Chapter 1021

When Daniela reached Josh's villa, he had already.been rushed to the hospital, having fainted from the shock.

In the hallway, the maid was quietly recounting the night's horrors to Hamilton. "Mr. Jules McCoy's death was gruesome. His eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't accept the end."

Without a word, Daniela lifted her gaze to the staircase, then started up, her footsteps slow and deliberate.

Every member of Hamilton's branch had gathered below. As Daniela made her way upstairs, several called out, hoping to stop her.

She ignored them all, her expression unreadable, and kept climbing, one step at a time.

Hamilton's brows knitted in concern. He turned sharply to Cedric and muttered, "Aren't you always the one fussing over Daniela? Why don't you try to stop her?The police haven't even arrived, and Jules' body is still hanging at the doorway. If Daniela walks in on that, she'll be traumatized!"

Cedric trailed quietly after her up the stairs. Hamilton assumed that Cedric had finally come to his senses and would return with Daniela in tow.

But as the minutes slipped by and neither of them reappeared, impatience prickled at him.

He rose from hisseat, motioning for the rest of the McCoy family-each of them driven by restless curiosity about the scene that had left Josh sprawled unconscious-to follow.

They climbed together, a tense procession weaving up the staircase toward the second floor.

A chill draft swept through the hall, and the corpse suspended from the door suddenly twisted, its vacant face turning toward them.

"Ah!"

"EwwN..."

"God, I can't take this-it's a living nightmare!"

A few people doubled over, retching uncontrollably right where they stood.

Some bolted for the stairs, desperately blocking others from witnessing the gruesome scene upstairs.

Hamilton, rattled to his core, squeezed his eyes shut,fighting the urge to look again. He was just about to ask Daniela to leave when he caught sight of her.

She hovered a few paces from the doorway,her gaze fixed steadily on Jules' lifeless body.

She looked remarkably composed-no trace of panic,not even a flicker of disgust. Instead, an eerie calm settled over her face, her eyes glinting with something almost like satisfaction.

Then, ever so slightly, her lips curved into a faint,quiet smile. She murmured, "Mom, are you watching?The people who hurt you aregone.You can rest easy now. And as for the ones left-they won't last much longer."

At that moment, a cold shiver crept down Hamilton's spine.

He couldn't stop his eyes from flickering with unease as he glanced at Daniela.

He started to slip away, but collided with Nikolas, who quietly blocked his path.

Nikolas squared his shoulders and murmured, "Dad, if someone still missed you with that much devotion after you were gone, would you really feel afraid?"

Hamilton froze, caught off guard by the question.

Nikolas' gaze drifted toward Daniela. "Have you ever wondered-if you were the one who fell from the rooftop,would any of us keep loving you this fiercely?Would anyone carry your name the way she does, with that kind of loyalty year after year?"

He let out a low laugh as he went on, "If I remember right,Daniela wasn't even grown back then. Just a kid,still underage, fueled by nothing but raw vengeance,and she made it ths far-standing alone against the ironclad empire of Oiscoll, with her enemy's corpse hanging above her head. Tell me, do you think any of your children could show that kind of guts or grit?Actually, forget just your kids-look at the entire McCoy family, or anyone in Oiscoll for that matter.How many people do you think could do what Daniela's done?"

He paused, meeting Hamilton's eyes with a hint of challenge. "When you really think about it, Daniela isn't someone to be feared-she's one of a kind. She walked a lonely road for years before she met Cedric,and now she's finally gotten what she wanted."

Nikolas straightened, a quiet pride coloring his words."That's how a person should live. Don't you think so,Dad?"

Hamilton lingered in a stunned silence, unable to refute Nikolas' challenge.

The words tangled in his throat, reason slipping away as he struggled to make sense of it all.

In the end, he had nothing left to say. Could he honestly expect his children to fight for him with this kind of devotion?

The world was vast, its temptations endless.

Some people chased power. Others sold their souls for profit. Some lived for the thrill of recoqnition,and many would abandon anything for the promise of money.

Many lost themselves along the way, drifting aimlessly through life.

But Daniela was different-her devotion to her.mother never faltered for a single moment.

She was the sort of daughter any parent would quietly wish for: steadfast, loyal, impossible to shake.

The fear that had clouded Hamilton's gaze gradually faded,yielding to a deep, genuine warmth for Daniela.

He turned to Nikolas. "You? Saying things like that?|thought you hated anything sentimental."

Nikolas laughed. "Don't look at me. I'm just repeating someone else's words."

Hamilton glanced at Nikolas, baffled by his words.

Nikolas leaned in. "Cedric mentioned it to me once.I even asked if he thought it sounded too sentimental."

A subtle smile crossed his lips as he continued, "Cedric just shrugged and said Daniela wasn't the type to talk -she simply proved herself through everything she did. So he's decided to be her voice, to tell everyone how extraordinary she is."

The memory of Cedric's unwavering gaze flickered through Nikolas' mind, leaving a mark.

Deep down, Nikolas longed for the day he could stand up and declare his own love for someone, letting the world see just how wonderful she was.