THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 441: Send Him Straight To Hell

"So he came to see you? What did he tell you?" Ariel asked Lauren in a voice barely above a murmur, failing desperately at her effort to maintain a casual front. "What did he tell you?"

It was three days after Lauren got to know about the relationship between George and Ariel and they were dining at a local hot pot restaurant located in a cozy neighborhood hidden from the bustling city streets.

Lauren set her chopsticks down, meeting Ariel’s gaze. "Enough to know that he still cares about you. That he wants you back."

Ariel scoffed, but there was a tremor in her voice. "Well, I don’t want him back."

"I know it’s none of my business," Cheryl chipped in, "but I’ve never seen you so distracted the way you’ve been these past two days. I’ll never believe you if you say he know longer affects you."

Ariel was caught off guard by the truth in Cheryl’s words. She wanted to argue and deny it, but deep down, she knew she couldn’t.

She had thought eight years was enough for her to get over him, but it turned out she’s been lying to herself all these years.

Ever since she had run into George again, she had been a wreck. It was like facing a ghost she thought she had buried long ago.

"You might as well tell us your side of the story," Cheryl pressed gently. "All we know is what George said. Maybe we’ll see if he really deserves your forgiveness, or if it’s better for both of you to move on."

They could see that Ariel was suffering and as her friends they wouldn’t just sit back and let her suffer in silence. Besides, Kathleen had charged them with the responsibility of looking after her assistant and they dare not let her down.

"There’s nothing more to tell," Ariel replied in a tight voice. "He already told you everything."

Cheryl gave her a skeptical look. "How do you know that when you don’t even know what he said?"

Ariel’s gaze dropped to the table, and for a moment, the thought of the two women who, under normal circumstances wouldn’t even have anything to do with a nobody like her but have taken her like a sister over the years just because she was associated with their friend who happened to be her boss, overlapped her problems.

Lauren and Cheryl had treated her like family, even though she was just an assistant. Come to think of it, how many assistants of the so-called big shots enjoy this kind of privilege?

They shown her such love and care that she still found oddly possible from people of their standings.

Suddenly, her composure broke. Tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, hey, it’s okay, sweetheart," Lauren quickly moved to her side, pulling her into a comforting hug. Cheryl wrapped an arm around her too.

But instead of comforting her, their action seemed to open up the floodgate of her tears as her sobs grew louder, drawing a few curious glances from other diners

None of them said anything as they let her release her emotion. Luckily they had chosen a table in a little booth, tucked away and shielded from the main dining area, so they didn’t attract much attention to themselves. The few that noticed something off, chose to mind their business after the first glance in their direction.

By the time Ariel was done letting off the emotion she had forced herself not to succumb to for the past two days, she was finally able to pull herself together.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she wiped her face with the tissue Cheryl handed her and let out a weak laugh at Lauren’s expression of mock horror as she blew her nose loudly.

"Now, that was quite the trumpet," Lauren teased, earning a chuckle from Cheryl and even a watery smile from Ariel. "I’m feeling bad for Cheryl’s handkerchief already." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"You sure do have a way with words, Lauren. You got Ariel laughing without any effort," Cheryl remarked with a smile. "You have a talent for making people laugh."

"I can’t help it," Lauren replied with a grin. "Spreading joy wherever I go has always been my calling."

Ariel took a shaky breath, looking at the two women who had become her closest friends. ’Don’t you think you should tell them the truth?’ And a small voice from her mind. ’They deserve to hear the truth.’

Clearing her throat, she met their eyes. "I... I need to tell you something."

"Ariel, if talking about my useless cousin is going to turn your pretty face into waterworks, we had better all forget about him," Lauren interrupted gently. "But trust me, when next I see him, I’ll send him straight to hell."

"Or better still ask Janice to remove his balls as soon as she shows up in two days time."

Not only Lauren, but Ariel also cringed when they heard Charyl’s words.

"I admit I’m as cross as a school teacher is with her worst student is with George for how badly he treated our dear Ariel but..." Lauren trailed off then continued sadly after a few swconds, "he’s my aunt’s only child and she’s been praying endlessly for a grandchild all these years. It would kill her if her only hope for continuity was castrated,"

Lauren spoke so pitifully that it sounded as if George was already on his way to surgery.

A brief silence settled amongst them before Cheryl broke the silence. "I was only joking," she said, for a moment forgetting how dramatic Lauren could be and actually took her seriously.

"I know," Lauren replied.

"Actually... her prayers were answered several years ago," Ariel suddenly said.

"Yeah... but it’s quite unfortunate that her darling son messed things up," Lauren said still in that pitiful voice.

"I would not only have been a godmother to the sweetest children on earth but also a cousin aunt, by now. Poor me," she groaned, wiping a non existent tear.

"Is there anything like that, Lauren?" Cheryl smirked, by now realizing that Lauren was on her full ’Drama Queen’ regalia.

"It doesn’t have to exist, I’m bringing it into existence."

Ariel looked from one woman to the other as they chatted from one silly topic to the other, just to cheer her up.

She was almost swayed to let things be the way they have always been, but then again came that small voice, ’they’ve been so good to you, the least you owe them is you honesty.’

Thus she cleared her throat again, bringing a pause to Lauren and Cheryl’s conversation.

"I have something to say," she began hesitantly.

"We’ve already said, you don’t have to push yourself if you’re not ready," Lauren interrupted even though she was dying to hear what Ariel had to say. "You can take your sweet time to think things over and when you’re cool with it, you can confide in us. We’re always here, aren’t we Cheryl?"

Cheryl nodded. "Yeah, Lauren is right. You’re not under any pressure. We’re okay seeing you better than the ’you’ that entered this place."

"I’m fine," Ariel insisted. "And about the pregnancy..." she quickly began before she’d change her mind.