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

SHE CHOSE HIM AGAIN

“I don’t care who you speak to anymore,” he said in a low and flat manner. “Your heart hasn’t been in this family for a long time, Lyra. And I’m tired. I’m done trying to hold together something you already walked away from, and I am willing to let you go do whatever you want. You want to be with Jake? Go ahead and be with Jake. I don’t even care anymore, Lyra.”

Lyra’s breath hitched, and for a second she looked into his eyes and saw that he was cold. There was nothing warm left there anymore.

Her heart started to beat faster as she quickly pushed the feeling down.

She refused to believe Brandon.

Brandon had loved her unconditionally for six years. He had always obeyed her, given up his career for her. He had given her his savings. A man like that would never dare leave her after all those sacrifices.

“Will you stop playing these games?” Lyra said, crossing her arms. “You think you can fool me? What is your goal here, Brandon?”

“I only have one condition,” Brandon said, ignoring her question, like she had not asked any. “And it’s just one.”

“Ha! I knew it,” Lyra sneered, throwing her hands in the air. “There it is, the catch. What do you want, Brandon? Money? House? Why don’t you just lay it out for me?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t want anything from you. All I ask is for you to stay with our daughter on her birthday. Act like a mother. After her birthday, I will sign the divorce papers. You can have everything. The house, the money, your freedom, and I will walk away with nothing. That’s all I want.”

Lyra narrowed her eyes at him.

In her mind, everything Brandon was saying about the birthday was just another tactic.

She scoffed.

“You are really something, you know that?” She shook her head. “Using Maggie’s birthday to get me to do what you want? You do not need to use these methods on me, Brandon. I will be here for her birthday. I am Maggie’s mother.”

Brandon shrugged.

“Just keep your promise. Be there for Maggie. That is all I care about.”

He did not tell Lyra why it was so important, because he knew that she wasn’t going to believe him anyway.

“Mommy!”

Before Lyra could say anything, they heard Maggie coming from the hallway as they both turned around.

She was standing by the kitchen door, wearing her pajamas and holding her teddy bear. Her face was pale. Her eyes looked big and tired.

When she saw Lyra, her face lit up.She had not seen Lyra home in the daytime for weeks.

“Oh, Maggie, Why are you awake so early?”

Lyra looked a little awkward as she patted Maggie’s back, almost like she didn’t know how to comfort her own daughter anymore.

“I woke up and I heard voices,” Maggie responded, pulling away from her mother.

She had a wide smile on her face.

“You are really home, mommy. You have not left for work yet. I missed you so much.”

She looked at Brandon. Then looked at Maggie.

“Wait here. I have something for you,” Maggie said, running back down the hall.

Brandon and Lyra stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Maggie ran back with a piece of paper in her hands.

She was smiling as she gave the paper to Lyra.

“I made this for you a long time ago, but you were always not home.”

Lyra took the paper.

It was a drawing, and it showed Brandon, Lyra, and Maggie holding hands under a yellow sun. At the top, it said, ‘my happy family.’

“It is daddy, you, and me,” Maggie whispered. “I hope daddy, you, and me will always stay together happily forever. No one should go away anymore.”

“It’s very nice of you to do this, and thank you so much,” Lyra said, glancing at the drawing and placing it on the counter casually, without even looking at it again.

Brandon saw this as his eyes got bitter.

He got up and walked to the stove.

“How about we eat breakfast?” Brandon said, his voice getting tight. “The food is almost ready.”

The three of them sat down at the table as they got ready to eat together, which they had not done in months.

Brandon made eggs and toast.

Maggie was so happy she could not stop looking at Lyra. It was like she was afraid if she looked away from her mother, her mother would disappear.

“Mommy,” Maggie asked quietly.

“Yes, baby,” Lyra answered, looking at her phone under the table.

“Are you… are you busy today? Can you and daddy take me to school together later, just for today? Please?”

Lyra looked up from her phone, saw how much Maggie wanted this, as she looked at Brandon, who was staring at her from across the table, before she gave a small sigh.

“Okay.” She agreed.

“Yay!” Maggie screamed, jumping up and down on her chair. “I’m going to change into my pretty outfit. Don’t leave without me, mommy.”

Brandon watched her go as he felt a little better.

He knew Maggie had a bad time at school. The other kids would say mean things to her like Lyra did not love her, and Maggie would cry about this a lot.

But seeing Maggie being so happy, Brandon felt a little bit at peace.

He thought if Maggie could stay happy for a little longer, that was enough for him. That he can deal with whatever happens if that will make his daughter happy.

A few minutes later, Maggie came running back down wearing her pink dress with her hair freshly brushed after her bath. She had her backpack on as she stood right next to Lyra.

She grabbed onto Lyra’s dress and would not let go.

“I’m ready.”

Lyra nodded. “Alright then. Let’s go.”

She held both her parents’ hands as they all walked to the door like a normal family.

Just as Brandon was about to open the door, a loud ringing sound cut through the quiet house as Lyra’s phone buzzed inside her purse.

Lyra looked at the screen and her face changed. Her eyes got wide.

“Jake, what’s wrong?” Lyra asked as she picked up the call.

Brandon’s heart sank.

He stared at Lyra and listened to Jake on the phone.

“What? Oh my God, is he okay?” Lyra panicked. “Don’t panic, Jake. I’m coming now. I will be there in less than 10 minutes.”

She then hung up the phone, then turned around to look at her child and her husband.

“Okay, Brandon, I’ll need you to take Maggie to school,” Lyra said as she quickly grabbed her car keys from the counter. “I have to leave now. It’s an emergency.”

Brandon didn’t move. He stood in front of the door, blocking Lyra’s way, as his face was filled with anger.

“An emergency?” Brandon asked in a cold voice. “You promised Maggie a few minutes ago that you would take her to school. You haven’t done it in a year. ”

Maggie stood silently beside them. She didn’t cry out. She just bit her lip and looked at Lyra with big, sad eyes. Tears started to fill up in her eyes as she waited for her mother’s response.

“Move out of my way!” Lyra shouted. She walked around him, grabbed the door handle, pulling it open and running out to the driveway.

In a few seconds, her car engine roared to life, followed by screeching tires as she sped away.

Brandon swallowed hard as he turned to Maggie, whose eyes started to water.

She was trying hard not to cry, but her body was shaking.

“Daddy,” Maggie whispered, “is it, is it because I’m not good enough? Is that why mommy wanted to leave us?”

“Oh, no, no, no, baby… It’s not your fault.”

“I shouldn’t have asked her to come with me. Mom is always busy with other things. Maybe I was being a bother. If I didn’t ask her to take me to school, she wouldn’t be angry, would she?”

Before Brandon could say another word, Maggie’s body went stiff.

A violent cough tore through her chest as Brandon pulled her back to look at her face.

His eyes widened in horror.

“Maggie? What’s wrong?”

Bright red blood started spilling from Maggie’s mouth, running down her chin and staining her dress as her big brown eyes rolled back.

Her arms went limp, and she collapsed forward, losing consciousness in his arms.

“Maggie!” Brandon screamed.