CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: JOY! DAISY IS BACK

The flashlight’s beam was too glaring.

Daisy shielded her eyes with her hand.

"Tap tap tap tap..."

Amidst the rapid footsteps, Daisy wanted to see who exactly was charging at her.

The strong light was so blinding she couldn’t open her eyes.

When she finally could, in the next moment, a large sack rushed down over her head.

A small figure struggled.

In mere seconds, a foul-smelling rag tightly covered her mouth and nose, making her increasingly dizzy.

The hand was big and powerful.

Her small face, about the size of a palm, was almost entirely enveloped by it, leaving no air.

Daisy was suffocating more and more.

The small hands clutching the sack struggled, then quickly fell powerless.

"There’s no surveillance here, tie her to a rock, and throw her in the lake."

"Should we kill her first?"

"No need, just toss her in the water, it’s deep enough that she’ll surely die completely."

Five minutes later.

At the foot of the hill behind the cemetery, the calm lake surface suddenly splashed with a huge splash of water.

Daisy awoke in the water.

Surrounded by water on all sides.

She couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t move her limbs, choking on water, feeling more uncomfortable, more suffocated.

Mom, is Daisy going to die?

Great, Mom, Daisy can turn into a star in the sky with you.

...

Tiana Linden, Aiden Grant, and others searched the cemetery area within a radius of several kilometers all night.

Dawn broke.

The sun rose higher, and the temperature increased.

Everyone was exhausted and hot.

Aiden inquired with the cemetery security, "Excuse me, have you seen the little girl in the photo?"

"No."

"Please take a closer look."

"Really haven’t."

This cemetery only had surveillance at the entrance and exit.

The rest were dead zones for surveillance.

At this time, Leo Sutton and Tiana Linden came down from the mountain.

Tiana stopped in front of Aiden.

Even though she was exhausted, the way she looked at Aiden seemed to cut into his flesh.

If anything happened to Daisy, she’d kill Aiden.

But she said nothing.

Yet the seeds of hatred took deeper root in her heart.

...

Tiana searched inside the cemetery for an entire day.

Couldn’t find Daisy anywhere.

There was no news from the surveillance center about Daisy.

She didn’t know where else to look for Daisy.

She could only wait at the alley entrance below her house for Daisy.

What if Daisy came home looking for her?

She regretted going to Kaneport for a medical check-up.

If she knew, she’d have stayed in Veridia, not leaving Daisy’s side for a step.

Is Daisy still alive, if alive, where is she, is she hungry, tired, in pain, scared?

Surely very hungry, very tired, very in pain, very scared, right?

Leo Sutton directed the driver, Dunn, to stay by Tiana Linden’s side.

Once Tiana was full and regained her strength, she stood up from the step, "Dunn, tell Leo Sutton, I’m going back to the cemetery to look around, don’t worry about me."

"I’ve assigned people to keep searching the cemetery." At this moment, Leo Sutton arrived with food.

While searching for Daisy, Kiera Chaucer was exhausted and feeling unwell.

Leo Sutton worried about Kiera, and also about Tiana.

Ultimately, Kiera was worried about Tiana, commanded Leo Sutton to stay by Tiana’s side as a must.

Kiera’s exact words were, "Tiana doesn’t have much time left, during these final days, you must take good care of her."

Misfortune befalls the already cursed.

The rope chooses thin spots to snap.

"Tiana is already like this, Daisy had an accident, I’m afraid Tiana might do something foolish, quickly go take care of her."

Leo Sutton appreciated Kiera’s generosity and kindness.

He took the nutritious food prepared by the servant, "Tiana, you need to eat something nutritious to have strength."

"I will eat!" At this time, Tiana needed to take good care of herself even more.

If she collapsed, what about Daisy?

She squatted by the alley entrance, gulping down soup, devouring rice, but the food went down like stones blocking her chest.

After eating, she saw Leo Sutton’s worries on his face.

She managed a smile, comforting him, "Leo, it’s fine, Daisy is very smart, she’ll definitely be okay. Maybe she can find her way back, I’m just waiting for her here."

Actually, even a fool knows that when a child goes missing, the optimal rescue time is within forty-eight hours after the incident.

It had already been three days.

No news of Daisy at all.

As she smiled, tears welled up in her eyes.

She was choked with sobs, unable to speak.

As her head hung low, tears pooled and dripped onto the dusty cement ground, quickly forming a large wet patch.

"...If something really happened to Daisy, we could soon be reunited again."

Leo Sutton didn’t know how to comfort her, "Tiana, Daisy will surely be okay."

"Do you know, Leo," Tiana looked up.

Her voice was hoarse, raspy, filled with endless pain and remorse.

"Daisy told me, if I became a star in the sky, she wants to become the little star beside me. She doesn’t want to journey further, see those beautiful sights, she just wants to stay by my side..."

If something really happened to Daisy.

Was it heaven’s way of fulfilling her in another way?

No, she couldn’t give up on Daisy, there were still many beautiful things waiting for Daisy in the future.

She needed to let Daisy live.

She wiped her tears, confidently said, "Leo, I want to go back to the cemetery, that’s where Daisy was last seen by surveillance; I’m sure there are clues to be found."

Leo Sutton nodded, "I’ll go with you."

"You should go back and take care of Kiera."

"You know Kiera’s personality, she treats you like a sister."

...

Suburban Cemetery.

When Tiana Linden and Leo Sutton arrived, Aiden Grant was also there.

Aiden had just walked out of the cemetery.

In April, the sun in Veridia was already scorching.

The sunlight carried a sour, pungent smell of sweat.

It emanated from Aiden.

Since Daisy’s incident, Aiden hadn’t changed clothes, bathed, nor eaten a decent meal.

He even had a face full of stubble, lacking time to shave.

He was constantly searching for Daisy.

Upon seeing Tiana again, him witnessing her and Leo Sutton side by side.

The sight of the two inseparably together strongly provoked Aiden.

At the entrance and exit of the cemetery, the three couldn’t avoid confronting each other.

Tiana stopped.

Originally unwilling to say another word to Aiden, but because it concerned Daisy, she spoke up.

"Do you have any news about Daisy?"

Aiden Grant’s gaze swept over her and Leo Sutton, finally settling coldly on Tiana Linden’s thin, weary face.

He let out a cold snort, "And you still have the mood to go around with Leo Sutton?"

Tiana Linden was filled with hatred.

Aiden Grant had no right to question who she was with.

Even if there was something between her and Leo Sutton, it was none of Aiden Grant’s business. Moreover, she was open and honest, and so was Leo Sutton.

She didn’t want to exchange unnecessary words with Aiden Grant.

She calmed down and said faintly, "Aiden, at this moment, I hope you focus all your energy on finding Daisy. Daisy went missing under your care, and it’s your responsibility to find her and bring her back to me safe and sound."

Aiden Grant knew that with Daisy’s disappearance, he was indeed the most responsible.

But seeing Tiana Linden with Leo Sutton, his rationality was overwhelmed by hatred and jealousy.

He looked towards Leo Sutton, "You worked so hard to handle Tiana’s legal case, breaking off her engagement with Harvey Patton, just to have an affair with her openly?"

Leo Sutton warned, "Aiden, I’m a lawyer, and you should know the consequences of slandering me. Also, the most important thing right now is to find Daisy, not to argue over petty jealousies here."

Aiden’s animosity towards him was nothing but jealousy.

This man still had feelings for Tiana.

Leo Sutton wasn’t foolish.

He could tell.

Aiden Grant withdrew his gaze, disdainful, "Which of your eyes sees me being jealous? Tiana is only cherished by you because of Daisy. I will continue looking for her."

He looked at Tiana Linden again, "Tiana, after I find Daisy, if I can prove Daisy is my biological daughter, I won’t give up custody of Daisy."

Tiana Linden clenched her fists tightly.

This man had no right to raise Daisy at all.

Every hurt Daisy suffered was because of this man.

She gritted her teeth, "Aiden, I’ve said before, Daisy is the daughter of me and Hector Chaucer."

Her response was met with Aiden Grant’s hatred and angry glare.

He said nothing more, withdrew his gaze, and left briskly.

Tiana didn’t want to linger either, "Leo, let’s hurry up and find Daisy."

They searched in the cemetery for several more hours.

Ultimately, with no results.

On the way back, Tiana Linden kept thinking of Daisy.

She leaned against the car window, wiping away tears repeatedly.

Driving, Leo Sutton didn’t know how to comfort her; any words at this time seemed superficial and powerless. He merely regretted not preventing Tiana and Aiden from being together back then.

While waiting at a red light, Leo Sutton asked, "Tiana, why is Aiden now so suspicious that Daisy is his daughter?"

Tiana leaned against the car window, "If he doesn’t suspect by now, he would be a fool."

The similarities between Daisy and Aiden were too many.

The more Aiden interacted with Daisy, the closer he got to the truth.

Tiana told Leo Sutton about these matters.

Retracting her gaze from the night view outside the window, looking at Leo Sutton who was restarting the engine, she added, "But don’t worry, with Vivian Linden around, even the truth could become false."

Leo Sutton was still a bit worried, "Tiana, are you afraid Aiden will fight you for custody?"

This was a question Tiana had never considered.

She just recently realized how much Aiden cared about Daisy.

Leo Sutton continued, "If Aiden is determined to have Daisy, and you hand Daisy over to me and Kiera, or to someone else for adoption, then Aiden will definitely file a lawsuit for custody."

This indeed made Tiana a bit uneasy.

But right now, there wasn’t much she could do about it, "Let’s just find Daisy first."

The April weather was warm and bright.

Even at night, the lights were brilliantly dazzling everywhere.

But during the three days Daisy had been missing, Tiana Linden saw her entire world as a shadowy gray.

Everything she looked at appeared dim and dark.

At that moment, Leo Sutton received a call from The Sovereign.

The caller was the housekeeper, Ms. Quinn, "Mr. Sutton, something’s wrong, madam is bleeding heavily, I called 911 but the ambulance hasn’t arrived yet..."

Hearing this, Leo Sutton’s heart leapt to his throat, "I’ll be there right away."

...

At the hospital, in the obstetrics and gynecology department.

Kiera Chaucer lay flat on the hospital bed.

The progesterone injection slowly dripped into her veins.

Leo Sutton pushed the door open and anxiously rushed to the bedside.

Seeing Kiera’s somewhat pale face, Leo Sutton’s eyes welled up, and his nose suddenly tingled with emotion.

Feeling guilty, he gently held Kiera’s hand that was receiving the drip.

"Kiera, I’m sorry, I didn’t take good care of you."

Tiana Linden, who followed behind, also felt very guilty.

Kiera had exhausted herself worrying over Daisy’s matter, which was why she ended up here, receiving an infusion to protect the baby.

She felt very troubled, "Kiera, what did the doctor say?"

"Why are you two so nervous?" Kiera said with a smile, "I’m fine, aren’t I? I do need to protect the pregnancy, but the doctor said it’s not a big issue."

Seeing his wife’s hand cold from the IV, Leo Sutton quickly went outside the hospital to get a hot water bottle, warmed it, and placed it under her palm.

Meanwhile, Tiana stayed with Kiera.

Kiera said "sorry" many times to Tiana.

Kiera blamed herself, feeling partially responsible for Daisy’s disappearance.

Tiana didn’t blame Kiera at all; she felt she hadn’t performed her duties well as a mother.

After being at the hospital for over half an hour, she was ready to go search for Daisy again.

This time, no matter how much Kiera urged Leo Sutton, he did not leave Kiera’s side.

He held Kiera’s hand, "Kiera, let me stay to take care of you. Tiana needs care, but you are my wife. I have to prioritize; you need me more."

Kiera’s eyes glistened with warmth.

Something warm filled her heart.

She knew she could walk into Leo Sutton’s heart in this lifetime.

But Daisy had been missing for three days.

"Leo, at most, I just have signs of a miscarriage, and the doctor said, as long as I stay in the hospital to protect the pregnancy and remain lying down, everything will be fine with the baby."

"Besides, I’m already nine months pregnant, even if something happens, a cesarean can be done in advance."

"But it’s different for Tiana; she’s seriously ill and doesn’t have many days left. Now with Daisy in trouble too."

"Tiana is alone in this world, the man she loved hurt her, her closest brother and father became someone else’s brother and father, driving her to desperate straits time and again."

Speaking of this, Kiera couldn’t help but cry.

"Leo, it’s so tragic for Tiana!"

"Don’t cry, you’ve already had contractions, please, don’t cry!" Leo Sutton tenderly wiped away Kiera’s tears.

Kiera couldn’t stop her tears, "I can’t be at peace if you don’t help Tiana."

Leo Sutton said, "I let Dunn follow her."

Kiera said, "Dunn is definitely not as good as you being there yourself, hurry and go, otherwise, I’ll be even angrier."

Leo Sutton said, "Let me stay with you a bit longer, otherwise, I can’t be at ease."

Even though Tiana and Daisy’s safety also deeply worried Leo Sutton.

The person he should prioritize was Kiera, lying on the hospital bed.

This time, Leo Sutton didn’t listen to Kiera.

...

At the entrance of an alley in the urban village.

Tiana Linden sat from sunset till dark.

She had previously told Daisy if they ever got separated, Daisy should wait at the entrance of their building’s alley for her.

How she longed to see Daisy’s figure at the entrance of that alley.

This wait extended deep into the night.

Fatigue and drowsiness overcame her, but she didn’t dare close her eyes.

She feared missing Daisy.

A few days ago, the alley’s streetlight malfunctioned, its light flickering intermittently.

In the dim light, Tiana saw a small figure limping towards her from the glimmering shadows.

"Mom!"

In the still of the night, a tender voice hit Tiana’s ears with strong force.

Eagerly, Tiana turned to look...