Chapter 25

Our gazes connected, and nervousness grew in my chest.

"Dad," I whispered, staring at him intently. He looked back at me, and his gaze held no expression, or at least I couldn't distinguish any.

In all these months that had passed, I hadn't seen him, not even spoken to him. And now, seeing him like this, just a few steps away from me, felt so unreal. After such a long time without looking at him, he was here. He looked so strange and yet so familiar. He no longer had a beard, and he looked slightly younger.

"Good afternoon," he said with his voice that I had missed so much. My heart fluttered rapidly, making it a bit difficult for me to breathe normally. Everyone responded, except for me, who could do nothing but look at him.

"Laura! Congratulations, little sister!" exclaimed a joyful Liliam, running towards me and hugging me. "Where is she? I want to see her. We want to see her, right, Dad?" she asked, and he nodded. I stood up from the couch, and until now, I hadn't noticed that everyone was looking at Dad and me.

The three of us went up the stairs, leaving the others downstairs. I still hadn't snapped out of my astonishment, but I was doing everything possible to hide it.

"Oh! But look who's here, my little girl," Liliam whispered, looking at her baby who was peacefully sleeping in my bed.

Dad hadn't said a word, and that only made my nerves escalate further. We continued walking until we reached Harley's crib. Liliam wanted to pick her up, but I quickly stopped her.

"Don't wake her up; I'm tired," I told her, and she nodded, but her gaze hinted that she would wake her up at any moment.

"She's beautiful, Laura, and let me tell you, she doesn't look like you," she laughed mockingly, and I gave her a stern look. "Just kidding, sis, it's a joke, but seriously... She doesn't look like you," she continued, examining her more closely. I silently prayed that they wouldn't realize who her father was. Dad observed her, not saying a word, just looking at her.

We left the room and rejoined the rest in the living room. I took my seat next to Mom, bringing Liam back to my lap, and Liliam sat beside me. Dad took a seat next to Alejandro.

"Were you alone during the delivery, my love?" my mother asked.

"No, Mom, the father of my daughter was with me," I replied, and Dad and Alejandro looked at me attentively.

"Will you ever tell us who the father is, Laura?" asked Alejandro, and I denied it. "I don't understand why you're protecting his identity when he's still taking care of the little one. Is he married? I don't get it, Laura, say something," he pleaded and demanded.

"It's better this way, Alejandro, that you don't understand. That's for the best," I said because I didn't want to discuss the topic. I knew if I did, I would end up crying. "Let's change the subject, shall we? This will only leave us arguing, and we see each other very little to waste time on fights," I added, smiling at him, and he nodded.

"And what's her name? Did you decide on Luciana?" Liliam asked, trying to lighten the mood and succeeding.

"Harley, Liliam. Her name is Harley," I said, smiling.

"She's beautiful! I love it!" she affirmed. "But why Harley? I thought her first name would be Luciana," she asked.

"Her father named her, Liliam, and I liked it, so that's what she's called now," I replied, and she nodded.

"Have you registered her? Did her father give her his last name?" Louis asked, without any filter. I nodded and smiled.

"Yes, Louis, that's right," I confirmed, shifting my gaze to Liam, who had fallen asleep in my arms.

"What color are her eyes, daughter? Are they green like all of yours?" this time, it was my mother who asked.

"They're blue, Mom. Harley has blue eyes."

"Blue? That's rare in the Mason family since everyone has green eyes," murmured my mother, surprised. It was true; everyone in my father's family had green eyes. None had ever escaped that color until now.

"Are you sure that little one is yours, Laura?" joked Kate. "Maybe they switched her at birth," she added, and I laughed.

"I assure you that's not the case, Kate. I'm one hundred percent sure that baby is mine," I said, remembering the striking resemblance she had to her father. I smiled.

After seeing Harley awake, everyone was surprised by the color of her eyes. We had dinner, and after my mother and siblings convinced Dad to stay in the house instead of going to a hotel, we all went to sleep. But I wasn't sleepy; I was waiting for my little one to wake up and feed her. I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water, thinking about everyone's reaction when I told them Harley's true birthdate. Everyone got angry, especially Liliam. Dad didn't say anything; he just looked at me.

I opened the refrigerator and took out a glass jar filled with water. I poured myself a glass and, as I drank it, I turned on the television and tuned it to a news channel.

A noise made me turn around startled. It was my father, who had just entered the kitchen.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said, and I felt my heart race. It was the first time in a long time that he spoke to me.

"I-It's nothing," I couldn't help the nervousness in my voice. He nodded and grabbed a glass, pouring himself some water. He sipped it slowly and placed the glass in the sink.

"Listen, Laura," he said, and I looked at him attentively. "Don't expect an apology from me because there won't be one. I still strongly believe that you're not ready for this, but you're trying, and that's what matters. I'm still angry at you to my core; you didn't handle things properly. Do you understand?"

I nodded with my head lowered.

"On my part," he continued, "I can only offer you a truce, but that doesn't mean anything between us will change. I'm still angry at you for your irresponsible actions, so don't get it twisted. I don't think the little one resting in your room is to blame for your stupidity. Do you accept?" he asked, extending his hand. I nodded and took it. After all, this was progress. "Good night, daughter," he added and left the kitchen.

I stayed in the kitchen for a while, playing with the water that remained in my glass.

"This morning, tycoon Johnny Smith got married," hearing those words coming from the television, I stood frozen, and instinctively, I grabbed the TV remote and turned up the volume.

"This morning, Sunday the first, tycoon Johnny Smith got married to the eldest daughter and heir of the majority shareholder of the main company headquartered here in Los Angeles..."

At this point, tears were streaming down my face. I turned off the TV to stop torturing myself and headed back to my room, my soul once again shattered. This was how Johnny managed to tarnish the happiness I had during the day. And just when I had my family here and the news Lazarus gave me, it all went to hell. And just as I was feeling broken, the one good thing Johnny Smith had brought into my life began to cry, causing me to wipe away my tears and go to comfort her.

When I held her in my arms once again, I realized that she was the only good thing Johnny Smith had brought into my life.