Chasing the Unexpected

“Of course not… but how can I trust your words?” Harrison asked.

He looked coldly at Damon, his eyes filled with anticipation and doubt. After all, when Nyla had fallen into the sea, the chances of survival were slim. He hadn’t held out hope for her being alive over the past five years.

Damon took out his phone, navigated to the album, and held the screen out for Harrison to see.

Harrison’s eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed, “Nyla… It really is Nyla! She’s alive! Where is she now?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. She’s doing well, but I haven’t mentioned you to her yet. Once you’re feeling better and can stand, I’ll bring her to see you,” Damon said.

“Really?” Harrison asked, his gaze hopeful. But it quickly turned to guilt and regret. “She probably… doesn’t want to see me again…”

The last time he and Nyla had met had not been pleasant. She had completely cut ties with him and stopped visiting him since then.

He had regretted it long ago and had wanted to call her to apologize multiple times, but Wren had advised against it. She had told him he had done everything for Nyla’s sake, and that one day Nyla would understand his intentions.

At that time, he had been foolish enough to believe Wren’s words. In hindsight, Nyla wasn’t Wren’s biological daughter. How could she genuinely care about whether Nyla would be hurt?

All in all, Harrison still blamed himself for being a negligent father. He had let Nyla down, as well as her mother.

Damon showed no emotion regarding Harrison’s regret as he said, “She really doesn’t want to see you. After she returned to Saintornia, she didn’t even think about looking for any news about you.”

Harrison’s gaze dimmed, and he smiled bitterly. “She has every right to feel that way… It’s my punishment…”

His eyes turned red, and his wrinkled face was etched with sorrow.

“Regardless, what’s in the past is in the past. You should focus on getting better. We’ll talk about everything else later,” Damon reassured him.

“Okay…” Harrison agreed.

As Damon turned to leave, Harrison’s weak voice called out from behind him, tinged with a hint of desperation. Can you… come by occasionally to tell me how Nyla has been these past few years?”

Damon paused for a moment, then replied without turning back, “Focus on your health first. We’ll talk about everything else later.”

When he reached the living room, Charlotte was sitting on the sofa, working on a proposal for a merger project.

Hearing Damon’s footsteps, she looked up and asked, “Uncle Damon, did you check on Mr. Jayston? Why don’t you stay here for dinner tonight?”

She looked at him expectantly, her eyes shining.

Damon shook his head. “No. Thanks for going through the trouble during this time.”

If Harrison were with him, Gabriel would surely find out quickly. It would be much safer to leave him with Charlotte.

“It’s no problem! Besides, didn’t you give me a big contract? I could make tens of thousands from that collaboration. If you have more good opportunities like that in the future, remember to hook me up again,”

Charlotte chirped.

“Sure, I’m leaving now,” Damon said.

“Are you really not going to stay for dinner? It’s so boring to eat alone!” Charlotte tried again.

“I’m not free,” Damon replied and left the villa without looking back.

By the time Damon returned home, it was nearly 9:00 p.m.

Nyla was playing with Mason in the living room when she heard the door open and looked up. She met Damon’s eyes for a brief moment before quickly looking away.

“You’re back? Where were you socializing tonight? Why did it end so early?” she asked.

Damon paused while hanging up his suit jacket and casually mentioned a restaurant name.

Nyla raised an eyebrow. “Valarie was eating there today too. Why didn’t she mention seeing you?”

“We were all in private rooms, and with so many of them, it’s not surprising that we didn’t run into each other,” Damon replied.

Nyla nodded and looked down, deciding not to pursue the topic. Instead, she turned to Mason and gently said, Buddy, Daddy is back. Didn’t you want to share with him what you learned at school today?”

11

Damon washed his hands and rolled up his sleeves as he walked toward the sofa, his eyes filled with undeniable tenderness. He asked, “What did you learn today, Buddy?”

Mason looked up at Damon and said, “Our teacher taught us to be honest. This morning, someone lied to his mom about having a stomach ache so he wouldn’t have to go to kindergarten.

“His mom was going to take him to the hospital, and he was so scared that he finally told her the truth. Our teacher used this example to tell us that we should be honest, or else it could lead to serious consequences.”

Damon stiffened and instinctively glanced at Nyla, relieved to find she wasn’t looking at him.

He sat down next to Mason and played with him, saying, “Buddy, your teacher is right. But there’s also a kind of lie called a ‘white lie.‘ It’s not meant for yourself but to protect others from being hurt. That kind of lie can be forgiven.”

Mason immediately countered, “But lying is still lying, right? No matter if it’s for a good intention or not, it’s still lying!”

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Damon replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, Nyla interjected coolly, “I think Buddy is right. A lie is still a lie. Sometimes, we think we’re doing someone a favor, but instead of a temporary lie, I think the other person would prefer to know the truth.”

Damon looked at her helplessly. “You’re right. I was thinking too simplistically.”

Seeing that Damon had no intention of being honest with her, Nyla stood up. “I’m a bit tired today. You can play with Buddy. Please clean up afterward. I’m going to rest now.”

“Okay,” Damon answered.

After Nyla left, he felt somewhat distracted.

“Daddy, if you’re tired too, you can go rest. I can play by myself,” Mason said.

Previously, when Nyla often worked late, he had learned to entertain himself with his toys and found enjoyment in it. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Damon came back to himself. “I’m fine, Daddy’s not tired. Should we move on to the next step…

11

He trailed off when he caught sight of the castle Mason had built, and a hint of embarrassment crossed his face.

“Buddy, when did you build the castle? I remember you were just working on the walls!” he exclaimed.

“Daddy, it’s almost 10:00 p.m. now,” Mason reminded him.

Meeting Mason’s eyes, which were remarkably similar to Nyla’s, Damon felt an involuntary pang of guilt.

“I’m sorry, I was just lost in thought today and didn’t pay enough attention to you. I promise it won’t happen again,” he apologized.

“Daddy, you’re not lying to Mommy, are you? That’s why you’ve been acting so strange today…” Mason guessed.

+