My last life
Juliana's pov
Sitting in front of me was my only daughter, eagerly looking into my eyes, waiting for me to reveal the truth about her biological father. But I wasn't sure where to turn to unravel the secrets of the past. The certified DNA test results from Justin had shown that Daisy wasn't his daughter. I wanted to step back and reflect on where I went wrong.
My entire life had been sacrificed for my father's obsession with what he loved and wanted to achieve. I grew up as a happy girl in a privileged home where I had everything I desired. My father was wealthy, and my existence had contributed to his financial success.
I was the only child at home, and all the attention was focused on me. Growing up in a wealthy household, I was fortunate to start a beautiful relationship with Johnson, a sweet guy who was admired by everyone in my college. Our relationship felt like a blessing from above. My parents also fell in love with him when I introduced him to our family, and he became a close family friend. Everything was going smoothly until one day...
My dad was a co-owner of a baseball team, and for years, the team's success had brought considerable wealth to my family. Our income relied heavily on the growth and performance of that baseball team. However, in one unfortunate season, the team's performance started declining gradually. The more it declined, the more we suffered financial losses. The fear of being relegated from the major league led to numerous board meetings, until they came up with a special solution: signing a talented and successful player named Justin Jr.
This decision didn't directly affect me until one Monday morning when I playfully asked my dad,
"Dad, I'm on holiday. You promised to take me along whenever you travel during my break since my first year of college. Why can't I go with you this time?"
Little did I know that I was about to embark on a new path in life. My dad looked at me for a few seconds and decided it wasn't suitable for me to join him on that crucial trip.
"Darling, I'm about to meet a very important player and convince him to join our club. This isn't a leisurely meeting; it's a significant one," he explained.
"Dad, let me be your secretary for today. I'm bored at home. Please!" I made a displeased expression. Being an only child, I usually got what I wanted, and my feelings were taken into account.
"Okay! Go inside and get dressed," he agreed.
That's how I ended up following my dad on his private jet all the way to London. We met Justin and his agent at a hotel for a scheduled meeting at 3 pm. During the meeting, my dad introduced me as his daughter and secretary. He used persuasive words to convince young Justin to join his club, promising him a generous allowance and making him the face of the team.
However, Justin and his agent didn't accept my dad's terms. Throughout the meeting, I noticed Justin staring at me, but I didn't think much of it. As the meeting was about to conclude, it seemed unproductive from my dad's perspective since Justin and his agent didn't accept the offered deal due to the poor state of my dad's club. It was about to be a disappointing meeting until Justin stood up and said,
"You have a beautiful daughter. Would you give me a wife? I won't just be your son-in-law; I'll be your player." He smiled at my dad, and then they left.
I thought my dad would take it lightly, but he didn't. Days later, I found myself caught between Justin becoming a player at my dad's club.
"Dad, I have a boyfriend, for God's sake!" I shouted at my dad, even shedding tears to make him understand how deeply I loved Johnson.
This was the only time my emotions didn't sway my dad. He wasn't willing to give up. Day and night, he asked me to reconsider his request. Even my mum couldn't help me. At the same time, Justin was one of the most handsome young men I had ever seen. It was easy to fall for him right from the start. Regardless of my dad's pleas to end my relationship with Johnson, I refused and didn't even share with Johnson what I was going through at home. There was no way he could help in this matter. He was somewhat an outsider. Deep down, I could see how my decision was making my dad particularly sad. The club's performance was declining with every match, and more revenue was being lost. My once happy family was no longer happy, and my dad called me selfish.
"This is the only thing I've asked of you. You are selfish," his words wounded me to the core, even leading to my depression. Yet, I wasn't ready to leave Johnson.
One morning, my dad woke up and smiled at me, surprising me. I thought our troubles had disappeared. He said,
"We're having a family dinner party for our loved ones. I'm granting you the privilege to invite your boyfriend.”
It felt like a dream come true. Someone my dad had previously rejected would now sit beside me at our dinner party, and it was a chance for me to introduce my boyfriend to other extended family members who hadn't met him before.
I went into my room and grabbed my phone, dialing Johnson's number.
"Hi baby," I greeted Johnson affectionately since he had a baby-faced look and was tall and handsome.
"Guess what? My family is having a dinner party, and I have the opportunity to invite you."
"Really?" he replied.
"Yes, it's a chance for you to meet my other family members, and everything will be wonderful."
That's how I invited Johnson, my beloved boyfriend.
The first red flag I noticed was the amount of food my mum and I were cooking for the party. It seemed a bit more than what we usually prepared.
"Mum, will there be enough food for all our family members? I thought we were cooking more and buying more drinks."
"Hmm... yeah, but this is a special family dinner party. Each family member will bring their own food and drinks."
"But that's not how we usually do it."
"Yes, Juliana, that's why it's called special."
When evening arrived, I noticed another red flag—only my boyfriend had shown up for the dinner party. I immediately went to my dad's room and asked,
"Where are the other family members? What time did you tell them?"
"They might come, and if they don't, we can just enjoy the food and have a nice time ourselves."
And that's what happened. About thirty minutes later, Johnson and I were still laughing and chatting in the living room when my dad invited us to the dining table. I was thrilled to have Johnson sitting next to me and eating together. He had never joined us for a meal like this before. It made me feel like his fiancée, even though he hadn't proposed yet. He even made me laugh while we ate, playfully tickling my leg under the table.
Johnson's presence made me oblivious to the signs on my dad's face. At one point, I thought his disappointment with the absent family members was causing his anger. It wasn't until we had all finished eating and my dad cleared his throat that he spoke up.
"Johnson, welcome. We invited you here for a special reason linked to my daughter's life. Has she told you anything?"
"Something like what?" Johnson innocently asked. That's when it became crystal clear to me that this dinner party wasn't really a celebration—it was my dad confronting my boyfriend.
"Dad, what is this?" I stood up, wanting to put an end to the conversation between the two of them.
"Listen to me, Johnson, and listen carefully. Today should be the first and last time you come near my daughter. She already has a fiancé."
"Dad! When?" I shouted, tears already welling up in my eyes.
"If you doubt my kindness, you won't like my other side. If I find out you're still involved with my daughter, believe me, I will accuse you. I have all the means to do it. She is my precious daughter, and after this dinner, I want you to stay away from her. Don't call her, don't text her..." I couldn't wait for my dad to finish before I ran to my room, crying. I didn't know what he ultimately said to Johnson.
Initially, Johnson and I continued meeting in secret after two days, and that's when I told him everything. I don't know how my dad found out about our meetings, but his threats towards Johnson's life escalated. Johnson became afraid to call me.
That's how I lost my beloved Johnson, but our love for each other remained in our hearts until two days before my wedding with Justin. Johnson and I planned to run away on the night before the wedding. I had made up my mind to elope with him. I lied to my dad, telling him I was going to meet friends who were engaged in wedding preparations, and I spent the night at Johnson's house, where we had intimate moments we hadn't had the chance to experience before. But the next day, Johnson didn't show up as planned. In anger, I ended up marrying Justin.
"We had sex," I said again, suspecting it was that night.
"Mum," Daisy stood up and added, "does that mean I refused my dad from entering this house half an hour ago?"
"Did Johnson come here?" I asked.
"Yes!"
"We need to find him and secretly conduct a DNA test to figure out what to do next."
"Mum, please get up. Let's go and find Johnson." Daisy started breathing heavily.
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