Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 411

Chapter 411: The Last Conclusion
“What’s going on?” Ari asked as she glanced at Mateo who stood in the parking lot, with a torn look on his face, while she sat next to Leila in the car which belonged to Danny. “Do you know him, Lei?” She addressed Leila who bit her lip in frustration.

“He is friends with that asshole,” Leila didn’t answer instead it was Danny who did. He gave a look of pure contempt and hate to Mateo before telling Ari, “I will never forget how this man has insulted Leila while knowing only half of the story.”

“He didn’t even know what truly went down between Lei and that asshole, and yet he supported that bastard as if his life were dependent on it,” Danny snorted. “I wished I had done something worse to him just now. I should have thrown a punch at him or something.”

“But you pretended not to know him just now,” remarked Ari with a frown on her face.

“Of course, I did. Do you think that I will greet that bastard who has insulted and hurt my friend with a smile on my face? He is lucky that I didn’t go apeshit crazy on him,” Danny snarled just as he gunned the car and pulled it out of the parking region. “He is very lucky indeed because I was half inclined to throw him in the air like King Kong.”

Danny then glanced at Ari through the rearview mirror and questioned her like he was an interrogator and she was a criminal, “But why were you with him? Do you not know such a basic thing as keeping away from strangers?”

“That Mateo Ashford is even more of a philanderer than Nicolai de Luca. Why not, for a change, go for a man who is nice and gentle? Are you allergic to normal, Ari? First Noah and know them.”

“You can do better than them, Ari.”

Ari felt insulted upon hearing Danny’s words, she pursed her lips and after a pause, “I didn’t know that Mateo had such a reputation and as for Nicolai, he is alright, after all, he has saved me.” She added quickly, lest anyone cottoned onto what she felt for Nicolai.

She feared the look of disappointment that Danny and Leila would have if she were to say that she was getting entangled with Nicolai.

They expected more from her, and Ari wasn’t sure if she was ready to break free just yet. From a young age, her mother had put her on the pedestal of being perfect, and Nicolai was anything but perfect.

And her mother wasn’t the only one who had expected perfection from her but everyone else did the same.

She then turned to look at Leila and apologetically said to her, “I am really sorry. I had no idea, if I had, then I would have avoided him.” Because of her, her friend had to relive those memories.

“There is no need to apologize,” Leila shook her head and patted Ari on the back of her hand. “You don’t need my permission to befriend anyone, and Mister Ashford doesn’t know the true story.”

“It’s not surprising as Ryan’s mother was the only one telling her side of the story to everyone while my parents were too embarrassed to tell the truth,” Leila said bitterly.

“Humph, they just don’t understand that it was not a big deal,” remarked Danny spitefully. “Getting pregnant before marriage is not a big problem nowadays but giving your girlfriend an abortion pill without her knowing, certainly is.”

“I don’t understand where Mrs. Baker gets her confidence.”

“Danny,” Ari spoke in a lightly stern voice when she noticed Leila stiffen. Even though it had been years, she had never gotten over the child which she had lost just because Ryan was too cowardly to take his part of responsibility.

Danny pursed his lips almost at once, and Ari turned to look at Leila. She was about to console her, but her friend smiled and shook her head before saying, “It’s alright. This is not yours or Danny’s fault.”

A very awkward silence stretched inside the car as Danny said, “You know what? I think we all need a little pick me up. Wash away the bad memories of the past,” he then turned to look at Ari before saying, “Your wound is alright?”

“It is fine,” Ari nodded. The stitches had been removed, and the wound was now healing quite nicely.

“Then I just know the thing.”

** *** **

What day was today? It was the day when Nicolai was going to fucking blow the world with a dynamite.

It started with him racing five people back to back on the racing court. He then went ahead and pummeled a few minions of Serpents. Naturally, there was a lot of blood and broken bones.

However, even after almost beating that dimwit to death —spending a good three hours on the bottom of the pool while reading some boring books on peace, love and non-violence, Nicolai was still burning in the same fiery pit as he had been for the last few weeks.

Nicolai was no stranger to such a mood, where he wanted to destroy everyone—but this was the first time he wanted to rip everyone’s head off.

He had done everything that he could have done, including staying inside the bottom of the pool until he lost his breath and Zayden had to fetch him out. That was one of the few times he saw his chaotic cousin that scared.

And of course, his mother was livid. She once again requested Nicolai to remove whatever obstacle was turning him into this —whatever he was becoming.

Nicolai agreed, which was why he had been avoiding Ari for the past few days—because he knew he would just say something that would hurt her. Even if he wanted to stay away from her, Nicolai didn’t want her to hate him.

No, given that she had hugged that preppy boy when he was not with her—it should be him hating her, despising her and yet, he was feeling like a junkie going through severe drug withdrawal.

Jumping to his feet, Nicolai marched out of the resting region to the fighting ring sitting in the center of the fighting club that he ran with his cousin.

This was his concluding attempt in reigning control over his temper—and Nicolai hoped that this time around the red haze would wash off.