Hazel promised Ranon that she wouldn’t get him into trouble, especially with her problem. Therefore, it went without saying that she would handle the situation here.
It was not her intention to get him here, but it was inevitable, since those n would tattle to him. It was not like she could solve the problem here without their help.
In that case, sooner or later Ranon would learn about what happened.
"I can..."
Ranon cut her off sharply. He was evidently mad at her. "For God’s sake, Hazel! Stay!"
"Okay." She was startled because this was the first ti he raised his voice at her. She had gotten used to his soft side. She forgot that he could be this scary.
Ranon wiped his face roughly. He was upset to see how he made her fidget like this. It was not his intention.
"Have you eaten?"
"What?" Hazel was caught off guard when she heard this unexpected question, and Ranon repeated it again with a frown. "Not yet."
The stormy cloud returned to Ranon’s face with her answer, which made Hazel quickly add to appease him.
"But I ate my breakfast. I have chocolate bars inside the car. I ate one on my way here."
Who would have cared whether she had eaten or not while they were at a cri scene where a few people were dead? But, apparently, Ranon would.
"You can ask Nolu and Yara." She hastily added, just in case he didn’t believe her.
Ranon stared at her for a while, but then he pulled out his phone and made a few calls. He talked rapidly in a low voice.
Hazel didn’t follow his conversation, because her mind was busy thinking about what just happened and who those people were.
Three minutes later, Ranon ended his phone call and stretched out his hand without saying anything, which confused Hazel.
"What?" She didn’t understand what he wanted, but she stretched her hand as well to shake his.
However, Ranon slapped her hand lightly. "Your gun."
"Oh." Hazel quickly retrieved her gun and handed it to him obediently. Yet, a second later, she was in disbelief with herself.
How could she give her weapon away easily just because he told her so? It was basic knowledge, right?
Yet, Ranon Leighton defied all of her logic.
"You don’t even have a license." Ranon glared at her, and Hazel felt like a child who was caught red-handed for eating a candy past snack ti.
That was why she wanted to handle this matter. She knew it would be troubleso. But Hazel didn’t say it, since the look on Ranon’s face was very scary.
Moreover, he had grabbed her hand and led the way out of the room.
Outside, an officer approached him and asked where he would take Hazel, because she couldn’t leave without an interrogation.
"Soone will be in contact with you," Ranon said to the chief of police, and he stepped aside to let them leave.
Wow. It must be nice to have connections here and there. Hazel was amazed at how efficient Ranon was. She wondered how deep his connection was.
Hazel had racked her brain to find a solution when she realized what kind of situation she had gotten herself into, but with Ranon, she could walk away from it easily.
Hm. He was indeed her joker.
"Why are you smiling?"
They were inside a lift now, heading towards the lobby, but they would take the back door, since it was very crowded outside. So of Ranon’s n had made a way, and a car had been waiting for them there.
"I’m not." Hazel quickly schooled her face. "Is it okay to walk away like this? Should I co for an interrogation?"
"The interrogation will last for hours. Do you want to take a nap on a chair?"
It was sweet of him to rember how Hazel easily fell asleep lately, but he sounded so an. "I just killed soone," Hazel generously reminded him.
The door opened, and Ranon grabbed her hand again. Even though he was so mad at her right now for putting herself in danger, he didn’t ignore her completely and would take her with him.
"I killed more people than you," he said grimly.
Well, if he talked about Hazel, he was right, but for River... it was still up for debate.
Once they were inside the car, one of Ranon’s n gave back Hazel’s phone that Carl used to call Laurel. Currently, Nolu was accompanying him for an interrogation, while Yara was in the hospital with Olivia and the others.
***
Laurel was shocked when she learned what happened to Carl. She had learned a long ti ago that Carl was using drugs and he mingled with the wrong crowd.
However, after the betrayal of the man that she thought was her endga and the son whom she raised as her own, Laurel stopped caring.
After all, Jas was his father, and, more so, he had his own mother to take care of him now; she had returned to their life.
"Carl," she called his na. It had been a while since she called him, and she thought she no longer cared about him.
Yet, when she saw the young boy who once was so brilliant and had a bright future sitting listlessly on a simple chair with handcuffs wrapped around his wrists, her heart was in so much agony.
The room for the interrogation was small, with a table and four chairs. The color was dull and gloomy; it added to your depressing feeling.
"Mom..."
Carl lifted his head and saw his mother after such a long ti. It was not his father. It was not even his biological mother who ca to see him first.
All the emotions he had bottled up overwheld him like a broken dam.
He was already sixteen years old, but the way he called Laurel was no different than when he was only five and was scared because he had a nightmare.
"Mom..." Carl started crying. He cried even harder when Laurel approached him and hugged him.
It shattered Laurel’s heart when she heard how broken Carl was. Her protective instinct kicked in. She forgot the pain they gave her montarily.
She put aside her grudge because right now her son needed her.
"I am here; I am here..."
"I am sorry... I am sorry." He finally got the warm hug that he craved the most, but at what cost? He kept making mistakes over and over again.
Laurel ignored her hatred and bitterness; the sa way she ignored the pungent sll that ca from him.
Never in a million tis would she have imagined that Carl would end up like this.
What had happened destroyed them, and she didn’t even know anymore whose fault it was.
***
Hazel sat down at Ranon’s work desk inside his ho office in their apartnt, eating her dinner while watching her husband make several phone calls to clean up her ss.
She had offered to solve her own problem, but her heartless husband shoved a piece of at into her mouth instead, and told her to stay put.
Not only was Ranon’s phone busy, but Hazel’s phone also kept ringing, and from the caller ID, she saw it was Denzel. He must not be able to reach Ranon; that was why he called her.
But Ranon caught a glimpse of his na on the screen and told Hazel not to pick it up, which she happily did.
Yet, who would have thought he would turn up at their door late at night with Ema, who pushed his wheelchair?
By that ti, Hazel had fallen asleep, but she was woken up because it was too cold and the bed next to her was empty.
She got one of Ranon’s shirts and walked out of the room; that was when she heard their conversation. Denzel sounded very angry and frustrated with him.
"What actually happened?! Tell the truth now!" Denzel was enraged because Ranon only gave him a vague answer. "Why was that woman there?"
He must have learned about what happened, but lacked the details.
"That woman is my wife," Ranon said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Show so respect."
Hearing that, Denzel widened his eyes; if he could stand up, he would have hit Ranon straight on his face. Thankfully, Ema was tactful enough to de-escalate the situation. She imdiately chid in.
"Don’t say sothing like that to your father, Ranon," Ema said in a gentle tone. "Your father is worried that Hazel will bring trouble for our family." She sighed deeply. "We still think getting married to her is not the right decision."
Ranon didn’t even look at Ema when he spoke again. "Control your woman, Father. She has no say in this."
The words that ca out of his mouth were very callous. His expression didn’t even change. He didn’t even put her in his eyes.
How could soone who once looked at her with love and respect now not even want to spare her a glance?
"Watch your mouth!" Denzel roared. "She has every right to ddle in this problem! That woman is troubleso! If you can’t even control your woman, I don’t think you can take the responsibility to handle the company!"
Hazel missed their previous conversation; she couldn’t guess what they were talking about until things escalated this way.
Yet, Ranon’s next answer shocked them all.
"Do you want to step down from my role in the company?" Ranon asked lightly. That was clearly a threat.
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