CHAPTER NINE

EPISODE NINE.

JENNA'S POV.

My feet wobble as I find my way to the living room after sending the Uber off. Tears laced my eyes and they threatened to fall.

I feel so pathetic and little, how did I let Ryker disrespect me till the extent that he's already sharing my troubles with his friends?

I'm such a sore loser, I wish I could just get out of this house and disappear forever but I don't have enough cash on me to do anyhow I want.

Tiredly, I sink into the chair, ignoring the pains in my bones due to the tussle I had earlier and sob until I felt him enter the house.

"Hey."he called.

Silence followed because there's no way in hell I'm giving this man a chance to explain himself after messing me up like that.

"Jenna Wolfe, Don't keep me waiting." He growls moment after impatiently and I almost fall out of my chair out of fear.

"And so what? You're going to unalive me the way you did to my sister?" I yelled angrily, my voice falling off due to the tears choking my throat.

Ryker swallows a little bit, I watch his throat bob in disbelief and his body tenses, as if he's trying to take in my words or planning on how to debunk it again.

Fucking devil.

"I just wanted to help, Jenna. Maybe I didn't do it the right way but..."

I shake my head at his words immediately in anger and wipe the tears off my face.

"I never said I needed your help, I didn't tell you all of that because I wanted you all over in my business, you can't help me, just..."

"Why can't you trust me enough to let me help you just this once?"

His hands splay out in frustration and a sigh escaped his mouth.

"I don't even trust you enough with your own daughter, tell me how I can trust you with my company?"

His eyes twitches into something cold and sully immediately I talked about Arlene, it's such a sore topic for him.

How could he say he love his child but doesn't want any other people to talk about both of them?

Ryker is such a pathetic loser and I wonder why I opted into this in the first place.

"Don't give me reasons to loathe you, Jenna. You won't like it." He warns darkly before making his way to the stairs.

I watch him leave the room completely, dazed and surprised that he didn't crash out at me for wronging him with words.

Maybe he's just used with me grilling him with my words.

After silence replaced the whole living room which left me wondering what he's doing cooped up in his room, I started calling the few affordable legal practices around me but their legal fees for corporate suits almost chased me to six feet below.

Why are they so expensive and un-ready to work?

Tiredly, I called Sheila, my friend who's out of the country presently for a vacation to rant about the whole issue.

"You know I was never wrong about Elijah? That guy was too awkwardly sweet and pretentious." She bites in bitterly almost making me roll my eyes because I don't need her chewing me out for not taking the subtle signs he warded off seriously in the past.

"My financial accounts are all gone, I can't even reach my workers, It's fucking tiring." I sob, sniffing into the already drenched napkin.

"What are your plans? Why not tell your fake husband to help?" She suggests. I've forgotten how much I hate how straightforward Sheila is and how she's not scared of dropping the most absurd suggestions which works Everytime down.

How could she tell me to use the help of man I loathed the most in the world?

"He tried to help but I chewed him out, I mean why would he do that to me? I never asked for his help." I mumble.

I heard her sigh tiredly over the phone and mumble some few curse words she's not ready to use on me.

"You're such a pathetic woman, Jenna. The last time you told me about your fake marriage with him, you said you want to create a great rapport between us and make him believe you're worthy to be his partner, now, tell me your definition of building a rapport."

"Not between us but Arlene, I want him to trust me enough with her and through that, I can work towards gaining sole custody of her." I explained in an exasperated tone but I ended up fumbling my words because I don't know what I really want.

I'm just so torn and confused.

"You can't get to Arlene without passing through her father, use your head right." She teased before hanging up on the call.

I drop the phone on my chest weakly in regret.

Why did I say all those horrible words to him? Is it because no one has ever tried to help me genuinely or I'm just scared of losing my head around Ryker knowing that he's already trying to rub off on me in the slightest right way.

Is bringing my essentials this morning part of his plans or he's just being a human?

Or he wants something else from me?

Confused, I get up from the bed, ready to go meet him and bully my way into him helping me rather than apologizing for saying those words when a knock came at the door.

I strain my neck to the direction of the door, feeling reluctant to go and get it.

"Who's that?" I asked but no response followed.

With no choice, I walk to the door and open it a little just to meet Arlene standing there calmly with her phone in her hands, ready to call her dad until the door opening starled her.

I rearranged my ruffled hair and smeared face calmly before dropping to her height by crouching mine but her unimpressed face is clearly writing me off.

I felt Ryker behind me, his height towering the entrance and carried Arlene over my head immediately without giving me a warning.

This fucker.

"Hey. How are you?" I grin, trying so hard to show that I'm pleased with her but she buried her head into her dad's neck already.

Is this kid ignoring me?

"Go and get changed. She doesn't like your appearance." Ryker suggests,shrugging with a hint of mockery in his tone and a smirk on his face.

"Why?"I fume, feeling embarrassed already.

"Because her mother always has a shabby appearance." He whispers into my ears before walking into the deeper part of the living room.

What?