Ayla 2

Chapter 56 - The Begging

Shane held Ayla tight in his arms and began swaying them side to side. Their feet moved in a synchronized movement as the music began.

Shane managed to convince Ayla to attend the event although she wasn't in the mood to do so. Shane was equally angry at Hunter for being so inconsiderate and for talking to her that way. He wanted nothing more than to kick Hunter in the ass right now. But then again, looking at how broken Ayla seemed at the moment, he knew Ayla needed a distraction. Obviously going back to New York would do no good.

He knew how much she'd been looking forward to this dance. How much she was excited for this day. She'd waited for weeks for this dance with Hunter. He knew how crushed she must be right now. Her own father has given up on her and had misunderstood her. More than that, he'd just said no to the thing he knew how special it was to her. Their first ever daddy-daughter dance. Above all, he'd made her feel unwanted. Hunter was the one who is supposed to make her feel wanted in this family. Make her feel she belongs here. Shane wonders how could Hunter have even said that to Ayla.

Shane decided that they were going to the dance no matter what. He managed to convince her although it wasn't an easy task. He didn't know why but he just felt the urge to fill in Hunter's shoes at the moment. He wanted to cheer her up and make this moment an unforgettable one for her. He decided to be her dad today.

Luckily, Shane already knows the steps from all that practice with Ayla before this.

As the dance came to an end, he lifted her up by the waist and Ayla spread her arms wide open as Shane twirled them around. The crowd cheered at that, fascinated by their graceful dance. He then sets her down and gives her one last twirl before pulling her into his arms, placing a peck on her forehead as the song came to an end.

Everyone clapped and cheered for them as they both bowed before the crowd. Some even begin chanting for Shane. 

Shane led her back to their table and sat Ayla on the chair, handing her a cup of water.

"You were amazing, Ayla" Shane said enthusiastically, trying to cheer her up.

"So were you, Uncle Shane" Ayla said.

"We should definitely do this more often, don't you think?" Shane asked

"Yeah, I guess" Ayla said. Shane didn't take her response to heart since he knew she didn't mean to be all snappy. He knew she just wasn't in the mood.

"Come on, let's enjoy the good food, huh?" Shane said, turning her around. He pushed in her chair nearer to the table and turned to the food on the table. He picked up a fruit tart and held up, only to pause when he saw how Ayla was just staring at the food, expressionless. Her face was pale and her eyes weren't blinking. 

"Ayla" Shane shook her shoulder to which she blinked. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm.....I'm fine, Uncle Shane." Ayla breathed. Her monotone expression was enough to tell that she wasn't okay. 

Shane sighed and moved nearer to her, his lips inches away from her ear. "I know how you're feeling right now. But I need you to calm down and just put on that big smile of yours and stay strong. We'll talk about it once the event is over, okay?" 

Ayla nodded in response and Shane pecked her temples before pulling away. He reached out and gave her hand a slight squeeze, giving a little hint of positive energy to her. Ayla turned to look at Shane who gave her a wide smile as he caressed the top of her hand. Ayla slowly formed a weak smile in response to which Shane patted her hand in satisfaction. 

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Ayla got changed into her pajamas and laid on the bed of her hotel room. Shane decided that it wasn't a good idea to stay at The Helmsleys mansion since Hunter would be back in the evening and it would all make it worse.