Chapter 107 - BETWEEN AIDAN AND ZIA
Chapter 107 – BETWEEN AIDAN AND ZIA
"Then what did Uncle Diego say?" Hailee asked timidly, biting her lip nervously. Either she was panicking over what Ramon was going to say, or at the fact that this man was hugging her and she could feel his broad chest pressing against her back.
Ugh!
Why is her mind so dirty even when it was still so early?!
Hailee scolded herself, but then she turned serious as Ramon started talking.
"Do you really want to hear the answer?" Ramon asked, resting his chin on top of Hailee's head. The gesture is casual, but it was enough to send Hailee's heart racing again.
And now, she was like a rabbit who was trapped, looking so obedient, docile and not very naughty.
Hailee lowered her head and looked at Ramon's arm that was holding her body, then a smile appeared on her lips when she noticed how close they were.
"Hm," Hailee muttered, nodding her head, but her eyes didn't leave Ramon's hand on her stomach.
"Your uncle didn't say much, he just reminded me to always be on the 'safe side' and not forget to use safety." Ramon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Hm?" It took a few seconds for Hailee to digest the words, but then she jumped in surprise. "What?! It was a lie, uncle can't possibly say that!"
Hailee immediately turned her body and looked at Ramon with wide eyes in disbelief.
"He said it," Ramon reiterated his words. "Your uncle is not as scary as you think."
Hailee winced when she heard Ramon's words. How could Uncle Diego say such a thing?
Ramon and Diego just met yesterday and it haven't been a full twenty- four hours, but his uncle trusted this man so much?
He was indeed remarkable…
Hailee clicked her tongue in admiration. Ramon sure knew how to attract sympathy from others toward him and despite his quiet nature, he was also able to make others believe him even without any significant effort, as if these were gifts he was born with…
Really making other people jealous.
"Then what did you say to Uncle Diego?" Hailee became even more curious.
"What did I say?" Ramon raised his eyebrows, his face very innocent, as if he had not done anything wrong. "Of course I said 'sure'."
"Ramon!" Hailee hit the guy's chest, not hard enough, but making Ramon laugh softly at her reaction. "How could you agree with Uncle Diego's words? Why don't you explain that you insisted on sleeping in my room and we didn't do anything?"
"Because he didn't ask," Ramon said lightly, as if it was an obvious fact and Hailee didn't have to ask any more.
What the hell was wrong with this man!
"Ramon, it's very embarrassing!" Hailee hit Ramon's chest again, but this time, the man caught her hand. "How can I face Uncle Diego after this?" she grimaced at the thought how her uncle would look at her.
"It is your business, not mine," Ramon answered and gave the sweetest smile Hailee had ever seen.
If only Hailee hadn't been mad at him like this, she would have felt her heart beat very fast again and her face would have been flushed hot by now.
However, not this time, when she remembered how embarrassing it was to face Uncle Diego later, the butterflies, which would flutter in her stomach at the sight of such a beautiful smile died suddenly.
"Don't smile like that at me! You should have explained to Uncle Diego the truth!" Hailee then bit Ramon's hand that was holding hers, quite roughly, indicating how annoyed she was.
And just like the previous incident, Ramon only frowned, this man's endurance in enduring pain, was really very high… and when Hailee didn't release her bite, he pinched Hailee's nose and made her unable to breathe, so she couldn't help but let go of Ramon's arm from the grip of her teeth.
"If you want to explain, you can explain later after we have breakfast." Ramon then glanced at the shape of Hailee's teeth marks which were clearly imprinted on the skin of his hands, then got up from the bed and threw the pillow that was on the floor at Hailee, who was busy frowning. "Hurry up and get down to breakfast, we have to go home. I have got a lot of things to deal with."
What kind of advice is that?! How could Hailee explain that to Uncle Diego? How should one start such a conversation?!
Before the pillow could hit Hailee in the face, she caught it, but then she threw it again at Ramon, who dodged it with ease.
"Ramon, you are so annoying!" Hailee exclaimed irritably.
"I know," Ramon said lightly and walked out of the room, leaving Hailee alone, grumbling.
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Hailee came down for breakfast after twenty minutes. She couldn't decide whether she should have breakfast or not after what Uncle Diego found out.
At first, Hailee thought that she would come down when they were going to leave, but that would be very rude, considering there were great aunt Emelyn and great uncles Derek and Ed.
Besides, if Hailee avoided breakfast, Uncle Diego would be overthinking the situation between Ramon and her.
So here was Hailee, descending the stairs very carefully, as if she could buy time forever by doing that.
As soon as Hailee got to the dining room, there was already everyone except Aileen and Theodore, who she later found out, had left without having breakfast together, because Theodore seemed to have an important meeting in the morning that he had to attend.
It was a really good idea actually… Hailee and Ramon should have done that too…
But, it was too late… now Hailee must face them all and also Uncle George, who twisted his face in a very annoying expression, as well as his wife who immediately mocked Hailee the moment she saw her.
"You got up so late," Alena, George's wife, commented as soon as she saw the figure of Hailee entering the dining room.
Hailee tried to ignore the comment and immediately sat down on the empty chair next to Ramon, throwing a sweet greeting to everyone except Alena.
If Hailee and Diego's relationship is not that close because Diego is often absent and spends a lot of time in his military, then Hailee and George's relationship is not good because the girl doesn't like his whole family.
Whether it's Alena, his wife or Arvin, their son who is only two years older than Hailee.
"How can you get married if you wake up always in the afternoon like this?" Alena didn't stop commenting, especially when she was blatantly ignored.
As for Arvin, he did not make the slightest comment because currently his focus is only on games on his cellphone. He didn't care about the tension at the dining table at all.
"You should have gotten up earlier to prepare breakfast for Ramon." George replied. "Show that women from the Tatum family are very good at managing the household."
Hailee glanced irritably at George. Of course she always woke up early and often prepared breakfast for Ramon, she even cooked dinner for the two of them.
But, they don't have to know about it.
And when Hailee wanted to reply to George and Alena's words, Ramon cupped his hand over Hailee's, a subtle gesture to stop her from saying anything.
"Hailee doesn't have to get up early to do all that," Ramon said quietly, taking a leisurely sip of his coffee. "We have more than enough servants just to make breakfast. She just needs to do what she wants."
Alena snorted at that. "Of course the servant can do all that, but as a wife it should be Hailee's job to serve her husband."
"I would prefer Hailee to 'serve me' in another aspects," Ramon replied. From the way he spoke, it could be heard that he was hinting at another meaning of the word 'serve' and that caught the attention of the people at the dinner table.
After all, they had been in the domestic life for years and of course they knew what Ramon meant.
Hailee and Diego choked at the same time as soon as Ramon finished saying the double meaning sentence.
Ramon is a devil!
"You are okay?" Ramon handed Hailee a tissue and patted her shoulder gently. "Be careful while drinking," he warned, like a caring husband.
On the other hand, Hailee could only stare fiercely at Ramon, but did not dare to say anything that could disturb the atmosphere, or give any other impression to these elders of the Tatum family.
At first glance, Hailee could see great aunt Emelyn glancing at her meaningfully and Hailee felt the urge to exclaim.
That was not what it means!
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Zia woke up when she heard the sound of her cell phone ringing softly in the still too dark morning.
Her hand came out of the blanket, felt around the edge of the short table beside the bed and found the flat object.
Even without seeing who the caller was, Zia knew who was calling her this early.
It was her father.
Zia lied when she said that she would be back before midnight, when in fact, she was staying with a man instead.
The man she has been dating for almost three years and is now sleeping beside her.
"Who?" Aidan's sleepy voice could be heard.
"Shut up, it's my father." Zia then slid a virtual button on her cell phone screen to receive her father's call, while Aidan is wide awake beside her.
The man then took Zia's cellphone and pressed the loudspeaker button so he could listen to what Diego would say to his daughter.
At first, Zia wanted to protest, but with her father's voice shouting loudly from the telephone line, asking her whereabouts, Zia abandoned her intention and let Aidan hold the cellphone while she rested her head on his broad chest.
"Dad, don't worry, I stayed over at a friend's house, when I wanted go back home, it was very late and there were no taxis, so I decided to stay at Hana's house." Zia mentioned the name of a friend she didn't even have.
And the dispute continued for the next few minutes, which ended with Zia promising to come home before lunch.
After confirming that the telephone line was cut off, Zia immediately got out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Aidan asked, he also immediately got out of bed and put on his boxers which were lying on the floor.
"Going home, didn't you hear what my father said earlier?" Zia replied curtly.
"I will take you," Aidan decided, but then Zia turned and looked him straight in the eye.
"Aidan, we have to end all of this," Zia said firmly.