Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain
Chapter 33: THE LAST ITEM FOR THE AUCTION

Chapter 33: THE LAST ITEM FOR THE AUCTION

"I only drank a sip, okay? I completely forgot. I swear," Hazel explained exasperatedly to Ranon. She swore up and down that she forgot. In her defense, she was very nervous, and she was still trying to get used to this body. She believed for years that she couldn’t get pregnant, and now she was pregnant. Thus, it was easy to forget about that fact, especially when she had been riddled by the urge to kill Arlo and Aubrey.

"She is fine; the baby is fine," the doctor said.

She was a fairly young woman with thick glasses and a round face, probably at the same age as Ranon. She read the chart and explained things to Ranon.

Currently, they were in the hospital that the Leighton family owned most of its share. Therefore, it was easy for Ranon to keep secrecy here.

"Is she pregnant with your child?" Doctor Amber asked; Hazel read her name on a small nameplate on the table.

"Yes," Ranon replied without missing a beat.

Could she say that she was glad about the fact that he claimed the baby even before the DNA test confirmed it? It would save Hazel from embarrassment.

Doctor Amber raised her perfect brows. She looked surprised. "Poor thing. You have to spend your life with him." She read Hazel’s name. "Rose. Hazel Rose. Are you a part of the Rose family from Talbar City? The daughter of Greyson Rose?"

"Yes."

"I don’t really like your father, though," she said bluntly.

"Yeah, me too," Hazel agreed; she saw Doctor Amber smirk.

And after talking about the ’Do’s and Don’ts’ related to her pregnancy, Doctor Amber sent them away. "I know to keep it a secret," she said when Ranon looked at her, and then nodded.

They went out through the staff door where only the hospital staff could access it. Outside, their car had been waiting for them.

Ranon opened the car door for her and put his hand above her head. A nice gesture, Hazel thought.

"Do you know that woman? Is she your friend?" She asked once they were already on the main road. The night in Aspen City was like how Hazel remembered it. Always busy. Traffic was everywhere.

Ranon glanced at her. "A cousin," he replied lightly.

"Oh, right. I have not yet asked you about your family. How are they?"

"Normal."

Hazel scrunched her nose when she heard that answer. "What kind of reply was that? Describe normal to me because if normal is like you, then I need a lot of preparation before meeting them."

"If you knew about the Lozen family’s dark business, it would be an easy task for you to know my family tree." That was why there was no need for Ranon to explain them at all.

"You are not close with them."

Ranon raised his brows. "I can say we grew up in a normal family."

"Ah..." Hazel nodded her head. "Yeah, a normal family. I love my family." The sarcasm was very sweet on her tongue. She then looked outside through the car window; the city lights greeted her as they headed towards Aspen Bridge, and her heartbeat quickened. She needed to distract herself; thus, she kept talking. "How is the factory?"

"It’s fine. Half of it burned to the ground, and the items couldn’t be saved. The damaged items will cost a lot, but we will get back on track within a month or two."

"Wow, that’s a quick calculation." Hazel hugged herself when she saw the bridge in the distance. Her head was throbbing painfully. "Do you know the arsonist? Or is it accidental?"

"I think someone has planned it," Ranon replied; he caught sight of Hazel, who was hugging herself, and asked the driver to turn up the temperature. "We will figure it out later."

Hazel was in need of keeping talking, but Ranon was not good at initiating a conversation if he was not asked. He wouldn’t talk, which meant she needed to find another topic, but her mind kept rearing back to what happened in the Aspen Bridge, and right now they were crossing it.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

Hazel didn’t realize that she was trembling. She felt stupid for being scared like this. She didn’t want to shake like a leaf, but her body couldn’t help it. Her mind remembered the gunshot that rang through the night, the coldness of the water, the suffocation, and the lack of air.

"You are shaking." Ranon frowned; he took off his coat and wrapped her with it as he asked the driver to raise the temperature again.

"I am fine." She closed her eyes; when she assumed they had crossed the bridge, she opened them and realized where they were going. "Are we going back to the auction?"

"Yes, there is something I want to buy." Ranon paused and then looked at Hazel. "I will ask Lucian to get it. We will go back to the hotel."

"No. Let’s go back to the auction. I want to buy something."

"You don’t have the money," Ranon said bluntly. By the end of the auction, the item would increase in value, which meant the number would be exorbitantly expensive. Even with the money that Hazel got from Ranon, she wouldn’t get the item.

"I have the money."

"Your money is not enough."

"Hey, I am from an affluent family too."

"Your brother has blocked your cards."

Ranon was right. Dylan had not yet bothered to fix it when he blocked her cards because she smashed his head with a vase. What a petty bastard. He wanted her to beg him...

Hazel tilted her head. "We will get married, right? My money is your money, and your money is my money. I think that’s how it works, no?"

"Your money was my money, just in case you forget."

Hazel sighed. "Let’s go back to the auction. I am fine. I really don’t want to go back to the hotel."

After some whining and coaxing, finally Ranon relented; he asked the driver to go back, and they managed to arrive before the last three items.

"Here, thank you." Hazel shrugged his coat from her shoulders, but Ranon put his hands firmly and kept the coat on her.

"Wear it. It will be cold inside."

Hazel wanted to tell him that she didn’t feel cold anymore. The coldness was only in her mind, but then she decided not to say anything. It felt good to feel warm; more so, he smelled really nice. Something husky and warm, reminding you of a cup of coffee.

He led her to the second hall where everyone had been sitting down on their respective seats. Two to three seats were empty; probably they were going to the bathroom or they had left early.

Hazel couldn’t help but examine her surroundings, looking for the exit just in case...

She didn’t know what the worst scenario that could happen here was. She was safe; she was not on a mission that could put her life in danger and require her to run away.

A girl guided them to their seats, where Lucian and Valerie sat next to each other. They were talking about something, and Valerie rolled her eyes. She didn’t wear her glasses, showing her beautiful eyes.

Lucian lifted his head when he saw Ranon and Hazel. He smirked suggestively, as if they were late because they were having fun somewhere. Hazel stepped on his feet intentionally when she walked past him.

"What item do you want?" Hazel asked; she looked around. In the podium, a man was auctioned a beautiful blue diamond necklace, and a few people started to give numbers on the item, which increased immediately.

Hazel also saw the seats where her family was sitting. Elise already joined them, and she was one of the people who bid for the necklace, feeling irritated when someone outbid her.

While Ranon and Lucian sat next to each other, Hazel was sitting on Ranon’s right side, and Valerie was on Lucian’s left side.

"The item will be the last."

"That will be an expensive item."

Ranon didn’t comment on that. He sat down lazily as if he was waiting for them to bring the item that he wanted patiently.

Hazel couldn’t help but glance in her father’s direction; he was talking to his wife. She remembered Elise. She was already there as far as she could remember, and she only learned that she was not her biological mother when she was ten years old.

And until now, she didn’t know who her real mother was and whether she was still alive or dead. Her father had never said anything about her. He would shut the conversation down if she tried to ask.

Hazel didn’t have any grudges towards Elise. She had never been a good mother to her or to her own daughter. The only thing she cared about was her circle of friends and her appearance.

She wondered whether what she said to Arthur before would mean something.

"... and our last item!" The host announced as they reached the end of the auction. "This is a ring with a long history!"

The host started to recall the history of the ring, and Hazel was amazed that such a ring could have a very romantic story, and the value was triple the last item that was just sold.

However, Hazel didn’t pay attention to that; something clicked in her mind, and she grinned when she tugged Ranon’s sleeve to get his attention.

"Are you going to propose to me with this ring?" Her smile was so wide; she was grinning from ear to ear, which made Ranon furrow his brows.