My six years at a top-secret agency finally came to an end. My heart pounded with excitement as I arrived at my wife’s office building, eager to surprise her. But what I saw instead made my blood run cold: a man was yelling at my daughter, even forcing her to kneel and apologize. Rage consumed me. I charged forward, landing a punch squarely on the man’s face. As I wound up for a second punch, my daughter clung to my leg. “Please, run! You hit Mom’s assistant, she’ll never let you go!” I suppressed my fury, my voice tight with pain. “He’s just your mom’s assistant. How dare he make you kneel?” My daughter was about to explain when the man cut her off. “You’ll regret this! Serena will send her bodyguards to deal with you both!” I took a deep breath and called my wife. “Your assistant wants to teach me a lesson. Come out here!” All I wanted was a straight answer from Serena. How had she managed our daughter these past six years? How could she let her own assistant bully our precious Lily? “I don’t care who you are, or where you got my number.” My wife’s voice was ice-cold through the phone. “Just for that threat, no one can save you!” The call ended abruptly, before I even had a chance to say another word. I stared blankly at my phone, stunned. She hadn’t just failed to recognize my voice; she hadn’t recognized the number either. This was my old number from six years ago, and she hadn’t even bothered to save it in her contacts! Six years of constant longing, all my hopes, shattered in an instant. Seeing my call disconnected, Serena’s assistant sneered, his face full of mockery. “Kid, I thought you were someone important, but you’re just some clown who crawled out from under a rock.” I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my anger in check. I’d thought there might be some misunderstanding, but now, my heart sank completely. Of course. For six long years, I’d been completely off the grid, stuck in a classified research facility, a place even satellites couldn’t detect, running endless experiments. It was only natural she would have changed her heart. I should have expected it. But before I left, she’d promised me she would take good care of our daughter. The cheerful, laughing girl I remembered, who should be a vibrant teenager now, was instead frail, like a wilting flower, so emaciated from malnutrition. The fear in her eyes was a dagger to my heart, twisting it with raw agony. “Come on, I’m taking you home.” Tears blurred my vision as I gently took Lily’s hand, determined to get her out of here. I had six years of neglect to make up for. I would make her the happiest princess in the world again. “You hit me, and then you threatened Ms. Serena. You think you can just walk away now?” Brendan blocked my path, a cold smirk playing on his lips. “Are you saying you’re going to hold me here?” I narrowed my eyes. “Freedom? Haha, you’re talking about freedom with me in New York?” “Kid, I’m telling you, here, even the air you breathe is owned by the Serena Group!” Brendan snarled, his face contorted in a crazed grin. My expression darkened considerably. All these years I’d dedicated myself to my country, and to compensate for my efforts, the higher-ups must have secretly supported Serena a lot. But I didn’t expect them to grow so arrogant, so out of control. Suddenly, Lily pulled her hand from mine and dropped to her knees, pleading desperately. “Brendan, please, just let this man go. He doesn’t know you or Mom, that’s why he upset you. I’ll apologize for him, I promise!” My eyes welled up instantly at the sight. This was my precious daughter, whom I thought about day and night, whose photo I had to place over my heart just to sleep peacefully! Now, she was kneeling before these two monsters. How much had I failed her these past six years?
Brendan scoffed, about to speak, when the little boy he was holding suddenly rolled his eyes. “You want to apologize for him? Fine, then clean the drone you knocked to the ground. If you make it spotless, I’ll let him go.” “Okay, okay! I’ll clean it right now!” My daughter quickly picked up the drone, which looked incredibly expensive. The little boy added, “But no water. I want you to lick it clean, little by little.” Lily’s face fell. She instinctively said, “Leo, I… I’m your sister. How can you make me lick your toy?” “Ugh, stop acting like you’re something! You’re just a Asshole child Mom had with some deadbeat. I’m Mom and Dad’s real kid! Are you going to lick it or not? If you don’t, I won’t be so nice!” “I’ll lick it!” Lily glanced at me, then turned back, tears streaming down her face, and extended her tongue, humiliated, towards the drone. Just as her tongue was about to touch the dirt on the drone, I snatched it away and smashed it to the ground. “You’re going too far!” My heart ached so much I could barely breathe, my eyes burning crimson as I glared at them. I hadn’t realized that while I was still married, Serena had already married another man and even had a child! And I certainly hadn’t imagined their child would bully our daughter like this. Serena, even if your heart had changed, how could you treat Lily like this? “You… you dared to smash my drone?” The little boy froze, his small face contorted with a viciousness far beyond his age. “Brendan, I want him to pay with his life for my drone!” “Kid, it seems you’re in a hurry to die, daring to offend young master Leo! Security!?” Brendan roared furiously. “Didn’t you see young master Leo being bullied? Are you all dead?!” The security guards, who had been hiding in the shadows, exchanged glances and then surrounded me. “Beat him! Beat him to death if you have to, I’ll take responsibility!” Brendan commanded. I managed to block two of them, but one clubbed me in the back, sending me sprawling. They swarmed me, kicking and punching. The crowd of onlookers watched, none daring to intervene, only shaking their heads and sighing. “That guy has some nerve. Of all people to provoke, he picked that demon, Leo.” “Who in New York doesn’t know how much Ms. Serena dotes on her son? He’s completely finished today.” “This is what happens when you’re reckless and try to be a hero without any real power. He only has himself to blame.” Their eyes were filled with either pity or scorn. Lily cried, trying to shield me, but Brendan roughly yanked her away, nearly sending her to the ground. “Leo, I’ll clean this drone for you right now, please, I beg you, let this man go!”
Lily looked at me, huddled on the ground, bit her lip fiercely, picked up the drone, and carefully began licking it clean. Her tiny tongue moved deftly, wiping away every speck of dirt. My mouth was already full of blood, and I struggled, trying to stop her. “Don’t lick it!” “Stop, please!” Lily, tears in her eyes, handed the cleaned drone back. “I’ve cleaned the drone for you. Tell them to stop, please, they’re going to kill him!” Leo slapped the drone to the ground, disgusted. “You’re disgusting! It’s all your spit, it smells as bad as you do! I don’t want this drone anymore!” “But you promised just now!” Lily trembled, disbelieving. “I promised to let him go, but Brendan’s the one giving orders now, and Brendan didn’t promise anything!” Leo said, staring at her triumphantly. Lily’s face was filled with despair. She instinctively looked at Brendan, her eyes pleading. Brendan smirked, then leaned down and landed two more kicks on my body. “Young master Leo is right! He dared to break young master’s drone, and I, Brendan, will be the first one to make him pay!” Lily’s face drained of color. Her once sparkling eyes were now utterly shattered by the cruel hearts before her. Seizing the opportunity, I rolled over and pulled Brendan to the ground. I swung my fists wildly, aiming blow after blow at him, not caring if it killed me. He howled in pain as his face turned black and blue from my punches. “Ah! Kill him! Kill him!” By the time the security guards dragged me off, he was almost unrecognizable, screaming hysterically. Just then, footsteps approached, accompanied by a cool, clear voice. “What’s going on here?” I looked up, my eyes meeting Serena’s. She walked quickly towards me, surrounded by a group of people, scanning me up and down. Her eyes filled with disbelief. “Asher, you… how are you still alive?” “I’m alive. Disappointed, are we?” I stared intently at Serena. I had to admit, even after six years, Serena was as beautiful as ever. Time seemed to have left no mark on her; she looked exactly as she had on our wedding day. If there was any change, it was that her once loving eyes were now strange and cold. The person was the same, but her heart had changed. “You… you’re Dad?” Lily stared at me, disbelieving. Suddenly, she threw herself into my arms, sobbing heartbrokenly. “Dad, I missed you so much! Why did you only come back now? I dream of you every day, but Mom burned all your photos, so I can’t even clearly remember what you look like in my dreams.” My heart ached as I gently stroked her hair, letting her pour out all her grievances in my embrace. I looked up, my face filled with hatred. “Serena, I don’t blame you for changing your heart and getting married while I was away for six years. But what did my daughter do wrong? How dare you treat her like this?” Serena’s face turned ashen at my accusation. She scoffed coldly. “Lily is my daughter too. How I treat her has nothing to do with you, and it’s not your place to criticize. Asher, since you’re back, let’s finalize our divorce.”
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