Baby Love Me Page 10

  No, not Dad too, Clarice thought. This was getting too complicated. This was her own affair. She just needed time to heal. She wanted to be left alone. Why was it so hard? She had to go now. She didn’t want to entertain any guests right now, especially in the state she was in. She knew she would explode if she saw Hunter.

  But it was already too late because that young man now stood right in front of her. His blond hair was still in its messy waves, like the first time she saw him with that woman clinging to him this morning.

  This man belongs to me! she wanted to scream at everyone, including that Caroline girl, but she couldn’t. Who was she kidding? The man she loved no longer belonged to her. He had cheated on her. He wanted Caroline. More tears misted her eyes as she gazed at him.

  “Go away, Hunter,” she managed to say. “I don’t want to see you right now. Just go.”

  “What the jinx is going on here? Cuz, why are you talking like that to big bro?” Max asked in confusion when he saw the two eyeing each other without dropping their gazes.

  It was like a live electric current connecting the two gazes; their eyes were filled with so much pain and so much anger, anger at the situation and with everything around them.

  “Clarice, I’m sorry. Please forgive me,” Hunter said quietly, looking at his partner standing there in her rigid pose. Since he lived with her for the past few months, he knew that that posture meant she was hurt, and he knew it was because of him. “Let’s talk this through. We can work through this together.”

  Clarice was beginning to lose her grip on sanity. One more word out of Hunter and the lion inside her would pounce.

  “I said go away for now. I don’t want to see you.”

  “But, Clarice, baby, I want to—”

  Hunter didn’t get to finish his sentence before he felt a fistful of his hair being yanked from his head, and before he knew it, Clarice grabbed another fistful and was screaming at him.

  “I told you not to say another word, you Casanova.” She broke down and all hell broke loose. Clarice was on a rampage, pulling out Hunter’s hair and yelling obscene names at him. “You stupid man, I believed in you,” she screamed. “I believed every single word you said, and look what you’ve done. I don’t care anymore. Go sleep with any girl you want. I’ve had enough of you.”

  “Ahh, Clarice the wild boar has come out,” Max screamed, holding on to his cousin when she tried to pull Hunter’s hair again. Although Max was trying his best to stop this domestic abuse between the two lovers, he in turn was the one getting punished.

  “Are you on his side, Max?” Clarice screamed. “If you’re on his side, I’m going to tear every last strand off your head too.”

  “Ahh,” Max yelled out in pain when Clarice grabbed his hair and started pulling. “Stop it, cuz. Big bro, aunty, uncle, help me!”

  Hunter leapt in to help Max, but he only got hit by a pillow. Montha yelled from the sideline, informing her daughter that pregnant woman shouldn’t behave this way, but Clarice wouldn’t listen. Gone was her ability to think rationally. All she could see was Hunter sleeping with that woman, and it really got her riled up. And because she couldn’t control her temper, and due to the sudden stressful state, she collapsed on the floor.

  “Clarice, what’s wrong? Wake up.” Hunter rushed to his partner in panic.

  “It’s okay. Take her upstairs,” Montha suggested.

  Hunter was getting a little frustrated with their situation. It would have been an easy task if everyone would just let him do his job properly, but because everyone was so worried about Clarice, they all offered their help. Hunter carried her body, whereas Michael was supporting her legs while Montha held her daughter’s hand. Max had the easy job of opening doors for everyone.

  “Finally. We’re here,” Max exclaimed, puffing, when he didn’t even do an ounce of work.

  “Will she be okay?” Hunter asked, placing Clarice on their bed and wiping the few loose strands of hair to tug behind her ear.

  “She’s just stressed and tired,” Montha explained. “I know. When I had Clarice, I was like that too.” Then suddenly, something struck Montha. She realized she hadn’t a clue who this man was. “And who are you, young man?”

  “I’m Hunter, Clarice’s partner.”

  “You’re the one that made my daughter pregnant?”

  “I… I…”

  Just then, Clarice woke up. Everyone scrambled around her until she told them to leave. They were reluctant but eventually went anyway. The only one that didn’t go was Hunter.

  “Clarice,” he said, staring at her back when she turned away to face the wall.

  “Didn’t I tell you to go?” Clarice said. “I don’t want to see you again.”

  “Baby, it’s all a misunderstanding.”

  “Go away.” Clarice shook her head, refusing to listen to Hunter’s explanation. Then she presented her decision. “It’s over between us.”

  This was all Clarice could say. She knew if she said another word to Hunter, she would choke on her own words and cry like a baby. Instead, she willed herself to stay strong.

  Hunter didn’t know how else to console her. His heart was breaking, but he didn’t know what to do as he watched her weep. He knew she didn’t mean those words. He’d press her for answers later. For now, she needed time to heal, time to think. So he left the room and went back downstairs.

  “Big bro, what the hell happened?” Max cut in.

  “Max, I don’t know where to begin. All I can say is I’m sorry. Clarice thought I had an affair behind her back. She saw me with Caroline in her bed. It was a—

  Hunter didn’t get to finish his sentence when he felt a slam against his jaw, and his world went black for a second before he could see again.

  “Max… you…” Hunter was shocked beyond words when Max surprised him with a right hook.

  “You bastard!” Max yelled, cutting Hunter off once again. “You hurt my cousin.”

  “Max, that’s enough.” Michael reprimanded his nephew.

  “But uncle, he hurt Clarice. I should have known something was up. Otherwise, Clarice wouldn’t pull his hair and throw pillows at him.

  “Max,” Michael tried calming the boy, but Max just wouldn’t relax.

  Max yelled through gritted teeth, his temper seething. “Didn’t I tell you to never cheat on her? She’s sensitive. I… shit. That’s why she was acting like a boar possessed her.” He ruffled his hair in frustration as if what had happened was all his doing. In a way, it was his doing. He was the one who’d assumed this player was actually Anton, the sensible guy Clarice wanted. But when Hunter came to ask him to woo his cousin, he’d thought Hunter really did love his cousin. But to have this happen… He wasn’t sure what he should do anymore. Whose side should he be on? Who should he trust? “Shit. This is all my fault.”

  All Hunter could do was shake his head. “I… Max, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt Clarice. I would never intentionally hurt her. You know that. You know I would never do such a thing to her.”

  “I… I…” Shit. What should he do? His big bro, the one he had fun talking to, hanging out with. If Hunter broke up with Clarice, he knew he would miss his company. “I…” Max didn’t know what to do. He was just as frustrated as Hunter.

  “Just go for now,” Montha said, deciding she would take charge of the situation. She’d just come back from a long trip. She was so tired. She didn’t want to see people fighting in front of her. “Hunter, you should go home for now. Clarice should feel better tomorrow. Let her calm down first. Tomorrow, everything should be better.”

  Hunter was reluctant to leave, but through further persuasion by Michael, he left. “Thank you, Mr. Mason. Thank you, Mrs. Mason. Max, I’ll be back.” Hunter nodded and left.

  Tomorrow, he’d come again. If Clarice refused to see him, then the next day he would come, again and again until Clarice would see him. No matter what happened, he couldn’t let this small incident be the cause of their breakup. He would a
pologize to her again and tell her he loved her, for now and until eternity. But first, though, he must set some things straight. Seething in anger and rage, he zoomed out of Clarice’s house and headed off to his destination, planning to exact revenge on the person who’d caused this whole fiasco.

  As Hunter left, Elise and Whitney’s pulled in. They exited very quickly and ran into the house.

  “What happened, Max? Aunty, uncle?” Both Elise and Whitney looked around at the tense atmosphere before them. Max was slumped on the couch, looking stressed out, while Michael was talking to Montha about their daughter.

  What the hell is going on? Whitney wanted to shout, but instead, she turned to Max and asked, “Where is she?”

  “Upstairs,” Max supplied, so tired all of a sudden. “She must have locked herself inside her room.”

  Whitney climbed two steps at a time while Elise followed behind at a fast pace. Once they got to the door, they started banging on it immediately.

  “Clarice, open the door right now. Elise and I are here to see you. Open the door,” Whitney shouted.

  They both looked at each other when there was an endless stretch of silence from within.

  “Clarice, honey, do you hear me? Open this door right now.” Whitney started banging on the door again, this time shouting even louder than before. “Open this door. Do you hear me?”

  “Clarice, it’s Elise. Please open the door. Let us in. Please.” Elise begged her friend, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Whitney was also in tears. “Didn’t you say we’re friends for life, that we’d do anything to help each other? When you fall, we’ll help pick you up. When you’re happy, we’ll celebrate together. When you cry, we’ll wipe your tears. So why are you being like this?” Whitney shouted and banged on the door again.

  “Clarice, please, just open the door.” Elise continued to beg desperately as she cried silently beside Whitney.

  “Don’t you dare do anything to yourself or our godbaby! You hear me, Clarice? Open this door right now or I’ll crash it open myself.” Whitney threatened, screaming out in fear and anger at the endless scenarios playing inside her head.

  Elise couldn’t take it anymore and accidently touched the doorknob and turned it. It miraculously opened. They both stared at each other blankly through their tears, with a look that said, Why did we believe Max? We should have tested the door before assuming it was locked. But both didn’t comment on this as they barged into the room, searching for Clarice.

  “She’s not here,” Whitney said frantically, looking around the room.

  “She’s down here,” Elise shouted, going to her friend, who was sobbing silently, lying on the carpet next to her bed, holding her stomach.

  “Clarice!” Whitney shouted and pulled her friend from the floor.

  “Tell us what happened?” Whitney asked, laying her friend’s head on her lap. “Tell us, Clarice? Why are you crying?”

  Clarice didn’t reply, but continued to shake, her mental state so depressed she was trembling and sobbing.

  “Clarice, please tell us,” Elise said, clutching her hand while Whitney continued to pet her head.

  “He had an affair. He had an affair,” Clarice whispered through her tears. “I trusted him. He promised me. He said he wasn’t going to see anyone else while I’m pregnant.”

  “Sweetheart, please don’t cry.” Whitney lifted her head and hugged her friend while Elise continued to hold her hands, squeezing to give her some comfort. “Please don’t cry. We’re here for you.”

  “I love him,” Clarice sobbed. “I love him so much. But he hurt me. My heart is in pain. I feel like I’m dying.”

  “Hush, Clarice.” Whitney rocked her friend. “Don’t talk. Just cry, and once you’re done, you’ll be fine.”

  Elise watched her friend through misted vision. She had experience something like this in the past too, her heart in so much pain as she thought of that person. All she could offer to her friend now, though, would be the comfort of her own hand holding on to her friend’s shaky one.

  “Clarice,” she whispered, “you’ll be fine. We’re here for you.”

  Chapter 16

  This is all a mess, Hunter thought. And now he was up to his eyeballs in rage. He stormed all the way to Bass Enterprises, wanting to confront Caroline once and for all about her psychotic behavior towards him and Clarice. But the receptionist manning the front desk was proving to be a nuisance, constantly harping and blocking his path whenever he tried to walk into the meeting room where Caroline was currently based. At the moment, she was telling him there was an important meeting going on and under no circumstance should it be interrupted.

  Hunter knew all about the meeting. That was the whole idea, wasn’t it? He wanted to barge into the room while his emotions were still raw so he could bloody hell disturb their peaceful environment, like a tornado invading a city. That was his aim from the beginning. He wanted to tell the whole world how vile that woman was. She was so destructive and evil that silent warnings wouldn’t be enough. She needed someone to reprimand her in a loud way.

  “Mister, please. You can’t go in. I can’t let you go in.” The receptionist continued to harp and trotted after him, trying to stop him, but he’d already made up his mind. There was no stopping him now.

  So when the receptionist tried to block his path again, he only shoved her to the side and growled, “Get out of my way,” before slamming the door to the meeting room for the full heated effect.

  Hunter didn’t care that he was interrupting this important meeting that had been planned for so long now. In his mind, nothing was more important than his relationship with Clarice. And if Caroline, that old man’s daughter, had ruined his life, then he was going to ruin hers. There was no way he was going to let some old bald man and his sleazy, psychotic daughter become a part of his dad’s company. Destroying his life wasn’t enough, but to affect Clarice too, that was something he couldn’t forgive easily.

  When Hunter slammed the door open, all eyes were on him. There were Anton, his father, and Mr. Bass, but he didn’t take any notice of them, because all his eyes could focus on was the image of Caroline’s face, frozen in shock, as she stared right back at him, her eyes wide open in startled realization. Somewhere in the background, he could hear his cousin saying something, but he didn’t catch on. When he saw Caroline, all he wanted to do right there and then was strangle the living hell out of that woman.

  Hunter barged forward and slammed his fist in front of Caroline, bringing his face forward until he was at eye level with her, and then he spat out his venom. “What do you want with me, Caroline? What the fuck do you want with me? I warned you, didn’t I?” He seethed. “I warned you never to interfere with my life again. But you did. You’re the most disgusting woman I’ve ever met. Do you think I would love you if you trapped me like this? Go to hell, you psycho bitch,” he barked as he slammed his fist down on the table in fury again.

  “Hunter!” Anton came and held him back. “What has gotten into you? Why are you using that language in front of Miss Bass?”

  “Don’t hold me back, Anton.” He fought off his cousin and barked at Caroline again, like a crazy maniac. “You fucking destroyed my life. I hate you. You made Clarice misunderstand our situation. If anything happens to Clarice and our baby, I’m going to personally kill you with my own hands.”

  “Anton, help me. I don’t know what’s wrong with your cousin.” Caroline got up and hid behind Anton, pretending to be the perfect gentle lady who’d been wrongfully accused.

  “Hunter, explain what is going on.” Anton spoke calmly. “There’s no need to get all physical here.”

  “She drugged me and led Clarice to believe I had an affair behind her back,” Hunter shouted at Anton. “So if you know what’s right, Anton, get out of my way. I want to deal with her.”

  “Hunter, stop this right now.” Anton blocked his path again. “Why can’t you be a gentleman? A man does not hurt a woman.”

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bsp; “I’m a gentleman only to a woman who deserves it. For a woman like her, I can go to hell if I have to.” Hunter spat out his anger. “So get out of my way before I bash you to a pulp for blocking my path.”

  When Hunter barged forward again, Caroline pretended to shriek and hid farther behind Anton. “Anton, help me.”

  “Stop pretending, you vile woman.” Hunter berated Caroline again. “I am sick of you acting like an innocent maiden. You sicken me.”

  “Hunter, get a grip of yourself?” Anton again blocked his path.

  Hunter was so mad that he growled like a mad wolf. He was cursing at Caroline like the devil had possessed him, causing a commotion in the meeting room. He didn’t stop until a loud slam on the table stilled his action.

  “That’s enough, Hunter!” Clinton shouted, his voice holding an authoritative tone. “Let’s go home. Anton! Take your cousin to the car.”

  Hunter struggled and fought his way out of his cousin’s grip, but Anton managed to drag him out at last.

  When both his son and nephew were out the room, Clinton turned his attention to Mr. Bass.

  “Mr. Silverton,” Mr. Bass said for the first time, his face riddled with confusion. “How about our deal? You haven’t signed the contract yet.”

  “I’m not going to be signing the contract,” Clinton said before turning to leave.

  “But we’ve planned this for some time now. You can’t just drop out now.”

  “I can, and I just did.” Clinton’s voice resonated with his anger. “I will not associate my company with the likes of you and your family.”

  Mr. Bass by this time had had enough of everything. “But what has this issue got to do with the contract? Your son and my daughter, they have personal discrepancies. This is our business deal. You shouldn’t mix business and personal matters.”

  “Maybe for some things in life, but for this matter, I can’t let it slide. Hunter is my only son. I’ve never seen him behave like this before. And it looked like your daughter is to blame.” Clinton then turned his attention to Caroline. “I hope this is the last time you associate with my son. If I see you interfere with his life again, I can’t promise what will happen to your business, since I do hold the upper hand.”