THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 96: SWEET TOOTH

Chapter 96: SWEET TOOTH

Cam opened the car door for Fay at the ice cream store, and she hopped out.

"Thanks Cam," she said, and turned to see if Marilyn had come down too.

"Is this the store?" She asked the older woman.

She smiled. "It is. They sell the best ice cream," she replied.

Fay nodded excitedly. Ice cream always made everything better. Unfortunately, she had never gotten the chance to take quality ones. She would be lucky as a kid if she even got yogurt.

Standing in front of one right now, ready to buy some still felt very much surreal. Who would have thought? She thought, grinning from ear to ear.

They made their way into the shop, and were welcomed by a pleasant woman that didn’t look a day over thirty.

She was tall, and heavy on the top side, but had a pleasant smile that could melt a rock.

"Welcome to our store, ma’am. It looks like this is your first time here," she directed pleasantly towards Fay.

Face turning crimson from the sudden shyness that overcame her, nodded. "I’m Fay," she said.

"And I’m Darla. Please come with me," she said, and proceeded forward.

Fay’s nostrils flared as she walked behind the pretty Darla, while Marilyn walked beside her.

She inhaled all the flavors that made her wiggle her nose in euphoric joy.

The building itself added to the intrigue of the store. It was so bright and pink. They also did well to divide it into sections. One side for the children, and the other, for the adults like her who had sweet teeth.

She cheesed in surprise when she saw the lineup for ice cream. Apparently, the entrance had been like the lobby area. This was actually the main ice cream parlor.

"Wow, Mar, they’re a lot of people here," she leaned closer to Marilyn, and whispered.

"I know right? Are you okay? Do you want to maybe try out another store?"

She opened her mouth to respond when Darla returned.

"Please come with me, ma’am. As a first time customer, you have the privilege to go in first."

Fay’s eyes widened some more. "Really?" Her feet hopped reflexively.

Darla chuckled. "Why, aren’t you just the bubbliest flower? Because of how excited you are, your first taste is on the house."

Fay glanced at Marilyn, her lips quivering with excitement.

"You don’t need my permission," Marilyn giggled. "Go ahead."

"Won’t you come with me?"

"No. I’ll wait for you here. Go," she shooed her away with her hand.

"Okay. I promise to bring you some."

Waving her goodbye, she followed Darla past the long queue. They all looked at her with curiosity in their eyes, making her avert her gaze.

Ignoring the lingering stares, she focused on Darla, and the promise of the finest ice cream.

The tall woman took a turn, and arrived at a room.

"Hey, look who I brought with me. A first time customer!" Darla announced as they entered the room.

Fay looked around, the smile not leaving her face.

It was a tasting room, with tables and chairs fixed like a restaurant. There were two people already there, aside from the staff.

"Whoa! She’s stunning!" A man said, coming out of the ice cream making room.

Two heads looked through the window. "She really is! Wow!" A woman said.

"Where did you get her from? A movie?" Her partner added.

It took Fay a few seconds to realize they were talking about her. When it became clear, her face turned totally red, and she instantly lowered her gaze.

"She’s also shy too," the first man said. "Hey miss, I’m Earl, chief ice cream churner," he said, stretching out his hand to her.

Slowly, she lifted her head, and accepted his handshake.

"Awnn, you’re shy, aren’t you? Well, come with me to this special seat reserved for a special person," he said, leading her to a chair.

Subconsciously, she looked at Darla, and the older woman smiled at her.

In her head, she reasoned that it was a pattern for the girl. She always looked up at someone older as if taking permission from them.

Some people would find it respectful, but for her, she knew it was a trauma response.

She wondered what her story was. A pretty girl like that with that much trauma hidden behind her smile had to have gone through a whole lot.

Shaking her head, she went into the churning room, leaving Earl to charm her with his stories.

"This is your first time here?" The old man in his sixties asked the girl who could very much be his daughter, and even granddaughter.

"Yes. My—" she paused, not exactly sure how to describe Marilyn. She felt awkward calling her the housekeeper. "My friend," she finally settled for. "Yeah, my friend brought me here."

"Well, where’s she?" He asked, whipping his head all around.

Fay giggled. "She’s in the other room. She didn’t want to come with me. I told her I’ll bring her some."

"Well, I’ll bring you the best Ice cream you’ve ever tasted. Just give me a few minutes," he said, and turned around.

Alone now, she suddenly felt jittery with nervousness.

The ice cream was only just one part of her reason for coming. There was also the money aspect.

The thought had barely formed in her mind when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse, and sighed when she saw the screen.

It was an unknown number. That was usually not a very good sign.

Reluctantly, she answered the call and tucked the phone in her ears.

"He– hello?" She stuttered nervously.

"Are you trying to allow us to starve to death?!" She heard the raging voice of her aunt, and flinched as if she was physically there with her.

"Au–aunty Lynne," she called in a trembling voice.

"Don’t you dare Aunty me. Don’t do it! I told you we needed money. What’s taking you so long to send it? You never used to be like this Fay. You’ve changed so much!"

"I’m sorry Aunt. I’m trying to send it," she said.

"How? Or maybe your husband told you not to send me some money. After all, he told those no good cops to make sure I stay away from you. Did you know that too? Is that something you agreed to?" She hissed venomously.

"Aunt Lynne, please. I’ll send it to you before the day runs out. I’m currently in this ice cream store where I’ll—"

She heard a beep sound right in the middle of her words. "Hello?" She said, but it was pretty obvious the call had ended.

Slowly, she pulled the phone away from her ears, her eyes adopting a sad shade.

"Are you okay, ma’am?"

She lifted her head to see Darla staring pitifully at her. Quickly trying a smile that didn’t reach her eye, she straightened up, and swallowed the tears stuck in her throat.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I’m fine."

"Are you sure? That seemed rather intense," she pushed. She knew that look. It wasn’t a look of someone who was fine. It was one of someone pretending to be fine.

"I’m fine, Mrs Darla."

"It’s just Darla," she corrected.

Fay nodded apologetically. "I’m sorry, Darla. I’m fine," she said.

"Alright," she smiled in hopes that she could get her to forget whatever it was she clearly didn’t want to talk about. "I brought you your first ta—"

"Ma’am– sorry, Darla, can I please ask you a favor?" She bit her lips, embarrassed by what she was about to request for.

"Sure," she quickly set aside the mini bowl of ice cream, and sat beside her. "Talk to me," she said earnestly. She didn’t know why, but she just wanted to help the girl.

"I have to send my aunt some money. I have my card here with me," she said, pulling out the card. "Is there a way the store can send the money to her, and take it out of my account?" She asked.

It wasn’t an unusual request. People had emergencies that required them to make these kinds of transactions. What was unusual was how cautious she looked, making that request. Something was wrong, and it pained her that she wasn’t in a place to make her tell her what it was.

"Alright. I’ll help you. Just wait a second," she said.

"Really?" Fay’s eyes lit up. "You’re really going to help me?" She asked, as it began to water.

"Of course. It’s not a difficult request at all. Hey, why not taste your ice cream while I go speak to Earl?"

"Okay!" She nodded vigorously.

Darla threw her a kind smile. "I’ll be right back." She rose to her feet, and walked towards the churning room.

Fay couldn’t stop smiling. She was still smiling while taking a scoop from her ice cream bowl when a name caught her attention.

"Isn’t that Ace Atticus? What has he done again?"

She whipped her head towards the direction of the voice. There was a TV screen which she was only just noticing. On the screen was Ace indeed.

He was beating up his uncle. And just behind him, she stood, crying hysterically.

"Oh no," she muttered under her breath, just as she heard another customer speak.

"Wait, doesn’t the woman behind him look familiar?"

Fay’s heart instantly jumped to her mouth, and her tongue dried up.