Chapter 84: The Incident Three Years Ago
"Just sit here..." Daisy asked Lily, who still looked hesitant. She tapped the couch beside her, urging her to sit. "Continue..."
"Hmm... I don’t really know much. At that time, I had only been working for two months and was stationed at the main mansion, not here." Lily pressed her lips into a thin line. "It was the day Mr. Richard was going to announce that Sir would take over the company."
She paused, glancing at the closed door as if someone might be listening. "The whole family was there... including Miss Camellia."
Daisy’s brows were knitted. "And?"
"Something happened after that," Lily said carefully, lowering her voice. "I don’t know exactly what started it... but I remember the shouting... Mr. Theo’s voice... then the sound of glass breaking. When people rushed in, he was—" She stopped, her knuckles tightening on her skirt.
Daisy leaned forward. "He was what?"
Lily swallowed. "On the floor... bleeding. And Miss Camellia... she... she was the one holding the piece of broken glass."
Daisy’s eyes widened. "She stabbed him?"
"I—I don’t know," Lily stammered, shaking her head quickly. "All I know is that before anyone could say a word, Mr. Richard stepped in. He sent everyone out, called the private doctor, and... by the next day, Miss Camellia was gone. They said she’d gone to the KU for treatment."
Daisy leaned back slowly, her mind spinning.
"And we were told," Lily continued in a whisper, "that if anyone mentioned that night again... we’d be dismissed immediately. No questions asked."
Daisy stared at her, the faint hum of the office suddenly deafening. "So, everyone just... pretended it didn’t happen?"
Lily’s gaze darted to the doorway, as if the walls themselves might be listening. "It’s not that everyone pretended it didn’t happen... it’s just that no one talked about it afterward." She pouted slightly, looking down. "I still remember clearly... Sir lying motionless on the floor, blood pooling around him."
Daisy felt a cold shiver run down her spine. "Theo?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
Lily nodded slowly, her fingers twisting the hem of her blouse. "He didn’t even flinch when they carried him away. Eyes closed... face pale... I thought—" She cut herself off, her throat tightening.
Daisy’s heart pounded. "And Camellia?"
"She was just standing there," Lily whispered, her voice trembling. "No tears, no panic... just this strange, almost... satisfied look. Like she’d finally done something she’d been waiting to do for years."
Daisy’s jaw tightened, her fingers curling into the armrest of her chair. The more Lily spoke, the more something ugly coiled in her chest.
"So everyone just carried on like nothing happened? This makes my blood boil," she said, her voice low but edged, the words slipping out sharper than she intended.
"Actually... Madam... I think they did it for Sir’s sake," Lily said cautiously.
Daisy’s eyes narrowed. "For his sake? He was the one lying on the floor, bleeding out, and you’re telling me silence was the best they could do?"
Lily flinched slightly, but pressed on. "Sir doesn’t like people making a fuss over him... especially if it’s something that could make him look weak."
Daisy let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Weak? Nearly dying is not a weakness. It’s—" She stopped herself, her voice catching on the heat rising in her throat. She leaned back in her chair, but the rigid set of her shoulders betrayed her. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable."
"You know... Sir’s not exactly in the best place, mentally. So he always tries to shield himself, keep up that tough image and everything."
Daisy suddenly went quiet, her mind swirling with a mix of frustration and sympathy. She stared ahead, struggling to find the right words to respond.
After a long pause, she finally whispered, "That must be so exhausting... carrying all of that alone."
Lily nodded softly, grateful for Daisy’s understanding. "Yes, Madam. It’s a heavy burden, and not many get to see what’s beneath the surface."
Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed at the door, breaking the heavy silence. Both women startled, their conversation abruptly cut off.
Lily glanced toward the door, her eyes wide with worry, and immediately stood up. "Someone’s here, Madam."
Before Daisy could respond, the door creaked open slowly, and a voice came from behind the creak door, "Madam... I’m sorry, but Sir is calling."
"Ah... he is?" Daisy glanced around, searching for her phone before realizing it must be on the dining table. "My phone..."
The maid who gently stepped inside, holding the phone out toward Daisy. "Here, Madam." Daisy hadn’t even noticed she was holding it.
"Ah, sorry. I didn’t see you holding it," Daisy said as she stood up and took the phone. "You all can go out first." She smiled and nodded lightly.
The moment she brought the phone to her ear, she asked, "Did you arrive at the hospital?"
"Hmm, I think it might take a while, since Mom’s blood pressure isn’t stable," Theo’s voice sounded a bit weak.
"Should I go there?" Daisy offered, anxious about waiting alone at the house.
"No, you should rest at home," Theo replied firmly. "There are too many unwanted guests here, so stay put."
"Unwanted guests?" She blinked, confused.
"Reporters," he answered shortly.
"Oh... hmm... how about Camellia?" Her voice grew shallow as Theo’s tone turned colder. "Did they manage to catch her?"
Theo’s voice was steady but carried a weight that made Daisy’s stomach twist.
"Yes, they caught her. Liam’s handling the situation now. She’s going back to the treatment center."
Daisy let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. "Good. She needs help... before she hurts anyone else."
There was a pause on the line, then Theo added quietly, "She didn’t hurt anyone else."
"Ah—" Her lips parted, but no words came. Theo’s calm but heavy tone hung in the air, leaving her with a silent weight she couldn’t easily shake.
"Then... have a rest. Call me if anything is urgent." He was about to hang up when Daisy stopped him.
"How about your hand? Did you get it treated?"
But there was only silence, he’d already hung up.
"What was that? Did I say something wrong?" she blinked, frustration and irritation bubbling up inside her as her breath grew heavy.