Chapter 157 Kayla Appears
The next morning arrived, and Daphne was up early. She changed into her running gear and went for a half-hour jog. When she returned, she found Mr. Murphy busily preparing breakfast.
During this time, whenever Daphne was home, Mr. Murphy would usually be the one cooking, with the housekeeper taking care of cleaning and daily errands.
"Call Lydia down for soup," Mr. Murphy paused when he saw Daphne, then proceeded to say as he usually would.
Daphne acknowledged with a nod.
Their breakfast together was a calm affair. With no classes on the weekend, Lydia stayed at home as usual. After eating, Daphne headed over to Frontier Capital Group, intending to handle some miscellaneous tasks.
As she was leaving, she experienced a mixture of emotions, yet ultimately, Daphne turned to Mr. Murphy and said, “Dad, you’re in charge of the life you live now.”
Mr. Murphy stopped mid-bite, his whole being momentarily frozen, stunned by her words.
"I'm off to work," Daphne stated before departing.
A flicker of excitement passed through Mr. Murphy as he turned to Lydia, who was still at the breakfast table, "What did your sister just call me?"
"Dad."
"What?" He just wanted to confirm.
"She called you dad," Lydia sighed inwardly.
Mr. Murphy still couldn't quite believe it, "Really?"
"Really." Lydia laid down her utensils, her voice soft but earnest. "If you don't believe it, I can call her back right now and have her say it again for you to hear."
"Stop being absurd." Mr. Murphy feigned irritation but inside, his heart was blooming with joy.
Just that one word.
It had entirely erased Mr. Murphy's negativity from the day before. Now, all he could think about was Daphne's single utterance of "dad."
Daffy finally called him dad again.
Lydia couldn't help but tease him when she saw the undeniable smile lighting up his face, "I've never seen you this happy when I call you dad. Come on, tell me, am I adopted?"
"You silly girl, don't talk nonsense like that."
"I don't know who it was that said yesterday my sister has changed, she's like a whole different person," Lydia teased.
"Well, it wasn't me who said it." Mr. Murphy chuckled to himself, his happiness reaching a peak.
Daphne had planned to go to the office, but on her way, she received a phone call from someone named Kayla.
Hearing her voice, Daphne almost thought she was hallucinating, "Kayla?"
"It's me," Kayla's voice sounded no different than before, "I want to meet you, is that possible?"
"I'm very busy," Daphne declined.
Sitting in the coffee shop, Kayla stared out at the ceaseless traffic through the glass window, unable to lift her spirits. She held her phone and said quite naturally, "I can come to see you."
"Miss Baker, I don't believe we're that close," Daphne continued driving, puzzled as to why Kayla had suddenly shown up in Gedser. Hadn't Kayla said going back there was like going to hell?
"Please," Kayla pleaded.
Hearing the tone in Kayla's voice, Daphne's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and her expression revealed an indescribable emotion.
If Daphne hadn't learned about Kayla's past, she wouldn't have cared whether she begged or not. But for some reason, hearing those two words made her think of Kayla being controlled by someone else.
In that moment of reflection, she had already made up her mind, "Give me the address."
"The coffee shop next to the Lancelot Group," Kayla's voice seemed to relax even with a tinge of a bitter smile.
Daphne navigated there.
In half an hour, she arrived. Parking the car, she saw Kayla sitting by the window, looking more worn than when she had left, wrapped in a scarf despite it being only autumn. She was still wearing a white knitted sweater, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, portraying a calm outward appearance.
As Daphne walked in, Kayla caught sight of her instantly. A flicker of hope sprang up in Kayla's eyes.
Daphne sat down beside her, her distaste for Kayla making her terse, "What do you want?"
"That man told me to kill Charles," Kayla uttered, nervously twirling the spoon in her coffee cup, biting her lip as she spoke.
Daphne was taken aback, her face conveying her skepticism.
Not quite understanding Kayla's reasoning, she questioned, "He told you to kill, and you just agreed?"
"I had no choice," Kayla said, weighed down with heaviness.
"You're a living, breathing person; how could you possibly not have a choice?" Daphne couldn't believe how dense Kayla was being. "I've arranged protection for your grandma and little brother; no one will threaten their lives."
Kayla remained silent.
Daphne just looked at her and then added, "The more you give in, the more others will think you're easy to manipulate. They'll use the same thing to coerce you into doing countless things you don't want to do."
Kayla didn't dare to meet Daphne's gaze. She understood the logic. Yet, sometimes, she would compromise at critical moments, out of fear, or worry.
"If you knew who he is, then you'd understand why I can't fight back." After a moment of silence, Kayla finally spoke.
Daphne was puzzled. She had checked on the person in the photo with Kayla; the information she found seemed ordinary.
Back when she was considering divorcing Charles, she didn't dig any deeper.
"Can you help me arrange a meeting with Charles?" Kayla finally stated her purpose.
Daphne watched her expression closely. "Arrange a meeting for what?"
Kayla didn't respond.
Daphne ventured, "To kill him?"
"I don't truly want to kill him, just stab him a little," Kayla's hand trembled slightly as she spoke. "I've studied the human body; stabbing certain spots won't be fatal, just a minor wound."
Daphne was at a loss for words.
"If I stab him, the police will arrest me for attempted murder," Kayla had thought this through. "Then I won't have to deal with all this."
Stabbing Charles would surely land her in jail.
Charles wouldn't let her off easy. That person probably wouldn't mess with her in there; her days of turmoil could be somewhat over.
Even if they had gotten rid of her, she had been the one to act, and that person wouldn't have much to do with her afterward.
Daphne was stunned.
She candidly offered some advice, "You really should have your head examined."
Kayla wasn't taking it well either. This was the best solution she could come up with in recent days.
"Daphne..."
"Last time, you wrecked someone's marriage, and kidnapped me," Daphne listed her past actions one by one. "This time, it's murder."
"Next time, what is it? Going to blow up the world?" Daphne threw that question at her.
She had no interest in trying to fix an irredeemable mess. But Kayla wasn't a complete lost cause; there was still a sense of duty lingering in her conscience.
Girls should live righteously and freely, not doing things against morality and the law, but Kayla...
Daphne didn't even know what to say.
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