Chapter 562 So It Was a Substitute
The phone call was met with silence.
Lyric started to panic. She quickly apologized, "Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't talk to you before I went to see Margaret. I'm really sorry, please don't be mad. I won't go to her again. I just didn't want you to be so cold to me. I was trying to make you happy, but I messed up."
"Can we meet up? Please come back. I've learned to cook a few new dishes you like. I'll wear the clothes you bought me. Daniel, I just want you to be happy, please don't be mad." Lyric had never been this humble before, but she was willing to do whatever it took to calm him down.
He had always had a tough life, growing up without a father, living in poverty, being mocked and ostracized. He was sensitive, and she needed to love him more, take care of him more.
"This is pointless. Della, let's just end things peacefully."
She couldn't hold back her tears on the phone, but he showed no sympathy or emotion. Instead, he impatiently threw out those words and hung up.
Lyric truly didn't think she had done anything wrong.
Why was he reacting so strongly?
She tried calling him to explain.
Her number was blocked.
She sent messages on WhatsApp, but her phone showed that he wasn't accepting her messages.
Lyric was frantic. She wiped away her tears, skipped dinner, hurriedly put on her shoes and coat, grabbed her keys, and went downstairs to catch a cab to The Taylor Villa to confront him.
She wanted to clear things up with him.
Daniel was at a bar, drinking alone.
His gaze was icy, chilling the atmosphere around him. He downed his drink in one gulp, then poured another and finished it.
He had nothing left, except the distant privilege of watching over Margaret.
But today, Margaret called him to say that she wouldn't be bothering him anymore, as it didn't seem appropriate.
It was all because of Lyric, that clueless woman who couldn't see her own place. She deliberately sought out Margaret to cut off his hopes!
It was infuriating, hateful.
He regretted starting this relationship with Lyric.
He picked up his phone and called Walter to come and drive him home.
Lyric arrived at The Taylor Villa and met the butler, an elderly man with white hair and a kind smile. He recognized Lyric. She had stayed at the house before, so he was very polite to her.
The butler told her that Daniel hadn't returned yet and that she could go upstairs to wait.
Lyric thanked him and walked along the cobblestone path under the moonlight.
The roses were in full bloom, entwined on the trellis, their fragrance carried by the evening breeze.
Summer was getting hotter, and small bugs were flying around, some biting her legs under her white dress.
The slight pain made her quicken her pace. She entered the living room and then went upstairs.
She needed to talk to Daniel properly; she didn't want to break up.
She had liked him for so many years, and it was hard to accept that their relationship would end over something so trivial.
She passed the spiral staircase, the massive vintage chandelier on the ceiling resembling a coiled dragon, casting a dim, striking light.
She reached the second-floor living room.
She walked in, feeling bored.
"I don't like it! I don't like it!"
Someone was calling out a name.
The voice sounded a lot like Daniel.
She turned around in shock but saw no one.
Her gaze finally landed on a parrot on a perch, its dark feathers fluttering as it blinked.
Lyric thought the parrot was calling out and found it smart and clever. She quickly walked over.
"Are you calling out? How cute," she reached out to stroke its feathers, which were very soft.
It stared at her without making a sound.
"Hungry—"
The parrot's stomach growled.
Lyric found some feed and filled the food tray on the perch, then added water.
The parrot excitedly lowered its head and quickly ate the feed.
It finished in no time.
"Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you." Lyric smiled, her fingers stroking its head.
The parrot suddenly raised its head and stared at her seriously for a long time.
"Margaret."
The parrot clicked its beak. "Daniel likes Margaret! Daniel likes Margaret!"
So Daniel liked Margaret.
"Daniel likes Margaret! Margaret! I like you! Whether you like me or not, I'll stay by your side!"
These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly drenching Lyric from head to toe, chilling her to the bone.
Margaret?
The parrot said Daniel liked Margaret?
Daniel liked his sister?
Lyric's legs suddenly went weak, and she quickly grabbed the liquor cabinet to steady herself.
This couldn't be true, how could it be?
"Daniel likes Margaret! Daniel has liked Margaret for ten years!"
Lyric initially thought she was deceiving herself, believing the parrot was just talking nonsense.
Until she entered a room.
The door wasn't locked.
She pushed it open.
The room was very large.
It was filled with items related to Margaret.
Photos of her as a child, wearing a princess dress, very beautiful, taken secretly but still capturing her beauty.
There were photos of Margaret from middle school, high school, college, all stages of her life.
The photos were taken from a distance, not close-ups.
The walls were covered with them.
The most prominent spot on the wall had a wedding photo.
Daniel was wearing a handsome suit, and the bride was Margaret, in a white wedding dress, smiling happily at the camera.
The photo was clearly photoshopped, but Daniel's feelings were unmistakable.
How much must he like someone, how deeply must he have a crush, to collect so many things?
He must love Margaret very much, unable to have her, so he settled for being siblings.
Lyric's throat felt sore. Her own love, compared to Daniel's, was nothing.
She also noticed that some of Margaret's photos showed her wearing clothes similar to Lyric's current style.
So she was just a substitute.
On the table was an old, worn notebook.
Her intuition told her it wasn't anything good, but she still picked it up and opened it.
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