CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25: AIDEN GRANT: TIANA LINDEN, I NEVER WANTED TO HURT YOU

Aiden didn’t answer.

Outside the long corridor windows, the sky was covered with oppressive dark clouds.

The rain seemed to be on the verge of intensifying.

The gloomy sky made Aiden’s face appear even darker.

The wind whipped fiercely, disturbing Aiden’s thoughts.

He looked at Tiana, "...Tiana, I never wanted to hurt you. Don’t push me to act against you."

Tiana’s heart was already bleeding and she had become numb.

Supporting her broken body, she responded weakly, "Do as you please! Anyway, I’m not leaving Veridia."

She still had many things left undone.

Even if she hurried in Veridia, she might not be able to settle Daisy properly.

Not to mention running around?

After speaking, she turned to leave.

Aiden called after her, "Tiana, must you be at such odds with the ones you once loved the most?"

Tiana’s forcibly straightened back collapsed powerlessly, "...You are the ones at odds with me."

It was they who left her no path to survive.

Returning to the classroom to take Daisy away, the little figure at the small block table was nowhere to be seen.

Tiana quickly searched the entire classroom but couldn’t find Daisy.

Outside the classroom, Aiden hadn’t noticed Daisy was missing.

Aiden left.

Ms. Hayes saw his departing figure and rushed to call out to him.

"Daisy’s dad, wait a minute."

Aiden stopped, "I’m not Daisy’s dad."

Ms. Hayes ignored him because he was indeed Daisy’s dad, "Daisy’s dad, Daisy’s mom has cancer and is dying. Why don’t you acknowledge Daisy? Is she not cute, not likable? Do you want Daisy to become an orphan after her mom dies?"

Ms. Hayes wanted to stand up for Daisy and her mom.

"Daisy’s mom is so beautiful and kind. She couldn’t possibly be Christopher’s mistress or destroy someone else’s family."

"Is that why you won’t acknowledge Daisy?"

Aiden replied indifferently, "Ms. Hayes, this is my private matter, I have no obligation to answer you."

After saying this, Aiden faced the overwhelming dark clouds and left coldly.

When Ms. Hayes turned back, she saw Daisy’s deeply tearful eyes.

The little body looked like a china doll about to break.

"Ms. Hayes, is my mom really going to die?"

Ms. Hayes was deeply concerned, "...Daisy heard everything?"

The tears falling in torrents wet Daisy’s small face.

They also dampened Ms. Hayes’ heart.

Ms. Hayes quickly squatted down to wipe Daisy’s tears.

"Daisy, your mom isn’t sick, you heard wrong, I said it wrong just now."

"You’re lying. Mom is also lying. She clearly bled a lot, and she replaced her medicine with vitamin C. Mom’s medicine is so bitter."

Daisy seemed to be breaking.

In the end, Daisy and Ms. Hayes made an agreement.

Not to let mom know that she already knew about her impending death.

Because she didn’t want her mom to be sadder.

When Tiana found Daisy and they returned home together, it was still raining outside.

The rain was neither heavy nor light.

Fortunately, there was no wind.

Tiana put Daisy in Princess Elsa’s raincoat, and they left school on the scooter.

The figure of the mother and daughter in this rainy, gloomy day appeared more desolate and forlorn.

A complicated gaze fell on their receding figures in the rain.

As they disappeared, Aiden in the car still looked in the direction where the scooter had gone, eyes lingering.

The persistent rain enveloped the city.

It enveloped Aiden’s heart as well.

As Christopher said, Tiana had a tough life, raising Daisy with hearing impairment alone all these years.

But isn’t this the punishment she deserved?

She had done so many disgusting and despicable things, and despite his repeated advice to turn back, she still stood against Linden-Grant Pharmaceuticals, wouldn’t give respite to him, wouldn’t give respite to The Linden Family, even wouldn’t spare the neighborly brother Christopher who always protected her, messing up Christopher’s marriage.

Heavenly justice prevails, the heavens spare no one.

Tiana will face the consequences.

Yet, why doesn’t he feel happy at all?

The rain continued to fall.

When Tiana and Daisy returned to their rented apartment, it poured even harder.

The mother and daughter quickly returned home.

As soon as Daisy entered, she began drying her mom’s hair.

After ten minutes, Daisy had not only dried her mom’s hair but her own as well.

"Mom, look, I know how to use the hairdryer. From now on, I’ll dry my hair myself, so you don’t have to worry anymore."

Such an understanding Daisy, yet Tiana couldn’t feel happy at all.

That night, Daisy was particularly eager to cook, unafraid of knives, unafraid of fire, and the tomato scrambled eggs she made turned out pleasing in appearance, smell, and taste.

Tiana put it in her mouth but couldn’t swallow.

Clearly, Daisy already knows how to cook and won’t starve, she should feel happy.

But the tomato scrambled eggs in her mouth stirred tumultuous emotions within her.

Thinking of her mom’s impending death, Daisy’s tear-filled eyes dared not look up.

Tiana, across from her, also dared not look up.

Afterwards, Daisy washed the dishes alone, bathed alone, and went to bed alone, never bothering her mom, never asking for a hug.

Because Ms. Hayes had said, if she acted more mature, more obediently, made her mom happier, her mom would live longer.

Night fell deeply.

Tiana was writing letters to Daisy.

One letter every birthday, Children’s Day, and Spring Lantern Festival each year.

She must write until Daisy turns eighteen.

Today’s letter was for Daisy’s eleventh Children’s Day.

[Daisy, in three years, you will no longer be a child, you will be entering adolescence.]

[It won’t be long before your body starts to change a lot. Mom has already taught you that no one should look or touch the places covered by your little underwear, and you surely know this.]

[If suddenly one day, there’s blood on Daisy’s little panties, don’t be afraid, don’t panic! That means Daisy is growing up, becoming a big girl.]

[Physiology terms this phenomenon as menstruation, once a month lasting 3-7 days, during which you should learn to use clean sanitary pads.]

What will eleven-year-old Daisy become?

Will she still like to wear Princess Elsa dresses?

Tiana longed for the day when Daisy had her first period, so she could hug her, buy her the softest and safest sanitary pads.

Boil her brown sugar ginger water, instruct her no intense exercise, and tell her to lie down and rest.

But she couldn’t wait for that day.

...

The next day, the rain stopped.

After dropping Daisy off at kindergarten, Tiana went to The Linden Villa.

James Linden and Daniel Linden were not home today.

Uncle Cameron stayed with her in the living room all along.

He prepared the fruits Tiana loved to eat.

He brewed the red date ginger tea she liked to drink.

He also cut a bunch of her favorite purple eustoma from the flower house in the backyard and handed it to her.

"Tiana, this flower was planted by your father. He knows you love eustoma, so he keeps planting it. The other day when you returned to Veridia, he said he saw you two living so poorly, he wanted to take you back to The Linden Family. Actually, your father, he..."

"Uncle Cameron, let’s talk about something else." Tiana placed the eustoma on the table.

She loved eustoma to the point of obsession.

Even though she was no longer Linden Family’s heiress, she would often buy a bunch, put it in a vase in the living room, carefully trim, and arrange her small home warmly bright.

But these flowers were planted by James Linden, so she didn’t even take another look.

As James Linden walked in from outside and saw her putting down the eustoma with a sour face, he felt a touch of discomfort.

Accompanying James Linden were Aiden and Vivian Linden.