The Astonishing Dax Edmund

Chapter 11

Dax was so happy that he had the majority in his vote to build the houses. But he couldn't go headlong into the project, after all the mistakes he made. He put on a brave face knowing that he was doing this for a good cause.

He read the newspaper in hopes of finding something new about himself, his chest tightened at the news of the poor sales report on Haven Homestead and then another that made him turn pale as a ghost.

Dax got a call from Allora Hills, he rolled his eyes. He heard the door click open.

"Who is it?" He roared and his voice echoed in the large room.

Shannon entered, she had arrived too for lessons. But she had something on her mind to talk to Dax about.

"Oh Shannon, it's 2:55PM." He checked his watch.

"Dax, we need to talk." She said. "The news report."

"I have a function to attend at 3PM." He said.

"Look, this is important. I can't let this_"

Allora walked towards him accompanied by her in-laws, Celina and Martin Hills.

"What's going on? Did I invite you three?"

"Oh, so this was the woman you've been with the whole time?" Celina Hills, Allora's mother said in the midst of many people.

Shannon blinked. "I beg your pardon ma'am. No way."

Dax steamed, the fact that they just insulted him and paired him up with O'Malley was disgusting. But the photos were blatant and open to interpretation. The public were bound to make speculations.

He balled his hands to fists seething at his toxic in laws. "Why are you here? You here to taunt me again? Huh?"

"Yes and rightfully so!" Celina stepped closer showing him an article of him with Shannon in the midst of bodyguards.

His eyes rounded at the page. The heading said; Who is this woman? New love affair?

He worked his jaw.

Celina clicked her tongue. "Let me tell you something, Edmund, if you think you can just waltz into my family in the disguise of a poor wretched man and humiliate us, then find an excuse to dump my daughter then you have one think coming."

Dax roared with laughter, Celina thought that he had an alter ego.

Celina slapped him.

Dax felt the sting of her fingers, he touched his cheek and it burned. "You have the guts to show up here after your daughter cheated on me with Korbin?"

"I didn't cheat on you, you did." She pointed at Shannon.

"I have never seen this man before in my entire life." Shannon said truthfully by his side. She couldn't let the Hills humiliate him like this.

The audience whispered.

Dax was breathless. "I did not cheat on you. You did, you greedy slut. The money, that's all you ever cared about."

Allora's nostrils flared, she set her hands on her rounded hips and walked towards him, her red dress dazzled accentuating her long legs and her heels clicked with every step. She stood in front of him.

"It's not my fault that you couldn't take care of me."

Shannon saw through her facade but there was nothing she could do.

"I hate you with every fibre of my being. Go to hell." Dax said torn between taking her back and pushing her away. She was playing games with his mind.

Allora smiled. "Hmm, you may have had me fooled but I will never let you go out with this woman."

Dax lowered his hand. "It's over. Do you remember what I said after you were fucking with Korbin? That you'll regret this? Look who came begging."

"You were cheating. I don't even know what I ever saw in you." Allora spoke.

Shannon slapped her. "Let me go, hands off."

Shannon growled at his father-in-law Martin holding her in place.

Beads of tears formed around his eyes and he closed his eyes. Clenching his hands.

"Shannon, let it go."

"I'm not doing this for you, Daxton, I'm doing this for me!"

"Fuck off. It's over and you can't deny it." Dax spoke.

He was upset that Shannon denied him, it was true that they were not a couple but her approach to help him only made things worse. She made it seem like they were not a couple.

But now the crowd had the assumption that he was not only a failure but a cheater. He doubted himself once more, he couldn't have been a better person without his inheritance.

Dax retreated to his mansion.

"Run away, run like the coward you are." Allora spoke.

"Get lost, you're the cheater." He said.

The passersby gossiped about Dax while he walked to a club. People were convinced that he was a cheater.

The beautiful ladies at the club flocked around him. Dax tried to stay upbeat, he ignored them to avoid complications.

Women had a tendency to flock bad men, it triggered their instinct to change them. Like a mother trying to train her stubborn child.

He didn't want to implicate himself anymore plus Shannon was only helping him when he needed her, so she wasn't perfect. He spotted Allora on a counter, he recognised her red hair and dress. They looked like they were in the middle of a make out session. With the man standing in between her legs.

Dax felt his heart shatter, once more.

"Here you are again."

The man recoiled, it was another man not Korbin. She gasped when Dax took out his phone and took a photo of her.

Allora pulled up the strap of her dress.

"It's over."

"No please, don't send it to anyone."

"No...no." He said raising it out of her reach while she acted out, spewing venom like a viper.

He hit record, his heart was broken but the truth always prevailed. His eyes were ruddy.

The man had retreated long ago but he got his face.

Shannon arrived, she was doing a gig at the club. She laughed with her bandmates and she softened. "Dax." Her heart did a backflip when she saw him alone.

He sat at the dark area, his head lowered.

"Shannon, I'm so tired." He said crestfallen.

Shannon thought about her next move. She knew he didn't like being touched but he looked like he could use a hug. She held him and he stiffened.

Dax explained everything to her. "How could someone be so cruel?" He said.

"No one can hurt you without your permission. I understand, you loved her and you tried everything to please her. I'm happy for you, you should be dancing because you exposed a slut like her. You don't have to deal with those people anymore."

Dax's eyes were misty, he was holding his tears back, like a reservoir, like a dam that was about to crack from the pressure. He recalled when he had bad days in the orphanage, being bullied and having no one to love and rely on.

He cried hard and leaned on her shoulder feeling like his childish self every other recess.

Shannon patted his head rolling her eyes, she didn't like to watch people cry but it better if Dax let it out. "I don't care what anyone says, I'll be here for you."

Dax was in a dark place, he didn't think he could recover from the loss. He smiled to himself that it was over now. There was no going back.

...

Dax approached Allora and her in-laws who were at the gazebo.

They sat up alert.

"What does he want now?"