Chapter 200: She would have loved you
’’Daze...’’
Hearing the man calling her in a solemn tone, Daisy put her thoughts aside and looked at him, ’’Hmm?"
’’About the pictures...’’
’’I trust you,’’ Daisy interrupted his words, ’’I... I was just messing around,’’ those words coming out of her mouth sounded so stiff to her own ears that her whole face turned red.
Seeing the awkward look on her face and hearing her sincere words, Ryle did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Daisy Chen had a day when she was cracking a joke and on top of that, she got shy even talking about it.
’’So adorable,’’ he leaned to peck her lips.
Daisy looked up at him.
Ryle sighed. Before he got distracted again, he decided to clear the air between them. His heart was warm just with the realization that she trusted him so much.
But he did not want to leave her in the dark about anything that might bother her in the slightest.
’’She might be my sister.’’
Ryle’s words left Daisy stunned. She followed his gaze and glanced at the picture before looking back at him.
Ryle nodded before he took out the family crest that he had revealed earlier at the Lu Family.
The Kingsley Family.
A huge force in Las Vegas and vast powers that were rooted in many countries.
Daisy was not unfamiliar with the name but other than the name, she did not know anything about them.
She had never meddled into things that did not concern her hence it was none of her business to know about the Kingsleys.
At this moment, she regretted not having any insights about them.
"Your father’s side of the family?" She looked up at him. He never mentioned them before and she never asked, unsure of what kind of relationship he might have with them and how her questions might affect him.
Ryle nodded, "My parents had an arranged marriage. It was more of a political marriage that was imposed upon my mother by her parents. As for my father, he had many women so one more did not matter."
For as far as he remembered, it had always been a loveless marriage between them.
And his mother had seemed detached and cold from the affairs of the Kingsley family. The only people she was close to were Aunty Lu, whom she had been friends with, and her old bodyguard, Locke.
"They never got along in the first place. But the more I grew up, the more I saw signs of abuse on her. She would hide marks, she would lie but her deteriorating mental and physical health was obvious. Then, I had my sister."
For a few months, there were celebrations in the Kingsley family for the birth of their little heiress, and for once, Ryle saw hope.
"It was selfish of me but when I held her for the first time, I could not help but feel optimistic. She gave me the kind of warmth and hope that I never had."
But that happiness turned out to be short lived.
"My maternal grandparents took my sister with them for a few days but she got kidnapped by one of their old enemies. When the news reached the Kingsley mansion, my maternal grandparents were assassinated as well."
From then on, his mother’s health took a turn for the worse.
Because of her stubborn ways, she would be grounded by his father and because of how powerless he was, Ryle could not do anything.
"Until one day when I came back from school and saw her in a fragile state. I was scared even though I pretended like she was fine. Like everything was fine. I was scared that if I owned up to my fears then they would come true."
Daisy frowned and held his hand instinctively.
"That night... I stayed by her side. I slept in her arms. She told me she was tired. And it scared me even more so I refused to leave her side. Deep down, I thought everything would be fine as long as I am by her side and I didn’t realize when I dozed off."
Ryle looked out of the window, looking like he seemed to be talking of something very distant, something unrelated to him.
But the way his palm had turned cold in her grip made her lean towards him.
"And when I woke up, her body had turned cold."
Ryle smiled but his eyes were filled with a distinct sadness.
"Ryle," Daisy called out his name softly.
Ryle blinked and the sadness in his eyes disappeared like an illusion. As he turned to look at her, his eyes were gentle, "You know, Daze... Had my mother been alive, she would have loved you."
Daisy smiled softly, "How do you know?"
"I just know. She would have been proud of me for getting such a great girl for myself. And she would have loved you for the person that you are."
Daisy chuckled. The sound of her laughter making the depressing thoughts in his heart disappear, "I am not all that great, Ryle. It’s you," As he opened his mouth to say something, she placed her finger on his mouth, "You just don’t know it yet."
Ryle did not know how to respond to that. For one, he just wanted to tell her that she was blinded by the soft corner that she had for him. He was not all that great.
Great was the last anybody ever described him as. But he did not blame them.
Because it was true. He was ruthless, cold, treacherous and his past affiliations with women did not also establish himself as a great person.
As for a woman like Daisy. She was completely opposite from him. She was like an unblemished lotus, aloof and untouched by the impurities of the world even while blooming in it. She seemed cold and distant but she had the softest heart that would make her sacrifice her dearest things for her loved ones.
For the sake of her estranged parents, she would willingly give up her dream of living an easy life with her daughter.
