novelxo Chapter 31
Chapter 31
The light in Athena’s eyes quickly dimmed.
This morning, after the rain stopped, the communication signal was restored, and Newman had already sent his people to pick them up in a car.
When Newman saw Yolanda’s incoming call, he answered the phone.
“Hello?” His voice was as cool and indifferent as ever.
“Newman, you finally picked up. Zoey said he couldn’t reach you and had no clue where you were. We were all so worried about you.”
It was the first time Athena heard Yolanda’s voice. During her time with the Bradshaw family, Yolanda was always the talk of the town.
She was the knockout belle of Everglade City.
Both Newman and his brother had fallen head over heels for her, even causing a rift between
them.
Later, after the Abbott family calamity, Yolanda’s world fell apart, Erik died in a fire for her, Newman was seriously injured because of her, and Cornelia, in a fit of anger, banished Yolanda from Everglade City.
After Cornelia passed away, Yolanda returned and had been living with the Bradshaw family for the past five years.
Newman, standing by the window and talking to Yolanda, softened his voice a bit, even sounding a tad more humane.
The sunlight outlined a golden edge on his handsome profile.
Athena heard Newman soothing the person on the phone, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Yolanda’s gentle voice came through. “Louis is worried about you too. He didn’t sleep well all night.”
Right after her words, a loud child’s voice came from Newman’s phone,
“It’s Mommy who’s worried about Daddy!”
The piercing voice leaked from the phone, making Athena, holding a bag of milk, jolt, and she felt an urge to throw up!
Back on the phone, Yolanda exclaimed anxiously, “Louis!”
She then softly said to Newman, “Newman, Louis is acting up again. I’ve told him several times not to call you daddy; it’ll upset Payne.”
Newman, his features expressionless, replied indifferently, “It’s fine.”
Chapter 31
He saw several black cars pulling up to the guesthouse; his people had come to pick them up.
He told Yolanda, “I’ve got to go,” and hung up.
Turning around, Newman saw Athena’s face pale as a ghost.
“The ride’s here.” Newman said coolly.
Athena handed him the bread, “I can’t eat these anymore, do you want them?”
Newman frowned slightly, “If you can’t eat them, just toss them.”
Athena had only eaten one slice of bread; there were still five left in the bag.
She gave a self–deprecating chuckle, thinking it made sense – Newman wouldn’t eat what she didn’t want.
Lowering her lashes, Athena meekly replied, “Yeah, okay.”
Newman was taken aback, finding Athena’s demeanor reminiscent of that silly, dazed girl.
The milk she had barely sipped and the five slice of bread ended up in the trash.
Athena figured it would be a long while before she’d want milk or the bread again.
As they drove down the winding mountain road, Athena tried to distract herself with other thoughts, but after hearing Yolanda and the child’s voices, it felt like a knife was twisting in her belly, churning her stomach.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Newman, how many kids do you have?”
“Two.”
Athena’s eyes slowly frosted over.
She once had two children of her own, but tragically lost one. She didn’t even know what that child looked like, never having seen the body.
“The one who called, is she your kids‘ mom?”
Her question brought a mocking sneer from the man, “Ms. Dempsey, you’ve got a crush on me, huh?”
With cruel sarcasm, Newman continued, “Last night you clung to my waist, slept on my legs, and now you’re jealous because I took a call from a woman?”
He scoffed disdainfully, only to be met with Athena’s tear–filled eyes.
Athena hated herself for feeling heartbroken the moment Newman answered Yolanda’s call, and even a pang of envy when he spoke softly to her.
When Yolanda’s child loudly called Newman “Daddy.” Athena trembled with a wrenching pain!
Back when she was tricked into signing the divorce papers by Newman, her son Kevin lost the right to call Newman “Daddy” even before he was born.
Chapter 31
Red crept up the corners of her eyes, the bitter pain welling up enough to drown someone.
Newman’s brows knit together, why was Athena playing the victim now?
Suddenly, Athena lunged at him, biting fiercely into the flesh of his neck, determined to tear it
off!
“Athena? What the hell?”
Newman growled, about to push her away when her hot tears fell on his neck, igniting an inexplicable desire to hold her.
The driver, catching a glimpse in the rearview mirror, slammed on the brakes in shock.
Athena fell backward, her head hitting the car window.
“Ouch!” Her teeth clamped down on Newman’s flesh, and he cursed as the taste of blood choked her.
She released her bite, cradling her throbbing head as tears flowed even more fiercely.
“It hurts!” Athena whimpered dizzily.
Newman, seeing her pitiful state, cursed under his breath and snapped coldly,
“Get out of the car!”
Dizzy, Athena instinctively obeyed, turning to open the door, when Newman asked, “What are you doing?”
“Weren’t you telling me to get out?” Her voice hoarse, her lips stained with Newman’s blood.
But it was Newman who hopped out of the car. He swung open the driver’s door and yanked the driver out.
“What kind of driving is that? You’re fired!”
Newman slid into the driver’s seat, buckling up, and through the rearview mirror, he caught sight of a bloody mess of a wound at the nape of his neck.
Did this chick flip her lid after her crush on him got blown wide open?
“Athena! Are you a dog?” Newman grumbled through gritted teeth.
Athena was already sprawled on the seat, hugging her head, eyes shut tight, giving Newman the silent treatment.
Last night, after Leonard dropped off Payne at Whispering Lake, he couldn’t reach Athena for the life of him.
He’d escorted Payne back to Mystic Ridge Villa, then the resort staff informed him that Whispering Lake was off the grid due to the heavy rain, with a landslide looming, sealing off the entire mountain road leading to Whispering Peak.
Leonard had no choice but to head back to the Bishop family and wait out the rain before he
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could go on the hunt for Athena.
Come the next day, the two kids bumped into each other at Mystic Ridge Villa’s hot spring.
“Did you bring the stuff?”
That was Payne, poking at Kevin.
“Here, take it.”
Kevin had been babied by Kent all night and was nearly over his cold.
He handed Payne a tiny clear plastic jar with a small tuft of hair he’d just plucked from his own head.
“So, did you manage to snag some of Mommy’s hair?” Kevin quizzed.
Payne fished out a similar little jar from his pocket, filled with several strands of long hair.
“I’m gonna get these, along with Belle Athena’s hair, tested to see if we’re legit bros and if I’m really Belle Athena’s kid!”
“Pineapple, should we check who our dad is too?”
Payne’s pretty brows furrowed, “I don’t have the guts to pluck Dad’s hair.”
Kevin flashed a smug grin, “Huh, I snagged some of his hair, though!”
Payne’s eyes popped as Kevin pulled out another clear plastic jar from his pocket.
Inside the jar was a bunch of fine, short, sandy–brown hair that didn’t look remotely human.