Chapter 4 He’s Not Worth It
Daisy looked at Ethan's outstretched hand. Her fingers curled slightly as her heartbeat quickened.
She hadn't expected him to step in and help her out, much less bring up the investment at a time like this.
His words seemed to freeze the air around them. Vincent's displeased gaze bore down heavily, while Vanessa's eyes widened slightly.
Daisy pulled a faint smile. She avoided Ethan's hand and gave a slight nod. "Upstairs is quieter, definitely better for business talk."
She extended her own hand like a polite gentleman. "Please."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly, withdrew his hand as his expression unchanged. He gave Vincent a brief nod as a greeting, then followed her.
"Vince." Vanessa immediately moved closer to Vincent, lowering her voice. "Daisy and that Mr. Reed seem pretty close?"
"I remember Mr. Reed's family is in pharmaceutical investment and is very well-connected. Do you think Daisy might..."
She left the rest unsaid, but the implication hung in the air.
Vincent said nothing but his jawline tightened.
He watched Daisy and Ethan disappear around the stairway corner one after the other, as scattered murmurs began buzzing around him.
"I heard that Mr. Reed is Daisy's senior from school..."
"They seemed pretty close back then, but then Daisy got married."
"And now this is... look, Mr. Black's face has turned green."
"No wonder. His wife leaves the kid at home and comes here to discuss 'investment' with an old friend."
Vincent felt uncomfortable.
Not because he had feelings for Daisy and was jealous, but purely because he felt embarrassed and been put in an awkward position.
After all, in the past, Daisy had always respected him in front of others.
He cleared his throat. "Nessa, didn't you say you weren't feeling well? Go sit down and rest over there."
His tone was stiff.
Vanessa froze, then put on a more considerate expression. "I'm fine, just feeling a bit stuffy."
"Vince, don't overthink it. Daisy's probably just acting out of spite. After all, the birthday party incident, at the end of the day, was my fault. She must be hurting inside, so she's trying to find something else to do, to prove her worth."
"As for Mr. Reed, he's probably just humoring her for old times' sake."
As she spoke, she watched Vincent's expression. His brow furrowed even tighter.
She continued, "Luna's still at home waiting for her mom. She's so little, it breaks my heart to see it."
"Daisy wasn't like this before. No matter what, she wouldn't neglect the child. Has she been under too much pressure lately? Does she have some problem we don't know about?"
Vincent's fingers tightened slightly around his glass.
What problem could she have? She didn't need to worry about household matters, he'd been taking care of the child too, and he'd even offered to invest in her lab.
She was the one constantly testing his patience. She embarrassed him at the estate, hung up on him, and now openly left with another man at this kind of event.
There should be limits to acting out.
He set down his glass and said to Vanessa, "You rest for a bit. I'm going out for a moment."
Without waiting for her response, he strode toward the stairs.
The upstairs lounge area was more private, with thick carpet muffling footsteps.
Daisy and Ethan sat down at a small round table by the window.
"Thank you." Daisy's voice was flat.
Ethan waved his hand. His expression was softer than downstairs, but his eyes still showed a hint of displeasure.
"I still remember when you left the research group. Our professor was so upset he couldn't eat for days. He said you were one of the most gifted students he'd ever seen, that you shouldn't become a housewife. But back then you said—Vincent was worth it."
"So this is how worth it he turned out to be."
The sarcasm in his words was thick.
Daisy's lashes trembled as she lowered her eyes. "Sorry for disappointing you all."
"I wouldn't say disappointed. Everyone makes their own choices." Ethan's tone was light. "I just didn't expect to meet again under these circumstances."
"I can see Vincent doesn't seem very supportive of your work, so I really want to know. Were you just acting out earlier, or have you actually decided to give up on family and focus on your career?"
Daisy's throat bobbed. She looked up, meeting Ethan's eyes directly. "I've decided. He's not worth me giving up my career—not twice."
Ethan shrugged, picked up a glass of red wine, and raised it to her. "Alright, I believe you. Since we're talking investment, tell me about your project."
Daisy's eyes immediately lit up with gratitude. She cleared her throat, picked up her own glass of red wine, clinked it against his, then laid out the entire project.
She spoke at a steady pace, clear and organized. She instantly transformed back into that brilliant lead researcher from the lab.
Ethan watched her, the last bit of distance in his eyes finally melting away.
One asking questions, one explaining—neither noticed how close they'd leaned toward each other.
Daisy was strikingly beautiful to begin with, and when focused, her lowered lashes cast delicate shadows. Ethan too was the elegant, handsome type. Sitting together, they looked as harmonious as a carefully painted portrait.
This was the scene that Vincent encountered as he found them . The pain is his glare was obvious.
He walked over.
"Daisy."
His voice was measured but carried a sense of intensity.
Years of habit made Daisy instinctively want to stand up, but she quickly caught herself and turned cold.
"What is it?"
Vincent's gaze swept over Ethan before settling on her face. "Are you done talking? If so, come home. Luna's called several times saying she misses you. Are you really going to hold a grudge against a child? You're her mother—you should have some sense of responsibility."
The same old routine.
Daisy closed her eyes.
"I'm discussing business with Mr. Reed about lab investment. If Luna misses me, she can call me, or you could bring her to see me that is, if you're willing."
Vincent's patience finally ran out, his voice suddenly rising. "Daisy, you weren't like this before. Just because of some unpleasantness at the birthday party, you've lost all sense of responsibility? You won't even take care of your child?"
"I have no sense of responsibility?" Daisy stood up and faced Vincent, her voice cutting. "Vincent, whether or not I have a sense of responsibility—haven't you seen it these past six years?"
"Luna was a high-needs baby. For a full year after she was born, I barely slept two hours straight."
"She's allergic to over thirty foods. For six years, everything she's eaten, I've made with my own hands. She's afraid of the dark at night, afraid of thunder, afraid of being alone, so I held her all night, every night, comforting her. Her first steps, her first words, her first day of kindergarten—every important moment, I was there!"