Chapter 25 Stay Tonight
Daisy felt like she'd been granted a pardon and turned to leave this suffocating place.
"Mommy!" But Luna suddenly jumped down from her chair and ran over to grab the hem of her clothes. She looked up with pitiful eyes.
"Don't go! After dinner we can play games together! Great-grandpa doesn't come often, let's all play together!"
She shook Daisy's hand, acting cute like she used to.
Looking at her daughter's hopeful eyes, Daisy's heart softened again, and the words of refusal got stuck in her throat.
After all, it had been a long time since her daughter had actively asked her to play. Even the thought that had been circling in her mind—Let Auntie Vanessa play with you—was something she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
In the end, she just gently touched her little face and said "okay."
Luna immediately smiled. After finishing dinner, she pulled Daisy's hand toward the play area. "Let's hurry! I want to build a castle!"
Vanessa sat where she was, watching their backs, her smile fading a bit.
She looked down and played with the pink diamond ring on her ring finger—five carats, dazzlingly brilliant.
By the time it was completely dark, the whole day's party was over.
Luna was already exhausted and had been taken away by the nanny to rest.
As the hostess, Daisy didn't breathe a long sigh of relief until she'd seen off the last guest.
The early autumn night breeze carried a chill that made her shiver several times.
She was really worn out today and just wanted to drive home and rest, but as luck would have it, her car wouldn't start no matter what.
With no choice, she pulled her thin jacket tighter and took out her phone to call a ride.
"Why aren't you driving?"
The voice came from behind her.
Daisy turned around to see Vincent walking toward her, his suit jacket draped over his forearm, his shirt collar slightly open, his tie nowhere to be seen, his expression also showing some fatigue.
Daisy said, "The car broke down. I'll take a cab home."
"It's hard to get a cab around here," Vincent said. "If it's broken, just leave it here. I'll have my assistant deal with it tomorrow morning. Take my car back."
Daisy hesitated.
She really didn't want any connection with him beyond their daughter, but at this time and place, it was indeed hard to get a cab.
She glanced at the black Maybach being brought over by the driver in the distance and decided not to make things difficult for herself.
It was just a ride, after all.
"Okay, thank you." Her tone was businesslike, polite and distant, as if she were getting a ride from a male colleague.
When the car stopped, Daisy naturally went to open the back door, only to see Vanessa was also there.
She was sitting in the inner back seat. She'd already taken off her fancy dress and changed into a shirt and pants similar to Daisy's. Luna was sleeping sweetly with her head on Vanessa's lap, covered with Vanessa's shawl.
Seeing Daisy frozen there, Vanessa smiled and said, "Sorry, I had some drinks tonight and shouldn't drive, so I had to catch a ride with Vince. You don't mind, do you?"
Her carefully made-up eyes sparkled in the dim streetlight, gentle yet somehow aggressive.
Daisy's fingers tightened slightly on the door handle.
"I don't mind." She smiled too, then bent down and got in.
Vincent, the car's owner, ended up sitting in the passenger seat.
Considering Luna was already asleep, and even though the car was spacious, it wasn't that comfortable after all, the driver got Vincent's permission and drove back to the villa first.
The car pulled into the garage. Vincent got out and opened the door. In the back seat, Vanessa gently pushed Luna and said softly, "Luna, we're home, wake up."
Luna opened her eyes groggily, yawned, and closed them again. She was very attached to Vanessa, hugging her tightly. With no choice, Vanessa had to half-carry, half-lead her out of the car.
Daisy remained sitting in the car.
Vincent looked at his watch. "It's so late, you should just stay here tonight. Plus I have an important meeting tomorrow morning and need to get to the office early, so you can take Luna to school."
Daisy looked at him. Vincent seemed to realize this request was a bit sudden. After a few seconds of silence, he added, "You can sleep in the master bedroom. I'll sleep in the study."
It really was very late.
"Alright," she heard herself say.
Daisy followed Vincent inside.
A few wall lamps were lit in the living room. Anna came up to greet them, and seeing Daisy and Vanessa come in together, especially with Luna being carried by Vanessa, she was clearly stunned.
Vincent arranged. "Nessa is staying here tonight. Go prepare a guest room."
Vanessa must have stayed here more than once, Daisy thought that because she had just removed her makeup and changed into pajamas when she saw Vanessa also come out after removing her makeup, already changed into a purple robe, her hair taken down and casually tied in a low ponytail with a hair tie.
Seeing Daisy, she smiled slightly and said, "Daisy is staying tonight too? That's great, I was worried Luna might wake up in the middle of the night looking for her mommy."
She said this so naturally, as if she were the mistress of this house and Daisy was just an occasional visitor.
Daisy didn't speak, just nodded at her symbolically, then entered the master bedroom and closed the door.
It was strange—this bed she was lying on was one she was used to, but tonight for some reason, she tossed and turned and just couldn't sleep well.
The bed was too soft, and the smell of the sheets and pillowcase had changed.
She had many fragmented dreams. In them, Luna was still very small, lying on her shoulder, softly calling "Mommy." In them, Vincent hadn't come home in a long time, and even when he did come home, he lay on the bed far away from her, with the empty space between them almost big enough to fit another person.
She still remembered how lonely and painful she'd been back then.
At some point, she woke up thirsty. Half-asleep, she opened her eyes, thinking she was in her small apartment, and instinctively reached toward the nightstand for water—she liked to keep little odds and ends within arm's reach.
But here, Vincent had never liked unnecessary clutter.
Naturally, she came up empty.
Daisy was fully awake now.
She rubbed her temples and quietly opened the door, wanting to go downstairs for a glass of water.
Just then, her phone suddenly lit up, the bright light particularly glaring in the dark bedroom.
She picked it up and looked—it was a message from Vanessa.
A photo.
In the photo, Vanessa was wearing a lotus-colored slip nightgown, her long hair loose, leaning against Vincent's chair back in an intimate and natural pose.
Vincent sat at the desk, focused on his work.
The warm yellow desk lamp cast a soft glow around both their silhouettes, making them look so harmonious and beautiful.
Below the photo was a line of text:
[Last one for today, perfect ending!]
Daisy held the phone and let out a short laugh.
Delete.