The Drastic Decision
“Sir Daemon, Ms. Maddy is outside asking for you. She said she needs to tell you something important.”
Daemon threw his aide an eye when he came rushing into his office informing him about Maddy. He already blacklisted her from all of his properties but it seemed like she always finds a way to go to him.
“Don’t let her in. I told you already she’s banned from any of my properties. Send a notice to the security again,” he answered without raising his head.
He has a ton of paperwork to do and several meetings to attend to later so he cannot waste any of his time on Maddy. If it isn’t about Emily, then he would not bother to talk to her again.
She and the senator are facing great public backlash that’s why she’s been crawling her way back to him to beg him to take down the video but none of that is happening.
“But sir…”
“Don’t make me repeat my words.”
His aide apologized and went back to his job. For the next few hours, he drowned himself with all the work so that he could have all the time in the afternoon to take Devon out for lunch. Ever since that conversation they had that night, he felt her receding back into sadness. She’s staying silent more than usual and her eyes are always looking upward thinking deeply about something.
After three hours, he picked his phone expecting a missed call or a text from her but he received none so he called the house to ask. He can’t reach her phone after calling a couple of times.
“Did any of you see Devon? She did not tell me where she’s going today,” he asked the helper who answered the telephone.
“Sir, I think she’s in their mansion. Henry drove the car for her.”
He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. “Henry… alright.”
He went on his usual day but something inside him is really nagging him. Devon did not bother to call or text him for the next succeeding hours.
“That’s odd,” he whispered. “She always asks me to bring her some food whether she’s in their house or in our home.”
He picked his phone again and uttered a thank you when it rang.
“Babe?” he excitedly exclaimed when she answered.
“Daemon.” Her voice is depleted with her usual energy every time she answers his call. That somehow made him uneasy.
“Yes, where are you?”
He tapped his foot against the leg of his desk. He can feel that there’s really something with Devon lately. She’s not acting like herself.
“I’m in the house. Sorry I was not able to inform you. I am in a hurry.”
Even her answers were cold and distant.
“It’s okay. Is Henry with you.”
“No, he has already returned. Why?”
“Nothing. I was just asking. How was it there? Are you enjoying it?” He made sure that he sounded excited and happy.
“So far I’m enjoying it.”
But it seems like she’s annoyed with him. He must have interfered with her important affairs.
“Glad to know that. Call me if anything happens. You know what, what if I come there right now? I want to see you.”
He stood up to get his coat. He missed her. He can’t wait to see her so why not just come to her at this instant.
She chuckled on the line. “Shut up. You still have work to do, Daemon. I am safe here. I can take care of myself. I promise I will call you if something comes up.”
He sank back into his chair again and faced the tons of papers on his desk. This will go on and on. This is endless but he can always sacrifice it all for her.
“Why do I have the feeling that you don’t miss me at all? I miss you so much, Devon.”
He tried to bargain, to earn her pity so she will let him visit her without thinking that he’s intruding too much on her space.
“You’re joking. We had breakfast together.”
“That is not enough for me. Those were already a few hours ago.” He took back his coat and put it on. “I want to see you right now.”
But she did not budge and it remained hard for him that Daemon just scratched his head. He’s acting like a school boy now who just got his first crush on the class.
“We’ll see each other later. I promise you. I’m hanging up,” she said quickly.
“Wait! Please don’t! Why are you so cruel to me now, Mrs. Druft?”
She laughed forcely. “Mr. Druft, you still have so many things to do!”
“I am the boss. They can wait for all I care. You’re much more important than them.”
“I’m really hanging up. My mom is calling me. We are going to bake a cake together.”
He sighed and surrendered. What the wife wants, the wife gets to have a peaceful and happy couple life. “Okay if that’s what you want. I love you.”
It took her a few seconds to answer him back. “I love you too.”
And then she hung up just as quick as how he got his energy back. Lunch time came and he called Devon again to ask if they could have lunch together but she refused saying she went to a charity foundation with her mother. She said it’s her to gain her mother’s trust.
He called for his assistant and ordered him to get him food as he will just eat in the office. He wanted to finish this days’ worth of load so he could get Devon early.
“And don’t forget to send our official statement to the media for the lifting of my frozen accounts. Have our writers prepare it. Tell them we already anticipated it because I am innocent.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned to leave but he stopped when he remembered a passing question in his head.
“Wait, if you lost your child to someone who also has a child they’re hiding from you, what would you do?”
He didn’t think anymore. He answered as swiftly as possible.
“I’m going to take their child too, sir. They took mine. I take theirs. Their child should be the replacement.”
“Just as I thought.” Daemon nodded at his assistant who found his boss’ question to be unsettling.
For the latter half of the afternoon, he worked tirelessly with all the business proposals at hand. He has already come to a final decision. He would transition back into his father’s decent business. He’s done being a mafia boss.
“Sir, a call from Mrs. Melena Farrows,” his assistant came storming inside his office carrying his phone.
Why would his mother-in-law call him?
“Yes, Melena?”
“Daemon! Where is Devon? Where is my daughter?!”
Her voice is frantic and there’s too much noise in the background causing a jolt of fear in his heart.
“Why?! What happened?! Devon is in your house. I just called her earlier.”
“No, she isn’t here! Daemon, please! Take my daughter to safety! Brian is going to kill her!”
He turned the phone off and got up and ran to the emergency exit. His heart is thumping out of its cage.
“Please Devon. Don’t do anything drastic. Please.”
He climbed inside his car and sped away, punching the steering wheel in the process. “Shit! Why didn’t I see this coming? I should have known better!”
“HELLO, Lucy.”
The toddler gawked at her in curiosity when she approached her carefully. She was inside the girl’s classroom with the only remaining student. “Who are you, Ms.?”
Her sparkling innocence stared back at her waiting for an answer. She scanned her appearance and a pang of both pity and disappointment settled into the pit of her stomach. She’s not her Emily like what she hoped for since the day she found out that her daughter was given to the Farrows.
“I’m your Aunt Devon.”
Her mouth went wide together with her eyes as she covered both of her cheeks happily. “Aunt Devon? Do you mean my pretty Aunt Devon? Are you really her?”
She looked at her face again as if trying to compare her to the picture in her head. And when she’s satisfied, she smiled and touched her hand warmly. All she wanted to do at that exact moment was bawl her eyes out.
Would this be the exact reaction she would be getting when the time comes that she sees Emily again? She hopes so.
She knelt in front of her and caressed her cheeks. “Yes, Lucy. Your dad Brian asked me to come fetch you from school. Your mom and dad are waiting for you at your house.”
She extended her hand to her which she took without hesitation.
“Come on now, Aunt Devon. Let’s go home. I want to see mommy and daddy. I want them to see my perfect score!”
“Good girl,” she muttered as they left the parking lot.
