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.

she do? She had always been the one to make amends during their heated arguments in the past.

do that

the confrontation, Lillian

the mall today? That was a misunderstanding.

her off. "Stella is your daughter too.

face turned pale. "What are 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

his briefcase and tossed two documents in front of

hands, Lillian's blood ran cold as she read the contents. They were paternity test reports. The other report was recent, taken the

a 99.999% probability that Stella was Daniel's daughter, while Julia had

make submarines; of course, they could conduct a DNA test. It just wasn't public

all these years?" she asked, locking

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

bankrupt, when she was pregnant, when

about the child they

news hit him hard. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but after seeing hospital documents and witnessing Lillian's fiancé at a prenatal appointment, he realized that her choice was right. He couldn't offer her the happiness she deserved. So he stepped aside and

Lillian would call to say the child was alive-that she had secretly

had never married, not for lack of suitable partners, but because his career didn't leave much room for family life. He didn't want to hold anyone

got to meet. If only he hadn't taken that mission, maybe their child would have been born safely, and he would have had