CHAPTER 51: I DON’T HAVE ONE

The dining room fell into a hush so thick, even the quiet hum of the chandelier above seemed loud. No one moved. No one spoke. All eyes were on Daisy.

She blinked hard, willing herself to stay calm as her mind scrambled for the right words. "My father... he’s... sick. Stroke." Her voice didn’t tremble, but it thinned. "He’s currently staying at a therapy centre for treatment and recovery..."

A pause then followed by a gulp.

"And my mother... I just... don’t have one."

There it was. Simple. Brutal. The truth dropped into the room like a weight.

No one responded at first.

Liam, for once, didn’t have a joke on hand. Evelyn’s glass sat untouched. Thomas leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers slowly in thought.

Daisy remained standing, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her clothes. She hated how exposed she felt. How pitiful was another uninvited guest at the table.

But what else could she say?

Introducing her mother to the family would never be her option. She would become a parasite that would hurt not just her but everyone. Although her relationship with Theo was not real, at least she needed to save her face.

Not having a mother was better than having one like Jasmine.

She slowly sat back down, her posture stiff, her eyes trained on her untouched plate. She could feel everyone’s gaze on her, but she refused to look up. If she did, she might crumble.

Silence stretched long and uncomfortable.

Then Evelyn spoke, gently, "I’m sorry to hear about your father. If there’s anything we can do to help with his care, you only need to let us know."

Daisy nodded politely. "Thank you."

No one mentioned her mother.

Not a single question. Not a single awkward "what happened" or "where is she now." Just quiet acceptance. She wasn’t sure which stung more.

"Shall we eat now...?" Thomas finally said, cutting through the silence. "We’ll talk about the wedding once Theo comes back."

Evelyn lifted her glass and took a measured sip of water before speaking, her tone calm but resolute. "Sleep here tonight. Don’t go back to Theo’s house."

It sounded casual, but no one missed the edge in her voice. It wasn’t a suggestion.

Then her eyes shifted toward Daisy, steady and searching. "And Daisy... I don’t know how much Theo has shared with you..." she paused, setting her glass down, "but I hope you can bring him back to us. The Theo we knew... ten years ago."

Her words lingered longer than the silence that followed.

Daisy’s fingers tightened around her fork.

How was she supposed to bring back someone she barely understood? Someone who barely looked at her when no one was watching?

She forced a polite nod and murmured, "I’ll try."

Liam, clearly suffocating in the heavy atmosphere, cleared his throat a little too loudly. "Marla... What’s with the scent in Theo’s office lately?"

All heads turned, grateful for the sudden change in topic.

"Oh..." Marla’s eyes flicked nervously toward Miles, unsure whether she should speak freely. "Mr. Theo—"

"I saw a bunch of the same perfume boxes lined up on a shelf in the corner," Liam cut in, frowning. "Did he change his taste or something?"

"Err—" Marla began, but Liam didn’t let her finish.

"Wait..." he suddenly narrowed his eyes and turned sharply to Daisy. "Your perfume! That’s your perfume, right?"

Daisy blinked, caught completely off guard. "I... I guess... so?"

She could feel several pairs of eyes shift to her again. The dining room suddenly felt warmer, the weight of implication hanging in the air.

Daisy had no idea what it meant. She didn’t even remember wearing perfume that often these days because she needed to save the remaining perfume for any special occasion. A bottle of that perfume cost a lot.

The silence stretched again.

"I knew it," Liam muttered, leaning back in his chair. "Man’s been turning his office into a shrine."

"Liam," Evelyn warned gently, though even she didn’t sound all that surprised.

"Hmm, he bought the perfume saying to give it to Miss Daisy as a gift..." Miles chimed in, to cover up for his boss. He couldn’t tell the truth, the truth that he himself didn’t understand. He then turned to Daisy, "I will bring all the boxes to you soon..."

Daisy’s lips parted slightly, caught between surprise and confusion. "Oh... you don’t have to do that," she said quickly, waving her hand. "I mean—it’s fine. Really."

Her voice came out softer than she intended, almost too defensive.

Miles gave her a polite smile, but there was a glint of something unreadable in his eyes. "Still, Mr. Theo insisted. It’s yours."

Daisy forced a small smile in return, nodding faintly. She could feel her cheeks warming again.

As the dinner slowly came to an end, the clinking of cutlery faded into soft murmurs and shifting chairs. Plates were cleared by the staff, and the tension that had built up during the meal began to dissolve into a quiet lull.

Evelyn dabbed her lips with a napkin, then turned to Daisy as if nothing unusual had happened that evening. "What’s your size?"

Daisy blinked. "Sorry?"

"Your clothing size," Evelyn said, reaching for her glass again. "Leen, go find something suitable for her to wear tonight. Pyjamas, fresh towels, and everything else she might need."

"Yes, Madam." Leen, the maid, gave a small nod and slipped out of the room.

Evelyn then turned to Daisy and smiled, "Now, you can go up and rest, the maid will bring your things."

Daisy stood up, confused where she should head out.

"His room on the second floor, on the right...right beside my room..." Liam walked past her, "Just follow me, let me show you..."

Daisy quickly followed after him, taking another deep breath as she tried to steady her nerves. The idea of entering Theo’s childhood home had already felt like crossing some invisible line but being led to his room felt like another level entirely.

"Here," Liam stopped in front of a large wooden door and tilted his head toward it.

But the moment Liam tried to open the door, something flew through and hit the wall right beside it.

"What the heck!"