I Left With My Daughter

“I want to,” Isabella said without hesitation. “Wherever you go, I’ll go too.”

Then, she added, “Papa’s always busy. Just having you with me is enough.”

Her words were simple and direct, and that made it hit the hardest.

Cecilia stroked her head. After she dropped Isabella back at the estate, her phone rang.

It was her assistant.

“Donna Melville, the Don sent someone to take a diamond necklace set from your jewelry vault.”

The assistant said in a low voice, “He said he only needs it for two days. It has already been sent to Gianna.”

Cecilia’s face darkened.

That set of jewelry had been her grandmother’s gift to her for her coming-of-age ceremony. She never lent it to anyone, even for media photoshoots.

Lyon knew exactly which set to choose. Of course, he picked the one she cared about the most.

She paused for a moment. Then, she told her assistant to do two things.

The first was to pull up the insurance appraisal and private rental price for the set.

The second was to send the invoice to Lyon.

If he wanted to show off her things to his mistress, he would pay the highest rental fee.

Less than ten minutes after the invoice went out, Cecilia received a bank notification.

Lyon had transferred the money. The amount far exceeded the normal rental fee. There was also a note. [Enough?]

Cecilia did not reply.

In the days that followed, Lyon remained in the public eye.

He appeared at casinos, on yachts, at film premieres, and at night banquets at the harbor. Photos of him and Gianna Moretti were everywhere.

The gossip pages made the story explosive, as if the Melville family was about to replace its current Donna.

Cecilia stopped following the news.

She focused her energy on her consulting firm. She checked the inventory of her collection, organized the restoration team, and completed the final preparations for the upcoming charity preview.

She had believed that once she stepped back, many things would cease being her concern.

Everything changed on Isabella’s birthday.

The estate was filled with guests. They were all familiar faces whom Margaret had invited.

Cecilia personally inspected the dessert table and the children’s area. When she came out of the kitchen, she noticed a circle of people in the main hall.

Isabella stood in the middle. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked clearly frightened.

Gianna crouched in front of her. She was holding a limited-edition motorized teddy bear almost as tall as Isabella. A beautifully wrapped amusement park tickets lay next to her.

“Isabella, this is a gift I prepared specially for you.”

Gianna smiled sweetly. “Next time, I’ll take you there myself. Okay?”

Isabella instinctively took a step back and whispered, “I don’t want it.”

“Why don’t you want it?” Gianna stayed in front of her, as if she had to keep the cheerful show going. “I really like children.”

Cecilia walked forward and pulled Isabella behind her. Her eyes were cold and sharp.

“Stay away from her!”

The smile on Gianna’s face froze. She looked at Lyon nearby with a wounded face. “I just wanted to give her a gift…”

Lyon walked over and frowned. “Cecilia, it’s Isabella’s birthday. Do you have to make a scene here as well?”

Cecilia looked at him. Her voice was quiet but firm, and everyone around instantly went silent.

“You used my jewelry to make her happy, and now you bring her here to my daughter’s birthday party to act like a caring mother! Do you really think that just because I’ve been quiet these past few days, I don’t matter anymore?”

Lyon’s face darkened immediately.

He hated it when she refused to show him respect in front of others.

“Gianna is my guest today,” he said coldly. “The gift is for Isabella. It’s not for you to judge. Stop causing trouble.”

“Gift?” Cecilia almost laughed. “She cornered my daughter. She knew Isabella was shy around strangers and still forced her way forward. You call that giving a gift?”

Isabella held onto Cecilia’s dress tightly. Her face was pale.

Margaret sat at the head of the table. Her expression was grim.

Gianna realized things had gone wrong, and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know she would reject me like this. I only wanted to help Don Melville a little—”

“Do you even deserve to?” Cecilia coldly cut her off.

The room went completely tense.

Lyon stepped forward and stood in front of Gianna. His voice was low. “Enough! Don’t make this any worse.”

His willingness to side with Gianna hurt more than any explanation could.

Cecilia did not argue. She picked up Isabella and turned away from the crowd.

At that moment, she realized that the last bit of hope she had for this man was fading, little by little.