I am willing to marry

Daisy released a breath she did not realize she had been holding. She took the child from the man's arms, ''Thank you…'' 

"No worries, ma'am,'' The man came out of his confusion and spoke, ''Bon apres-midi!" He spoke politely.

''You too. Have a good afternoon,'' she said as he turned to leave. 

Daisy looked at the closed elevator in a daze until she felt a soft weight in the crook of her neck. She tilted her head to the side and glanced at the small head that rested on her neck, soft snores sounding by her ear.

Somehow, amidst all the chaos, she realized nothing was more beautiful than what she had at that moment. 

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Daisy's heart was filled with a sense of dread that she had never felt before. 

All her life, she had run away from attachments because whatever she got attached to was eventually taken away from her. 

What if… 

Her gaze landed on the tiny bundle of warmth in her arms. 

Her eyes grew determined. 

There were no what-ifs. 

She would never let anyone get to her child. 

Daisy, however, did not know that that day was the only peaceful day she was going to have in the months to come.

In consecutive weeks, more and more people appeared near her place. The movements before her house intruded on her neighbors' peace who started complaining. 

Despite the people knocking at her door, Daisy never once left her house. She knew that no matter what, her mother's bodyguards would not dare to trespass inside her house. 

But her belief lasted until one day when a series of consecutive ringing of the doorbell woke Daisy up at night. 

Daisy slowly detached the little girl from her body and walked to the door as she looked at the display screen on the wall. 

''Elder Miss, this is not what we want to do but you leave us with no choice. It's Madam's orders to take you with us to Beijing at any cost.''

Daisy glanced at the face of the man in the camera display. He was one of the oldest bodyguards of her mother. 

''We respect you but if you continue being stubborn like this, we will be left with no other choice but to tear down the door. We have our families to take care of. We can't afford to lose our jobs.'' 

By the time he finished speaking, he moved away from the camera and raised his hand towards his companions, motioning them towards the door. 

They nodded but before they could approach the door, the door opened with a 'click'. As they raised their heads, they saw Daisy standing at the entrance. 

"I will go with you. Give me one hour,'' she said calmly. 

The men looked at each other before one of them said, ''Take your time, Elder Miss. We will be waiting for you.'' 

One hour later.

Daisy stood in front of the bed as she glanced at the sleeping little girl. 

So beautiful, so clueless about the chaos that was transpiring around her. 

Daisy knelt by the bed, ''You don't have to know about these things. Give me some more time. Two more weeks and then we will go far away from these people. I will protect you always,'' she whispered before placing a feathery kiss on the girl's forehead. 

The little girl's long lashes trembled as she opened her eyes slightly before she gradually closed them again. 

Daisy closed her eyes and walked out of the house without looking back, ''Lead the way.''

The moment the bodyguards turned around, a key dropped from Daisy's sleeve, landing inside the flower vase. 

Once Daisy left with the group of men, a shadow stepped out from the dark. 

''I am so worried about her,'' Si Yena mumbled as she picked up the key that Daisy had dropped inside the vase. 

''Chen Family is not someone easy to mess with. Are you sure you want to get involved in this matter?" A man followed her, tall and broad as he towered over Si Yena, seemingly ready to protect her from any danger. 

If Daisy had been there, she would have recognized the person as the same bodyguard whom she saw kneeling in Ryle's office more than a year ago, being reprimanded with a gun for having personal involvements with his client. 

Si Yena sighed, ''But it's Daisy. I have to do it for her.'' 

She gently picked up the sleeping child from the bed and tucked her in a hoodie warmly. 

The bodyguard looked at her gentle actions with adoration yet the worry in his eyes never faded, ''But we have our troubles to look after. Your family probably knows about us. And my boss always had his suspicions regarding our relationship. If our involvement is confirmed, I will lose my job and you.'' 

''Shhh…'' Si Yena stepped closer to him, eyes limpid with tears as she pressed a finger on his lips, ''We will find a way before anything happens.'' 

…

Chen Manor, Beijing. 

"I agree.'' 

The moment Daisy stepped inside the mansion, she uttered the two words, looking at the man and woman sitting on the couch.

Helian Chen and Alice Chen turned to look at her in surprise.

Daisy did not spare them a glance as she walked towards the couch and took a seat, crossing one leg above the other.

''You have the audacity to show your face after all the troubles you put me through?" Alice frowned, ''And this is how you greet me?" 

''Alice,'' Helian Chen interrupted his wife.

''I don't have anything to discuss. You have a marriage prospect for me and I am willing to accept it.'' 

''This is not something you should be doing on impulse. You don't even know the man. You haven't met him, Daisy…'' 

Daisy interrupted her father, ''You both have handpicked him for me so I believe he must be the perfect son-in-law for our family.'' 

The anger in Alice's heart faded slightly when she heard Daisy's words, ''At least, you have some conscience.'' 

Helian Chen frowned. There was something amiss in the whole situation but he could not put a finger on what it was. 

''I am willing to marry him. Make arrangements,'' Daisy pushed herself to her feet, ''The sooner, the better. Because, if you delay it, I will change my mind and if I do that, you will be spending more effort to corner me the next time,'' she said, looking at her mother from above her shoulder before she walked upstairs. 

Alice narrowed her eyes, ''How impudent!" her lips twisted disapprovingly as she turned to Helian, ''Isn't she just like you, so hateful?" 

''She is your daughter too,'' Helian Chen stated aloofly. 

''If she was more like Diana, I would have felt proud to admit it.'' 

Helian Chen closed his eyes, ''Alice, you have two daughters. You should learn to be a mother instead of being biased towards one child.'' 

Alice pushed herself to her feet, tucking her blonde tresses behind her ear as she said, ''Nevertheless, I am pleased that Daisy knows what's good for her. This marriage is a great deal, for her as well as the Chen Family. Let's not delay it anymore.''