House of Alister: The Hidden Heir

Chapter 7

Bonnie swallowed hard. She had expected Daniel to cower, to stutter, or keep quiet like the way he always did, but something in the Daniel in front of her said otherwise.

“W-What do you mean by that?” she stammered, trying to laugh it off, but her voice cracked embarrassingly.

Daniel didn’t answer immediately. He simply stared at her—a stare that pinned her in place, like he knew things she didn’t want anyone to ever know.

“I said get out,” Daniel repeated, voice low, controlled, and colder than ice. “If you think you can disrespect me… call me a thief… then you don’t deserve to breathe the same air as my wife.”

Bonnie’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“B-But…”

“And,” Daniel added, his eyes locking onto hers with a quiet intensity that made her pulse jump, “if you don’t leave right now… I will make you regret it!”

“Bonnie! Come on! Let's go!” The other woman, who went by the name Mary, said to Bonnie as she bowed her head in shame, walking out of the office. Bonnie followed behind.

As soon as they left Sophie’s office, Sophie turned to Daniel in worry. “That was a relief!” she said, taking a deep breath in.

Daniel’s gaze softened immediately as he turned to Sophie. The icy intensity melted into something warmer and almost protective. He stepped closer, careful not to crowd her space, yet close enough that she could feel the quiet strength radiating from him.

“You like them?” Daniel asked, trying to change the topic.

A small smile appeared at the corner of Sophie’s lips. “Yes! I like them. Thank you,” she appreciated, extending her hands forward for a hug.

Daniel, seeing this gesture, walked closer to her and reciprocated the hug. They could feel each other’s warmth.

While they were together, Sophie said quietly, “You didn’t tell me you had gotten a job. When did you get it, and how were you able to save that much for these expensive items?”

Daniel slowly let go of Sophie and looked at her. He opened his mouth to talk, but before he could, Sophie’s phone began to vibrate on her table. She walked over to her desk and glanced at the screen.

It was her brother calling. Her brows furrowed together. Why was he calling her at this time? Didn’t he say he needed to attend a meeting?

She picked up her phone, and the first thing that slapped her in the face was panic.

Her brother’s voice wasn’t its usual calm, playful tone.

It sounded shaky and breathless, as if he was on the verge of breaking.

“Sophie… where are you?” he demanded.

Sophie blinked. Her gaze moved to Daniel, feeling confused. “Where else would I be by this time of day, brother? I’m at work. What’s going on? I thought you had a meeting today?”

“No… No, Sophie, I want you to listen to me.” His voice was cracked. “You need to come to the hospital. Now.”

Sophie froze in shock at the mention of the hospital. “Hospital? What happened?”

Daniel, who had been watching her reaction closely, straightened instinctively. He walked towards her and slowly calmed her down.

“Hospital?” Sophie whispered, the word barely leaving her lips. “Why? What happened?”

There was a shaky inhale on the other end, and then her brother’s voice trembled:

“It’s Mom.”

Sophie’s stomach dropped violently. Her mom? Her mom was presently at the hospital?

“She… she was in an accident on the highway,” he said, his voice sobbing. “A truck lost control and… and… she… she’s in a coma, Sophie.”

Sophie gasped in shock. Her hand covered her mouth as her legs instantly wobbled.

Daniel, who didn’t hear what happened on the call, quickly ran to her and grabbed her, making her lean on him for support.

“What did you say happened to Mother?” Sophie repeated, this time with tears on her face.

Her brother didn’t respond immediately. There were muffled sounds in the background—hurried footsteps, the beeping of machines—all of it making Sophie’s chest constrict painfully.

Finally, he said in a strained whisper:

“Sophie… just come. Please. I can’t explain everything right now. Just get here as fast as you can.”

He ended the call in desperation.

Sophie stood frozen, her eyes wide and unfocused, as if her mind couldn’t fully grasp the words she had just heard. Her hand slowly lowered from her ear, trembling uncontrollably.

Daniel caught her shoulders gently, steadying her.

“Sophie… what happened?” he asked softly, curiosity and fear already sensing the urgency in her tone.

Her lips parted, but no sound came out at first.

“Mom… she… she’s in the hospital,” Sophie choked out, tears spilling down her face. “A truck… the highway… she’s in a coma, Daniel.”

Her entire body shook violently as if the room was tilting beneath her.

Daniel’s heart clenched, but he forced his voice to stay gentle—steady, something she could lean on. After a while of Sophie leaning on Daniel, she slowly pulled back.

“Let’s go to the hospital,” he said softly.

Soon, they left the office and arrived at the hospital.

Sophie practically ran through the hospital entrance, her breaths coming quick and shallow. Daniel kept close beside her, one hand ready to steady her at any second, his eyes scanning everything with tense sharpness.

The strong smell of antiseptic hit Sophie immediately, making her chest tighten even more. The cold, white hallway felt endless.

Her brother was standing near the emergency ward door, his hands gripping his hair, pacing, his eyes red and swollen as if he had been crying for a long time.

“Brother!” Sophie called out as soon as she spotted him.

He turned sharply—and the moment his eyes landed on her, something in him broke again. He rushed to her, pulling her into a tight, desperate hug.

“Sophie… thank God you came,” he breathed shakily.

Sophie wrapped her arms around him, her voice trembling.

“Where is Mom? What happened? Where is she?”

Her brother sniffed hard and wiped his face, clearly trying to hold himself together.

“She’s… she’s inside. The doctors are still working on stabilizing her,” he murmured, voice rough. “Her condition is… serious.”

Sophie’s knees weakened again, and Daniel instantly stepped closer, a steadying hand at her back. She leaned into him unconsciously, drawing strength from his quiet presence.

Her brother lifted his gaze, finally noticing Daniel behind her. His eyes burned with disdain. He was wondering what useless Daniel was doing here at the hospital and what business of his it was. He didn’t want to start any trouble; he wasn’t even in the mood to.

For a moment, they all stood there in that tense hallway. A nurse rushed past. A doctor gave instructions to someone across the hall. The world moved—but for Sophie, everything felt painfully still.

“I… I want to see her,” Sophie uttered, wiping her tears.

Her brother hesitated, swallowing hard.

“You can. But… Sophie… you need to prepare yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

Before Trevor, Sophie’s brother, could answer, the door to Margaret's room opened, and a tall man in a white coat entered briskly. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be the doctor assigned to Margaret.

“You must be Sophie, the patient’s daughter.”

Sophie nodded. She managed to articulate, “How is she, Doc?”

“Your mother sustained multiple critical injuries—internal bleeding, fractured ribs, and severe head trauma. She’s stable for now, but we need to do a surgery for her. And it's going to be extensive,” he explained.

Sophie’s hand flew to her mouth, and she felt her knees buckle. Daniel’s strong hand immediately slid around her waist, steadying her.

“How… how extensive?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Dr. Raymond hesitated slightly. “The initial emergency surgery alone… it will cost seventy million dollars. And that’s not factoring in ICU care, post-op rehabilitation, or ongoing treatment. The total… could easily reach over a hundred million.”

“That much, Doctor?” Sophie opened her mouth in shock.