Liam paused instantly, his eyes snapping away from the reports. Hearing the assistant's words, his anger returned. “Why didn't you stop her!?” It meant Haley was fleeing. At this time, no employee was allowed to leave. That cunning woman. So, coming to the rooftop was a pretence. It was an excuse to get away from him. Joye cowered and replied, “Madam seemed to be in a hurry. She- She didn't even look at me.” Which meant Haley was sneaking away. Didn't she promise the little girl that her father would come? Was that an excuse to distract him? Clever! “Sir, I wonder why that girl shares a resemblance with Madam,” Joye pondered. Did you two perhaps have a child before marriage?” Impossible! Liam only became close with Haley a week before their wedding. The mysterious girl who always sneaked gifts into his room. The day he caught her red-handed, Grandma Lily caught them together. Did she do the same for other men? Liam couldn't imagine the kind of life she lived bef
…After dropping Lannie at the orphanage, Haley sat in the backseat of the car…For the first time, she felt like exerting punishment on even the clueless.Mr. Gray might not know Liam's real intention, but the man's greediness wanted to implicate her. Should she go back to the company or head home straight?What if she went there and saw Liam again?Haley was a hundred percent sure she'd tear that man apart. How strange that she was able to keep her cool at Liam's office,For her ultimate desire had been to punch him in the guts.Lannie.Now the little girl was all anxious.On the way back to the orphanage, she wouldn't stop pestering Haley about her Daddy's whereabouts.Seriously, both men needed to be punished.Especially Mr. Gray. Her brother had been right from the beginning. He wasn't to be trusted. Why did she trust the wrong people?Haley returned home to find the maid cleaning the place. She sank onto the living room's couch, rubbing her forehead tiredly. “Young Miss, y
Flabbergasted, Haley staggered backward, taking in his haggard appearance.At this time of the day,What was he doing here?Wasn't he supposed to be at the company? And why did he look as if he'd just run a marathon? The guy's hair was messy and he was holding a spatula in one hand.Weird!“Uhm… what happened?” Haley blinked. Daryl scratched his head, tossing the huge spoon outside. “I wanted to surprise you. But my plan blew up when the stove exploded.”Surprise her with what?Had he been trying to cook?Where? What kitchen?“I moved in this morning. We're now neighbors.” Daryl's words cleared Haley's confusion. Yet, she was thrown into a different wave of shock.He moved into this Villa Estates. That was the funniest joke she'd ever heard!Wasn't he living in the Nash Mansion?Why would he leave that huge place with luxury and glam and move into one of these mini Villas?“You're pulling my legs.” Haley shook her head at him, about to laugh it off. But Daryl's expression was al
Haley peered at him, trying to detect the emotion on his face. But Daryl's head was lowered, his tone monotonous, carrying no emotion. To be able to conceal one's emotions well while narrating this kind of story must take years of practice. “Grandma Lily… she brought me home and gave me a place in the Nash Family.”Huh?How?Was Daryl adopted?That was a revelation to Haley. So Daryl wasn't a Nash blood. But why did he share so much resemblance with that heartless man, Liam?Now it felt like the whole family was ganging up against him. Haley's heart melted, and she squeezed his hand gently. “Liam's wrong in bullying you.”She could swear he took after his mother, Vera Nash. Daryl shrugged, smiling despite the gloom in his eyes.He resumed eating, but no longer with enthusiasm. As Daryl picked at his food, Haley was bothered.How to uplift his mood?He was obviously sad. Maybe… she shouldn't have touched that topic. How strange that he always kept a smile on his face. Wheneve
Haley couldn't help but groan out loud.Was she imagining things? Was the thought of Liam stalking her making her hallucinate?Had he taken up a new job of following her everywhere?Damn, William Nash!Just how desperate was he to frustrate her every day?And what the hell was he applauding about?At Liam's appearance, everyone paused what they were doing including Daryl who was playing with Lannie.Unlike Haley who was all apprehensive about Liam coming here, Daryl seemed to have no clue that the man was digging a hole for her. Delightfully, he walked up to Liam, showing Lannie to him. “Hey, Bro… Meet my daughter. Her name's Lannie.”Liam frowned. A dangerous look masked his face, capable of sending one's knees weak. “Is what you're saying correct?” Unlike Daryl's jovial tone, the grumpy man grumbled in a dark tone.“Well, yeah…” Daryl chuckled. “Haley and I know each other way before you guys meet… So it's possible, Bro.”What was Daryl talking about?They'd never met before sh
Haley's heart sank. Lannie's tears made her eyes well up too.Damnit! Liam!He was the cause of all this.If he hadn't been intrusive and meddling, this wouldn't have happened. Lannie was once a happy little girl mingling with the orphanage kids.Now she was all about following Haley and being with her. Thrown into a dilemma, Haley couldn't say no to Lannie's question.She couldn't say yes either.“That can be arranged, Lannie…” Daryl spoke up for her instead, leaving Haley confused. She mouthed the word “How?” to him.But Daryl only gave her a wink. He seemed to have a plan. What plan, though?They left the orphanage together and headed back to the Villa Estates. Instead of Haley's Villa, the car pulled over at Daryl's home. His living room was a mess. So was the kitchen and the dining area. Daryl looked mortified, scratching his neck and avoiding Haley's gaze. “Uhm, well… I haven't had time to settle down.”That was understandable.He just moved in this morning. Still sur
…Ever since Daryl returned, he'd changed a lot,But Liam never expected his brother to be so troublesome.Daryl Nash!That silly boy was getting on his nerves.He had a feeling that Daryl and Haley were putting on an act. Their mission was only to mess with his head,But still, Liam's heart wasn't at ease. “Uhm, Sir…” Standing at his side, Joye cleared his throat. “You believe the Madam's daughter is not yours. Why do you want a DNA test conducted between you and her?”For one thing,Daryl was a Nash blood. If Daryl was truly the little girl's father as he'd claimed,Then traces of Liam's DNA could be found in the little girl's blood.“Just do it!” Liam didn't feel entitled to explain everything to his assistant. Right now, he wasn't in the mood for any conversation. “And don't make any mistakes!”From the stairs, soft footsteps echoed. Leah descended, cuddling her tiny bump. “You're still up, Will?”Liam should ask her the same question. Hadn't she been sleeping?Leah approache
…At DG Villa Estates, The Next Morning. Haley slipped on her shoes, yawning. She glanced at the wristwatch. If she hadn't overslept last night, she'd be at work right now.Last night was one of the most difficult nights she'd experienced.Convincing Lannie to return to the orphanage was the hardest task.Haley didn't know what Daryl told the little girl and she finally agreed to go,But, she had Daryl to thank for making it easy.Sigh! That cunning man, William Nash.Haley had a feeling Lannie would become a handful from now on.It was all due to Liam's fault who wouldn't mind his business.It took forever to tie up the straps of her shoes.Groaning, Haley almost gave up when the pins clicked into place.Then an unusual noise sounded outside the room. All the way from downstairs, Haley could hear that high-pitched voice. Standing up, she grabbed her handbag and left the bedroom. Downstairs,Camille sat on the couch, sipping an orange juice from a glass.Strange!Why was she here