Unlike Edward who was always late, Daisy was a stickler for punctuality. She arrived at the restaurant right on time.
Leo was already there waiting for her. Daisy strode confidently toward him. She looked fabulous with her neat uniform and her pretty face. Ordinarily she didn't wear a military uniform when she was off duty. If she was going out, she wore civilian clothes, and how dressy she looked was dependent on the situation. She always avoided being the center of attention. But of late she went to the Mu's house directly after work and so now she was still in her uniform.
"There you are, Daisy. I thought I'd have to wait longer for you. Come and sit down." Leo said in an almost unctuous way, considering that it would ruin his wholesome image if he had a fight with her here in public. What's more, he hadn't gotten what he wanted yet.
"Punctuality is a basic principle for soldiers. I didn't expect you to be here so early. Sorry to keep you waiting." Daisy's voice was polite, but cold as if the man sitting opposite her was not her father but a complete stranger.
"Check out the menu and order whatever you want. The food's great here." Leo handed her the menu with a graceful smile on his face all the time. He behaved throughout like a perfect gentleman.
"I will have the steak medium well and vegetable salad. Thanks!" Daisy said in fluent English without checking the menu. She was quite familiar with western cuisine, thanks to all those years spent training at JC Military Academy.
"Okay. Coming right up." The waitress was a pretty foreign girl. She nodded to Daisy and left.
"So why did you ask me to come here?" Daisy pressed her lips together and gave a sideways glance to the man sitting in front of her. A ghost of a mocking smile flickered across her lips.
Nothing special. I just want to have dinner with you," Leo said, and his eyes fell on the hat Daisy put aside on the table. He was trying to find a way to get a DNA specimen from her. It would be convenient if he could get a hair from her hat.
"Do you believe that yourself?" Daisy asked and smiled, with a look that said she didn't believe his words at all.
"Am I such a horrible person in your eyes?" Leo managed to swallow his anger. He never understood why Daisy was always contentious and made their relation tense all the time.
"Ah. I'm no judge. You should know what you're like. Don't forget, God is always watching," Daisy said casually and toyed with the glass in her hand. She didn't care if he was a horrible person or not. She knew he was not a dutiful father and that was enough.
"Could I have a look at your hat?" Leo decided to ignore the defiance in her tone and focused on the hat.
"Huh… that's okay, but…" Daisy frowned a little, surprised by his request. But she handed him her hat all the same, confused why he would be interested in the hat.
"Don't worry. I just want a look. I won't break it." As soon as Leo got the hat, he inspected the hat carefully yet he couldn't find a single hair in it. When he realized it, his fluttering heart dropped like cold lead in his chest.
"I'm not worried about that. It's not easy to break a military hat. I'm just surprised that you are interested in a hat." Daisy was very confident about the quality of the hat. After all it was military grade.
"Oh… It's just that I have never gotten to know a soldier. So I'm curious." Leo didn't find what he wanted and felt quite disappointed. But right before he decided to return the hat he spotted something. Without causing any attention, He picked up a single hair hidden in the seam carefully and handed the hat back to Daisy. After he put the hair in a plastic package and sealed it under the table, a bright smile crept back on his face again.
"Spit it out. What do you want?" Daisy didn't believe a single word Leo had said. He had been cold and ruthless to her all these years. There was no reason he would change his attitude and invite her for dinner all of a sudden. This was quite out of character for him.
"Kid, why can't you trust me once? All I want is to have dinner with you. There is no reason. Enough with the third degree. Or is it true that all soldiers are overbearing and like to interrogate people?" Leo frowned at her disapprovingly. He didn't like Daisy's hostile attitude. Just an ordinary dinner date put her on her guard. She behaved like he had done something unforgivable to her.
"Sorry. This is who I am. I get uptight when things don't go the way they are supposed to. So you'll forgive me if I only think the worst of you, Mr. Ouyang." Daisy gave him a mocking smile. Then the waitress brought Daisy her food. She nodded thankfully to the waitress. Daisy had good manners and she always remembered her courtesy.
"I remember that you called me Daddy when you were a little girl. Now you call me Mr. Ouyang. True, when Yakira threw you out of the house I didn't try to stop her, but there's no need to be so distant. I was your father, once." Leo gazed at Daisy. She had Grace's face. But the face made him think of the test results, reminding him how he was betrayed by her mother. Her continued existence was a humiliation that he couldn't bear as a man.
You said it happened when I was a little girl. Things change all the time. The world has changed and none of us can go back." Daisy tasted the steak. It was tender and juicy, the flavor exploded in her mouth and tickled her taste buds. The food was great here like Leo had said.
"Never mind. We can discuss it after we get the result. You can call me all you want now." Leo decided to drop the subject first. If she was his daughter, everything would be different. At least it would be disrespectful if she kept calling him like this. It wouldn't take long for him to get the result.
"Result? What result?" Daisy put down her fork and shot him a questioning look, wondering if the result had anything to do with her.
Oh! It's nothing. Let's eat. The food is really good." Leo realized he had slipped and changed the subject quickly. Knowing Daisy was defensive around him, he tried to maintain a pleasing atmosphere.
"Yes, the food is delicious," Daisy answered. There was no need to pick a fight with someone who was trying to be nice. Although why Leo changed his attitude still eluded her. Maybe he wanted to make up for the slap he gave her. Anyway she would remain calm as long as he didn't try to get under her skin. Leo was nice and accessible all through the meal. Even Daisy's coldness didn't anger him anymore. Daisy was slightly surprised at his behavior. There must be a reason he acted this way but she didn't have a clue what it was.
While Daisy was trying to figure out what he was up to, Leo felt his heart was singing. After tomorrow he would know if this pretty girl was his biological daughter or not. And if she was, he would have to face a lot of problems. For one thing, Yakira was bold enough to trick and manipulate him.
When Daisy headed back home, a million thoughts raced through her mind. After the necklace 'A Beauty's Tears of Blood' had been found, she felt she finally found peace of mind. The necklace belonged to her mother and it had an emotional attachment for Daisy. Even it also made her resent the Ouyang family more.
"Colonel. There seems to be a car accident ahead. Maybe we should take another route." Mark glanced at her through the mirror. He didn't mean to interrupt her thought but he had to ask for her advice before they got caught in the long line of cars.
"Oh. Let's stop and figure out what is happening there. Maybe they'll need help." Daisy's mind came back to the present. She rolled down the back window of the car and looked out before she gave her command.
Yes. I'll get right on that." Mark got out of the car and walked forward among the other vehicles. It took several minutes before he came back.
"What is happening?" Daisy frowned. She didn't like troubles. But she knew that being a soldier she should take more responsibility.
It's not a big deal. A small car accident. A punk girl scratched a BMW X6. They're arguing over it." Mark answered with a twist on his lips. That girl was very arrogant and flanked by some large men. But the owner of the BMW didn't seem like a nice person either, and also surrounded by some bodyguards. So he didn't ask around to get more details.
Shouldn't the police be brought in to deal with it if they can't reach an agreement? Why is the road blocked?
Daisy glanced back to where more and more cars lined up. It was impossible to change another road now. They had to wait or she could try to solve it in person. But it was outside the scope of her authority and she didn't like it. On the other hand she had a report to finish later. This really put her in a difficult situation.
The traffic officers are not here yet. Maybe no one called the police. So what now? The road is jammed with cars now and we can't move at all. They wouldn't get stuck if they had turned around as soon as they came on the scene of the accident. It was against the traffic rules but army cars always had priority over other road users. But now they could do nothing.