HE LOST HIS DAUGHTER ONCE, NOW HE’S A RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

AN EMERGENCY?

“Happy Birthday, Maggie!” The Mickey Mouse mascot cheered warmly as he walked toward her and handed her a beautiful bouquet of roses.

The bright morning sun bathed the amusement park in warm golden light, making everything around it look cheerful and alive.

Colourful music drifted from the nearby carousel while children ran across the pathways holding giant sticks of pink cotton candy, laughing and pointing excitedly toward the rollercoasters towering above them.

But Maggie wasn’t looking at any of the rides.

She sat quietly on a bench beside Brandon, her small hands resting weakly in her lap while her favorite teddy bear leaned silently against her chest.

Unlike usual, she wasn’t hugging it tightly.

Her face looked frighteningly pale beneath the sunlight, almost translucent, and her lips carried a faint bluish tint.

Brandon knelt down in front of her, his eyes filled with worry as he carefully studied her pale little face. Earlier, he had bought her a balloon, bunny shaped cotton candy stick, and a box of popcorn, but she hadn’t touched either of them. They just sat untouched on the bench beside her.

“What’s wrong, Maggie?” Brandon asked softly, unable to hide the concern in his voice. “Look, the Ferris wheel is starting to move.” He pointed toward the giant ride glowing beneath the morning sunlight. “You said you wanted to see the whole city from the top, remember?”

Then he gave her a gentle smile and lightly brushed her hair back.

“Do you want Daddy to ride it with you?”

Maggie tried to smile, but it was small and weak. Even then, she was still trying her best to look happy for him.

“It looks pretty, Daddy,” Maggie whispered softly as she watched the Ferris wheel turning in the distance. “My legs feel a little tired today… Can we just sit here and watch for a while instead?”

Brandon’s expression immediately tightened with worry.

“Are you feeling sick, Maggie?” he asked gently as he placed his hand against her forehead.

She felt unusually cold.

A thin layer of sweat covered her skin, and her breathing had become shallow and uneven, her small chest rising and falling far too quickly.

“My tummy doesn’t feel good,” Maggie admitted quietly, her trembling voice barely above a whisper. “And my head feels really heavy…”

Then she looked up at Brandon and forced another tiny smile onto her pale face.

“But don’t be sad, Daddy,” she assured him softly. “I like sitting here with you… spending time together like this.” 

Her fingers tightened gently around her teddy bear. “It’s my birthday,” Maggie whispered slowly, forcing a tiny smile. “And spending it with Daddy makes me happier than any rides or desserts ever could.”

A wave of fear crashed through Brandon’s chest despite her assurance because this wasn’t simple exhaustion anymore.

Maggie was getting worse far faster than the doctors had predicted.

Suddenly, the cheerful amusement park no longer felt bright or happy.

The carousel music sounded distant and distorted in Brandon’s ears, and the crowded park around them suddenly felt terrifyingly useless.

Brandon quickly pulled out his phone and called Lyra. His hands were trembling so badly that he nearly dropped the device while dialing her number.

The call rang several times before she finally answered.

Loud music blasted through the speaker immediately, mixed with laughter, people talking in the background, and Leo’s excited screams echoing through the house.

“What is it, Brandon?” Lyra asked impatiently. “I already told you I’m busy today. Leo’s birthday party just started, and several people from work are here. Why are you calling me right now?”

“Lyra, listen to me carefully,” Brandon said urgently, his voice trembling with panic as he looked at Maggie’s pale face. “Maggie’s not okay. She’s getting worse. She can barely sit up, she’s struggling to breathe, and her lips are turning blue.”

He swallowed hard before speaking again.

“You need to come to the amusement park right now, Lyra. This is an emergency.”

Lyra let out an irritated sigh, clearly unconvinced.

“An emergency?” she repeated coldly. “Brandon, you only left the house a few hours ago. Maggie was perfectly fine when you took her away.” Her voice hardened with annoyance. “Are you seriously doing this again just to ruin Leo’s birthday party? Don’t you have anything better to do than play these ridiculous games with me, Brandon?”

“I’m not playing games, Lyra!” Brandon shouted, his voice filled with desperation as he looked at Maggie struggling to breathe beside him. “Look at the time! It’s Maggie’s birthday, and she’s really sick. She’s your daughter, Lyra… please just come here… All she wants is you by her side, that's it.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Lyra finally spoke again.

“Fine,” she said coldly. “I’ll drive over for a few minutes and see what’s going on. But I’m not staying long.”

Inside the living room of the villa, Lyra put down her phone and her face looked really upset. She went to get her car keys from the kitchen counter.. Before she could even take one step Leo ran into her and grabbed her waist.

“Mommy Lyra, where are you going?” Leo asked loudly as he wrapped both arms tightly around her legs. He looked up at her with teary eyes, his voice trembling with panic. “You promised you’d stay and watch me blow out my candles. You can’t leave my birthday party.”

Lyra immediately knelt down and gently tried to loosen his grip on her jacket.

“Leo, listen to me,” she tried to convince him with a calm tone. “Maggie is at the amusement park, and Uncle Brandon says she isn’t feeling well. I just need to go check on her for a little while. I’ll come back before you even realize I’m gone, okay? Can you wait for me for just one hour?”

The moment Leo heard that, he burst into louder sobs.

“No! No, no, no!” He screamed and stomped his feet against the floor, clutching Lyra’s jacket even tighter. Tears streamed down his face as his voice cracked with emotion.

“She’s lying! She just wants to take you away from my birthday because she hates me! She just wants to keep you all to herself.” Leo cried desperately. “If you leave, I won’t eat my cake! I’ll ruin the whole party! Please don’t go…”

Just then, Jake walked out of the kitchen holding a glass of juice in his hand. The moment he saw Leo crying hysterically in Lyra’s arms, he immediately understood what was happening.

Quickly setting the glass aside, Jake walked over with a worried expression on his face.

“Leo, calm down,” Jake said gently as he crouched beside him. “Auntie Lyra just needs to go check on Maggie for a little while. We can’t be selfish, remember?”

Then Jake slowly looked up at Lyra, his eyes filled with guilt and sadness.

“I’m sorry, Lyra,” he said quietly. “Ever since his mother left, Leo gets terrified whenever someone important to him walks away. He always thinks they’re never coming back and abandoning him, he has attachment issues, please don't misunderstand him.”

Seeing the little boy crying so helplessly immediately softened Lyra’s heart.

She pulled Leo tightly into her arms before gently smoothing down his messy hair.

“Oh, Leo… sweetheart, please don’t cry,” Lyra comforted softly. “Look at me. I love you so much and will never abandon you, I’ll come back as soon as I check on Maggie, okay? I’m not leaving you, it's just for an hour.”

She gently wiped away his tears before forcing a reassuring smile.

“I’ll come right back and celebrate your birthday with you.” 

Leo wiped his nose on his sleeve as he let go of Lyra's coat. "Promise?"

"I promise,” Lyra smiled. She stood up and nodded at Jake then she quickly went out the door to her car.

The moment the front door closed behind Lyra, Leo’s crying stopped instantly.

His tears disappeared as if they had never existed.

Calmly, he walked back toward the sofa, picked up his toy rocket ship, and continued playing as if nothing had happened at all.

On the other side, Jake’s hands trembled as he hurried into the empty hallway. A cold layer of sweat covered his forehead while panic tightened in his chest.

Suddenly, his phone began vibrating violently in his pocket.

Jake immediately pulled it out, and the moment he saw the unknown number flashing across the screen, his face turned pale.

With shaking fingers, he answered the call and quickly stepped deeper into the shadows where no one could overhear him.

“Where’s our money, Jake?” A rough, threatening voice growled from the other end of the line. “Your time is up.”