Chapter 198: HE WANTED THEM
"So, she gave birth through C-section?" Denzel sipped his coffee. He tried to hold back his anger, but he couldn’t help but make a nasty remark upon learning how Hazel chose the easy way.
"You have known about this since the beginning," Ranon replied. He didn’t order anything, as if he was going to leave anytime soon.
"You did that out of spite."
"I did that because of a mutual decision between me and my wife. You have nothing to do with it." In other words, Ranon told Denzel that he was not that important for them to consider his demand.
Actually, that was indeed right, but Denzel was used to having a sense of power. Recently, however, he felt Ranon had slipped through his fingers.
His demand was not only because of the bullshit tradition that he came up with, but also because he wanted to control them.
"When will you return to the company?" Denzel swallowed his dissatisfaction and changed the topic. He addressed the main reason he had come to see Ranon.
He didn’t care about the baby. That woman gave birth to a girl, after all. A girl couldn’t continue the family name.
"I will not." Ranon leaned his body against the chair; he wanted to leave and check on Hazel and their baby. They had not yet agreed on a name for her. "I believe I have made that clear as well."
"Ranon!" Denzel slammed his hand against the table. He was furious, but Ranon actually stood up. "Where are you going?! I have not yet done talking to you!"
"We’re in public, and you’re drawing other people’s attention. If you’re too angry to talk right now, it will be better if we discuss this later," Ranon said calmly. "I will ask your wife to be here."
And after saying that, Ranon walked away, leaving his father alone. If it were in their residence, Denzel would have shouted at Ranon’s defiance. In a public setting, however, he had to hold his tongue.
His anger was even stronger when he realized Ranon had left him alone here because he couldn’t chase after him.
He knew it was a mistake to entrust the company’s responsibility to him.
However, had it not been for Ranon, the company would have faced bankruptcy.
***
It happened again. Her dream came again. The same thing repeated. It felt like the devil’s circle.
She watched Aubrey shoot her, and her body fell into the river. She knew it was just a dream, but she couldn’t wake herself up from it.
She was forced to see how River struggled to breathe, the water suffocating her, and the darkness swallowing her.
The next thing that came was that she was standing in the morgue room now, but her body had turned blotchy. When she looked at her hands, they had turned into bones.
Hazel woke up with a start. She breathed heavily and looked around her. She startled when she saw something moving at the corner.
However, it was only a shadow from the tree outside. Her whole body was shaking, and she was very cold.
"Stop this..." Hazel squeezed both her hands to stop herself from trembling. "It’s okay. You are safe now. You are here."
Ranon was right. She shouldn’t have seen River’s remains, because right now, it haunted her, and there was no way she could get rid of the image that had been seared into her mind.
"You are safe... You are safe..." Hazel then touched her face, making sure there was nothing wrong with her skin.
And when it couldn’t appease her fear, she jumped from the bed and went to the bathroom to see her reflection.
After the operation, she shouldn’t have moved this fast, but even when the pain from her lower abdomen bit her, it didn’t slow her down.
Only then did she see it was still Hazel’s face, and aside from being very pale, there was nothing out of place. She checked her whole body and spotted the stitches. She didn’t mind it. River’s body had more scars than mere stitches.
"It’s okay... It’s okay." Hazel closed her eyes and chanted the same thing over and over again; she didn’t realize it when Ranon called her name and found her inside the bathroom.
"What’s going on?" Ranon approached her immediately and checked on her. "Are you in pain?"
"No, I am fine." Hazel shook her head and then turned around to face him. She forced a smile. "I want to lie down again."
She was in pain, but it was not something she couldn’t bear.
However, Ranon was too worried to let her walk back to the bed, so he carried her instead. Hazel wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.
She hoped the walk could last a little bit longer because she needed this closeness. His presence calmed her nerves.
"Do you need something?"
Ranon sat down next to her on the bed while Hazel was lying down. It was refreshing to be able to sleep on her back again.
"No." Hazel shook her head. What she needed was not something Ranon could fulfill.
"Are you happy with the baby?"
"The baby looks like me with her brown hair and eyes; I won," Hazel chuckled. "Of course, I like her." Lying was a second language that she had mastered since such a young age; thus, it was not difficult for her to lie to him.
She didn’t hate her daughter, but she didn’t feel the connection with her. She didn’t feel the instant love that Ranon had for the little one.
She couldn’t bring herself to love anyone when she was full of hatred and bitterness.
However, on the surface, Hazel smiled softly. The pain increased in her lower abdomen, but she said nothing.
Sometimes, being in pain was good to keep her mind clear.
"What do you want to name her?" Ranon reminded Hazel that they had not yet agreed on the baby’s name.
"I don’t have an idea." Hazel closed her eyes again. She wanted to sleep, but the nurse said she would bring the baby back so she could breastfeed her. "Razel; Ranon Hazel?"
Hazel opened her eyes to see Ranon’s expression when she suggested the name. She couldn’t help but laugh. The idea to mix their names was too tacky.
"What about Hazelnut?" Hazel found a little bit of happiness in making Ranon uncomfortable. "Or Hazel tree? Hazelleous?"
Ranon covered her mouth. "I will think of a name."
***
Because Ranon didn’t allow any visitors, Denzel and Ema had to go back, which made the former even more enraged.
Ranon was out of his control now.
To be fair, though, Lucian and Ares weren’t allowed to visit either because they wanted to focus on their baby during the first week after her birth.
Hazel was discharged three days later, even though she could have gone back home a day after she gave birth, but Ranon wanted to make sure she and the baby were fine.
And despite the complication before the labor, Hazel and Ashlyn were in perfect condition.
They named their baby girl Ashlyn Charise Leighton. Hazel contributed with the middle name, while Ranon got the first name that both of them liked.
"Oh, heaven! She is so adorable!" Renna was very excited, waiting for the two of them to return. "Let me carry her, please."
She had cleaned the entire house. Since they didn’t prepare a nursery room for the baby, who would sleep with her parents, Ashlyn’s crib was in Ranon and Hazel’s bedroom.
Ranon handed Ashlyn to Renna and helped Hazel get some rest. Their baby was still sleeping, and when she woke up and felt hungry, Renna could come to their bedroom.
"Yes, yes, get some good rest. I have made some soup for you," Renna said, referring to the nutritious meal she had prepared as she took the baby from Ranon’s arms. She was clearly an expert in doing this; having her here was a great comfort.
After that, Ranon took Hazel back to their bedroom and helped her to settle down. Hazel had been very sleepy, and the moment her head touched the pillow and she closed her eyes, sleep took over her.
"Sleep well," Ranon whispered. He tucked her in and kissed her forehead before he left to see his daughter.
"But I held her less than five minutes," Renna protested when Ranon wanted to take the baby back.
"I want to show Ashlyn her cribs," Ranon said lightly. He took the baby from Renna’s arms. "Let her sleep with Hazel; it will help them to bond." He added.
Renna was not happy, but she handed over the baby. She wished Ranon would go back to work soon.
On the other hand, despite it being the first time for him to hold a newborn, Ranon adapted surprisingly quickly. The baby felt right in his arms.
As Ranon walked, Ashlyn opened her eyes and yawned before she fell asleep again. Her lips pursed and her fingers curled.
And when Ranon went to bed and put Ashlyn next to Hazel, he lay down on the bed, too. He stared at the mother and daughter, who were sleeping, and a decision was set.
It was impulsive, and he knew that, but this was what he wanted. Ares and Lucian would explode if they heard about this.
However, Ranon would find a way, in one way or another.
He wanted her.
He wanted them.
He wanted his family.