Chapter 176: OLIVIA’S PREDICAMENT (2)
This was not the first time Marcus had a problem with money, and based on the way they acted, Olivia could guess they were the people Marcus worked with or for...
She had never been involved in anything related to the crowd; all she knew about them came from Marcus.
Olivia came from the McKenna family, the family that worked for the Lozens, so she knew more or less what kind of things and deals this crowd did and what Marcus had been doing all this time.
"How much do you want?" Olivia gave him a murderous look.
Viper smirked, showing his black teeth, and leaned over to whisper in her ear. He mentioned the amount, which made Olivia’s eyes harden; it was not an amount that she could afford.
However, what Viper said next shocked her.
"I want your brother to be the one who will deliver the money." He tilted his head and moved away a little bit to look at her expression. "Lyle McKenna, right? You are from the McKenna family."
Olivia didn’t use ’McKenna.’ She came up with a completely different family name. Only people that were tied down to ’that world’ knew who she was.
"My brother? What do you want?" Olivia narrowed her eyes.
Viper kept in tabs with Marcus not because he was a valuable asset for him, but because of his relationship to the only daughter from the McKenna family.
He knew what Nelson had done behind his back and how he made extra money from it, but there were not many people who knew about the grudge Viper had against the McKenna family, especially their youngest son, Lyle.
"Oh, you can say that he has a debt that has been long overdue," Viper chuckled. "I have been waiting for this moment."
***
"She is sleeping. Do you want me to carry her too?" Lucian asked when they arrived. He parked next to Ranon’s car.
However, the question rewarded him with a sharp glare from Ranon. He opened the car door and carried Hazel by himself.
His movement was very careful, and Hazel was deep in her sleep. He noticed one more thing about her: she was easily exhausted during this pregnancy and was less aware of her surroundings.
"Are you sure you don’t catch feelings for her?" Lucian suddenly voiced the question that he had been itching to ask, particularly now when he witnessed how gentle Ranon was with Hazel.
He and Ares had been with Ranon for a very long time; thus, they knew how Ranon was when he was with Ema.
This was how he used to take care of that woman. He treated Hazel even better if he could say, especially when Ranon had suspicions about her.
"You know this marriage is only a sham, right?" It was a rare moment when Lucian turned serious.
He had seen how Ranon was when he had to deal with the fact that his woman was married to his father. Craziness was an understatement to describe him at that time.
At this moment, Lucian took on the role of his friend. He didn’t want to see Ranon go through the same thing again.
More so when there were a lot of mysteries around Hazel. They still didn’t have an answer about the relationship between Hazel and River.
"She is the mother of my child," Ranon stated. His statement didn’t even answer Lucian’s question.
However, Lucian remembered clearly how Ranon used not to like a child on his own. That was one of many reasons why Ema didn’t stay with him.
She wanted to have a family of her own but compromised for the sake of being with Ranon. Yet, it didn’t last.
"Are you sure she is only the mother of your child?"
Lucian didn’t get the answer out of him, which was expected, as Ranon entered the lift and then disappeared from his sight.
With that, Lucian could only pray for the best for him. He didn’t object if they were together since he felt the two of them were pretty similar, but he didn’t want to see ’that’ Ranon again. He was not fun to be around during that time.
***
Ranon put Hazel down on the bed, and she stirred awake. "Sleep again; we are home." He tucked her in, and she curled her body, falling asleep again.
Home.
The word was rather strange in Ranon’s ears. He had been living in this place for years, but he never thought this was a home for him.
Yet, with Hazel here, and they were going to have a baby... It changed his perspective.
Ranon knelt down next to the bed, staring at Hazel’s sleeping face. He caressed her head and contemplated.
He didn’t drive with her because he had a lot to think about, and if she were there, she would know how restless he was.
And now when Ranon looked at her, Lucian’s question echoed in his head, interrupting whatever problem he had in his mind.
"Who are you?"
After that, Ranon recalled again his conversation with Arthur. Instead of getting the answer that he wanted, he got more questions.
In the end, Ranon stood up and then walked towards the bathroom. He had to get rid of this smell before lying down next to her.
His father had been calling him since he ignored his demand to stop the divorce proceeding between Laurel and James.
He was adamant that they still needed the relation with the Starling family and the divorce would ruin everything.
But Denzel had been out of the business for years; it was Ranon who knew what was best for the company.
Later on, once Ranon was done taking a bath, he slept next to Hazel. He pulled her close to him, and the two of them slept throughout the night and morning.
Hazel only checked her phone in the afternoon and found Olivia’s distress message. She tried to call her, but she didn’t pick up.
"Where are you going?" Yara asked when she saw Hazel headed outside.