Chapter 228: A PECULIAR TASTE (2)
"She has a peculiar taste for cucumber juice." Ranon’s eyes fixed on his daughter in Renna’s arms. "Where did she get that from?" He asked flippantly.
Renna thought about that for a little while before she admitted that Hazel didn’t like cucumbers when she was little, but her father was angry with her because she was being a picky eater. Ever since then, she had eaten it without any complaint.
"It’s not like she liked the cucumber growing up, even though she didn’t say it. But if there were another option, she would go for the second one." Renna contemplated it for a while. "That’s why I was so confused when she suddenly loved the cucumber juice. I thought because of her pregnancy. You know, pregnant women crave something unusual sometimes."
However, Hazel was no longer pregnant, and she still loved the juice as if she had liked it for so long. Not only that, it matched River’s taste.
By this time, Ashlyn had stopped crying, but her face had turned red. Her big brown eyes stared at Ranon while she pursed her lips.
"Thank you, Renna. You can get some rest." Ranon took his daughter from Renna’s arms, and she smiled softly at him.
"I am glad that Hazel found you. She has never looked so happy before. I think she’s changed ever since she met with you. She has become livelier." Renna caressed Ashlyn’s chubby cheek, but the little one tried to grab her hand and shove it to her mouth. "Thank you for being very kind to her."
"There is nothing to thank me for." Ranon stared at Ashlyn, his gaze softened. "She gives me a family. Being kind to her doesn’t even cover it."
***
"Call him," Hazel said. She popped her joint as sweat layered her forehead, but she was satisfied. Her eyes shone brightly to see what she had done to these goons.
Her body was still stiff, and she wasn’t as fast as she used to be, but it was a start, and she liked it. With more practice, she would regain her fighting skills. Hazel was thrilled with her progress.
Meanwhile, Nolu and Yara were stunned to see how their madam fought. They were trained hard for this job, but seeing Hazel, it looked as if she had been trained for her whole life.
You could tell when someone was really great at what they did; it had almost become a second instinct for them. And that was what they saw in Hazel when she fought.
Not to mention Hazel’s eyes. The craziness in her eyes when she beat her opponents was mind-blowing. She looked scary and dangerous. Her cheerful aura shifted into something sharp and dominant.
"Call him now." Hazel kicked the bald man because he still refused to call his boss. "Call him now, or I will cut all of your fingers, and you will have to play cards with your feet."
Hazel sauntered to the bar and picked a knife that they used to slice lemons.
"Okay! Okay!" At this time, the bald man could see how serious this woman was. "You are crazy! Whoever you are, you will regret it when my boss comes to settle a score with you!"
Hazel rolled her eyes. She didn’t think much of it as she poured drinks for herself, Nolu, and Yara.
However, when Hazel was about to mix whiskey into the drink, Yara reminded her; she immediately approached her madam and spoke in a low voice.
"You are still breastfeeding." She said to her. Ashlyn was still relying on her completely; she needed to be mindful of what she consumed.
"Don’t worry. These are for you; both of you look very tense." Hazel mixed the alcohol into two glasses and drank the one without. "Here, relax. Everything is under control."
Hazel handed the two glasses mixed with alcohol to Yara’s hands and strolled across the room to the bald man again.
"Call him now." Hazel pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the bald man, who lay sprawled on the floor alongside the other men, all of whom had fallen unconscious with battered faces.
The bald man stumbled with his phone and finally called his boss. He talked in a low voice, telling him what happened here.
He called Hazel a crazy woman with two bodyguards, which gave Hazel a chuckle. It had been a long time since someone called her crazy because she beat the shit out of them. It was rather nostalgic, though.
"He will be here in ten minutes," he said begrudgingly. "What do you want? You know that you are going to have big trouble once the boss gets here; he will not leave you in one piece."
Hazel didn’t say anything. She sipped her drink and waited.
It was fifteen minutes later when a lanky man in his forties entered the house. His expression turned grim when he saw what had happened to his place and to his men, who were still unconscious.
He didn’t come alone; three bulky men entered the place and closed the door the moment they were all inside so the outsiders wouldn’t know what happened here.
Nolu and Yara became even more tense. Hazel noted that the drinks didn’t help.
"What the fuck is this?!" The man roared angrily. His eyes zeroed in on Hazel. He only glanced at Nolu and Yara as his own men flanked him.
"Luther." Hazel nodded. She greeted him warmly, as if she had known him for a long time. She did, but not as Hazel. "Can we talk somewhere private?"
"Who are you?" The man named Luther had a thin moustache and a crooked nose. His eyes looked too big for his long face, and he dressed in a casual white shirt and jeans. "Hazel Rose. No, Hazel Leighton."
He recognized Hazel because of her marriage to Ranon Leighton. Even though you were not interested in Hazel Rose, the name of Ranon Leighton was enough to keep your focus on the news.
"What are you doing here? Is it Ranon Leighton’s doing? Did he send you here?" Even so, Luther didn’t think he had offended Ranon Leighton in any way. They had never crossed paths directly.
"My hubby will not send his lovely wife to deal with his matter, Luther." Hazel smiled at the man. "Let’s talk in private. I have a lot of things to discuss with you."
Luther didn’t seem to believe her. He looked around the place and at the condition of his men. They were fighters, too, but the fact that Hazel could take them down was beyond him. Even though she had her bodyguards, they were still outnumbered.
"Don’t worry. I only want to talk."
"If you only want to talk, you don’t need to do this."
"But this is the quickest way to get you here. I don’t know where you were. So, instead of me coming to you, which will take a lot of effort and time, I don’t have any idea how to track you down. It is faster for you to come to me, right?"
Luther was speechless. He had never met someone who undermined him so blatantly like she did. This woman was... interesting.
"Fine." Luther nodded. He agreed to talk to her and instructed the three men with him to stay put.
"You can’t go alone with him," Yara said in a low voice. She was panicked, and so was Nolu. But he didn’t say anything, letting his partner do the talking instead.
"It’s okay." Hazel patted her shoulder to reassure her that she would be fine. "I will treat you both to lamb chops once we are done here."
But before Hazel went with Luther, she approached Nolu and spoke.
"Tell Ranon that I can’t make it for dinner; he can go ahead without me." Her tone shifted when she added. "Don’t exaggerate your report to him."
***
Ranon put away his phone. Nolu just told him what Hazel said and reported everything that happened there. He stared at his sleeping daughter, but his mind was somewhere else.
Not long after, Ranon picked up his phone again and called Lucian. Judging from the background sound of it, he knew almost immediately that Lucian was gambling again.
"What? Her taste of music?" Lucian was in disbelief that Ranon would call him to ask what kind of music River liked. "Are you okay? It sounds like you have a crush on her, you know." He shuddered. "You are creepy."
"What is it?" Ranon pressed for the answer; he ignored his comment.
"I don’t know. Wait; I will make a call." Lucian grumbled, but he called a man who was originally one of the Lozens’ men. Ranon had kept these people away from the McKennas so that they wouldn’t be hunted down and killed like dogs on the street; many Lozens’ men met such a cruel fate.
Shortly after, Lucian called Ranon with the answer.
"Sad songs," Lucian replied. His brows furrowed. "This is quite surprising—that she liked sad songs. Anything else you want to ask?"
However, Ranon just hung up the call. Lucian cursed at his phone, but then, he continued playing. He had won a few rounds.
On the other hand, Ranon gazed at the distance, his brow furrowed. He put Ashlyn back in her crib and waited for Hazel to return. He tried to finish a few documents, but after a few minutes, he gave up; he couldn’t concentrate.
In the end, he put on one of Hazel’s horror movies to wait for his wife.