Chapter 8 Ethan's heart sank the moment he saw the message . A wave of panic and unease spread through him . He immediately called Faith back , but her phone was turned off . When he sent her a message , it failed to be delivered . Did she block his number ? Was she throwing a tantrum because he snubbed Callie's birthday party ? Frustrated , Ethan tugged at his tie . " Mr. Hale , Mr. Lamont from Prestige Group has arrived downstairs . " Mathias knocked on the door to remind him . Ethan took a deep breath and walked out of the room after pulling himself together . He personally went down to the lobby to welcome Lenny Lamont due to the importance of their partnership . As soon as he stepped out of the elevator , he was met with a commotion . Ethan turned his head and saw Daniel sitting on the floor , staring up at someone defiantly . " My dad owns this place ! You broke my ball , so you'd better apologize ! " " You want me to apologize when it was you who made a mistake ? " " I'm just a kid ! Why are you picking on me ? Apologize now , or I'll tell my dad to kick you all out ! " Ethan walked over . The moment Daniel saw him , he scrambled to his feet and ran to his side . " Dad , they bullied me ! He broke my ball ! " Daniel pointed rudely at the man . When Ethan saw the man in question , a headache immediately set in . " Mr. Lamont , is there some kind of misunderstanding ? " He kept his tone polite as he pulled Daniel off the floor . " Mr. Hale , is this your son ? " Lenny asked with a cold sneer . " He's the son of a friend , " Ethan replied , feeling slightly awkward . Lenny let out a sarcastic chuckle . " There's no misunderstanding at all . He kept throwing his ball at me . My secretary couldn't stand it anymore and took it away . Then , the little rascal demanded an apology and even threatened to have you kick me out . " His expression darkened . " Mr. Hale , I'll have to reconsider our partnership . Goodbye . " " Mr. Lamont , wait- " Ethan tried to go after him , but Daniel clung to his leg . " Dad , don't bother with him . He's a bad guy . ' Ethan could only watch as Lenny walked away . 11 " Daniel ! " His face darkened as he pulled the boy off his leg . " Get up ! You're coming with me to apologize ! " Daniel froze for a moment before bursting into tears . " Dad , you don't love me anymore ! You're mean ! Mom - I want my mom ! " Ethan's patience wore thin as he stared at the wailing child . He stared at Daniel angrily . " Get up ! " " I'm not getting up ! " Daniel huffed and turned his head away . " You're bullying me too ! I'm telling Mom ! " For a split second , Ethan thought of Callie , who never threw tantrums or acted out . She was always so careful , always watching him quietly , waiting for him to approach her . But he had never approached her . Daniel's cries grew louder and louder . The lobby was bustling with people , and some had started whispering among themselves . Ethan's expression turned even darker as he glared at Daniel . " Get up ! " Daniel wailed even louder . Ethan bent down to pry Daniel's hands off when Nicole came running out of the elevator . Daniel ! Ethan ! What's going on ? " The moment Daniel saw her , he became even more unruly . " Dad doesn't love me anymore ! He's going to hit me ! " Seeing her son in tears , Nicole quickly pulled him into her arms . " Ethan , he's just a child . If he's done something wrong , you can blame me or punish ime . But don't be too harsh on him . Okay ? " Daniel buried himself in Nicole's embrace , sobbing uncontrollably , as if Ethan had actually laid a hand on him . 11 The cries gave Ethan a pounding headache , He was beyond frustrated . He turned and left . Chapter 8 2/2 For the first time , he felt that Nicole and Daniel could never compare to Faith and Callie . Ethan stopped in his tracks . Why was he thinking about them ? What did Faith's message mean ? Pushing aside the strange feeling , he rushed back to his office and called Lenny , offering to give up 10 percent of the profits in exchange for the deal . Lenny sneered . " Mr. Hale , you really go all out for someone else's kids , huh ? Giving up 10 percent of the profits is quite a sacrifice . But let me offer you some advice - the child of another man will never be your own . Let's get along well . " " Mr. Lamont, thanks for your advice . All the best for our collaboration . " Ethan's face darkened . Callie's image surfaced in his mind again , and his heart suddenly sank . Had he ever truly loved his daughter ? All of a sudden , he wanted to head home and take a look at Callie . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!