Although he was having second thoughts, Luke swallowed back his protest. He started the car and sped away. He knew how much Edward meant to Daisy. He couldn't imagine how agonizing it would be for her to wait alone at home. Getting to Edward's side as soon as possible was his first priority, but he also had to consider Daisy's feelings.
"Luke, does Edward always have to take bodyguards with him every time he goes out?" asked Daisy. She never paid much attention to such things. Every time she saw Edward, Luke was also with him. She had grown so used to it that it never occurred to her why Edward was never alone.
"Yes, he does. It's very crucial, because there are a lot of people out there with ill intent against Mr. Mu. Some are his business competitors, while some simply want to kidnap him for ransom. There are also a bunch of women who are obsessed with Mr. Mu and would do crazy things just to spend the night with him," Luke replied, pressing the accelerator harder as the car sped through the street.
Daisy's heart thumped at Luke's response. No wonder Luke was always so tense. She used to think that he was too protective and a little rigid. She didn't expect there would be so many risks and dangers in the society she lived in. Now, she started to have doubts about her earlier judgement.
"Are you okay, Mrs. Mu?" Luke asked in concern, casting a quick glance at Daisy. He hadn't heard her speak for a while after he told her the potential dangers Edward faced.
"Oh, I'm fine. I just thought of something just now. Don't worry about me," replied Daisy. She brushed the tip of her nose with her finger as if to brush something aside, before she flashed a forced smile towards Luke to reassure him.
"Mrs. Mu, can I ask you to do something?" Luke looked hesitant. It took him a few moments to gather up the nerve to ask the question.
"Sure, as long as it's within my abilities. What is it?" Luke rarely asked favors of other people, but this was too important for him not to make an exception.
"Yes, you can do this. I just hope that you could be more tolerant of Mr. Mu when you two have a fight in the future. No matter how angry you are with him, please don't take off and leave him alone. If you find that it's necessary for you to take some time apart to cool off, could you please inform me before leaving him on his own?" Luke's eyes were full of sincerity as he spoke. It was evident to him that Edward had left the house abruptly without leaving a message because of their fight. He didn't want similar things to happen in the future again, so he expressed his concerns to Daisy. It was not his intention to blame her for letting this happen, but he wanted her to do this for his young master's safety. As the only person who had been by Edward's side in all those years, he knew better than anyone else what kind of hollow and miserable life Edward had led before Daisy turned up in his life.
"I understand. Edward is lucky to have you as his brother. Thank you very much, Luke. I promise to be more careful in the future," Daisy replied solemnly. When Edward told her that he wanted a moment alone, she didn't expect him to leave the house. If she had known, she wouldn't have lingered so long in the bath. A little upset with his behavior, she had wanted him to take some time to reflect on his actions. If she had known her own impulsiveness would lead him to such a risky situation, she wouldn't have let him out of her sight without resolving the issue first. She felt ashamed of herself when Luke voiced out his thoughts.
"Thank you for understanding. But you got one thing wrong, I'm the one who's lucky to have Mr. Mu as my brother. If not for him, I wouldn't be who I am today." Luke's eyes narrowed as a rush of painful memories consumed him. Most of the time, he kept those emotions buried deep in his heart. He rarely talked about his relationship with Edward to someone else, but today was an exception.
"That's why you are such good brothers to each other," Daisy pointed out gently. Getting the hint from Luke's expression that he didn't want to get into it, Daisy ended the conversation in understanding. She didn't like probing into other people's private matters. Although it was just a few words, hearing how important Edward was to Luke made her understand something that she couldn't comprehend for a long time.
In the eyes of most people, Luke was just Edward's bodyguard. They didn't see that there was more to their relationship than just duty-bound devotion. They shared a deep bond for each other that went both ways. Daisy noticed this in the way Edward protected Luke just as much as Luke protected Edward during the vicious fight with the arms dealers. It was in moments like those that one could clearly see how much they mattered to each other.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mu. I must be asking for too much..." Luke said, his lips curling in an apologetic smile. He liked Daisy and respected her a great deal. Though he knew it was unfair to her and would most likely put her in a difficult position, he felt compelled to ask her this favor. Nothing was more important to him than Edward's well-being.
"No, that's all right. In fact, I should be thanking you. Edward is my husband, and yet I haven't done a good job in taking care of him. My ignorance has put his safety at risk. You always do things for him with his safety as your top priority. I can't thank you enough for what you have done for him. There is no reason for you to apologize."
As she spoke, Daisy felt even more remorseful. She knew that Edward was a little spoiled and could be stubborn and capricious sometimes, but she still handled the fight terribly. She hated how she couldn't remain calm and try to appease his anger whenever they fought. Instead, she drove him away with her cutting words. If anything happened to him tonight, she didn't know how she could ever live with herself.
Thank you. I hope you understand that I have no intention of offending you. I'm just very worried about Mr. Mu. You may not have noticed, but he has change a lot for you. In the past I would never have imagined him capable of leading the life he has with you today, responsible and committed to his family. This is all because of you. You brought him a whole new and better life. For this, I thank you. Luke was unusually talkative tonight. He wanted Daisy to understand how important Edward was to him. Daisy's deep love for Edward made hersee Luke's words as a testimony of the profound brotherhood Luke shared with her husband.