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

THE FAMILY SHE CHOSE

“Maggie… Let's go to the hospital… Daddy will take you to the hospital sweetie!”

Brandon did not care about the stains on his shirt. He grabbed her, rushed into the driveway to open his car as he dropped his daughter onto the passenger seat and drove off.

He was too busy driving his car through the city to worry about any stain that could be on his clothing.

His chest rose and fell unevenly as he drove through the city.

Maggie lay motionless in the passenger seat, her pale face turned toward the window. Dark red blood stained her lips.

He got to the hospital and screeched to a stop as he rounded the car, opening the door to pick her up before running through the doors without locking his car.

“Help!” he yelled. “Somebody help me! My daughter Maggie is really sick. She’s bleeding!”

The nurses and doctors came running with a bed on wheels as they took Maggie from Brandon’s arms.

He tried to go with them, but the nurse stopped him.

“Sir, you need to wait.”

“No, she’s my daughter.”

“Sir,” she countered, “let us take care of her.”

Brandon nodded, then started to pace around in the waiting room as he kept his hands in his head.

He stared at the floor.

Every second felt like it was taking forever as soon two long hours passed by.

Then the doors opened, with Dr. Evans the lead doctor coming out.

He pulled off the mask he was wearing as he looked really tired and worried.

Brandon jumped to his feet.

“Doctor, is Maggie okay?” he asked with shaky hands.

Dr. Evans took Brandon to a secluded spot in the hallway.

“We tried our best to stabilize Maggie,” he said. “We cleaned the blood from her airways and right now she is under observation.”

The doctor stopped there, which had Brandon narrowing his eyes.

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

The doctor nodded.

“I’m very sorry to tell you this, but her condition is not looking good.”

“What do you mean?” Brandon asked, “Maggie was fine this morning. She was talking about her birthday and she wanted to go to school.”

“Maggie’s illness is affecting both her nerves and her heart,” Dr. Evans explained carefully. “She must have experienced extreme emotional stress, whether from fear, excitement, or shock, whatever it might be. Her body can no longer handle strong emotional reactions. The strain on her heart is becoming too dangerous.”

He paused before continuing in a heavier voice.

“You need to understand this, Brandon. Maggie cannot afford to get overly upset or emotionally overwhelmed again. If it happens another time… her heart may not survive it.”

Brandon felt like he was going to lose Maggie.

Fear and guilt twisted together inside him.

He was her father, and he had promised to not make anything upset her. And somehow, his promise had fallen to the ground.

He could not even get her mom to stay with her for a while.

Now she was in the hospital because of him.

“Can I go see her?” Brandon asked, as the doctor shook his head.

“She needs absolute rest and complete quiet for now,” the doctor said gently. “We still need to monitor her condition closely. Please stay nearby for a little while longer, and once she’s stable enough, I’ll personally let you see her. I promise.”

Brandon took in deep breaths as the doctor patted Brandon on the shoulder and walked away.

He then walked to the vending machine to grab a water bottle, but all he could see were Maggie’s favorite drinks staring back at him.

That was when he saw something that made his body stop moving.

He turned to the side and saw Lyra and Jake.

Jake was standing close to Lyra, holding her hands in his and looking at her face like he truly loved her.

Brandon watched as Jake pulled Lyra forward and wrapped his arms around her, and she did not push him away. Instead she leaned her head on his shoulders.

Something cold settled heavily in Brandon’s chest.

His daughter was sick down the hall, and his wife was here in another man’s arms.

He did not think too much about it, just walked toward them slowly, his footsteps echoing across the hospital floor.

“Are you having the best time of your life, Lyra?” Brandon asked in a loud and angry voice.

Lyra pulled away from Jake, turning to Brandon.

Her face turned red immediately.

“Brandon, what the fuck are you doing here? Did you follow me here? Oh my God, you are the worst.”

Brandon let out a cold laugh. “Follow you?”

“Yes!” Lyra snapped immediately. “I told you Jake’s son was sick, but you were so jealous and suspicious that you followed me all the way to the hospital. Do you know how ridiculous that is? Honestly, Brandon, you’re acting paranoid and pathetic right now.”

“Paranoid? Pathetic?” he scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m starting to regret every sacrifice I ever made for you, Lyra. Little by little, I start wondering what I saw in you to even decide to make those sacrifices I made.”

Jake held his hands up in surrender.

“Brandon, please do not think this is something it’s not. This is all my fault. Please don’t be mad at Lyra. My little boy got a bad stomach upset this morning, and I was so scared. I panicked when I saw my son in pain. Lyra was the only person I could think of calling.”

He pretended to be emotional while continuing. “Lyra only came because she was worried about my son. Please don’t misunderstand her, Brandon. Please don’t let my family’s problem cause trouble in your marriage.”

Brandon turned to Jake, then looked at Lyra.

Jake was being so nice and gentle, but Brandon could tell this was all an act.

“Do not apologize to him, Jake,” Lyra said in a cold and sharp manner. “He does not deserve your kindness. Just ignore him. Let’s go take care of Leo.”

That was when a nurse came out of a room nearby, holding a clipboard.

“Is there a family member of Leo here? We have the medicine and follow-up plans ready.”

“I will take care of it,” Lyra said right away.

She walked past Brandon like he was not there. She took the clipboard naturally, like she had done this many times before. 

“Alright,” Lyra said to the nurse, her voice calm. “Leo is allergic to penicillin, so please make sure the pain medicine does not have it. And he does not like medicine, so can we get him some of those chewable tablets instead? He needs to take it twice a day after meals, right?”