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

MAGGIE IS GONE

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.

“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!”

“You planned all of this, didn’t you?” Lyra snapped furiously, her voice trembling with anger and disbelief. “You used Maggie to drag me away from Leo’s party.”

Her eyes burned with disgust as she stared at Brandon.

“You told her to pretend to be sick.” Her voice turned colder with every word. “You’re so pathetic that you’d even use your own daughter just to manipulate me.”

Brandon stared at Lyra in complete disbelief, his bloodshot eyes wide with shock and heartbreak.

“She’s fighting for her life, Lyra,” Brandon said hoarsely, his voice trembling with desperation as he held Maggie more tightly afraid of losing her if he loosened the grip. “She’s struggling just to breathe. Do you honestly think a six-year-old little girl could fake something like this?”

But Lyra refused to believe him.

“Stop lying to me, Brandon!” Lyra screamed at him, her face twisted with anger and disgust. “I’m sick of your manipulation and your lies!”

Without another word, she violently pulled the SUV over to the side of the highway.

The tires screeched against the asphalt as the vehicle came to a sudden stop, then Lyra pressed the button to open the door and pointed outside with trembling fingers.

“Get out,” she ordered coldly. “Take Maggie and get out of my car.”

Her eyes burned with anger as tears gathered in them. “I’m going back to help someone who actually needs me, not a child pretending to be sick just to manipulate me.”

Brandon felt his blood run cold.

“If you drive away right now… you’ll never see your daughter again.”

But Lyra’s expression didn’t soften.

Instead, disgust filled her eyes as she looked at both of them.

“I don’t even want to look at either of you right now,” she said coldly. “I’m ashamed and disgusted by what you’ve done.”

Brandon’s eyes turned red as panic completely consumed him.

“Lyra!” His voice broke as he looked down at Maggie’s pale face.“Even if you don’t believe me, even if you hate me right now, just take us to the hospital first… please. We’re running out of time!” 

“Enough!” Lyra screamed furiously. “Keep your disgusting manipulation to yourself and get out of my car right now before I drag both of you out myself!”

“You'll regret this!” 

Brandon realized then that there was no time left to argue with her anymore.

Maggie’s breathing was growing weaker in his arms.

Without another word, he opened the car door and stepped out onto the side of the highway while holding Maggie tightly against his chest.

The moment both of them were outside, Lyra slammed the door shut and sped away without looking back.

Brandon was alone on the side of the road. The sun was beating down on him. Cars were driving by fast. No one stopped to help.

Brandon looked down at Maggie in terror.

She was growing weaker with every passing second, her tiny body trembled faintly in his arms, and each breath she took sounded softer than the last.

“Daddy…” Maggie whispered weakly, her small fingers barely gripping his shirt.

“I’m here, baby,” Brandon replied immediately, his voice breaking as he tightened his hold around her fragile body. “Daddy’s right here. I’m going to get you to the hospital, okay? Just hold on a little longer for me.”

 Maggie slowly lifted her tired eyes toward him.

“Daddy…” Her trembling voice nearly shattered him. “Am I a bad child? Did I do something wrong to make Mommy stop loving me?” 

Brandon completely broke at those words.

“No, Maggie. Never,” he cried out desperately, his voice shaking with pain as tears streamed down his face. “You are the most precious thing in this world to me.” 

Maggie smiled faintly when she heard his words. It was a soft, fragile smile… one that looked almost angelic beneath the sunlight.

“Don’t cry, Daddy,” Maggie whispered weakly, her voice growing softer with every word. “I think… I already knew I wasn’t going to stay with Daddy for very long. The doctors thought I was asleep when they talked before… but I heard them.”

She took a slow, shaky breath, her tearful eyes locking onto Brandon’s with endless love.

“My only wish is that after I’m gone… you won’t stay sad forever, Daddy,” she whispered gently. “You’ve already suffered so much because of me. So please… take care of yourself too.”

Her tiny fingers weakly tightened around his jacket.

“Maggie… Please….” 

“I love you daddy.”

After saying those words, Maggie’s tiny fingers slowly loosened from Brandon’s jacket, her little hand slipped weakly against his chest.

Then… nothing.

No more trembling…. No more breathing.

The little girl in his arms had finally gone still.

“Maggieeeee….”