Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain-Chapter 331: MARRY ME

"You changed your phone," River said, noticing Ranon’s phone as he put it down on the table. He came home to have lunch with his River and Ashlyn. "Where is your old phone?"

"Fell off to the gutter." Ranon picked Ashlyn up from River’s lap and kissed her cheeks, but she pushed her father away, stretching out her arms so River could hold her back.

"Are you sure the phone fell accidentally, not intentionally?" River chuckled as she took Ashlyn from Ranon’s arms.

"Hm."

Ranon didn’t give a definite answer, but River didn’t pursue it further. The three of them then went to the dining room and had their lunch together.

"Tell me, what has Rafael done?" River asked curiously because she often caught Ranon looking annoyed.

"Nothing much. All of his attempts are simply inconvenient," Ranon replied casually.

"Do you want my help?" River asked coquettishly.

Ranon smirked. "You can help me with other things."

As they had their lunch together, Renna prepared dessert for them. She felt grateful seeing this little family and how Ashlyn bonded well with River. This woman... She somehow reminded Renna of Hazel.

But Renna shook off that feeling quickly. She only thought that way because she missed Hazel and felt sad because everything had moved on while she was gone. Everything turned to normal again. It felt bittersweet for Renna.

Meanwhile, seeing Ranon and River teasing each other and not paying attention to her, Ashlyn tugged River’s hand and wanted to sit on her lap while she was eating.

Ashlyn wanted River’s attention to be only on her.

"I know what you are doing, sweet girl." River nudged Ashlyn’s cheek for her cheeky behavior.

"She takes after you."

River squinted her eyes at Ranon. "You are the cunning one here."

"I doubt that."

As they had a lighthearted conversation, Renna came over to inform them that someone wanted to meet with Ranon.

"Mr. Rose is downstairs; he wants to see you." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Rose?" River furrowed her brows. "Which Rose?" Her first guess was Greyson, but she was wrong.

"It is Logan Rose," Renna replied.

"Why did he want to see you?" River remembered the last time Logan was here; he was warned not to show his face around Ranon again, or else Ranon would kill him.

Therefore, the fact that he was here... Probably he was bored with his life?

"Will you see him?"

"I am eating," Ranon replied without really answering the question. He thanked Renna, and she walked away, but he didn’t decide whether or not he would go to see Logan.

Ranon was not in a hurry to finish his food. He took his time.

"Are you going to meet him?" River was curious about why Logan came over to see Ranon.

"Do you want me to see him?" Ranon asked her back.

"Yes, I am curious what he wants from you."

Ranon nodded, and then he finished his food. It was half an hour later when, finally, Ranon went to the lobby with River.

She wouldn’t intervene with their conversation; she came only to sate her curiosity.

Meanwhile, Logan was waiting for Ranon impatiently. He looked thinner than the last time River saw him. His eyes were dull, and it almost looked as if he had aged for ten years.

He had taken off all of his piercings, and his hair returned to its original color, brown, the same as Hazel’s.

"Mr. Leighton," Logan said warily. He stole a glance at River but put his focus back on Ranon. "I need your help. Please, I don’t know where else I should go." Logan sounded desperate.

Ranon did not sympathize with him. He didn’t care about Logan to begin with, and after what he had done to his family, it was already a good thing Ranon didn’t shoot him right away the moment he saw him again, just like what he said.

River wanted to know why Logan was here, and that was the only reason why Ranon agreed to come to the lobby and see him again.

"My son is sick, and I don’t have access to money. I will do whatever you tell me to do. I need a job." Logan then told him how his father had blocked all of his access to money and job opportunities with his power.

The only way for him to survive was to go to someone as powerful as his father, or even more... And the answer was Ranon.

"Why don’t you ask your friends?" River chimed in, and Logan looked embarrassed when he heard the question. "They refused to help you." She answered her own question, and she knew she was right.

"I know what I have done is unforgivable. I know that, but my son is sick. He needs to be taken to the hospital, and I don’t have the money for that."

Logan wouldn’t be able to fake it. He was indeed very desperate to get the money for his son.

"Please... I don’t know where else I should go." Logan grabbed his hair in frustration.

***

"Upset?" River asked when they had put Ashlyn to bed.

"No."

"Liar."

River knew Ranon disagreed with her decision to help Logan. Ranon had shown mercy by not killing him. Therefore, River’s help in Logan’s messy life could be counted as too far.

Call him heartless, but Logan didn’t even cross Ranon’s mind at all. He could watch Logan dying on the street and would not lift a finger to help, even if he could.

That was how deep Ranon’s rage toward Logan was.

"I didn’t mean to help him; I don’t feel comfortable knowing that his son is also suffering." River tried to explain herself to Ranon, who was still unhappy.

"I still don’t like it," Ranon replied curtly. He entered the room and then went to the bathroom right away; he didn’t even look at River, which made her feel odd.

It was not usual for Ranon to be this angry with her.

Without a second thought, River took off her clothes too and joined him. She saw Ranon’s back as he stood under the shower and approached him from behind. She wrapped her arms around his waist, letting herself get wet.

"Don’t be angry, okay?" River said sweetly. She tilted her head to look at Ranon’s expression, but it was difficult to read him. "Are you really angry with me?"

"Hmm."

"Really?" River furrowed her brows; she didn’t know he was this angry. "What should I do to make you stop being angry with me?"

Ranon didn’t answer her, but he continued taking a bath.

Being ignored, River moved in front of him and tiptoed to kiss him, but Ranon only threw her a glance before he continued what he was doing.

River was shocked. This was the first time Ranon completely ignored her. What did this man want?

She tiptoed again and kissed his lips a little bit longer now, but he didn’t reciprocate. "Ranon!" She called his name in frustration.

"Marry me, and I will stop being angry with you."

For a moment, River didn’t grasp what he was talking about, but then she hissed at him. "You tricked me."

"I am not." Ranon smiled this time. Clearly, he was playing with her. "Marry me, River."

"We have been married once."

"...Or whatever your name is."

River chuckled. "How romantic. Did you just propose to me under the shower while both of us were naked?"

"Do you want a different way?"

River wrapped her arms around his neck, and she pressed her lips against his. "Surprise me."

Ranon slapped her bum lightly. "Are you sure? Do you want me to surprise you?"

"Yes." River tilted her head. "Now that I think about it again, you have never proposed to me. You only tossed me the ring."

Both of them remembered that moment; it felt like a lifetime ago. "I thought you made a good story about my proposal."

River scrunched her nose. "Not only did you not propose to me in the right way, but you also worked me out to make a story about it."

Ranon laughed. "I will do it right this time." He kissed her lips gently.

***

River had been ecstatic since the conversation under the shower two days ago, which ended up with them on the bed, and Renna could see that.

"You are glowing," Renna noticed. "You have been smiling a lot nowadays."

"No, I am not." River schooled her face and acted nonchalant. She braided Ashlyn’s hair. She would turn three tomorrow, but once again, they wouldn’t throw a party for her. They would only invite close friends and family to have dinner together.

River learned that they also did the same when Ashlyn turned two last year.

"Have you known Hazel?" Renna asked carefully. She had been wondering about it for a while because there were a few similarities between River and Hazel. "It’s okay if you don’t want to answer my question."

River shook her head. "I knew her," she replied with a bright smile.

"Did you?" Renna widened her eyes in surprise. She didn’t think her guess was right. "Did you know her?"

"I knew her. We were good friends," River replied. "Where do you think I got the habit of drinking the cucumber juice?"

Renna didn’t expect this answer; she realized that River’s taste was quite similar to Hazel’s.

"I knew her as I know myself," River said softly. She kissed Ashlyn’s head. "Hazel thought of you as her mother. When she heard the word "mother," it was always you that she thought about."

Renna cried when she heard that.