Chapter 69 - My Wound Hurts
For a moment, they both seemed to freeze.
Daisy looked away first, lowering her head to continue wiping the wine stain on her pants.
But the red wine had already soaked into the fabric which meant wiping was useless.
"It won't come off," Vincent said.
Daisy didn't look up. "I know. I'll go deal with it in the restroom in a bit."
Vincent watched her with her head down, his brow furrowing slightly. Then he stood up and walked over to her.
"I have new clothes in my car. You can change into them," he said, handing Daisy his car keys.
Daisy was a bit stunned.
It wasn't like similar things hadn't happened before, but Vincent had never shown her an ounce of attention. Now that they were getting divorced, he suddenly cared.
How strange.
Seeing Daisy not moving, he added, "They're new. No one's worn them."
Daisy opened her mouth, wanting to say it wasn't necessary, but when she looked down at the large wine stains on her pants and clothes —wet and sticky, very uncomfortable.
In the end, she nodded and took the keys. "Thank you."
She looked at Luna. "Mommy's going to change clothes. I'll be right back."
Luna nodded, her little hand still clutching the corner of Daisy's clothes, reluctantly letting go.
Daisy left the private room.
Vanessa sat in her seat, her face almost darker than the bottom of a pot.
The outfit Vincent just mentioned was clearly the one he'd just bought for her. She had just said she really liked it,
but it was too expensive, and she felt bad about it.
What had he said then? He'd swiped his card without hesitation, saying, "You deserve better."
But now, without even asking her, he just casually gave that outfit to Daisy?!
She breathed deeply, her hand gripping the tablecloth tightly.
Amy glanced at her and suddenly smiled. "Miss Drake, why do you look so bad? Are you not feeling well?"
Vanessa forced a smile. "No, I'm fine."
"That's good," Amy said with a grin. "I thought you were uncomfortable seeing Mr. Black being so nice to Ms. Hart."
"But they're still husband and wife after all, so it's normal for him to care a little, don't you think?"
Vanessa's hand gripping the tablecloth was trembling.
Vincent frowned, about to speak, when Vanessa suddenly clutched her chest, her face full of pain.
"Vince, my chest hurts so much." She lowered her head, her waist bending down.
Vincent's expression changed, and he quickly walked to her side.
"What's wrong?"
Vanessa leaned against him, her breathing becoming rapid. "It might be from the injury last time..." Her voice grew weaker. "It hurts so much..."
Luna was terrified. Seeing this, she jumped down from her chair and ran to Vanessa's side, her little hand pulling at her sleeve.
"Auntie Vanessa! What's wrong? Don't scare Luna!"
Vanessa looked at her weakly, wanting to say something but unable to, only gripping Vincent's arm tightly.
Vincent's brow furrowed deeply. He bent down and picked her up. "I'll take you to the hospital."
Holding Vanessa, he looked at Luna.
"Luna, come with Daddy."
Luna nodded, then looked back toward the door.
"But Mommy..."
"Be good. Daddy will bring you to have dinner with Mommy another time. Mommy still has all these uncles and aunties to keep her company."
Luna bit her lip reluctantly, but seeing Vanessa crying out in pain, she could only follow him out.
The three of them hurriedly left the private room, leaving everyone inside looking at each other.
When Daisy came back after changing clothes, she found Vincent and the others gone and was stunned.
"Where are they? They just left?"
Amy pursed her lips. "Vanessa said her chest hurt, so Mr. Black took her to the hospital. Who knows if it's real or fake."
Daisy said "Oh" softly, didn't pay much attention, and said with a smile, "That's fine. Never mind them, let's eat."
Everyone exchanged glances, didn't say much more, and continued eating.
But the atmosphere was clearly not as lively as before.
Amy hesitated, then spoke up. "Ms. Hart, are you and Mr. Black... really getting divorced?"
Daisy looked at her.
Amy continued, "Actually, I feel like Mr. Black treats you pretty well. To just divorce like this, I feel bad for you."
"There's nothing to feel bad about," Daisy said, unconsciously looking at the new clothes she'd changed into - Vanessa's usual style.
The tags were still on.
Clearly, he'd just been shopping with Vanessa and Luna.
In the entire six years of their marriage, Vincent had never gone shopping with her. Even when she begged, he always made excuses about work.
But when it came to being with Vanessa, he wasn't busy at all. No matter how busy he was, he could always make time.
What was the point of maintaining such a marriage?
Amy sighed softly and swallowed the rest of her words.
The next day, Daisy was organizing data in the lab. After finishing, she received a call from Simon.
"Dais, are you busy?"
Daisy smiled. "No, Simon, what made you think to call me?"
Simon was silent for a moment, his voice somewhat strained. "There's something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"My project," Simon said. "It needs an investment. I... on your end... is it convenient?"
Daisy couldn't speak for a moment.
Didn't Simon's project already have investors?
She asked, "Simon, what kind of trouble have you run into?"
Simon laughed, the laughter carrying a hint of helplessness. "It's nothing major, just that the previous investor suddenly pulled out. The gap is pretty big."
"I was thinking, if it's convenient on your end, could you lend me some? Once I get through this period, I'll pay you back right away."
Daisy held the phone, a complex emotion welling up inside her.
She knew very well what kind of person her uncle was.
He'd been proud since childhood, never willing to easily ask others for help. Even during those difficult years abroad, he'd never asked the family for a penny.
Especially after what happened with Vincent before - if he wasn't really in trouble, he would never ask her.
But... her project had just started. Although the funding was sufficient, it was all supported by Reed Corporation. She really didn't have any spare money herself.
Sensing the hesitation and difficulty in her voice, Simon's voice dimmed, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh. "You're not well-off either, I know."
"I'll ask someone else."
He hung up after saying that.
But Daisy became worried.
Most of it was still about holding onto what happened back then. Her uncle had been so good to her, but every time he ran into trouble, she couldn't help even once.
She bit her lip, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Wait, it's not like she had no money at all!
In the divorce agreement with Vincent, there was quite a bit of cash and dividends, and especially a property right in the city center, in a great location. If she mortgaged it, she could get at least tens of millions in loans.
But the only problem now was that the divorce was still being processed, and that property was still under Vincent's name.