Alexander Sterling: The Bussines King's Rebirth

Chapter 4

Alexander stared at Lily, the little girl frozen before him, her eyes wide with sheer terror. Her tiny frame was trembling, her chest heaving like a cornered animal trying to disappear into the shadows.

And then, Kyle's memories of Lily came flooding back, not just indifference, but outright hatred. Kyle despised Lily simply because she was born a girl. Alexander saw flashes of what he had done: the screaming tantrum after her birth, Kyle raging at Isabella. "Why did you give me a daughter? I wanted a son!" He had hurled everything within reach against the walls, while Isabella clutched Lily to her chest and bit back her sobs.

Then came another memory, Kyle's obsession with turning Lily into a boy. He had hacked off all her hair until she was nearly bald, not for hygiene, but because he couldn't stand the sight of his child looking like the girl she was.

Alexander looked at Lily, his emotions churning. She actually had a sweet face, warm, honey-brown eyes like Isabella's, and clear, delicate skin. If not for that savage haircut, she would have been a beautiful little girl. Instead, her curly locks had been chopped short and crooked, as if cut with dull scissors by a furious, impatient hand.

Looking at Lily, and remembering every ugly act buried in Kyle's memories, Alexander felt a blaze of fury ignite in his chest. But he forced it down, determined not to frighten her further.

Meanwhile, still reeling from the shock of seeing Kyle act differently, Lily suddenly remembered something. Her hand reflexively flew to her hair, touching a tiny strawberry-shaped hairpin that Isabella had clipped in this morning before school.

Her eyes went wide. The fear on her face deepened, turning into pure panic.

Quickly, frantically, the little girl yanked the hairpin out. Her hands trembled as she hid it behind her back like a stolen treasure, her gaze dropping to the floor. She couldn't bear to look at Kyle.

"I—I took it off," Lily whispered, her voice barely audible. "I took it off, Daddy. I'm not wearing it anymore. I promise."

Alexander frowned, confused. But before he could speak, another memory slammed into him like a blow.

A flash of Lily wearing that same hairpin. Kyle had flown into a blind rage, grabbing the little girl's hair and yanking so hard she staggered, her small body crashing to the floor, her head barely missing the sharp edge of the brick wall.

"Boys don't wear hairpins! I've taught you to act like a son, so why do you still prance around like a useless little girl?"

Kyle's roar. Lily's wails. And Isabella, rushing in, clutching her daughter and begging for mercy.

Alexander's chest tightened painfully. Beneath the table, his hand clenched into a fist, nails biting into his palm so hard they nearly drew blood.

Kyle wasn't just despicable, he was subhuman. Worse than an animal.

Alexander exhaled heavily and looked at Lily. She was still hiding the strawberry clip behind her back. A moment later, tears began to spill down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Daddy... I promise I won't wear it again. I promise I'll be a boy. Please don't sell me... please..."

Something shattered inside Alexander's chest. It felt like a boulder had been hurled straight at his heart. This poor, innocent child was willing to erase herself, just to avoid being sold by her own father.

He rose from his chair and approached Lily slowly, deliberately, careful not to spook her further.

But Lily retreated a step instead. Her body shook harder, tears streaming faster.

"D-don't... don't hit me, Daddy. I promise, I won't wear it again. I'll throw it away now!"

The little girl hurled the strawberry hairpin to the floor. It bounced and skittered into a dusty corner. Lily stared at it like it was a cursed object.

Alexander stopped. He looked at the hairpin lying in the dirt, then back at Lily, still crying in terror.

"Lily," he called softly.

She didn't answer. She just hung her head, shoulders heaving with sobs.

Alexander bent down, picked up the discarded hairpin, and cautiously approached her again. Isabella, who had been watching in frozen silence, took a step forward to protect her daughter, but halted mid-stride when she saw what Alexander was doing.

He crouched in front of Lily, keeping a careful distance so as not to overwhelm her. He met her frightened gaze with a gentle look, and offered a faint, reassuring smile.

"It's okay. Put your hairpin back on," Alexander said softly, carefully clipping it back into her hair.

Slowly, Lily lifted her head. Her tear-drenched eyes met his. Confusion flickered across her face, just as it had on Isabella's earlier.

"You don't have to be a boy," Alexander said tenderly. "You are a little girl. And that is perfectly fine."

Lily blinked, still wary, still puzzled.

"Daddy... Daddy isn't mad?" she whispered.

Alexander shook his head gently. "No, sweetheart. Daddy isn't mad."

Lily stared at him, suspicion clinging to her voice. "But Daddy... Daddy said girls are useless. Daddy said Lily had to be a boy or he would sell her—"

"Daddy was wrong," Alexander cut in, his voice firm yet soft. "Daddy made a terrible mistake saying those stupid things. Please forgive me."

Lily fell silent. Fresh tears welled in her eyes, but her sobs began to quiet.

"From today on, Daddy won't act so cruelly to you anymore. You're a girl. You can wear any hairpin you want. Don't be afraid," Alexander continued.

"R-really? Daddy... Daddy isn't lying?" Lily whispered, her face a mask of disbelief.

Alexander nodded. "Daddy isn't lying. Daddy promises."

"You won't sell me, will you?" Lily asked again, her voice trembling with fear.

Alexander shook his head, a soft smile returning to his lips. "Daddy will never do that, sweetheart. Don't be afraid. Today, Daddy finally sees all the wrong he's done in the past, and he will never repeat it."

"Really?" This time, Lily dared to hold his gaze for a moment longer.

Alexander nodded and carefully reached out, gently stroking the crown of her head.

The moment she felt that tender, loving touch, something she had never known from Kyle, Lily's composure finally shattered.

"Thank you, Daddy..." she murmured, dissolving into heart-wrenching sobs.

Alexander could no longer contain the storm of emotion surging in his own chest. He pulled Lily into his arms, rubbing her small back to calm her trembling, but unbeknownst to him, a tear slipped from the corner of his own eye.

Isabella, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally let her own tears fall freely. She wasn't crying out of sorrow. She was crying because a spark of hope, one she had buried deep in her heart long ago, was finally flickering back to life. She never, in her wildest dreams, thought she would live to see the day Kyle Morrison truly became a father to their daughter.