Country KMeeting Room at Cho Corporation
Daniel sat on the chair with his eyes closed. It looked as if he was listening seriously but in reality, his mind wandered somewhere else.
It had been about nine months since Daniel had last seen Samantha and the only news that he heard about her was that she woke up after three months of being in a coma. He missed her a lot but it was still not safe for them to reunite.
He, along with his friends Lucas and Sean had been secretly looking for both Yanovich and Devyn. Yanovich had eyes everywhere and just one wrong move would tip them off. Daniel could not risk it anymore so they have all been very careful about their movements.
They finally found a lead just last week after several months of searching the elusive old man. It was no wonder that even Lucas" family who had a high reputation in the underworld had been searching for them for years and found nothing. They were then aware of Yanovich" power as he was simply not the kind of person whom one can just find.
But to their dismay, the lead that they got was actually a trap. They lost a lot of men when they tried to ambush the place even though they were prepared. Finally deciding to retreat, Daniel and his comrades came home defeated after that incident.
He was desperate to find the sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d who broke them apart and threatened his family. Daniel was in a bind as he had his family"s lives in his hands. At the same time, he was desperately missing Samantha.
"President Cho?" One of the board members caught his attention, bringing him back to reality.
"Yes?" He answered, raising his head.
"What do you think about the proposal?"
Rubbing his forehead, he got up from his chair and gestured to Ahn. "Let"s end this meeting early. Bring their proposal to my table."
"Yes, President," Ahn answered without questions. He was already used to Daniel"s lifeless dialogues ever since that day.
Arriving at his office, Daniel slumped on his office chair and sighed before he decided to open the drawer to his right with a key.
He reached in and took out a picture frame. He leaned back to his chair and looked at the woman smiling at him in the picture. Her smile had a lot of charm, making him smile as well. His bitter smile was all he could do every time he looked at Samantha"s picture.
His heart throbbed but he knew that staying apart was the only thing they could do for the time being to keep her safe. "I miss you…" he mumbled as he stroked the photo with his long fingers.
Back then, he and Father Kim agreed not to have any communication at all unless it was an emergency.
Samantha"s father gave him an ultimatum that the only way he was allowed to be with Samantha again was if he took care of his enemies. It didn"t matter how he was going to do it as long as he could be sure that Samantha was safe with him again.
Father Kim was a loving father, a good husband, and a smart businessman but even he understood there are certain things in the world that even the police were powerless.
He did not know who Daniel"s enemy was but by how Daniel gave him details, he was sure that the man was difficult to put down.
And so even if Daniel wanted to keep a security detail around Samantha, he could only trust Father Kim.
The door to his office suddenly opened and in came Oliver Su. "Brother, it"s five in the afternoon! What are you still doing here? Let"s go!"
Daniel furrowed his brows, forming a crease on his forehead when he saw the young man in his office. "What did I tell you about knocking?" He scolded as he placed Samantha"s picture safely back in the drawer. "Also, stop calling me brother. I"m your boss."
"It"s after work hours! You"re no longer my boss, you"re my brother! Don"t be so whiny… now come on! It"s my birthday, let"s go and celebrate!" Oliver exclaimed, his voice was a little higher than usual.
Just in time, Liam arrived. "Ready?"
"Bro, brother Daniel"s being sour again," Oliver rolled his eyes.
Daniel"s lip twitched, annoyed by what he just heard. He breathed out as though he was controlling his temper because until now, he did not know what made him agree to have Oliver as one of his a.s.sistants-slash-secretary-slash-devil-on-his-shoulder. He had been regretting for the past five months but since he already gave his word to Oliver"s father, he could only suck it up.
He scoffed inwardly when he glanced at Oliver"s smiling face. "Tch." The man was just so darn bright all the time.
Reluctant, he stood up from his chair and grabbed the coat from the rack. Without saying anything, he walked out of the room and the two other men followed him from behind.
"Do you smell that? I always smell it around this area." Oliver sniffed.
"What smell?" Liam asked.
Oliver shrugged, "I don"t know... peach?"
Daniel"s ears twitched when he heard their conversation. He cleared his throat as they stepped inside the elevator.
…
In Country A"s Bellevue Hospital
Delivery Room
"There you go, Sam… nice and easy. Just breathe." Said Dr. Lee as she a.s.sisted Samantha in labor. Her doctor had an amazingly calm voice the entire time, affecting Samantha"s overall emotion during her challenging moment.
Samantha"s water broke just an hour ago and she was ready to deliver her baby. Because of her diligence in doing yoga, she believed that she was going to do well.
"That"s good," Dr. Lee complimented.
Samantha felt her stomach contracting. Her lower back ached and her stomach felt like it was being ripped, the pain was excruciating but she was able to take it so well. Even she couldn"t believe the pain tolerance that she had that moment.
"I can push," Samantha said and waited for her doctor"s signal. She had been trying to push for the past several minutes but it was actually hard to drive the baby out. She pushed in between breaths and it was exhausting.
After checking the signs, the doctor nodded and agreed, "Okay, go ahead. Give me a little push… just like that."
"Ngnnnnhh" Samantha tried her best to push down, clenching the sheets on the bed as she did. She did not know if she was doing the right thing but she still followed what the doctor told her to do.
"Good… you"re doing well. Just let everything stretch. You"re doing great, Sam.
"Keep going… nice and steady. You"re doing perfect, that"s it. Good… you"re doing awesome. Another push." Dr. Lee and the midwife kept on encouraging and guiding her. "Then take a breath… come back."
Samantha was a little breathless but she smiled at the doctor when she felt the crown of the baby in her opening, trying to stretch her more. She knew that it will all be over soon. She was tired but she remained strong all throughout.
Dr. Lee caught her attention again, "One more breath… and then push, yes, push… there you go… there it is…"
"Okay, let"s do this, Sam. You got this, one big push… big push… Come on."
After that one final push, a tiny cry was heard from below her. The cry echoed in the room — it was loud and clear. Samantha"s heart leaped in her chest when she heard the most amazing sound she had ever heard.
"It"s a boy," Dr. Lee announced, carefully holding the baby and pulling it out of her. Samantha felt so drained that she closed her eyes immediately.
The doctor brought the baby up and placed it on top of Samantha"s chest. That"s when Samantha opened her eyes again and it was the first time that she met her own baby.
She couldn"t believe that the baby boy was inside of her for nine months. She was emotional when saw him for the first time and thought that he was the most beautiful thing she ever laid her eyes on.
"Congratulations, mommy." Dr. Lee said as she checked if she needed st.i.tches and told her somethings while they were helping her adjust.
The baby nestled against her warm skin, he was quietly and gently sleeping. Samantha could not explain her feelings at that moment. It was just very much overwhelming for her. She wished that Daniel could see and hold their son with her but shew that it was only wishful thinking.
"Have you thought about what you"re going to name your son?" Dr. Lee asked curiously.
With teary eyes, Samantha nodded. "Yes... I"d like to call him Ash." She smiled, "Ashton Daniel."
Dr. Lee slightly raised her head and smiled, "Oh, two names? Ashton Daniel... Those are beautiful names for a beautiful boy. h.e.l.lo, baby Ash..."
Samantha"s lips curled up, she was truly happy at that moment. "Yes, he"s beautiful... just like his father."