Chapter 195 - Daniel's Past (2)

He still couldn't accept the fact that his wife was gone. He still blamed himself for failing to protect his wife. Moreover, what happened to her daughters if he leaves now?

Daniel walked away, ignoring Dorcas, who was still talking to someone. He stopped by a market to buy another drink. Then he walked back to his house.

His mind was blank, and he didn't want to think. Every few steps, Daniel took a sip of his drink, and his head began to lighten.

He was trained to become a strong person, and he had high tolerance towards alcohol. Thus he didn't get drunk. When he arrived at the fence of his own house, his sense of hearing alerted him. His instincts said that someone had infiltrated his home.

Who broke into his house?

Daniel fell silent, and his mind immediately moved like a train moving toward its destination. The next second, he acted like a drunk person and walked in with a loud sound.

As expected, there was an intruder in the house. Now the intruder was hiding behind a kitchen cupboard. Daniel pretended not to know and continued acting oblivious like a crazy drunken man. He deliberately crashed himself into the furniture of the house to make his acting look more natural.

Daniel walked into the room where the twins were crying. He wanted to make sure the intruder hadn't entered her daughter's room yet. He also wanted to know if this intruder had an accomplice or not.

Fortunately, the intruder came alone and looked at him with an investigating look.

Chloeny had died three years ago, and Zero disappeared with no trace. Someone killed his wife in their vulnerable state a few months, and an intruder entered his house while he was gone. It only meant one thing. Martin has found him.

He needed to find a way to ensure his daughters' safety without making the intruder suspicious of him.

If Martin sent someone to kill his wife and find him, that only means Martin believed that he had the activation key. They would stop at nothing to make him spill the truth. They even would harm her innocent babies to threaten him.

If only Catherine weren't Chloe's daughter... if only Cathy's face wasn't like his late sister, perhaps Daniel could wait and seek another solution.

But, Cathy had the exact same face as Chloe, and it only matters of time before Martin and others noticed this. He deliberately wanted to make the intruder think that he became a crazy bastard so he wouldn't touch nor kidnapped his daughters.

He planned to act crazy and throw everything while avoiding his babies' room. He knew his youngest daughters couldn't walk and would be afraid to get out of the room once seeing him in a frenzied state.

Unfortunately... Cathy thought he would harm her sisters and sprinted to prevent him from going any further. Through the corner of his eye, Daniel saw the reflection of the intruder coming out of hiding, watching him.

He was too afraid that the intruder would see Cathy's face, leaving him no choice but gave the poor innocent girl a light slap. Or so he thought.

He was sure it was light but not expecting his slap to cause Cathy's body to float and fall. His heart was stabbed by a thousand dagger when he noticed the fear, confused and shocked dancing in the girl's eyes.

Daniel had the urge to ask forgiveness and coaxed the poor scared little girl, but the intruder's confusing look made him continue his acting.

This time he was acting like a lunatic who had completely lost his mind.

He deliberately threw the bottle near Cathy, but he knew it wouldn't hurt her. Daniel wanted to make the intruder believes that he no longer about his daughters and would do nothing if this intruder decided to kidnap them all.

After that, he walked out of the house, hoping the intruder would follow him.

And as he thought, the intruder followed him secretly to make sure that he had gone crazy.

Daniel prayed that Cathy would seek help from Dorcas, who lives next door. Of course, she will. He knew Cathy is a smart girl and never disappointed him.

It was he who disappointed and hurt her.

Since then, Daniel has tried to be indifferent to his children and put on a face like a madman.

Long story short, Dorcas reported him to the court, and they decided to put Daniel in a mental hospital. All of this was according to his plan.

When psychiatry interrogated him, he left a hint about Benjamin Paxton so the government would send the girls to him.

He never met his stepbrother in person but heard nothing but good things about him.

Therefore, he could entrust the girls to him.

During his stay at the hospital, Daniel investigated behind the death of Chloe and his wife. One member of Zero worked as the hospital's head, and Daniel told him the secret code, indicating that he knew Zero I. They worked together to investigate and fool everyone. The two of them managed to convince everyone that Daniel was mentally ill and needed a long time to recover.

Daniel was deliberately offensive every time Cathy came to visit him. That way, the doctor in charge would use any excuse to make Cathy not see him too often.

Daniel knew he's being watched. The enemy was still wondering if he was mentally ill or not. If he let Cathy regularly visit him, over time, his action would be exposed. Because of that, Daniel used a rather cruel method like this.

In the midst of his investigation, he met Alpha III. Only Alpha and Zero know each other's identities. The two of them share information to connect the mystery of the murder of Chloe and Elaine. Not to mention the incident that nearly killed Vincent and Benjamin.

Their investigation resulted in a name. Aiden Paxton.

Daniel was sure the person who infiltrated his house at that time was Aiden's person. Martin or James still don't know his whereabouts or condition. Otherwise, they would still kidnap Cathy no matter if he was crazy or in a sane state.

Aiden Paxton was rarely seen on social media or during Paxton family gatherings. This person was cautious in his actions. Because of that, Alpha and Zero decided not to appear carelessly and be extra vigilant.

When Daniel got the news that most of them already knew Cathy's true identity, he decided to get into action. With his assistant's help at the hospital, he leaves the place and officially puts on a black mask and became Zero II.

Only after Aiden appeared and lured Cathy out, Alpha and Zero intervened directly. And yesterday, Zero II appeared before Cathy only to save her from Aiden's lair.

Hearing her father's explanation, Cathy was silent, not knowing what to say.

"I admit, I was wrong. From the start... I shouldn't have neglected you and others. That way, I can protect you without hurting you. I'm sorry." said Daniel regretfully. "I know I am a selfish person asking this after what I had done to you. But, will you forgive me?"

Cathy smiled before walking and hugged Daniel.

"I already no longer care about the past when I apologized in that place."

'I'm sorry I've hated you all this time, daddy.'

Daniel felt even more guilty remembering his daughter's words. But his heart was relieved; Cathy no longer had any hatred for him.

He gave a slight push only to see her eldest daughter's face. He stroked the spot on his daughter's cheek where he once slapped her.

"I know I have no right to ask. And it was way too late to ask, but did it hurt?"

Did it hurt? Strangely, Cathy could no longer remember whether her father's slap hurt or not. Maybe the hitting didn't hurt. But the shock, disappointment, and confusion were much more painful than the slap itself.

Cathy immediately shook her head in answer.

"I've forgotten about it. You too, please forget the past. I hope we can start again from the beginning. Can we do it?"

For a moment, Daniel was shocked to hear his daughter's suggestion. He had no idea that Cathy would forgive him so easily or proposed to start over. Really... he is fortunate to have Cathy as his daughter.

"I would love it. Thank you." Daniel hugged his daughter back and unconsciously shed happy tears on the corners of his eyes.

Cathy, Daniel, and Tanya were still chatting in the central control room of Stealth. They forgot the time when they started their talking.

There was too much to tell about between Daniel and Cathy to make up for the time they passed without each other. On the other hand, Tanya shared her experience of being Alpha cheerfully and full of enthusiasm.

Tanya was a cheerful and friendly girl to make Cathy feel comfortable and enjoyed the girl's company.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Congratulations on your wedding." was the cheerful tone from Tanya while hugging Cathy without feeling awkward at all.

"While we're at it, Cathy, on what basis did you get married without your parents' consent, huh?"

Oh, no!