Daisy left Si Yena in the room to take care of the child before she proceeded to walk towards the living room.
Daisy did not say anything after answering the call and there was a pause on the other side before a calm feminine voice rang, ''The last time we talked was around 6 months ago.''
Daisy frowned, ''...And if I remember right, I asked you to stay out of my life.''
''Daisy, unlike your father, I don't have any high expectations from you. You have been a disappointment to me in countless ways, unlike your younger sister. But that does not negate the fact that you are a daughter of the Chen Family and we have a reputation to uphold in the society, considering our status as one of the four great families of Beijing.''
''Is there something I can help you with? If not, I'm hanging up.''
Just as Daisy distanced the phone from her ear, a cold voice rang.
''Come back.''
Daisy paused.
The woman continued speaking, ''It has been years since you started wandering outside, doing odd jobs and being a disappointment to us but we did not meddle in your affairs before. But there is a limit to everything. Come back now.''
Daisy stared at the beige wall in a daze for a moment before she questioned, ''What do you need me for?"
''I told you. You are a daughter of the Chen Family. Isn't that enough reason for you to come back and visit your parents or even meet your sister? Are we not your family...?"
''Mom, drop it,'' Daisy said indifferently, ''What do you need me for?" she repeated. Alice Chen did not talk about things without business, and Daisy was well aware of her mother's antics.
After a few moments of silence, Alice spoke up, ''We have arranged for a blind date for you. It's a great marriage prospect. And you have to be here...''
Daisy disconnected the call, not bothering to let the woman finish her words.
She turned off her phone.
When she turned around, she found Si Yena standing in the doorway, ''What are you planning to do now? Will you go back?"
Daisy's brows tugged together, however, she did not reply.
Later that night, Daisy kissed her daughter's forehead as she put the girl to sleep.
She grabbed her laptop from the bedside table and opened it, only to be greeted by the sight of a familiar yet unfamiliar ID card. The ID card displayed her face however the pieces of information like name and age varied.
Her fingers moved across the keyboard in a blur. After a few minutes, when she stopped, a few words were displayed on the screen.
'Not authenticated'
The next morning.
Daisy was stirred awake by soft nibbles on her chest.
She opened her eyes and looked at the little girl who was still half asleep as she clung to her breasts.
Daisy's cold expressions gradually melted as a soft smile formed on her face. Sighing, she kissed the top of the girl's head, ''Good morning, baby.''
Later that day, the mother and daughter duo went to the supermarket.
By the time they made their way back to the apartment, it was already past noon. Daisy cradled the child in her arms while one of the supermarket staff carried their bags.
''Miss, where do you want me to deliver these?"
Daisy looked at the bags in the man's hand before she said, ''My place is right there...''
Just as she pointed her chin toward her place, Daisy froze at what she witnessed.
Two tall and sturdy men stood in front of her door. One of them was on a call while the other raised his hand to knock on the door at regular intervals, looking impatient.
And Daisy recognized them both. They were her mother's bodyguards.
''Miss?" The supermarket assistant spoke up again when he saw that she was not saying anything.
Daisy inhaled a deep breath but before she could say a word, she saw the men turning towards her direction.
…
''Madam, we have been at the door for over an hour. It seems like nobody is inside,'' One of the bodyguards informed Alice Chen, ''Elder Miss may be outside right now but there is a possibility that the IT department did not do a good job at tracking her whereabouts. We are probably at the wrong place,'' he said, taking into account the dingy and small apartment building.
Who was their Young Miss? The rightful inheritor of the Chen Family. Why would she live in a dingy place like this?
"Miss?"
Before the bodyguard could continue speaking, he heard a distant manly voice in the silent hallway of the floor.
He looked at his fellow who was knocking on the door and they shared a knowing look.
When they turned in the direction of the open elevator, they were greeted by the sight of Daisy holding several bags of vegetables and groceries in her hand.
When she looked at them coldly, both the men froze.
Unlike their Young Miss, their Elder Miss did not have that much of a sunny or warm disposition. She was always so terrifyingly cold, both in her words and her actions.
''We...''
''Get lost if you have nothing to say,'' Daisy cut them off coldly, ''And when you go back, tell her that I am not coming back.''
She did not have to explain who the 'her' was for them to understand that she was talking about her mother.
Intimidated by her cold tone, both the men broke out in a cold sweat. They could afford to offend their young miss but offending their elder miss meant offending the future head of the Chen Family and that scared them.
Both of them exchanged a glance and seeing the same thoughts in each other's eyes, they bowed to Daisy and left quickly.
Daisy stood there without a shift in her expression as she heard the sound of their retreating footsteps.
And the moment the sounds of footsteps disappeared, her façade cracked. Her fingers trembled slightly as she lifted her hand and repeatedly pressed the switch of the elevator.
When it took time for the elevator to come up, she turned to rush towards the stairs.
'Ding'
''Ma'am…''
The sound halted her in tracks. She turned to look at the supermarket staff who held her child in his arms, looking bewildered.