Chapter 332: PARK
"So how do you find the park? Do you like it?" Viper asked Erika when he noticed the way she was looking around the place, as if she was uncomfortable or rather, uncomfortable around him, he thought.
Erika made eye contact with Viper before looking away to watch the little kids play around with their parents while dogs jumped over each other and enjoyed their time as well.
"It’s good," Erika replied, her reply curt and firm. Viper frowned, not liking the tone that Erika had used to reply to him.
"Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asked her, hoping she would say yes so that they could leave. From the look on her face, it was obvious she didn’t like the place but she was denying it, or so he thought.
"No, let’s stay here," Erika replied without looking at him as her gaze continued to linger on the beautiful scenery in front of her. She had imagined going to the park with Ethan once they arrived in New York but now, she was at the park, but not together with Ethan.
"It’s not a big deal if you want to. I’m ready to leave," Viper tried to persuade her to change her decision but she shook her head and continued to stay quiet.
Erika glanced at the car which they had used to arrive at the park. Erika had always thought that Viper wouldn’t have a bodyguard or someone to be near him to fight for him or keep an eye on her but she was wrong when she stepped inside the car and found a man, who looked big with an intimidating aura. Whenever he spoke, Erika would think that a lion just roared. His voice completely suited his size.
Since the car was heavily tinted, Erika couldn’t see if he was inside or probably outside. She had not been looking at the car for a while so that Viper wouldn’t figure out why she had agreed to go to the park with him.
Sighing tirelessly, Erika stared down at John whom she had in her arms as he played with the toy that Viper bought for them on their way.
’How am I going to get out of here now with you two?’ She thought to herself, looking at Luca who was in Viper’s arms. She watched the way his hands wrapped around Luca’s tiny body to prevent him from falling.
"You seem to know how to hold kids well. I thought I would teach you how to hold him when we got here," Erika said, not to lighten the quiet moment but to make Viper feel she was trusting him little by little.
Viper looked down at Luca, and smiled— a sad smile, before he replied. "I’m very good with kids. I told you before that I had two sons, remember?"
"Had?" Erika asked before she could process what she’d just uttered. "If you are talking about the two boys I found on your phone the other day, you said they ’ARE’ your sons," she added
Viper stiffened but not for long.
"They are dead," he suddenly said and the quiet moment seemed to have turned even more quieter that the noises seems to have been muted.
He glanced at Erika and found her mouth open wide in shock while her eyes held pity in them. It held pity for him and he didn’t know if he should be happy about that. He was finally able to drive out emotions from Erika towards him but at the expense of revealing something that he didn’t want to reveal anytime soon, at least not while they were having a quiet time, watching the babies play with the toys.
Speechless, Erika leaned on her chair, not sure of what to say next.
She glanced at him and noticed him looking at her. The more she looked at him in the eyes, the more she noticed the sadness in his eyes were prominent.
"I’m sorry for your loss," Erika said, not sure of what to say next. At first, she was told that his wife died and now his children. When did these happen and what killed them? Erika wondered. "I never knew," she added, for the sake of adding something. Internally, she felt sad for him since she had her own two sons here with her and if she was to ever lose them forever, she didn’t know how she would be able to cope with it.
But Viper didn’t look like someone who would be going through something so difficult. Apart from his eyes that expressed how sad he was if one paid attention to it, nothing else seemed out of place. He dresses well, looks rich and he’s a criminal.
"You don’t have to apologize, none of these was your fault," said Viper.
"What killed them?" Erika asked out of the blue, which surprised Viper.
He stared at her, her eyes holding so many questions that he wondered if there were more apart from that one.
When he didn’t reply immediately, Erika asked next,
"You said it was your fault that’s why your wife is dead? What did you mean by that?"
Viper sighed, not sure if he should answer that question, yet.
"Let’s leave that question for another day, Erika," said Viper. "Let’s stay some more and go back home."
Erika nodded after a few heartbeats and her gaze focused on the bustling happy people in the park.
’How am I going to ask people for help if Viper is here and that Luke guy is in the car?’ Erika wondered, totally leaving their early matter to focus on the one at hand.
"Can I come to the park anytime that I want after today?" She asked him and he nodded in less than a second.
"But not alone, Luke and some other men will have to come along with you?" He replied and Erika hissed internally when he involved ’the other men.’ It sounded as if he was going to send some soldiers to look after her because of the fear that she would disappear or something.
