I wanted to help her relax, but she backed off by reflex and looked at me in confusion. “Sorry, I…”
I nodded before giving her some space. “Calm down. I won’t force you to talk. You can tell me about it when you’re ready. Don’t be scared.”
She bit her lips, her eyes tearing up. When Armond and Nora came over after they were done doing the dishes, Hailey darted into the bedroom, much to Nora’s confusion. “What’s with her?” she asked me.
I was looking at Armond, but he was still putting on his polite front. “It’s nothing. She’s unwell, so she’s retiring for the night.”
Nora nodded dumbly. “No wonder she looks out of place. Is the weather affecting her?”
I nodded. “Probably. Please take care of her.”
She nodded before going to Hailey’s bedroom, concerned.
Armond was giving me a warm smile. “You seem to be unhappy. Is it because I’m here?”
I pursed my lips. “You should end this with her if you don’t love her. Stop hurting Nora.” Armond was a mysterious man. I could never understand which part of him was real, and which was not.
He sat on the balcony’s sofa languidly. “I thought you should be more concerned about your daughter, but it seems you care about Nora more. Well, she is adopted after all, so I can see why you don’t really care about her.”
I held my anger down. “I’d shut up now if I were you.”
He smiled nicely. “I’m a talkative guy. Won’t you give me a chance, Scarlett? I don’t mind having an affair with you. I’ll tell Nora off if you’d say yes, and I’d keep it a secret from Ashton. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”
Armond was disgusting as usual. I looked at him coldly while holding my urge to hurl. “You’re disgusting, you know that?”
He dismissed my hostility. “But I like it and I’m having fun.”
I went to talk with Hannah and Chandler or I’d puke if I had to say another word to Armond. Honestly, I didn’t care about that psycho, but Nora was a newbie in relationships, so I didn’t want Armond to hurt her.
Hannah handed me some cut-orange. “Someone seems angry. Have an orange. It’s super sweet.”
I popped a slice of it into my mouth. “Mmm, it’s really sweet. Is Kiki with Uncle Louis today?” Kiki was still young, so Hannah usually wouldn’t be staying out so late.
The mention of Kiki saddened her, but she nodded. “John got him a nanny and had him stay with Uncle Louis. I could only visit him from time to time.”
I was surprised to hear that, since I thought John would at least let Hannah take care of the child. “He’s still young. Can Uncle Louis really handle him?”
Hannah nodded. “He has weaned, so it’s fine.”
Chandler looked at the time, but he didn’t urge Hannah to leave, though I knew he must have some work to settle. Luckily, Ashton called me. “I’m here. Come down.”
“Sure.” Then, I hung up. “I’ll say goodbye to Nora. It’s getting late, so let’s go home.”
Hannah nodded and came with me to say goodbye to the girls. Hailey was looking better, so she wanted to send us off, but I held her down. “Just lie down, Hailey.”
We went down together, and I noticed that Ashton’s car was right outside. Hannah bade us a simple goodbye before leaving with Chandler, while Armond stood beside me with his hands in his pockets. “You risked yourself to save Ashton. I’m looking forward to see the day when the roles are reversed.”
I shot a glare at him before trotting up to Ashton in silence. He was leaning against the car when I came up to him, then he hugged me. “He’s here too?”
He was referring to Armond. I leaned against his chest and listened to his heartbeats. That always gave me a sense of safety. “Nora called him over. She didn’t know about the incident in Moranta.”
Ashton looked at Armond sternly. Meanwhile, Armond was grinning eerily at us. That man was terrifying. For some reason, I had a feeling he could destroy us when we least expected it.
I held Ashton’s hand the moment we got into the car, refusing to let go. Ashton seemed slightly annoyed, but he let me do what I wanted and drove with one hand. Then, I noticed the watch on his wrist and froze. “Is this new? I’ve never seen this watch before.”
