"Thanks in advance. You may not understand, but the older I get, the more I crave for time with family members." Leo's voice was trembling upon saying those. He might not have a perfect family before but he used to have his wife and children around him. It was all gone now.
"You are welcome. After all, you are my father-in-law, right?" The kinship between Edward and Leo was undeniable even if he didn't want to admit it. However, Edward was cautious and chose to keep their distance. Because he was afraid that too much connection with him might hurt his relationship with Daisy. He knew clearly that she still wasn't over the things his father had done to her mother.
"You really think me as your father-in-law, Mr. Mu?" Leo's heart lightened at Edward's words. He had gone through great turbulence ever since Yakira's secret came to light. Not only did he lose his second family but it also made him and Daisy grow even further apart. For a time, everyone was leaving. But Edward's words were like a torch in a cold, dark night, sending him unexpected warmth and hope.
"Yes, I do. Not because I would like to think that way but because it's a simple fact. No matter how reluctant Daisy is to forgive you, you are still her biological father. I hope you understand that the only reason why I am sitting here and talking to you is that I love Daisy. I love her so that everything that concerns her becomes my concern."
Even Edward himself was surprised by how much he loved Daisy. Never in the past had he imagined that he would someday love someone as much. He panicked the first time he realized how crazy he was about her. It was the happiness that she brought him that calmed him down. She was his peace. That made him believe that she was indeed the only one for him. Thus, he consolidated his determination to do everything he could to keep her around for the rest of his life.
"I am so glad that she is married to you." It was only now that Leo realized how ridiculous he was to encourage Mary to sabotage Edward and Daisy's marriage. He felt ashamed that he was not only a lousy father but also a terrible person for doing such.
"I wish you are right. If you had read all those articles about me in the newspaper, which I guess you most certainly had, you would know how terrible a husband I was back then. Like it or not, as two of the most important men in her life, you and I have both shattered her heart in different ways. Now, do you still think that her marrying me is a good thing?"
With a pang of guilt, Edward confessed his past mistakes. He swore to himself that he would never break her heart again and would do everything to make her happy for the rest of his life.
"I thought that there must have been something that you saw in her since your family specifically demanded Daisy to be your bride. I even thought that you would treat her well after the wedding. I realized that I was wrong when I read about you in newspapers. I didn't bother to care because I didn't know that Daisy was my own daughter back then. For all these years, I wasn't there for her. So I don't blame her for not wanting to see me. I deserve it."
The utter disappointment in Daisy's eyes when she left home was like a splinter in Leo's heart. He wished that he had taken the information Edward gave him seriously so that he would have found out about the truth sooner. However, what had been done couldn't be undone. He was the one who had messed up the relationship between him and his daughter. Thus, it was for him to fix it.
"There is one thing, though, that I can't stop wondering about. Were there any moments in the past that you truly loved her? I mean, I know you never thought of her as your child, but she did bring you happiness, didn't she? And do you know that she never really resented you even after you drove her out of your home? The only reason she couldn't stand even looking at you today is because she thinks it's partly your fault that her mother died. Have these ever occurred to you or don't you really know anything about your daughter?"
As a surge of grievances overtook him, Edward had to turn away so as to hide his moistened eyes. He couldn't imagine how much pain Daisy went through when she was thrown out of home. The thought of her surviving all those difficult years just by simply holding on to the belief that her love for him would triumph made him even more guilty. How could he have treated her so bad during those years?
"Love her? No. The sight of her only reminded me of her mother's cheating on me back then. I guess it was that disdainful, or even repulsive feeling that drove me further and further away from her. You would never know how shocked I was when I found out that we are truly father and daughter. We were separated by a lie for years. A lie that I foolishly fell for. The discovery of her mother's death, which was also due to my negligence, was another big blow to me. The moment I saw her dash into my house with a gun in her hand, I knew how much she was damaged by my fault. I truly am a guilty man."
With no intention of shaking off responsibilities, Leo laid out his faults. His guilt and grievances were just as much as Edward's. However, there was one thing he didn't expect. He never thought that Daisy didn't hate him for ruthlessly throwing her out, but rather for his contribution to her mother's murder.
"From now on, I think you should do some real thinking, and figure out a way to gain Daisy's trust. Now if you excuse me, I have to head back." Deep down, Edward despised Leo. How could a man mess his own life as much as Leo did? He was shocked with the fact that a company's future was laid in the hand of Leo, a man with such a poor judgment. Leo had been fooled by a woman for so many years without even noticing anything wrong. 'It's truly a miracle that Ouyang Foreign Trade still hasn't gone bankrupt after all those years,' Edward thought to himself, as he stood up and prepared to leave.