It took everything Madeline had to steady herself. Just as she was about to try dialing again, Daniel's eyes slowly opened. His face was pale, drained of energy, and his voice came out so faint it was almost unrecognizable. "Mom... don't call the police."
Madeline froze, confusion cutting through her panic. "Why not? Who did this to you?"
Daniel's gaze drifted briefly toward the maid standing behind his mother, then quickly shifted away. But that one look was enough. Madeline understood—there were things he didn't want said in front of her.
She dismissed the maid with a wave. The sound of wind and rain filled the silence left behind.
Daniel struggled to sit up, leaning his back against the cold, damp wall. "It was Damian," he said.
Madeline's face twisted with rage. "I don't care who it was. I'm calling 911."
Daniel let his head fall back against the wall, rain streaming down his face, soaking his clothes. He gave a bitter, hollow laugh. "Don't bother. It won't change anything."
Madeline's anger flared hotter. "So we just let him get away with this?"
Daniel shook his head slowly. "If he had the guts to do this, he's already covered his tracks. Right now, the only thing we can do is nothing."
Madeline bit back the fury building in her chest and signaled for the staff to take Daniel inside.
After the servants had helped him shower and change, Madeline finally walked into his room. She sat down beside the bed, eyes red-rimmed. "I've been thinking. I still don't think we should just let this go."
The bullet had been removed from Daniel's leg, the wound cleaned and bandaged. He lay weakly against the pillows and looked up at her. "Mom, I told you. There's nothing we can do now."
Madeline wasn't ready to give up. "I'll go talk to Amanda. She'll know what to do."
Before Daniel could argue, his phone rang.
The sound cut through the darkness, sharp and unsettling.
He glanced at the screen. His assistant.
A call this late never meant good news.
He picked up. His assistant's voice came through tight and rushed. "Mr. Lennox, we just lost several key partners tonight. If they pull out like this, we won't be able to meet production. We're looking at breach-of-contract penalties. On top of that, there's an issue with the entertainment division. Our biggest artist just got hit with a major scandal. Our social media pages are getting flooded—fans are furious."
Daniel listened. His voice stayed flat. "Okay. I'm aware."
The assistant hesitated, clearly confused by his calm reaction. "Mr. Lennox, should we—"
"Just handle your responsibilities," Daniel cut in.

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The readers' comments on the novel: Awakened Housewife Ignore Betrayer's Begs (Scarlett)
Can you, please,update the story? Pleaseeeeee...
Can’t wait for more chapters...