18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 398

Daniel was back, his face as unreadable as a stone. The more emotionless he looked, the more anxious Lillian felt, but she forced a smile and stood up to greet him. "Welcome home, Dan." He glanced around the house with a nonchalant "Hmm."

Lillian stepped closer, reaching for his briefcase. "You barely come home. What would you like for dinner? I'll make something special."

Ignoring her question, Daniel shifted his gaze to Julia, whose face was bruised and swollen. "Julia, can you give us a moment? I need to talk to your mom."

Julia, nursing her wounds and mulling over a response, found herself tongue-tied under Daniel's stern gaze. His silent authority left her feeling utterly powerless, fear creeping into her very bones. She retreated to her room, closing the door with a sense of dread.

Daniel sat down and motioned for Lillian to do the same. "Sit."

Lillian took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure. "What's wrong with you? Why the long face after work?"

He remained silent, just staring at her.

It felt as if he was looking through her, seeing someone else a woman who was once lively and passionate, who defied societal norms and promised to marry him no matter what. Thirty years had drastically changed that image.

Lillian hated his scrutinizing gaze; it made her feel like the worst kind of villain.

had always been the one to make amends during their heated arguments in the past. Back then, a teary-eyed tug on his sleeve would do

do that to her?"

the

the mall today? That was

your daughter

you talking about, Dan? Julia is my only daughter. The child I had with the Riley family was killed during a home invasion years ago. I've explained this to you. You might be too busy to

tossed two documents in front

They were paternity test reports. The other report was

showed a 99.999% probability that Stella was Daniel's daughter, while Julia had no blood relation

Society could make submarines; of course, they could conduct a DNA test.

have you never confronted me about this all

thought about it but ultimately chose to accept it. He had been away on a secret mission for over a year, barely surviving. When he returned to Griffith, eager to talk about marriage with Lillian, he found out she was marrying another man. A lot had happened in Lillian's family during his absence, and his career hadn't allowed him to be there for her. He felt guilty and wanted to make

family went bankrupt, when she was pregnant, when she miscarried, and now, as she was marrying another man, she hoped he

when Daniel learned about the child they had

believe it, but after seeing hospital documents and witnessing Lillian's fiancé at a prenatal appointment, he realized that her choice was

child was alive-that she had secretly given birth

but because his career didn't leave much room

only he hadn't taken that mission, maybe