Chapter 139

Brenda's anger shivered away the moment she saw Calhoun approach them. She didn't know who he was yet, but the strong aura around him was enough to send her tail hiding behind her legs. She scooted closer to her husband and sat with her hands folded like a child caught lying.

"Good day ma'am, this is going to turn out a lot wrong but it needs to be done. I am Calhoun Lawson and I just saved you from serving a jail term because of the bond I share with your daughter. Now that doesn't mean I will cover up for your lies if I catch a sniff of it in anything you will tell me, it only means I will handle it myself," Calhoun began. He let go of Ariana's hand and pulled a near by stool to himself and sat down facing Brenda and her husband.

"Are we clear on that?" He asked with a voice Ariana recognised he only used with his workers, especially those who didn't meet up with their tasks.

Brenda nodded unable to bring out the right words to say. She knew the name Lawson and he was someone with not just a lot of power but a lot of money as well. He could buy her whole existence if he wanted.

"Who tried to kill Ethan?" Calhoun asked them.

Brenda turned to her husband and the latter looked down at his fingers. Ariana moved immeditalry to where her father was. She went down on her knees in front of him.

"Dad, telk me, what happened? Why aren't yiu saying anything?" She asked him in a whisper but liud enough for Calhoun and her mother to hear.

"What happened here is You!" Brenda hissed glraing at Ariana.

"Me?" Ariana reoetwd in shock.

"Mind the way you speak to her!" Calhoun growled and Brenda composed herself one more time.

"She is lying my dear... Since we couldn't reach you for a while now... We were running out of cash and she contacted Ethan and he said he woukd help us if we could get you to come home..." Her father began.

Ariana felt something shatter in her heart and her hands started getting sweaty as she listened to her father.

Brenda made to speak but Calhoun threw her such a cold look her words hung in the air and she shut her mouth, letting her husband speak.

"...getting you to come home was also impossible but Brenda insisted we lie to Ethan that you were here and that he should bring the money he promised—"

"Mom, why?" Ariana cried out in regret. What sort of parents did she end up with?

"We needed money and we had no one else to ask from. You were not taking our calls! Don't blame me!" Brenda snapped.

"Don't you dare put the blame on me Mom! Don't you dare! I gave you guys all of my money and you still wanted more! And for what? Daddy still looks sick and you haven't changed either! Why?" Calhoun got up from the stool he was sitting on and went to Ariana.

"It's okay babe... Its okay," he whispered to her.

"Why would they do that? Now he came here and look what he did! What will people think of us?" Ariana sobbed.

Why did her parents always find the worst ways to add problems for her?

How was she going to ever get pass this?

Brenda looked between Calhoun and Ariana and she understood that Calhoun was in love with her daughter. She saw a jackpot right in front of her and she changed her demeanor.

She got up and tried to reach for Ariana's shoulders. "Ariana, I am so sorry! My dear, I—" as her fingers got closer to Ariana, Calhoun wiped them away.

"Did you try to kill Ethan?" He barked.

Brenda raised her hands in defence. "No, never! When he gave us the money and discovered Ariana wasn't here, he got crazy! He locked us in the room upstairs with the money and said we shouldn't call anyone. That we should wait for three hours and then step out... I didn't think the young man would try and kill himself..."

"He said he was going to die for Ariana..." Mr. Brown put in.

Brenda rolled her eyes at him and turned to smile sweetly at Calhoun. "We can return all the money if you want... We were just angry that our daughter hated us! We didn't need it!" She lied through her teeth.

"Do you think, I am a fool?" Calhoun growled interrupting Brenda's lies.

She stopped talking and blinked her eyes like a bird unable to fly anymore.

"I should set you to the police..." He trailed and Brenda fell to her feet.

"Please my son, don't do that! Please," she pleaded. "I was just being foolish... I acted without thinking! Please, have mercy!" She went on.

Calhoun knew she was just saying that because she felt she had gotten even more money with him being involved with her daughter. Her apology wasn't from her heart.

"You should feel ashamed of yourself!" Calhoun clicked his tongue and got up from the ground with Ariana in his arms. "We should get out of here. These people don't deserve you!"

Brenda screamed hysterically gaining the attention of the few men working around the house.

Calhoun stopped moving and turned to glare at her.

"Please, if you turn your back at us, they will arrest us and we will be ruined! Please don't do that. Ariana talk to him, he can't leave us like this! We have nothing!" Brenda cried out.

Calhoun flashed him his signatory smirk and cocked his head to the side. "I think, you have more than enough. Ethan John gave you money, be wise and use it well..." He turned to leave but remembered something.

Ariana didn't need to have parents like them. From that day onward he would be her father and her mother.

"One more thing, forget that you have a daughter in this life. Ariana is no longer a Brown!" He declared before walking out of the house with Ariana.