Blood boil
1362 Words
Some looked at Aidan with disbelief, and others, with surprise, but they were immediately jolted back by Maisie’s father, Walter.
He walked to Aidan, looking at him with disgust, Aidan stood his ground, looking at Walter in return.
Before he knew what was going on, he raised his hands and struck him against the cheek.
“How dare you!” Brenton yelled as he rushed at him.
“Stand down, Brenton, this is a family issue,” Aidan said with utmost calmness.
Brenton was boiling over, but he could not disobey direct orders.
“We’re not your family! And can never be! In case you’ve forgotten, your only family, your mom is dead and buried. So, stop chasing this unnecessary clout, it doesn’t suit you,” Walter spat.
“Dad!” Maisie called out, looking at her dad with disbelief.
“Stay out of this, Maisie,” he said dismissively.
Aidan was enraged by Walter’s words. Why did he drag his mom into this?
He formed a fist with his hands, as he clenched his jaw, trying to control himself from an outburst.
“I’ll plead that you mind your choice of words. I’m not here for a fight. I’m here to get my family back.” Aidan said simply.
“Are you that useless? Who knows who you stole that uniform from? You almost succeeded in ruining my daughter’s life once, and now that she is trying to get back on her feet, you’re back again?!” He raised his voice at him.
Aidan stood there, looking at him, without a single expression on his face, although he felt embarrassed that he didn’t make quite the impact he thought revealing his current status would.
He wasn’t one to brag or show off, but one thing he knew for sure was that the Williams family was a sucker for affluence and power. They must have written him off so much and believed solely that nothing good could come out of him. Or they were just more interested in Maisie’s new suitor.
“You better get out of my property before I do something I’ll end up regretting! All you ever wanted from us was our money. I’m sure you’re out of money again, and that’s why you’re back here, pretending like you care about my daughter. I won’t let that happen!” He yelled again.
“Grandpa! Please stop yelling at my daddy! Please, don’t drive him away,” Hazel cried out as she rushed to Aidan and hugged him.
Her gesture warmed his heart and he bent down to hug her properly. She was his daughter, how did he not know at first glance?
“It’s okay, Hazel, please stop crying,” Aidan said as he patted her back.
“Please don’t leave me again,” she said, still hugging him.
“I promise, I won’t leave you, okay? I’m back for good now. I’m not going anywhere,” Aidan reassured her as he held her in his arms.
It was such a tender and heartwarming moment for him. He looked up a bit and saw Maisie smiling through her tears.
At that point, he felt a sense of fulfillment, none of his training in the military prepared him for this wholesome moment.
And just as quickly as it started, it ended abruptly.
“Get away from him, Hazel,” Shanice said as she pulled Hazel forcefully away from his embrace.
“You know she’s my daughter, right? You don’t have to keep her away from me,” Aidan snapped.
“Shut up! You should have thought about that before leaving her for five years,” Shanice snapped as she hissed.
Hazel started crying again, trying to go back to Aidan, but she was stopped.
“If you don’t stop crying right now, I’ll have no choice but to lock you in the darkroom! Shanice’s cold words threatened.
Hazel’s face turned pale. The dark room. The mere mention of it sent a shiver down her spine. Her sobs caught in her throat, and she became silent.
Aidan felt his blood boil. How could anyone speak to a child like that? His child?
“That’s enough, Mom!” Maisie stepped in, pulling Hazel gently into her arms.
“You are not locking her anywhere. She’s not an object you can control with fear.”
Shanice blinked in disbelief, but Maisie stood her ground. Aidan watched in awe, impressed by Maisie. He was sure she had taken good care of Hazel all these years.
“She has to learn, Maisie,” Shanice snapped.
“So, you were on your way. Get along now, we have more important things to do than standing here and looking at your annoying face,” Shanice said with disgust as she turned from Aidan.
“No, mom, that’s not happening. If there is anyone that’ll leave, it would be Chris. I don’t want him here,” Maisie suddenly said.
Walter and Shanice looked at their daughter with disbelief and disappointment. Chris looked embarrassed as he tried to hide it with a weak smile.
“You can’t speak to Chris like that, Maisie, he’s your husband-to-be!” Walter yelled.
“You don’t get to choose that, Dad,” Maisie said and then, turned to Chris.
“It was a mistake on my parents’ part. I have no interest in marrying you,” she said plainly.
Maisie’s heart raced as she faced her parents. She had spent years trying to please them, but today was different.
Aidan felt a sense of pride as he watched Maisie directly standing up for him and choosing him over Chris even after he had abandoned her. She was indeed a true jewel and worth all the affluence and power he now possessed.
“Are you out of your mind, Maisie? Do you know who that is? Do you know how much his family has helped our family business? Why are you choosing this loser over him? Huh?” she yelled.
“I’m so sorry, Chris, please forgive her, she doesn’t know what she’s doing this. She’s already yours, I promise, she just gets stubborn at times,” Shanice said with a light chuckle, trying to light the severity of the matter.
“If only Aidan didn’t interfere, we would have been finalizing the wedding plans by now,” Chris said, still an air of pride in his tone.
Aidan didn’t say anything. He knew that whatever he said or did would do nothing to help him get Maisie back, at least not now. He needed to talk to Maisie one on one and explain everything to her because it was obvious that she had a lot of misconceptions about him.
Just then, Brenton leaned close and whispered something in Aidan’s ears.
“You have a dinner appointment with the president at 8. We better leave now,”
“I hope we get to talk soon. I’ll leave now. Please take care of Hazel, I’ll visit some other time, I have an appointment in a few hours,” Aidan said in a call tone.
“Finally, good riddance. Leave quickly so we can discuss Maisie’s wedding plans properly,” Walter said.
Aidan was angry, but the last thing he would do was let his anger get the better part of him.
He turned to leave when Hazel called him back.
“My birthday is on Thursday. We’re having lunch at Skybar restaurant. I want to celebrate it with you,” Hazel said with a big smile.
“Hazel!” Shanice scolded.
“I’ll be there no matter what,” Aidan said with a brief smile and left.
He didn’t know how to feel about that piece of information. What kind of father was he? He didn’t even know he had a daughter, talk more of her birthday. He had missed so much already. Could he ever make up for the years he’d lost?
“Would you want me to teach the William’s a lesson for disrespecting you, today?” Brenton asked.
“That wouldn’t be necessary. I came back for my family, not for a fight,” Aidan replied as he got into the car.
- Writer
