Chapter 215 215

Chapter 215 215
The iron gates of Daniel's mansion swung open, and Angela's car rolled into the driveway. The late evening light bathed the marble exterior in a dull gold glow, but there was nothing beautiful about how she felt. 

Her chest was tight, her hands trembling as she grabbed her purse and stepped out.
She had driven there straight from Chloe's penthouse, fueled not by anger alone but betrayal.

The butler opened the door before she could knock. "Ms. Angela," he said

"Is Daniel home?" she asked sharply.

"Yes, ma'am. He's in the study."

She didn't wait to be announced. Her heels echoed against the polished floor as she strode down the familiar hallway, the same one she had walked through with shy hope the first time Daniel had invited her for dinner. Back then, she had thought maybe happiness had finally come for her. Now, her pulse pounded with something very different.

Daniel was sitting by the fire when she entered, a glass of whiskey in one hand, scrolling through his tablet with the other. He looked up lazily, his expression softening into that practiced smile.

"Angela, my love," he said smoothly. "What a surprise."

She shut the door behind her, her voice trembling. "We need to talk."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, setting the glass aside. "You sound upset. What happened?"

"You don't know?" she demanded. "Your daughter, Alexa has gone to the press with lies. She said Chloe had her father thrown in jail because he remarried. Because she was jealous."

Daniel sighed, leaning back in his chair as though she'd just told him about a parking ticket. "Ah. That."

"That?" Angela repeated incredulously. "That's all you have to say?"

He rubbed his temple. "Angela, please. Sit down. Let's not make this dramatic."

She didn't move. "My daughter's reputation is being dragged through the mud because of your daughter! Chloe is being accused of jailing her father out of spite when she..." Her voice cracked. "When she did it to protect me. To protect me from the man who abused me for years!"

Daniel looked up at her, eyes tired, unmoved. "Angela, I understand that you're hurt. But you have to look at this for what it is, business."

Angela's breath caught. "Business?"

"Yes," he continued, getting up to pour himself another drink. "Alexa went to Chloe to apologize. She tried to make peace. But Chloe didn't forgive her, did she? So Alexa took her business proposal elsewhere. And to make the deal work, she needed to prove her worth. She needed to show she could take down her competition. That's all this is." He turned, holding his glass casually. "Business. Not personal."

Angela stared at him, disbelief burning through her chest. "You're telling me that spreading lies about my daughter, your girlfriend's daughter... is just business?"

Daniel took a sip, unbothered. "Look, sweetheart, I know it's messy. But these young people, they'll sort it out. It's a competitive world. You and I don't need to get in the middle of it."

She blinked at him, stunned. "Don't get in the middle of it? She's destroying my daughter's name! Do you even hear yourself?"

Daniel frowned, as though her volume annoyed him. "Angela, calm down. It's not worth ruining the evening over."

Her voice dropped low, trembling. "You don't care, do you? You never cared about Chloe. You only pretended to because you wanted me."

He sighed. "That's not fair."

"No, Daniel, what's not fair is you standing there, defending your daughter for spreading lies about mine and calling it business."
He shrugged. "Angela, I love you. But Alexa is my daughter. I can't scold her for being ambitious. Chloe will bounce back, she's a smart girl. You taught her that. Why can't we just..."

She cut him off, her voice trembling with rage. "You really think we can just sit here and pretend everything's fine? After she humiliated my child publicly?"

He walked closer, his tone calm but condescending. "Angela, please. Let's not turn this into a war. They'll fix it on their own. You and I... we don't have to interfere. Come
here, sit down. Let's talk like adults."

Angela stepped back, shaking her head. "No. I can't even look at you right now."

He chuckled lightly. "You're overreacting, darling." That was it. The final spark that set her ablaze.

"Overreacting?" she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "Do you have any idea what I've been through? What Chloe has been through? She built that company from nothing, Daniel. She fought for everything she has and now your daughter is tearing it down, and you're standing there, calling me dramatic?"

Daniel's jaw tightened. "I didn't say dramatic. I said..."

"Don't!" she snapped. "Don't correct me. You're defending her, and that tells me everything I need to know."

He exhaled, tired. "Angela, don't throw away what we have because of our children's rivalry."

She looked at him, really looked at him, and felt something inside her finally break. The affection, the hope, the illusion that he was different. "What we have?" she said softly. "Daniel, we don't have anything. If you can sit there and defend your daughter after what she's done, then you're no better than the man I left years ago."

He stiffened. "Now that's unfair."

"No, it's the truth." Her voice was quiet now, but deadly certain. "I thought you were kind. I thought you understood what I'd been through. But you're just like the rest of them, blind to anything that doesn't serve you." 

She picked up her purse, her hands trembling. "We're done, Daniel. I'm not going to stand beside a man who watches my daughter burn and calls it business."

He reached for her arm. "Angela, don't do this."

She pulled away. "Goodbye, Daniel."

And before he could say another word, she walked out, heels clicking sharply against the marble, tears stinging her eyes, but her spine perfectly straight.

The butler opened the door for her silently. She stepped into the night air, her heart breaking and freeing itself at once.

Behind her, Daniel just stood in the doorway, his glass of whiskey half-raised, watching the only woman who had ever truly loved him walk away.