Chapter 266: Side Door

Chapter 266: Side Door

(Daniel POV)

I didn't turn around. "None of your business."

He walked over and stopped two steps behind me. "How long have you been standing here?"

I didn't answer. He glanced at the two cigarette butts on the ground by my feet, and the dust on the knees of my suit pants. He probably figured it out—I'd leaned against the wall and crouched down.

"Daniel, I'm going to say something you won't like hearing."

"When have you ever said anything I wanted to hear?"

He ignored that. "You standing here, she won't know. And even if she did, it wouldn't change anything just because you stood here all night."

I turned around and looked at him. My eyes fell on the silver clasp on his chest, engraved with the Brooks family crest. It was the identity marker for invited guests. My Adam's apple bobbed.

"Owen, do you really think just because you're standing beside her, you actually deserve to be there?"

He looked at me. "You were her husband for three years. Did you deserve it?"

The air went quiet for two seconds. A muscle in my jaw twitched. He didn't wait for my answer. He adjusted his cuffs, turned, and walked toward the main entrance. After two steps, he stopped without turning back.

"Daniel, the things you didn't treasure before—don't expect others to keep them safe for you."

Then he left. Robinson checked his information at the door and stepped aside to let Owen in.

I stood there, watching the door close behind Owen. Jack came up beside me and said quietly, "Mr. Cooper, maybe we should go back."

I didn't move. "Not leaving."

I leaned back against the pillar, my gaze piercing through the crack in the side door toward the depths of the hall.

Nine o'clock sharp. The lights in the hall dimmed for a moment, then came back on, much softer than before. The music changed to strings, slow, with a touch of ceremony. All the guests put down their glasses, their eyes turning in unison toward the spiral staircase on the second floor.

Sophia's father stood at the top left of the stairs, her mother on the right. Both extended their hands at the same time. She walked out from the side hall on the second floor, wearing a champagne-colored gown. The fabric was light, flowing like water as she moved. Her hair wasn't pinned up but hung loose over her shoulders, with just a small pearl clip behind her ear. No heavy makeup, no flashy jewelry.

The entire hall went quiet.

When she stood at the top of the stairs, light fell from directly above.

I saw Chloe's hand holding her glass freeze.

Owen stood in the crowd, looking up.

William put down his glass, his gaze settling on that face.

Grandpa sat in the sofa chair by the main table, watching her walk down step by step, speechless for a long time.

Noah stood at the bottom of the stairs, hands behind his back, a slight smile on his lips. He extended his right hand. She reached the last step and placed her hand in his palm. He held her hand and led her to the center of the hall.

"Everyone." His voice wasn't loud, but the entire hall could hear it clearly. "Twenty-five years ago, my sister was lost. Twenty-five years later, she's come home."

He paused and turned to her.

"From today on, her name is Fiona Brooks."

Applause erupted from all directions. Her mother stood nearby, tears already falling. Her father had his arm around her shoulder, his own eyes red.

She stood in the center of the hall, the light stretching her shadow long. She didn't cry. She just stood there, looking at the people before her, one by one.

Through the crack in the door, I stared at her face. She was smiling. Very light, very faint, but really smiling. I recognized that kind of smile—not polite, not perfunctory. It was the kind she only had when she felt safe, a smile from the heart. In three years of marriage, she'd never smiled at me like that.

My nails dug into my palms.

William emerged from the crowd, holding a small box. Black velvet, with a clasp the size of a fingernail. He walked up to her and opened the box. Inside was a bracelet, a thin silver chain with three small gemstones threaded through the middle. The color wasn't deep, glinting with soft light under the lamps.

"For you. A homecoming gift."

He took the bracelet from the box. She extended her right hand. He lowered his head, wrapped the chain around her wrist, and fastened the clasp with his fingers. The movement was natural, as if he'd done it many times before.

She turned her wrist, the chain catching the light. Chloe walked over with juice, saying something with a smile. William glanced at Chloe, and the two bantered back and forth. She stood beside them listening, the corners of her mouth curved up.

Then her gaze swept across William's wrist. And stopped. I followed her line of sight—William wore a watch on his left wrist, with scratches on the face. I didn't know when that watch was given, but from the way she looked at it, I could read something. She had given it to him.

William noticed her gaze, looked down at his own wrist, and smiled. He said something, and she smiled again.

My fingers gripped the doorframe tighter.

Hannah saw it too. She sat on the sofa, still clutching her tissue, her gaze sweeping back and forth between me and William, then turning to Simon with a smile and a comment. Simon patted the back of her hand. I couldn't read their lips, but that expression wasn't surprise—it was satisfaction.

On the second-floor corridor, Noah, who had returned upstairs after giving her the main stage, leaned against the railing. His gaze also fell on William. I noticed his finger tap the railing once. Robinson walked over, but he shook his head and didn't go down.

In the corner, Owen stood at the edge of the crowd. His right hand was in his pocket, his fingertips seeming to touch something. He stood there watching for a long time, then pulled out his hand and took a sip from a nearby water glass. He put his hand back in his pocket, turned, and walked toward the bar.

His retreating figure was light. Like he'd let something go.

I withdrew my gaze and continued staring at Sophia.

The band's tune changed. The strings became a waltz, the rhythm gentle, the lights dimming by half. Several young men walked toward her almost simultaneously.

The first was Tobias's son, holding a glass, smiling very gentlemanly. The second was a real estate heir. The third had just opened his mouth when William was already standing in front of her.

He extended his right hand, palm up.

"Sophia, dance?" He still called her Sophia.

The faces of several people around them changed slightly. William didn't look at them. His gaze was only on her face.

She looked at his outstretched hand and hesitated for less than a second. She was just about to raise her hand—

"Fiona."

Noah's voice came from the direction of the stairs.

Her movement paused. Noah came down from the second-floor corridor, his steps unhurried but steady.

He walked up to her and said something quietly. She nodded, then turned to William, her lips moving. William withdrew his hand, smiled, and stepped back half a step.

I didn't know what Noah said to her. But I knew that in the end, she didn't dance with William.

I released my grip on the doorframe. A deep red mark was imprinted on my fingertips.

Jack's voice came from behind me, very quiet: "Mr. Cooper, the Brooks family really didn't send you an invitation. No matter how long you stand here, it won't help. She's not coming out."

I knew. I'd known all along.

But I still stood there, through a crack in the door, watching her smile.