''If his grandmother can play an eye witness then I can be the eye witness for the attempted assault,'' Maxim tilted his head to the side, ''Regardless, have the lawyer represent Diana.''
Realization dawned on Logan. Since that guy confessed that Maxim punched him, then Diana was the innocent party here and she can easily sue him for defamation. But... they lied about being engaged… it might drag Maxim into this matter too, ''What if it gets messy?"
''I want him behind the bars. For a day, or two, I don't care,'' Maxim glanced at Diana who was awkwardly looking at his mother, ''Also, keep it low.''
Logan followed his gaze, ''You have lost it,'' the man spoke with a straight face.
''Since a long time…'' Maxim mumbled under his breath.
''Did you say something?" Logan glanced at him.
''Nothing for you to hear,'' Maxim turned to look at him, ''What were you here for?"
The mention of it had Logan look in Hazel's direction, ''It gets hard when the person you are driving around the city for shopping gets determined to be meddlesome and troublesome.''
''She is my mother.''
''I won't want her as mine even if you offered on a golden platter,'' Logan said, ''Family, love, friends, and all of that put 'suffer' in insufferable.''
Maxim raised a brow.
While both of them were talking with each other, Hazel approached Diana and enveloped her in a bear hug wordlessly.
Diana stiffened for a moment but she quickly relaxed into her arms. It has been a few years only but she felt like it has been ages since she saw Maxim's mom.
That day, she came to Maxim's place but Diana was unable to show her face because she was hiding behind the couch. Also, Maxim's estranged behavior was so hurtful that she could not focus on anything else.
But today, she felt nostalgic in the woman's arms.
Diana did not know the exact situation of Maxim's family. She never felt the need to know it because she was afraid of accidentally poking any old wounds.
But it was not hard to tell that Hazel Warner had gone through a fair share of harshness in her life yet she was always this warm butterfly to everyone around her.
With every flutter of her wings, she sprinkled warmth on the people around her.
That's how the young Disney-obsessed Diana described Hazel Warner. Pretty warm butterfly. And her older self also had the same description for the woman.
From the corner of her eyes, Diana noticed the constable leaving. The look on his face told her that he brought their act.
She was not going to jail.
Angel was not going to grow up without her.
She sighed in relief but the relief morphed into terror when Hazel pulled back from the hug and Diana saw the woman's soft smile.
Back in the time, she used to go over to Maxim's place whenever she got the chance. Most of the time, his mother was not around because she had multiple part-time jobs to handle.
But whenever she was around, she always made sure to take care of her.
It was cozy. Her. Maxim. Those little moments with them. She was so used to it.
Everything was so warm until it wasn't…
''I can't believe I am seeing you after so long. You have become much much much more beautiful and you are going to be my daughter-in-law. I don't know how I am going to sleep today.''
Diana bit her bottom lips, ''Aunty, truth to be told…''
''Are you both cohabiting? Is that why he didn't let me go over to Ryle's place? Because you were there?"
Diana blinked. Ryle..? ''Uh...Aunty... Who?"
''Then, do you want me to contact your parents? We need to fix the dates and everything else. Oh my God, I need to update my baby names list,'' Hazel looked at Diana with star-studded eyes as they walked towards Maxim and Logan who were standing at a distance.
Blood drained from Diana's face when she heard that. P-Parents?
''You can send me their contact numbers—''
''No,'' Diana gulped when Hazel looked at her with sad puppy eyes, ''We... are not ready for the marriage yet,'' The lie kept rolling around like a snowball, turning bigger with every flip.
Hazel glanced at her son with narrowed eyes. If his EQ was half his IQ, he would have settled down with Diana by now. Years after years of dating those cake-faced shallow women, finally there was a daughter-in-law who suited her eyes at the first glance but her dense son had yet to set the thing in stone. If it wasn't upsetting, she did not know what would be.
Little Ana would run away with some aggressive big bad wolf if her son kept playing this innocent bunny.
Gone were those old times of tying shoelaces. He needed to tie her to bed now.
Her eyes coldly reprimanded the man who indifferently averted his gaze as if he could not see her.
''When I first saw you both together, I just knew you were made for each other,'' Hazel looked back at Diana with her constantly starry eyes, ''But you both disappointed me by saying that you were friends. I was looking forward to high school romance.''
But we are friends. Diana almost cried. And we were barely 15 when I met you for the first time.
Hazel was about to say something else but her attention shifted in a particular direction, ''Aunty, did you file the complaint against that moron?'' she waved her hand in that direction, ''Little Ana, give me a moment.''
Diana nodded and sighed in relief as she watched her walk away but her relieved sigh was lodged back in her throat when she saw Hazel approaching an old lady.
Diana froze and a chill ran down her spine. She stood rooted to her spot, unable to budge.
Diana slowly lifted her feet, stepping backward.
Her back hit a car and her hand instinctively moved to open the car door only to realize that it was someone else's car hence the door was locked.
Her gaze shifted towards the old lady who was talking with Maxim's mother.
No. If she saw her...
''What happened?" the concerned voice got her attention.
Diana clutched Maxim's shirt as she pulled him closer, catching him off guard, ''Help me hide.''
''What?" Maxim blinked, pressing a hand to the car behind Diana.
''It's my maternal grandmother, Warner,'' Diana's lips trembled, ''She can't see me here.''
''Why not?''
''You...'' Diana panicked, looking back and forth between her grandmother and Maxim, ''Just hide me first.''
''Will you stay then?"
''What?"
''Will you and Angel stay if I help you hide?" Maxim asked again.
Diana looked at her grandmother who was tilting her head to the side. She just had to look to the side and she will see her, ''I...''
''Oh, there is my son,'' Hazel pointed her hand in their direction.
Diana's heart leaped up to her throat, ''I am staying. I am staying. Hide me now!" she closed her eyes.
''Don't hate me for this later,'' was all he said before his arm wrapped around her waist.
Diana blinked, confused.