Chapter 241
The Love From Vengeance
241: FOUND HER ARIELâS POV Janice was standing right there, holding an ice cream with strawberry flavor. I was glad she was fine, and nothing bad had happened to herâall thanks to Lisa, Iâd say. I could only wonder where she was right now.
âIt seems like youâre looking for someone else, miss,â the lady told me. I refused to give her a reply, as I still had my eyes on Janice. She looked in that direction, catching sight of my daughter as well.
âIs that your daughter?â She asked.
âYes,â I answered, taking a look at her. âHow do you know?â
âItâs pretty simple. No one ever told you that you both look alike.â
âWell, not really. But I can see it right there.â
âOf course. You are her mother. She was with Lisa anyway.â
âAnd Lisaâs the one who bought her that ice cream?â I quizzed.
âI canât actually tell. But I think so.â
âThanks for the help.â I patted her shoulder. âI should go meet her right now.â
âYeah, you should probably do that.â
âYou just want me to leave as soon as possible, donât you?â
âIf you have no appointment, I donât see any reason why you should be here.â
I laughed. âThatâs sort of rude. But Iâll let that one slide since you did try to help me.â
âDonât misunderstand me, miss. I wasnât talking to you directly. I was just like, You know.â!
âOh, I totally understand,â I told her, fixing my hand on her shoulder.
She nodded, smiling at me. âIâm glad you do.â
âStill rude,â I stated immediately. âBut thanks anyway.â
I walked away from her and went straight to Janice, who was still enjoying her ice cream. I watched her, crossing my arms, as she faced opposite directions.
I cleared my throat, and she turned around immediately.
âMommy?â
âYes, Janice, itâs me. I finally found you.â I grinned at her. âYou had me worried, you know.â I walked closet.
âWhereâs daddy?â
âDaddyâs not here right now. Heâsâ¦â
âRight here, honey.â
I heard Lukeâs boy, and I turned around. He was walking next to us, grinning.
âDaddy!â Janice ran to him and hugged him. She was short compared to him, but he sat on his heels anyway.
âIâm so glad that you came,â she added. And I didnât know, but I felt kind of jealous.
âWhere have you been, little one?â Luke questioned her with a smile.
âThe spa, duh,â I answered, rolling my eyes.
âI wasnât talking to you.â
âYou are talking to my daughter. So technically, you were talking to me.â
He couldnât help but laugh. âIt seems like youâre the one whoâs acting stupid now.
âSo you admit it, you were acting stupid.â
âI never denied that,â he answered with a shrug. âBut donât taunt me.â
âIâve got better things to do.â
âYeah, well, you can get the hell out of here.â
I gave him a cold face instantly. âWhat? No?â
âYouâve got better things to do, right? Why was your time at the spa?â âBecause my daughterâs here.
You think Iâm just going to leave her?â âYou donât have to worry about that. Iâm here for her. You can leave.â
âExcuse me, but I came here first when we arrived at this place. You were still in the car doing only God knows what.â
âFor your information, I was making a business call.â
âYou never seemed worried about our daughter.â
âBecause I knew she was in safe hands, and sheâs indeed safe. Worrying too much- wasnât going to change anything. Letâs just be glad that sheâs back.â
âOf course, Iâm glad.â
âNah, I donât really think so.â
âOkay, what the hell is wrong with you?â I questioned him, my voice getting louder.
âWhatâs wrong with me?â
âYou just keep on talking shit, and itâs pretty annoying.â
âYouâre annoying yourself,â he retorted.
1 laughed, shaking my head. âNice one, idiot.â
âOkay, the two of you should please stop fighting!â Janice chimed in.
âHe started it.â I pointed at Luke.
âThe blameâs always on me, right?â
âAre you indeed planning to refute the notion that you instigated the entire shambles in this area?â
âAriel, calm down. Weâre at a spa; respect yourself.â
âSo what if weâre at a spa? Thatâs not going to stop me from telling you the shit you did.â
Luke clapped slowly, giving me a fake smile. âWow, Ariel. You are on fire.â
âPlease stop it; there is no need to fight,* Janice told the both of us. Why are the two of you fighting?â
âAsk your mother.â Luke gestured toward me.â
âHow crazy are you?â
âNot as crazy as you. You are a psycho. It might be sweet, but youâre a psycho.â
âI donât want to be sweet to you.â
âBut I love you.â
âKeep your love to yourself.â I turned my face away.
Lisa approached the three of us. âAriel, wow. I never thought Iâd see you again. Where have you been, girl?â
âItâs kind of a long story,â I responded, fixing my palms together.
âDid someone try to kill you? Did they try to hurt you or something?â
âYeah, you could say that.â
âWhy havenât you informed the police about it?â
âI donât want to.â
âSo youâre just going to let those guys get away like that?â
âWell, karinaâs a bitch, and theyâll obviously pay for what they did. One of them is already suffering wherever she is now.
âThatâs a she? Like, a girl did this to you.â
âYup, she almost sent me out of this world. But thank God, I survived. Thank God Iâm not dead right now.â
âWell, Iâm glad youâre back. Everyone in the family misses you so much. I know itâs kind of weird that Iâm saying this since the both of us donât usually talk in the past, but I miss you.
âOh, you do?â I asked her, raising an eyebrow.
âYeah, and I do miss your daughter as well. âYour children, actually,â he said. softly. âIâm sorry for Lukelâs death.â
âYeah, thanks for everything.â I hugged her. âThe ice cream, too,â I added, and Lisa laughed.
âOkay, you guys can take care. I just have to handle a few things.â
âNo problem. Take care, Lisa.â I waved her goodbye, and she walked away, smiling at me.
âNow, where were we before theâ¦â
He had to pause the moment I glared at him, giving him a dark look. âDonât give me that face.â
I ignored him, rolling my eyes and turning to my daughter. âSo, Janice. We have to go home. Todayâs been an exhausting one, donât you think?â
âNo, mommy. I want to go with Daddy.â Janice held Lukeâs suit tightly.
âLuke, what did you do to my daughter?â
âNothing. I guess she loves me.â He ruffled her hair, smiling down at her.
âOf course, she loves you. But she loves me more.â
âI canât argue, but I donât care anyway. Iâm good as long as someone loves me.â He held her chin, still smiling at her. She smiled at him back.
âJanice, are you being serious right now? Letâs go home before the day gets dark. The rain might also fall at any moment. We canât stay here forever.â
âWeâre not going to stay here forever. Weâll go to Daddyâs house.â