"Mr. Ouyang, what can I do for you?" Edward asked casually, hands in his trouser pockets. It was difficult to tell whether the faint smile on his face was contemptuous or a mischievous one.
"I want to apologize for what happened in the restaurant the other day. My family was rude and disruptive while you were having dinner with your family. I'm really sorry. Mary said some offensive remarks because she likes you as you know." Leo apologized obsequiously. Mary had been acting like a spoiled child in front of him to get him to come here. At last he had no choice but to come.
"So you came here for Mary?" The smile on Edward's face grew. A hint of disdain flitted over his handsome face. His opinion of Leo worsened. Daisy was in his office right now. He wished he could leave at once and go to her. She was the only one that mattered to him.
Mr. Edward, what do you think of Mary? She kept asking me to come and since I'm here, I want to ask that for her. But I come here mainly for the findings of your investigation." Leo said hesitantly. No matter what the results were, they wouldn't be good news for him. If Daisy was really his daughter, his neglect of her in the past would be like a blade that left a permanent scar and endless pain in them. It would make him regret his actions forever. If she wasn't, he would be haunted by the memory of his wife's betrayal for the rest of his life. Either way, he would suffer.
"Humph, why do you even care? What you're doing clearly shows where you stand. Mary has been always the only daughter in your heart. Since neither Daisy nor Mary is your biological daughter, why do you treat them so differently? And are you certain that you and Daisy aren't related at all? "
Edward had become irritated. 'Leo, you're still trying to bring me and Mary together. Good for you! Do you ever think about Daisy? Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is to her? She is your daughter after all, how could you treat her worse than an outsider?' he thought.
"What are you talking about? If I'm not his daughter, then who's my father?" Daisy stood at the door of the sitting room, deathly pale and dumbstruck. Her eyes were devoid of emotions, and she looked about to collapse at any minute. Now, she understood why her father had been so distant to her. But what hurt her the most wasn't the fact that she was't Leo's daughter, but her mother's betrayal. Daisy had respected and loved her so much. She couldn't believe that her mother was a woman who had slept around. Her parents had loved each other so deeply, how was it possible for her mother to have an affair?
Daisy's head was full of questions. It was a heavy blow to her sinking heart. It hurt so much that her body couldn't support herself anymore and she slowly started collapsing. Suddenly, a big hand caught her and pulled her into an embrace, where she felt warm and stayed motionless.
Honey, don't be foolish. It's not as it seems. I'll tell you everything later. Now, stop thinking nonsense. Just stay in my arms." Daisy's body was shaking. Edward patted her and kissed her head several times to soothe her. 'What was Anna doing? She was supposed to keep an eye on her. How could she let her in?' he thought angrily.
"I'm sorry Mr. Edward. I had to go away for a minute, so I didn't see Mrs. Mu come in." As Edward blamed her, Anna rushed over on her high heels and shot Edward an apologetic look. She had to deliver a file to the vice general manager's office, but when she came back, Daisy was already at the door. One could never be too careful. Sometimes, the consequences of being careless could be very serious.
"Never mind. Go back to your work." Edward said, waving his hand. Daisy had to face the matter sooner or later. It's probably better for her to go through all the pain once and for all. Then, she wouldn't be able to feel the pain in the future anymore.
Is this Daisy?" Leo asked in confusion. Looking at the aloof woman in military uniform in Edward's arms, he couldn't believe his eyes. When did she become a soldier? He remembered that she went abroad for further studies. How did she become a military officer? From the epaulets on her uniform, she seemed to hold a high position.
"Mr. Ouyang, don't you think your question is ridiculous? As a father, shouldn't you recognize your own daughter?" Edward said icily, casting a fierce look at Leo. How could a father not recognize his own daughter? It's unbelievable! But he never treated Daisy as his daughter, so his actions made sense. In this case, it wasn't necessary for Edward to be cordial to Leo anymore.
"Honey, take me home. Let's get out of here, " Daisy said to Edward. She thought that if they met again, she would be able to treat Leo as a stranger without any trace of love or expectation. But it turned out that she still longed for family affection. Knowing that she wasn't his daughter was a blow to the head, but his question was a stab in the wound. She instantly lost all hope, and her attachment to him vanished into thin air.
"Alright, let's go home now." It took Edward by surprise that Leo could still hurt Daisy so much. He had thought that after so many years, she had gotten used to the feeling of being abandoned by her family. But Leo's actions still tore her heart apart. Blood is thicker than water. It seemed that family ties couldn't be forgotten or severed no matter how hard you tried. Even a soldier as gritty as Daisy couldn't dismiss such emotions.
"Mr. Edward, I..." Not getting the answer to his question, Leo became anxious when he heard that they were leaving.
Don't worry. I'll make you realize how wrong you are. Luke will give you the answer you want, but I hope you can keep your promise. Don't regret it, " Edward said, raising his eyebrows and glancing at Leo scornfully. Reluctant to say another word to him, he took Daisy out of the sitting room.
Leo stood there, thinking about Edward's words. If Daisy was his daughter, how did it explain the evidence that Yakira had laid in front of him years ago? Had she deceived him? But why? If it was true, what a horrible woman she was!
Daisy leaned against Edward. The series of blows had exhausted her. She wasn't the high-spirited and vigorous military officer anymore. The aloof bearing also disappeared. At this moment, she was just a weak and sad figure beside Edward.
Mr. Mu, what happened?" Seeing Daisy's pale countenance, Luke frowned. He wondered if Daisy had seen the file saying that her mother's death was part of a conspiracy. That would have devastated her.
"It's fine. Please give the file to Mr. Ouyang. He needs to know what he has done in the past years, " Edward said to Luke, without looking at him. His attention was focused on Daisy, who was wearing a blank expression.
"Yes, Mr. Mu." Luke was worried that Daisy was too weak to handle any contingency. But he had to do as Edward instructed. It was of great importance. The file revealed the skeleton in the closet of the Ouyang family, and it was in Daisy's immediate interests.
In the car, Edward bit his lip anxiously. Hands on the wheel, he kept checking on Daisy, who looked lifeless beside him. Worried that the people in his home would ask some questions that could pressure Daisy too much, he drove to Maple Night instead. She could enjoy a good rest there; she was too tense right now. Daisy didn't say a word on the way and pretended to sleep. She didn't know where they were going until she saw the maple trees around the house when they arrived.
"Why are we here?" Daisy winced. This place brought dreadful memories to her. She and Edward spent their first night here, and she lost her virginity to him that night. Now that she was here again, her mind couldn't help wandering back to the morning after, when he kept telling her the same thing repeatedly.
"It's quieter here. If we go home, my mom would keep asking you questions about your uniform. It's for the best for us to stay here. I remember you said you are tired. Have a bath upstairs. Relax. I had it renovated."
They got home late the night before, so Cynthia hadn't seen Daisy's uniform and hadn't bothered them for that. But if they went home now, Cynthia would throw all kinds of questions to their faces. Edward knew that this place was sad and uncomfortable for Daisy, but it was better than facing his mom's curiosity.
"When did you have it renovated?" Daisy hadn't spent much time with Cynthia, but she came to know her personality. Most elders were stately and lofty, but Cynthia always spoke bluntly and innocently like a teenage girl. Because Jonathan spoiled her a lot, she wasn't like an elder at all. Daisy envied her sometimes.
"When you were at the war games. I missed you so much that I looked for anything that reminded me of you. Then I came here. Love is miraculous. It makes you do things that you never thought you would do in the past." Edward said with a wry smile, his eyes full of love.
It's beautiful." His affectionate remarks made Daisy blush. Her heart was racing. Not knowing how to respond, she looked at the maple trees and pretended to appreciate the view.
"Yes. It will be more beautiful when the maple leaves turn red." Edward intended to let her relax, so he didn't mind her reaction. He followed her eyes to look at the maple woods. The maple is a deciduous tree in the subtropical area that blossoms in spring. Because its hand-shaped leaves turn red in fall, especially in late fall, people also call them red maple leaves. In the autumn season, you can occasionally find orange and green among the flaming leaves. In a strong wind, the leaves fall gracefully like dancing snowflakes dyed in different colors. At that moment, no place in the world was as beautiful as this place. Soon enough, he would take her here to share that wonderful moment with her. Although the last time he was in that kind of romantic atmosphere had been a long time ago, he still cherished the sweet memory.