The Devil's Secretary

Chapter 340: Will you marry me?

"Locke," Ryle commanded, "Keep going. I don’t want to meet anyone." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Locke hesitated. His gaze shifted from his boss’s trembling hands to Daisy, who was now dismounting the bike, despite hearing everything.

"Sir, she’s—"

"I said move!" Ryle hissed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the armrests.

Locke’s hands tightened on the wheelchair, but before he could push forward, Daisy’s voice sliced through the noise, sharper than the helicopter blades.

"Don’t."

It wasn’t a plea. Daisy covered the distance between them in seconds. She didn’t look at Locke, but the bodyguard instinctively stepped back, his hands falling away from the chair.

Without a word, Daisy took hold of the handles. She spun the wheelchair around and pushed him toward the large, manicured grassy area at the sides.

When they reached the center of the green, she stopped.

For a long time, neither of them spoke. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

"Daisy..." Ryle finally whispered, his voice cracking.

"In this life, Ryle Harper, you aren’t getting away from me. So you should not even try running."

Her voice was right at his ear. She walked around the chair and sank to her knees on the grass in front of him, forcing him to look at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but the fire in them was back, brighter than he had ever seen it.

"I spent a month waiting for you to say something," she began, her voice trembling with the weight of the emotions she had suppressed for so long, "I gave you space because I thought you needed to process that you have a daughter. But then I found that letter. Did you really think I’d just let you walk away after everything?"

Ryle closed his eyes, "I’m a curse to you, Daisy. I failed to protect you from myself."

"You are so incredibly arrogant," Daisy snapped, a single tear escaping her eyes, "You were the only light I had in my darkest days, and you didn’t even know it. I felt so strongly for you, Ryle. I avoided that feeling for so long because I was terrified that if I let you in, I could never let you go again."

She reached out, grabbing his cold hands and pressing them against her heart.

"But when I saw that letter, I realized the facade was already gone. My heart has long been yours. There was nothing left to protect except us. I love you, Ryle.’’

Ryle looked at her, stunned.

"When I wanted to get rid of you, you kept chasing me. Now that you have me here, just know that you can’t run from me. I will track you down from the ends of Earth..."

Just as Daisy tilted her chin, he grabbed it, "You’re a fool, Daisy. I hurt you."

Daisy inhaled a deep breath, "Knowing that the man I fell for is the father of my child... I have never felt a greater relief in my life."

She leaned closer, her forehead almost touching his, "You never meant to hurt me. We were both victims of circumstances we couldn’t control back then. I have never blamed you."

Daisy took a shaky breath, her gaze softening as she looked at his pale face, "I want to live well, Ryle. I want to give Angel the best life. And through all of that... I need you by our side."

With a sudden surge of strength, Ryle reached out and hooked his arms around her waist. He pulled her upward, settling her onto his lap in the wheelchair. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Daisy felt his warm tears soaking through the fabric of her clothes.

She wrapped her arms around his head, holding him closer together.

The helicopter’s engines had gone silent at some point, leaving only the sound of the wind and their shared breaths.

After a long time, Daisy pulled back just enough to look at him. She wiped a tear from his cheek with her thumb, a playful smile touching her lips despite the redness of her eyes.

"So," she whispered, "Will you marry me, Mr. Harper? Or do I have to hack your bank accounts and force you into a contract?"

Ryle let out a weak laugh.

The darkness in his hazel eyes had been replaced by a warmth that made Daisy’s breath hitch.

He reached up, his hand sliding to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair to pull her down toward him.

"Yes," he breathed against her lips, the word sounded like a vow, "Yes, Miss Chen. In this life and every other."

The golden hue sun was beginning to stretch across the grassy field, but the warmth did not break the tension simmering between the two figures.

Ryle’s gaze was fixed on the horizon, though his mind was wandering somewhere in past years of his life that had revolved around Daisy.

"Daze" he started, his voice was so low that it was barely a whisper, "How did you find out about... about me being Angel’s father?"

He turned his head slightly, his hazel eyes searching hers with a clear curiosity.

Ryle had spent a fortune and exhausted every resource to get to the bottom of the things that had transpired in that club that night.

But that place had been stacked against him from the start. That night was full of involvement of high-profile names and the drug scandal that followed soon after.

In the aftermath, the people involved had made sure every digital footprint, every CCTV frame, and every witness statement was incinerated.

Had Daisy not made that bold declaration in the hospital, he never would have even entertained the thought that he was Angel’s father because back then Daisy was disguised as ’Dexter’ and he himself remembered being surrounded by other girls.

He had no recollection of how he ended up with Daisy.

Daisy stiffened at the question. Her fingers, which had been resting gently on the handles of the wheelchair, tightened until her knuckles turned white.

She looked away, her expression shuttering.