Chapter 26
Seizing a split-second lapse from the guards, Samuel made his move.
He ran.
Most of his fortune was already hidden in offshore accounts. All he had to do was cross the border, and freedom, luxury, and safety would be his.
Or so he thought.
But fate had a cruel sense of irony.
Just as his car sped onto the overpass, a truck came hurtling out of nowhere. It slammed into him with brutal force. The crash was violent, final. Samuel died on impact.
And the bitter twist? It happened at the exact same spot where he’d survived a near-fatal accident five years earlier.
,
“You’re saying Heather’s missing… and Samuel died in a car crash?”
Daisy looked at Gordon, the weight of his words sinking in like lead.
Gordon nodded grimly.
“Looks like Desmond had something to do with it. The police are still digging.”
Daisy’s expression shifted, subtle but sharp. She sat in silence for a moment, then exhaled slowly.
“With them gone,” she said quietly, “the past is nothing but smoke in the wind.”
Her gaze returned to the open book in front of her.
After claiming her parents’ shares, Daisy had become the largest stakeholder in the Johnson Group, now its most powerful decision-maker. But boardrooms and balance sheets had never been her domain. Medicine was where her heart belonged.
So when Samuel was removed from the equation, she didn’t hesitate. She hired a top-tier executive team to take over daily operations. Power didn’t tempt her. Peace did.
Gordon noticed the calm in her demeanor. She wasn’t clinging to control, she didn’t need it. So he didn’t press. Instead, he set down a bowl of oatmeal on her desk.
“Eat something before you bury yourself in work again,” he said gently.
She’d recently had facial reconstruction surgery. Her diet was restricted to soft foods. The oatmeal was perfect.
“Thanks,” she murmured, wrapping her hands around the warm bowl, sipping slowly and deliberately.
Then came a knock at the door.
“Young Madam,” a servant said, “Mr. Thomas is here to see you. He’s waiting outside.”
Daisy froze, her spoon hovering mid-air.
“I don’t want to see him.”
,
Outside, Desmond stood in the cold.
“She doesn’t want to see me?” he asked quietly.
The servant nodded.
A flicker of pain crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with a calm, composed smile.
“It’s alright,” he said. “I’ll wait.”
And he did.
Day one, he was ignored.
Day two, nothing.
By the third day, he was running on fumes, hunger clawing at his gut, exhaustion pressing down like iron. And then, the gates opened.
Daisy walked out.
Her face, once full of life and warmth, was unreadable now. A perfect portrait of indifference. She moved toward him with slow, measured steps. No anger. No sadness. No affection. Just calm.
“Daisy…” he breathed, barely able to speak her name.
She stopped in front of him. Her eyes were sharp, cold.
“What do you want?”
He reached for her hand on instinct. She pulled away without hesitation, sharp, decisive. It stung more than a slap.
“I made Heather pay,” Desmond said, voice low. “For what she did to you. I… I’m sorry. I was blind before. I didn’t see who she really was. But I do now.”
He swallowed hard.
“Could you give me one more chance?”
Desmond Thomas had never begged anyone in his life. But for her, he would’ve dropped to his knees right there.
Daisy stared at him. No warmth. No flicker of the girl who once loved him. Only ice.
“I already gave you enough chances.”
“This is the last one,” he said quickly, desperation creeping into his voice.
Daisy shook her head slowly.
“No, Desmond. The day you chose Heather over me was the day I let you go. I made my peace with that.”
Her tone was calm, but her words cut deep.
“You think just because you finally opened your eyes, I’m supposed to pretend none of it happened? You’ve been living in a fantasy.”
Desmond took a shaky step back. Panic surged in his chest, tearing through what was left of his pride.
“But I love you,” he said, his voice cracking. “I never gave up on you.”
Daisy let out a bitter laugh, soft and sharp.
“If you really loved me… how could you abandon me again and again?”
He had no answer.
None that would ever be enough.
