The Billionaire's Mistake

MISTAKE 73

Chapter 73: A much-needed talk

"Did they bully you, baby?" he began tentatively, breaking the quiet between them. "If they did, then you should definitely go. I will have you walk in like a star. Fifty bodyguards, eighty road clearers."

His words almost made her spit out her food.

"Road clearers?" she asked.

"They pat the crowd like the red sea for you," he said.

"Why would I want that?" Anya chuckled.

"For effect." He shrugged.

"I will look like a clown."

"You will look like a star. So, did they bully you?" he asked.

Anya shrugged, her expression unreadable. "Not really. I was just... ignored."

"Ignored?"

"They behaved as though I did not exist."

Daniel's heart clenched at her words, a pang of sympathy sweeping through him.

"Why?" he asked.

"I was a busy body. They would play pranks on people regularly. One time they took a prank too far and almost killed someone. No one was supposed to tell a teacher, but I told a teacher to call the police.

The firefighters came and got the girl out of the building before she ran out of oxygen. She survived, but she was in a coma for a few months. Her family withdrew her from school, and the students involved were reprimanded. Since then, they all agreed to pretend I don't exist."

and isolation she had endured, to shield her from the

bullying?" he said coldly, squeezing her hand. "They

let them kill

gaze, a small smile tugging at her

could tell he was angry on her behalf. For some reason, she felt her heart sing. He was behaving unusually. He would call her baby at any moment and touch her when he felt like

deep thought. It was unsure what he was thinking about, but the mood became

and Anya made their way home, the sky

Daniel hung over them like a hovering cloud as they approached the

through the front door, Daniel couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over him. He and Anya were becoming

she had opened her heart up to Wendy fussing over Anya, before

23. A

scent

theirs, as Daniel spent all his time there, only

Anya back home. While Anya took off her

we talk?"

flicker of suspicion crossing her features. Every time he started a sentence this way, she knew something was about

the space next to him invitingly. Anya joined him, his hand finding hers instinctively

Daniel began slowly, choosing

future.

13

eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion creeping into her expression. "What about

stared at her for a while before speaking,

thought he would say, this was at the bottom of the list. For some reason, she had never really considered moving out of the family

21 A

though she had said she hated him.

he asked, and she paused. How was she to explain to him that she did not hold love for his house? It was the place where he ignored her the most, refused to have anything to do with her, and put her in a state of utter depression. When she thought of

a whisper. "That is the house you left me to stay in a lone day and night and even ignored me when I crawled on the living room

bit before he opened and stared at her, his gaze searching hers. "You are right. I did stupid things in that house. We can't