Upon the sudden entry of Nelson Carter, Ariel was immediately summoned to his presence. From the expression on his face, it was abundantly clear that he was livid and incensed.
Initially, Ariel approached with a devious grin, but as she drew nearer, her face turned grave. Her pace quickened as she ascended the stairs, ultimately meeting Nelson and his assistant in the center of the room.
“Why did you have to bellow my name, Nelson? What is the matter?” Ariel inquired softly, trying to appear innocent with a subtle flutter of her eyelids.
Nelson’s sneer grew wider, a vein pulsating on his temple as he took a threatening step forward, causing Ariel to stumble back.
“What have you done to my wife, Ariel?” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Ariel rolled her eyes, raking her fingers through her hair. “What on earth are you talking about, Nel? Did someone tell you I was responsible for spilling the cooking oil?” she yelled defensively.
“Yes, you insolent witch! A witness saw you intentionally spilling that damn oil, clearly with the intent to harm my wife!” Nelson seethed, barely able to restrain himself from striking her.
Panic flooded Ariel’s heart, evident on her face. “Who said that? That is an outright lie! I swear I didn’t do it!” she protested, barely managing to maintain her composure.
Nelson shot a meaningful glance at Herbert, who immediately left the room, returning shortly with another person in tow.
As Nelson glared at Ariel with increasing intensity, he demanded, “Repeat what you told me earlier, woman.”
The woman, a short but robust figure dressed in a cleaner uniform and a neatly tied ponytail, took a step forward and bowed respectfully behind Nelson before speaking.
“I am Margaret, the new housekeeper. This morning, sir, while cleaning the dining room after everyone had departed, I spotted Miss Ariel sneaking into the kitchen,” she began. “Confused by her actions, I hid behind a pillar and observed her as she emerged from the kitchen with a jar of cooking oil.”
Ariel gasped, her body trembling with shock. She never expected to be caught in the act. In her mind, she thought that since there were no signs of any surveillance cameras, she would get away with her misdeed of spilling cooking oil.
“Call the police, Herbert,” Nelson commanded, causing Herbert to quickly retrieve his phone and make the call. He then ran outside, seemingly to wait for them to arrive.
“Nelson, you’re not going to arrest me, are you?” Ariel scoffed, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Nelson took a step back and put his hands in his pockets.
“You’re getting the mother of your child arrested over some bitch?” Ariel snapped, making a move towards him.
“You’ll be picking your teeth from the damn floor if you call her that again,” Nelson’s words were just as impactful, despite not shouting.
Ariel’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Just then, Herbert reappeared with three men in police uniforms.
Nelson walked up to them and pointed to Ariel. “Lock her up, officer. She tried to kill my wife,” he said solemnly.
One of the officers stood next to Nelson, while the other two went to apprehend Ariel.
“I’m his wife, officers! You can’t arrest me!” Ariel yelled as they approached her.
“Ma’am, please come with us. I don’t want to have to use force,” the first officer said calmly.
Ariel huffed, continuing to protest. “I am the mother of his child, officer. You can’t lock me up.”
“Just take her away already, officers. What are you waiting for?” Nelson barked.
In that moment, he looked up at the hallway upstairs and met Trevor’s gaze.
The little boy’s expression was blank, neither sad nor happy. It was as if he was unaffected by what was happening.
“Will you release me now?” Ariel’s piercing scream reverberated, her body struggling against the tight grasp of the men as they forcibly dragged her away.
Trevor stood motionless as he watched his mother being taken from the doorway.
Nelson heaved a deep sigh, cursing Ariel inwardly for causing him to be viewed as an awful father in Trevor’s eyes.
“Sir, your mother is on the line,” Herbert reported, hastening his steps towards Nelson with the phone in hand.
Nelson answered promptly, “Yes, Mom?”
“Lani is awake,” Susan informed him.
Immediately, a broad smile spread across Nelson’s face, one that he couldn’t contain.
“I’ll be on my way,” he said before hanging up and rushing out of the house.
—
“You should have seen how worried Nelson was earlier, Lani,” Susan said as she gently massaged Leilani’s injured leg.
Leilani’s smile widened, “Really?”
“Yes, dear. He practically ran from the parking lot to get here. He looked just like that.”
“That’s exactly how he was with Ariel before, Lani,” Susan’s expression became bittersweet and Leilani’s smile faded slowly.
Susan leaned back in her chair, “There was a time when I wasn’t feeling well. Nelson had to take the day off to take care of me, but guess what?”
Leilani arched her eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
“Ariel called and said she was stranded on the side of the road. Can you believe my son left me to go help her?”
Leilani gasped in surprise, her eyes widening as she covered her mouth.
Susan smiled tenderly and squeezed Leilani’s free hand. “That’s how much he loved her.”
Tears welled up in Leilani’s eyes as she felt sympathy for Nelson. She could only imagine how much he had gone through when Ariel left him. She felt a sense of compassion for him.
Just then, the door opened, revealing a beaming Nelson.
“He loves you, Lani. Please don’t break him,” Susan whispered as they both watched Nelson approach them.
As Leilani closed her eyes, the tears that had welled up began to overflow. “What’s the matter, Lani? Are you in pain?” Nelson’s tone was filled with concern as he made his way to her side and took hold of her hands.
“Mom, why aren’t you getting the doctor to help her? She’s crying,” Nelson scolded, already moving to fetch the medical assistance.
But before he could leave, Leilani squeezed his hand tight, their eyes locking in a moment of understanding and connection.
“I would never hurt you like she did, Nelson,” Leilani’s voice was laced with pain and sorrow as more tears streamed down her cheeks.