As enchanting and fascinating as they were, the legendary life of Cleopatra and the picturesque scene along the Nile River were irrelevant to those who lived in S City. Here, people lived another ordinary day as usual.
It was the blinding white ceiling and the mind-blowing headache that welcomed Hero back from his coma. He was still alive. A messy brew of mixed feelings stirred in his stomach as he chewed on this reality. It was Daisy, he heard, who had saved his life. He moved his head to look around and saw that she was sitting right next to him. Confused as well as touched, he asked, "Why did you save me?" Then, he turned his head back so as to evade her gaze. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him in his worst times.
"Because you still got a conscience, and therefore is not beyond redemption," said Daisy with a light sigh. She had always thought that Hero was a citizen of her country. It was her belief until she received a document stating that he was actually a Singaporean. He was a mixed-blood whose criminal case should be under the jurisdiction of the two countries.
"Haha, conscience? Since when did you take that as a criterion in judging a criminal?" After shooting a brief glance at Daisy, Hero then looked away and stared out the window, his eyes empty.
"I know you hate me for putting you into prison and saving your life. None of these things are what you wanted. However, you should know that catching you is my job. I have to do it. As for saving you, I did it for the old times' sake. I can't just watch you die. That's all." No one could have anticipated the way things had developed. However, Daisy couldn't see anything wrong with what she had done. She did what she thought was right as an army woman. Her attention was always focused on facts, and seldom did she let herself get distracted by personal feelings.
"Would you believe it if I say I don't blame you for neither of those things?" Hero asked as he finally mustered the guts to look directly at her. His face was solemn. Unfortunately, the intensity of his expression was diluted by his pale skin.
"Why?" The army woman said as she looked back at him with confusion.
"The same reason as you said just now. It's true that it's your job to catch me. But for you to save me? I suppose that takes more than just 'old time's sake', right?" Bitterness laced Hero's smile. He remembered the time when Jessica abducted Daisy. He let himself get involved in a secret plot just to make sure that Daisy wouldn't fall into the hands of other bad guys. He did all those because he loved her. And just like how he couldn't stand seeing her get into trouble, Daisy saved his life when she saw him dying. How could he even blame her for doing such?
"You were right about the first part. But please don't get me wrong as to why I saved you. It's nothing more than what I have said. Nevertheless, I want you to know that I've never looked down upon you, Hero. Not even once," said Daisy sincerely. She never believed that other people's opinions were important as to how she saw herself. However, she thought that her opinion might matter to a man who almost took his life.
"Thanks. I am glad to know that you see me that way. Guess there are good reasons why I love you." Hero forced a smile as he tried to appear as nonchalant as possible. He had loved Daisy for so many reasons he could tell and many he couldn't. None of them mattered because he knew that he would never have the chance to be with her. She had already been won over by another man long before they met. A man who was better than him in every way. He admitted that he couldn't compete with Edward and had accepted the reality that she had chosen Edward over him.
"As I have told you before, I appreciate your love but I can't accept it. I hope you understand and let go." Hero's love was a burden to Daisy. As kind-hearted as she was, she found it hard to turn down people whose love she couldn't give back. It was the reason why Hero's confessions bothered her.
"I am not asking you to love me back, so don't deprive me of my right to love you. I won't even disturb you. Just let me keep this feeling to myself as long as l live, will you?" said Hero emotionally. He looked away quickly when he realized that his eyes were wet. What he asked of Daisy couldn't be qualified as too much. He might as well die instantly if she couldn't even grant him that.
"Hero, Why are you so stubborn? I am not as good as you think. You could be making a mistake. Don't you understand?" sighed Daisy with resignation. She lifted her hands and used her fingers to press her temple, her beautiful face clouded with frustration.
"Maybe you are right. But for me, loving a girl does not depend on how good she is. It all depends on who I want," Hero said as he evaded her stare. His feelings for her grew stronger every time he looked at her, which in return just made his heart ache even worse.
"I am sorry. Let's not talk about this anymore. Emm... Are you a Singaporean?" asked Daisy after a moment of hesitation. The investigation of Hero's nationality was supposed to be the police's job, but she wanted to hear things straight from him.
"Oh, I guess you guys found out," Hero smiled with self-mockery. He was finally seen through after all those years of changing between different fake identifies.
"Yes. And I also know that your name is not Hero. You are Ian Yun." 'Ian, a boy next door's name,' thought Daisy. 'Fits his appearance but not his way of doing things. Considering the kind of business he was in, the name Hero suits him more.'
Ironic, isn't it? My parents wanted a normal life for me, yet I went into illegal businesses and became a criminal." Hero's heart sank as his mind flashed back to his bleak childhood. He was born in a poor family and was frequently bullied by other rich boys. Those things impacted him so hard that they eventually drove him into illegal businesses. However, he had never regretted the life he had chosen. Why? Because he met Daisy in it.
No, I only feel sorry for you. I know there is still a part of you that is good. That is enough for me to feel the need to save you." Daisy never doubted that no one was born evil. Few people chose to be bad. Environment and society mostly determined what kind of person one became in life.
"Haha, you think I am a good person? You have a very weird way of seeing people." Hero laughed to hide his true emotions. He was touched to hear that Daisy still saw good in him. He was a total villain to other people. 'Good' was the last word they would connect him with. Hearing Daisy's opinion of him made him more convinced that he indeed devoted his love to the right person.