Finally Caught
As Herbert conversed with his boss, their movement was abruptly halted by the sudden appearance of Ariel in front of their path, causing Herbert to bow slightly and turn away with a disgusted look aimed at Ariel.
“I can see you’ve told your assistant everything,” Ariel commented as she approached Nelson. Her arrival had not gone unnoticed by him, “the look he gave just now was quite rude.”
Nelson straightened up and faced her, questioning her presence with a blunt tone. Ariel’s response was a sweet smile, baring all her teeth.
“You can’t hate me anymore, Nel,” she stated proudly, “because I am the mother of your child.”
“That has not been proven yet,” Nelson retorted, his agitation evident in his flared nostrils.
Ariel’s laughter could not be contained as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, Nel. When our son was born and I saw how much he resembled you, I was initially angry and saddened. But then I realized it was for the best,” she explained, her tone smug and her words laced with sarcasm.
Nelson’s cold expression did not waver as Ariel closed the distance between them and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “You see, I have now come to claim what is mine,” she stated, her smug smile unwavering.
It was Nelson’s turn to laugh.
“You said ‘what is yours’?” Nelson questioned, his laughter fading into a serious tone.
“I told you before that I am now a married man. But I’m sure you can confirm that on the internet or media, unless you are not smart enough to do so,” Nelson responded, his brow furrowed in irritation.
“And if it turns out that our son is indeed mine, I will gladly take him in and you can disappear into thin air once again,” Nelson stated, his tone stern and unyielding.
“Never, Nelson. I will never leave my son with you and let him be raised without me,” Ariel interjected fiercely, her anger palpable.
“I raised him for seven years all by myself. So you can’t take him away from me,” she growled, her teeth clenched in determination.
“Who said you should have raised him alone? Did you even inform me of your pregnancy before you disappeared? Did you even bother to reach out and tell me about it?” Nelson questioned with a scowl, trying to keep his anger at bay.
Ariel was left speechless.
“Now that you’ve used up everything you stole from me, do you think you can just come back and use our son as bait?” Nelson pressed, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Ariel shook her head quickly in response.
“No, Nel. Please believe me, I’m here to make amends for my mistakes and be a good mother to our son,” she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Once it’s proven that he’s my son, I’ll take him from you and raise him properly,” Nelson declared with a finality, turning away from Ariel.
“But I won’t allow just any woman to raise my son! You’ll have to take me in with our child,” Ariel snapped, but Nelson had already driven off in his SUV, leaving her behind.
“Nelson, you can’t do this to me! I’m the mother of your child!” Ariel continued to scream, running after the vehicle.
Soon, a small crowd had gathered, watching as Ariel yelled like a madwoman.
Before long, Herbert arrived and dispersed the onlookers before striding towards the agitated Ariel.
“Excuse me, Miss. This is a business establishment, and this kind of behavior is not acceptable here,” Herbert reprimanded sternly, causing Ariel to fall silent and turn to look at him.
“And who are you to dictate what I can and cannot do in my husband’s company?” Ariel retorted through gritted teeth, her gaze hard and unyielding.
“I don’t know who you think is your husband, but the CEO of this organization is my boss. I am Herbert Jones, his assistant, and who might you be?” Herbert inquired.
“I am his soon-to-be wife and the mother of his child and if you continue to keep on with this attitude, I’ll make sure he fires you!” Ariel’s voice boomed, her body wretched with anger.
Herbert’s expression feigned innocence as he retorted, “Forgive me, Madame. But do you speak of my boss, Mr. Carter, who hastily left now? I fail to recall ever seeing you in the seven years I have served him. Pray tell, to whom does this child of yours belong?”
“You imbecile!” Ariel screeched.
“Then you are gravely mistaken, for I am acquainted with Mr. Nelson Carter, a married man. I must have overlooked your presence in his life,” Herbert taunted, instigating even more rage within Ariel’s body.
She lunged at Herbert and grasped his shirt firmly. “Who do you think you are speaking to?”
“Do release me, Madame. This is a business establishment, not a hotel. One could misunderstand and mistakenly assume I did not pay you for services rendered,” Herbert pointed out, a smirk playing on his lips.
“You vile scoundrel! I swear, you shall pay for this!” Ariel growled, releasing her hold on him with force.
“I eagerly await your revenge. For now, do leave before I summon security,” Herbert replied calmly.
Ariel seethed with fury, her thoughts wild like a dragon’s. She glared at Herbert, but could not bring herself to utter a single word. Resigned, she turned on her heel and stormed off.
***
“Excellent work today, Hannah,” Hannah’s superior, a robust blonde woman in her forties, commended as the long day drew to a close.
Hannah beamed, “Thank you, Mrs. Crawford,” she replied with a slight nod.
“Keep up the good work. See you tomorrow,” Mrs. Crawford bid farewell, flashing a smile before exiting the shop.
“Yes, ma’am. Have a restful night, ma’am,” Hannah called after her, still grinning broadly.
Three hours later, Hannah disembarked from the cab and surveyed her house for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and heading inside.
Although she had mentally prepared herself for the worst tonight, Hannah still couldn’t comprehend why her heart was racing uncontrollably and her hands were clammy with sweat.
With a tentative hand, she pushed open the door that hadn’t been fully shut, her heart leaping into her throat at the sight before her.
Clothing belonging to a woman littered the floor of her living room.
Hannah took a deep breath and continued to make her way towards her bedroom, where she saw David’s belt and jeans lying in the doorway.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
Letting out a resigned sigh, she grasped the doorknob and entered without knocking. The scene that greeted her was enough to make her clutch at her heart, trying to ease the pain pulsing through it.
David, with a woman laughing and moaning on top of him, noticed Hannah’s sudden appearance and hastily pushed the woman away, scrambling out of bed.
Panicking and unsure of what to do next, David paced back and forth in the room before finally spotting his jeans on the floor by Hannah’s feet. He quickly retrieved them and struggled to put them on.
“Hannah? What-why-how did you-?” David stuttered in disbelief.
“Who is she, babe?” the woman in bed asked nonchalantly, making David realize that she was still there.
“Get out of here now!” David barked, grabbing the woman’s belongings and indicating for her to leave the room.
“Get dressed and get out of here,” Hannah coldly instructed David, ignoring the pain in her chest and putting on a brave front.
“Please, Hannah, let me explain. I swear, it’s not what it looks like, I promise,” David pleaded, falling to his knees.
“Put on your shirt and leave my house immediately, David,” Hannah stated calmly, looking him directly in the eye. “I won’t say it again,” she added before leaving the room.
Once outside, Hannah retrieved her phone from her bag and called Herbert.
“Hi, Herbert. Can you come to my house right now?” she requested, her voice steady and composed.