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

JAKE 'S CALL

Lyra let out an irritated sigh, clearly unconvinced.

“An emergency?” she repeated coldly. “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. “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…”

Lyra 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.

At the same time, in the kitchen, Jake’s hand trembled as he put down his phone.

He just received a terrifying ultimatum from his loan sharks, leaving him with only a few hours to hand over the money before they came to end his life.

But Lyra had already left the house to meet Brandon and Maggie at the amusement park. Jake clenched his fists. He had to find a way to make her return home right now.

***

A few minutes later, Lyra finally pushed through the crowded amusement park.

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… look at Daddy. Stay with me... Please hear my voice…. Nothing will happen to you baby.” 

Lyra’s face turned deathly pale.

“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…”

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.