey to bring it to Arlo’s study. It made her feel like she was a servant. Given Arlo’s current temper, he would likely throw the food away, and Aubrey would end up taking the blame for it.

However, what else could Aubrey do?

"Put on some medicine. I don’t want your face to look like that in the camera when you attend the charity event with Arlo."

The look of confusion on Aubrey’s face must be easy to read, because Becca sighed irritably.

"You didn’t listen when I told you two weeks ago that there would be a charity event by the end of the month, and you were required to come with Arlo and help him there."

In other words, Arlo needed someone for his beck and call, since his body couldn’t move freely anymore, or else he wouldn’t take Aubrey with him.

"I am sorry; I didn’t pay attention." Aubrey brought the food and then walked away as Becca was grumbling. It was not her fault for forgetting about it, since she used to tune Becca out whenever she started rambling nonsense.

However, there was a malice that flashed in Aubrey’s eyes. This was her chance to do something. That woman would be there too. She would like the deal she was offered.

***

"Oh, so cute! She has two teeth!" Laurel cooed at Ashlyn. She nuzzled her chubby cheek while the baby laughed.

"Why are you coming here very often?" Hazel gave her sister-in-law an irritated look because she would drop by at least four times a week. In that case, she should fire Peni and let Laurel babysit instead, since whenever she was here, she would spend her time only with Ashlyn.

Hazel didn’t mind, though; she was not too attached to her baby, and she wouldn’t be at home all the time because she had to do something.

"You keep saying that. You have seen her teeth since last month," Hazel reminded her. She was drinking her juice, and Laurel didn’t fail to make a face whenever she saw her drinking it.

"You ruin the fun." Laurel waved her hand. "Why don’t you go out? Let me stay here with my niece."

To her credit, Laurel would come when Ranon had gone to work, and she would go before Ranon’s return, so both of them had never met each other, even though Laurel visited the house frequently.

"Laurel, are you close with Daniel?" Hazel asked. The fact that she accidentally saw Daniel stand up still bothered her.

"No, not really. He is closer to Ranon than to me."

"I don’t think you are close with any of your siblings."

Laurel shrugged her shoulders and then smirked, as if it was a compliment for her. "Dad had a high hope for him since he is the firstborn and a son, so he spent his time with Dad." Laurel played peek-a-boo with Ashlyn while talking to Hazel. "Too bad, the car crash rendered him unable to move again."

Hazel concluded that Laurel didn’t know about the fact that Daniel could stand. But why did he hide it?

Later that night, when Ranon returned, they had dinner together. He told her that the charity event would take place by the end of the month. It was held a little bit later than the previous year.

Hazel glanced at her engagement ring. "I remember you gave me this ring from the auction. What are you going to give me this time?"

"What do you want?"

"You," Hazel teased him.

And that night, Ashlyn was sleeping with Renna.