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

DON'T LET HER DIE!

“I... I’m working on it right now,” Jake said quietly as he glanced nervously toward the living room where Leo was playing. “The papers are ready. Lyra already has them, and her financial team is reviewing the accounts this morning. She’s supposed to sign everything this afternoon. Just give me a few more hours… please.”

A dark chuckle echoed from the other end of the line.

“We don’t want your excuses or your hours, Jake,” the voice replied coldly. “And don’t insult us by pretending you still have control of the situation. We already know you’ve been lying.”

The man paused briefly before his tone turned even darker.

“If we don’t get our money by the end of today, we’ll come to your house ourselves. We’ll break every bone in your body, strip you for whatever organs still have value, and then we’ll take your son as interest on your debt.”

A chilling silence followed. “Do you understand me now, Jake?”

“No… please don’t touch my son,” Jake begged desperately, his voice trembling with fear as he leaned heavily against the wall, his legs nearly giving out beneath him. “I swear Lyra is going to sign the papers. Just give me a little more time….”

“This is your final warning, Jake,” the cold voice on the phone replied without mercy. “If that money doesn’t move by the end of today… today will be the last day of your life.”

Then the line went dead with a sharp click.

Jake slowly lowered the phone from his ear, his breathing completely uneven as panic consumed him.

His mind raced violently.

Lyra’s financial team was already reviewing the documents. If they discovered the company behind the investment was bankrupt, she would never sign the transfer papers.

And now, on top of everything else, Lyra had left the house to see Brandon and Maggie.

If Brandon managed to convince her to stay with them…. If she spent too much time at the amusement park…. Everything would fall apart before Jake could get the money.

And once the deadline passed, the men demanding their money would come for him.

Jake grabbed his hair tightly as he paced back and forth through the hallway in panic.

“No… no, no, no…” he muttered under his breath, his voice shaking. “She has to come back right now.”

His breathing grew heavier as desperation filled his eyes.

“I need to get Lyra away from Brandon before he says something that ruins everything.” Jake clenched his trembling fists. “I have to find a way to bring her back to this house immediately.”

***

At the park the music of the carousel was not sounding loud to Brandon anymore. He sat on a bench holding Maggie close to him. Her head was on his shoulder and her breathing was getting slower.

“Daddy,” Maggie whispered weakly, her half-closed eyes fixed on the amusement park entrance. “Is Mommy coming? The sun is already so high… Do you think she’ll be here soon?”

“She’s on her way, baby,” Brandon reassured softly, though his voice trembled as he wrapped his coat more tightly around her fragile body. He gently brushed her hair away from her damp forehead before forcing a small smile.

“Mommy promised she would come, remember?” he whispered. “So just hold on a little longer for Daddy, okay?”

A few minutes later, Lyra finally pushed through the crowded amusement park, her high heels clicking sharply against the pavement as she made her way toward them.

The moment she reached the bench, she crossed her arms and glanced around impatiently before looking at Brandon.

“Alright, I’m here,” Lyra said coldly. “Where exactly is this so-called emergency, Brandon?” Her eyes shifted toward Maggie sitting quietly on the bench. “She’s literally just sitting there.”

Her expression hardened with annoyance.

“Did you seriously drag me away from Leo’s birthday party over a simple headache?”

The moment Lyra looked properly at Maggie’s face, the irritation in her expression disappeared completely.

Maggie’s skin looked unnaturally pale beneath the sunlight, almost grey, and her unfocused eyes stared blankly into the distance. Even the tiny fingers wrapped around her teddy bear were barely moving.

A sudden wave of fear gripped Lyra’s chest.

It was a feeling she had not experienced in a very long time.

Something was terribly wrong.

Without realizing it, she slowly stepped closer to them, and when she spoke again, the anger in her voice was gone.

“Maggie…” Lyra called out softly, her brows furrowing with growing panic. “What’s wrong with her?” Her eyes quickly lifted toward Brandon. “Brandon… Why does she look like this? What's happening to her?”

Before Brandon could answer, Maggie’s small body suddenly went stiff in his arms.

Her eyes rolled back as violent tremors tore through her fragile body. Her legs jerked uncontrollably while her teeth clattered together, and each breath became more difficult than the last.

“Maggie!” Brandon screamed in terror as he immediately pulled her tightly against his chest, desperately trying to support her head while her body convulsed violently. “No, no, no… princess, look at Daddy. Stay with me... Please hear my voice…. Nothing will happen to you baby.” 

Lyra’s face turned deathly pale.

The calm mask she wore every day finally shattered completely as panic flooded her eyes.

“What’s happening to her?!” Lyra cried out shakily. “Why is Maggie shaking like this?!”

Brandon looked at her with bloodshot eyes filled with fear.

“She’s having a seizure!” he shouted desperately. “Her heart can’t handle it anymore. We need to get her to the hospital right now!”

Without wasting another second, Brandon clutched Maggie tightly in his arms and sprinted forward.

Lyra immediately ran beside him, both of them rushing through the crowded amusement park pathways while terrified tourists stopped and stared at the horrifying scene unfolding before them.

They reached the parking lot within seconds.

With trembling hands, Lyra hurriedly unlocked her luxury SUV and jumped into the driver’s seat, her heartbeat pounding violently against her ribs.

Brandon rushed into the passenger seat, pulling Maggie tightly against his chest.

Her convulsions had stopped, but that terrified him even more.

Maggie had gone completely limp in his arms.

“Drive, Lyra! Go!” Brandon shouted desperately, his voice breaking with panic as he held Maggie close. “Maggie, stay with Daddy… Open your eyes, baby. Please… please breathe for me…”

Tears burned his eyes as he desperately brushed the hair away from Maggie’s pale face.

“Princess, look at me,” he begged shakily. “Don’t fall asleep. Please don’t leave Daddy… All Daddy has is you… Don't abandon Daddy.”

Lyra slammed her foot onto the gas pedal.

The tires screeched violently against the pavement as the heavy SUV shot out of the parking lot and sped onto the highway.

The SUV tore through the heavy midday traffic, its engine roaring loudly as Lyra sped down the highway.

Inside the car, the only sound was Brandon’s desperate voice as he held Maggie tightly in his arms, begging her to stay conscious.

Then suddenly, the Bluetooth system rang sharply through the cabin.

The dashboard screen lit up with Jake’s name.

Lyra flinched at the sight of it before quickly pressing the button on the steering wheel.

“Jake, I can’t talk right now,” Lyra said anxiously, her hands tightening around the wheel. “We’re on the way to the hospital.”

Jake’s frantic voice immediately exploded through the speakers.

“Lyra, you need to come back right now!” he screamed in panic. “It’s Leo! After you left the party, he got really upset and started crying for you. He ran upstairs looking for you… and he slipped.”

Jake’s breathing sounded uneven and terrified.

“He fell all the way down the stairs, Lyra.”

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat, and her foot instinctively lifted off the gas pedal.

“What?” she whispered in shock. “Is he okay?”

Jake’s terrified voice immediately exploded through the speakers.

“No, he’s not okay!” Jake cried out desperately. “He fell down the stairs and hit his head really hard. There’s blood everywhere, Lyra. He’s losing so much of it.”

His breathing sounded uneven and panicked.

“The ambulance is taking too long, and he keeps crying for you. Please… he won’t let anyone touch him unless you’re here. I’m begging you, Lyra… please save my son.”

Lyra’s mind instantly spiraled into chaos, her hands began trembling violently against the steering wheel as panic crashed into her chest.

Leo was hurt…. Leo was bleeding…. And he was crying for her.

“Jake, hold on!” Lyra shouted frantically into the phone. “I’m turning the car around right now!”

“Lyra, don’t you dare turn this car around!” Brandon shouted in anger, as he held Maggie tightly against his chest. “Look at your daughter! She’s dying in my arms right now, I beg you, don't let her die. Her heart is failing, and you want to abandon her for a child who probably only scraped his knee?”

“A scraped knee?!” Lyra screamed back at him in disbelief, her hands trembling violently on the steering wheel. “Jake said Leo fell down the stairs, Brandon! He’s bleeding badly!”

In panic, Lyra slammed her foot against the brakes and jerked the steering wheel sharply, preparing to make a U-turn.

But the moment she looked at Brandon’s face, something suddenly clicked inside her mind.

A horrifying thought flashed through her head.

Her expression slowly changed from panic… into disgust.

“Oh my God…” Lyra whispered breathlessly as she stared at Brandon. “I finally understand now.”

Her eyes darkened with anger and disbelief.

“I finally figured out what’s really happening between Maggie and Leo… and what you’ve been trying to do to this family.”

“Lyra, what the hell are you thinking right now?!” Brandon shouted as he held Maggie tightly against his chest. “Our daughter is dying!”