Mr. CEO's Ex-Wife: A Cunning Comeback-Chapter 473: Can’t We Just Be Honest With Each Other?
Chantelle gathered herself and said, "You and the children are important to me. I admit I was wrong. I shouldn’t have expected you to discuss everything with me and then make you follow whatever I decide."
Their relationship wasn’t stable yet. Whatever they had now wasn’t reconciliation. She was overstepping by trying to order him around.
Daniel only said those things to stop her from using herself as bait. Were they really at the point where they needed to draw lines between them?
"Can’t we just be honest with each other? Where’s the sincerity and respect between us? How are we supposed to tell each other everything?"
"We’re not there yet," she said bluntly.
The spark in Daniel’s eyes disappeared immediately. He had thought things were fine between them, especially when she called him her husband in front of others. But now it was clear she didn’t feel the same.
"Even if our relationship isn’t at that level yet, this situation is different. We have a common enemy we need to face together." Daniel forced himself to adjust his expectations and continued his long pursuit to win his wife back.
This was nothing compared to the six years she had been through.
"Have you ever thought that this might have nothing to do with you, Mr. Wilson?" Chantelle’s voice carried a slight hesitation as she asked him.
It did not matter whether it was some otherworldly evil or someone’s scheme. It was aimed at her. Daniel was just caught in the middle.
Daniel could walk away from all of this without getting hurt.
"You’re my wife. I feel hurt even if just one strand of your hair gets pulled. How can you say this has nothing to do with me?" He gritted his teeth and looked at Chantelle helplessly.
She felt guilty when she saw the way he looked at her, but she could not back down now. She lifted her chin. "Are you stupid? If this charm is something dangerous, you’ll die. You already got into accidents trying to save me. Aren’t you scared?"
Daniel let out a sigh. Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. "We’ve been through so many things like this. You should know what I’m actually afraid of."
I’m afraid you’ll leave and take the children with you. I’m not afraid of walking into danger for you.
If she could hear what he was thinking, she would be moved.
"Okay. I’m wrong. I’m sorry." She apologized sincerely.
She had no reason to push away a man who was willing to risk his life for her. He cared for her and comforted her through everything they had faced.
"Wherever you need to go, I’ll go with you. You must not leave the villa without permission, and you have to stay where I can see you, okay?"
Chantelle nodded. If he insisted on being with her, then both of them would serve as bait. It was still better than staying home and doing nothing.
When they stepped out of the room, Thea immediately noticed that something between them had changed.
Daniel made a phone call before Thea even had the chance to complain about being a third wheel.
He was calling the butler. Before going to Chantelle, he had told the housekeeper to make sure the children did not leave the house. Yet it only took a few moments for Stephanie to disappear.
"Stephanie’s missing." That was all he said before pulling Chantelle toward the parking lot.
Thea quickly changed her clothes and ran after them.
"I’ll go with you to find her."
On the way, Chantelle tried calling Stephanie, but the little girl didn’t answer her phone.
It wasn’t until they arrived at the Western Hill Villa that she finally picked up the call.
"Where did you go? Do you know how worried we are?!" Chantelle cried out as her voice was filled with anguish.
Stephanie was confused by her mother’s scolding. Daniel took the phone and asked where she was, then told her she had scared her mother to tears.
"I’m sorry, Mommy. I forgot to tell the butler."
Stephanie was innocent and straightforward. Her filming schedule was fixed every day so she could learn easily. She would leave for the set on her own at 3:30 p.m. each day.
It just so happened that the security guards were changing shifts and didn’t notice her leaving. They let her walk out without stopping her. That was how they ended up in this situation.
Stephanie sensed something was wrong too. She pretended not to notice because she was still young. She thought it was better not to cause trouble for her parents.
"Drive slower, Daddy. Don’t rush. I’m still on set and haven’t gone anywhere," she said nervously to Daniel.
Daniel nodded and hung up. He turned to Chantelle. "Don’t blame the kid. Try to stay calm when we get there."
"Do I look angry to you? Sure, you’re the only one who knows how to deal with the kids! From now on, you can help them with their homework!" Chantelle was already upset, and Daniel’s words only made her more frustrated.
She was really annoyed this time, and the only way she could vent was by raising her voice.
Daniel still found her cute even while she was fuming, so he chose not to argue back.
After a moment, Chantelle realized she was acting a bit childish and tried to change the subject.
Daniel only smiled at her.
She eventually drifted off to sleep and dreamed she had gone back ten years to the moment she stayed with Daniel on the beach.
The focus of her dream wasn’t on Daniel this time but on the two people standing by the reef.
She saw them clearly, yet they didn’t seem real. They looked more like projected images.
She didn’t think too much about it because her attention shifted to the woman wearing a lucky charm. It was the exact same one she had.
Her eyes moved from the charm to the woman’s face, but before she could see who it was, she woke up. Daniel had roused her when they finally arrived at the filming set.
She looked at him resentfully. Daniel tapped her nose playfully. He hadn’t wanted to wake her when she was sleeping so peacefully, but he needed to make sure both the children and their mother were safe.
He wanted to find Stephanie and keep Chantelle within sight, so he had no choice but to wake her.
Stephanie’s assistant helped Chantelle out of the car. "Stephanie still has one more scene to finish. Please wait a bit. It won’t take long."
Chantelle and Daniel each got a cup of tea and stood by to watch their daughter on set.
