"No!" Julia screamed, knocking a flower vase off the table. It shattered on the floor, pieces of ceramic scattered everywhere. "He ruined everything!" she cried, kicking a chair in frustration.

Tyrson had discovered the truth about Michelle, and now Julia was worried that her plan had failed. She hated Meryl, and wanted nothing more than to see her destroyed.

The thought of hurting Meryl made her feel a rush of adrenaline. She would do anything to see her suffer.

Now that Michelle had been admitted to the hospital, she still had a chance to end her life - this time, she would succeed.

She picked up her phone and dialed Ludovic's number, but he wasn't answering. That b*stard, she thought.

He was the one who had approached her in the first place. Why wasn't he answering now, when she needed him the most?

She hurled her phone against the couch, and it bounced onto the floor with a thud. She didn't care whether it was broken or not - she just wanted to get out of there.

*

"What did you say before?" Tyrson asked Mason as he drove him home. Tyrson's expression was unreadable, but he clearly wasn't in the best of moods.

"That car belongs to Miss Julia," Mason replied, and Tyrson ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Tyrson couldn't wrap his mind around it. Why would Julia want to harm Michelle? Or was her car stolen? So many questions ran through his mind, and he couldn't seem to settle on any answers.

He needed to talk to Julia and get to the bottom of this. He couldn't just let it go, not when Michelle's life had been put in danger.

As they pulled up in front of Julia's apartment, Tyrson saw the black car that had nearly hit Michelle - it was parked right in front of the building. Julia had been behind the wheel, and she must have been trying to hurt Michelle.

Just then, Julia emerged from her apartment, looking around suspiciously. She didn't notice them, and quickly got into her car and drove away.

Tyrson signaled to Mason to follow her, and they trailed her slowly until she pulled up to a hotel. She got out of her car, wearing a face mask.

Manson nodded, understanding Tyrson's unspoken request. He put on his own face mask and got out of the car, following Julia discreetly.

A few minutes later, Manson returned to the car. "She met with Ludovic Hans," he said, a grim expression on his face.

Tyrson's jaw clenched in anger. He had always known Ludovic was a bad influence, and now it seemed like he had manipulated Julia into doing something terrible. He couldn't let this go unpunished.

But how could Julia be so heartless? She must have been manipulated by Ludovic, but that didn't excuse her actions. She had tried to hurt his daughter, and he couldn't forgive her for that.

How did Ludovic even find out about Michelle? It must have been connected to Joanna's kidnapping. It all made sense now, but it also left him with more questions than answers.

It was clear that Ludovic was using Julia to commit murder. Tyrson thought back to the day Joanna had disappeared. He had lost a daughter once, and he wouldn't let it happen again.

"What's your plan?" Manson asked. " Miss Meryl and Michelle's lives are in danger." His voice was full of worry.

Tyrson looked up at him. He knew what he had to do, but it wouldn't be easy. He had to find a way to protect them both, no matter the cost.

"We'll need to wait for the DNA results before we can make any moves," Tyrson said, his tone determined. "But in the meantime, keep an eye on Julia and Ludovic."

Manson nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Do you want me to drive you back to the hospital?" he asked.

"No," Tyrson replied, his eyes closed. "Just take me home." He leaned back against the seat, trying to get a moment of rest before he had to face the next challenge.

His thoughts drifted to the possibility of the DNA results coming back positive. He had felt a connection to Michelle the moment they'd met, and he couldn't help but hope that they were truly related.

It seemed like too much of a coincidence that she'd ended up in his life, but maybe there was more to it than that.

The idea of having a daughter filled him with a strange sense of longing.

****
AT THE HOSPITAL...

Cassie pushed open the door to the VIP ward, balancing a basket of fruit in her arms. She knew that Tyrson would be behind this.

As she stepped inside, she saw Meryl sitting by Michelle's bedside. The girl was awake, but she looked pale and exhausted.

"Michelle!" Cassie whispered, rushing to her side and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She had only just heard about the accident, and she was overwhelmed with relief that Michelle was still alive.

Meryl looked up at Cassie, a tired smile on her face. She signed to Cassie, explaining what had happened.

Noticing that Michelle had fallen asleep, Meryl gently pulled the duvet up to her chin, then followed Cassie out of the room, careful not to wake the sleeping girl.

Cassie looked at Meryl, waiting for her to continue. She could see the sadness in her friend's eyes, and it broke her heart.

"What?!" Cassie exclaimed after hearing the full story from Meryl. "Someone tried to kill Michelle?" She frowned, horrified by what she had just heard.

"She's not safe here," Cassie said, looking worried. "When is she going to be discharged?"

Meryl shook her head. "The doctor said he'll be doing a check-up, and that she'll be moved to a different ward. He asked me to sign some papers," she signed, her expression grim.

Meryl's mind raced, trying to figure out who could possibly want to hurt her daughter. The only person who came to mind was Ludovic, but she couldn't believe he would do something like that.

"What about Tyrson?" Cassie asked, her voice gentle.

Meryl sighed. "I don't know. He probably hates me now," she said, sounding defeated.

Cassie put a comforting hand on Meryl's shoulder. "He'll come around," she said. "It's good that he knows the truth now."

Just as the doctor had said, he soon arrived to check on Meryl. The nurses then transferred her to another ward for surgery, and Meryl had no idea what was in store for her.

*****

A FEW WEEKS LATER...

Tyrson was busy working in his office when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Dr. Carl calling. He set down the document he was holding and picked up the call.

"Hello?" he said, his voice brusque.

"I just wanted to let you know that Michelle will be discharged tomorrow," Dr. Carl said over the phone.

Tyrson's hand went to his hair, brushing it back in an anxious gesture.

"Thanks," Tyrson said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "I'll see you soon." With that, he hung up the phone. He leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.

The DNA results had confirmed what he had secretly hoped for, that Michelle was indeed his daughter. But he still felt conflicted, unsure of how to feel about the situation.

He hadn't been able to bring himself to go to the hospital to see Meryl or the child. He felt like a coward, a terrible father.

Now that Michelle would be released soon, their lives would be in even more danger. The only way to keep them safe was to have them under his protection, which would mean they would have to live with him.

But Meryl would never agree to that. Tyrson knew he would have to fight for custody of the child, and that would likely mean a long and bitter battle.

As he walked out of his office, he bumped into Julia. "Where are you off to?" she asked, her tone casual.

"You don't need to keep an eye on me," he said coldly, his eyes flashing with anger. He didn't have time to deal with Julia's games right now. He had more important things to worry about.

With that, he walked away, leaving Julia standing there, looking confused and hurt. But she knew she had done nothing wrong. Or had she?

*

"Mom, what do you plan on getting me for my birthday?" Michelle asked, sitting on the hospital bed looking much healthier and happier.

"I think birthday presents should be a surprise," Meryl said, helping her daughter comb her hair.

"Will I be discharged tomorrow?" Michelle asked again, her eyes shining with excitement.

Meryl nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. "Yes, honey, you'll be able to go home."

"You'll be going back to school soon," Meryl said, trying to sound upbeat.

Michelle groaned. "But this place is so cool! I don't want to leave." She pouted, and Meryl sighed. She was starting to feel worn out from all of Michelle's questions.

Then, like an answer to her prayers, Cassie walked into the room. Meryl felt a sense of relief wash over her.

Meryl was so glad to have Cassie there to take some of the load off her shoulders. Cassie had brought her some new clothes and food, which was a welcome sight after days of hospital meals.

Michelle, meanwhile, was still full of questions. Meryl was tired of the constant barrage of inquiries, but she knew that Cassie would be more than happy to answer them. After all, she was always good at dealing with children.

"Tyrson still hasn't shown up?" Cassie asked, her voice tinged with concern. Meryl shook her head, worry creasing her brow.

It had been days since the accident, and he still hadn't come to see his daughter. What was going on?

Meryl had been trying to reach Tyrson, but he hadn't answered any of her calls. She knew he was angry with her for keeping secrets, but she hadn't expected him to react this way.

Or maybe he just didn't believe that Michelle was his child. He had mentioned wanting to run a DNA test, but she didn't know if he had followed through with it.

The knock on the door broke her train of thought. "Come in," she said, and Tyrson entered the room. Both Meryl and Michelle looked surprised to see him.

"Hun...Mr. Philanthropist!" Michelle exclaimed, her face brightening. Meryl, meanwhile, could only stare at him in shock.

Tyrson's breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell on Michelle. It was clear that he had been her father all along. How could he have missed all the signs? Now was his chance to make things right and make up for all the time he had missed.

"Michelle, let's go for a walk," Cassie said, quickly steering the little girl out of the room. The two were left alone, and the tension in the air was palpable.

"You've been ignoring my calls," Meryl said, breaking the silence. Tyrson shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

"I've been busy," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. Meryl scoffed.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, her voice sharp. Tyrson handed her a file he had been holding.

"The DNA test results came out positive," he said, his tone flat. Meryl's eyes widened as she opened the file. Her eyes filled with tears as she read the words on

"You want to take custody of my daughter?" Meryl said, her voice shaking with disbelief. It was like her worst fear had come true.

She knew this day would come, but she never thought it would be so soon. And there was no way she was going to give her child to him.

"Michelle will only be safe with me," Tyrson said, his voice firm. Meryl could feel her anger rising, and before she knew it, she had slapped him across the face. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she held them back, refusing to show.

"How dare you suggest that!" Meryl said, her voice quivering with anger. "You've ignored us for a week, and now you want to take custody of Michelle? You have no right!"

Tyrson gave a cruel laugh, and Meryl's anger rose even higher. She glared at him, her fists clenched at her sides.

"You think you can protect her from Ludovic?" he said, his voice full of sarcasm. "You have no idea what you're up against."

Meryl's blood ran cold. "Ludovic?!"

"He's looking for every possible way to get rid of her, and she'll only be safe with me," Tyrson said, his words filled with confidence. "Even if we have to go to court, I'm going to win. You've been with the child for the past four years - don't you think it's time to hand her over to me?"

"Michelle is not a thing that I can just hand over to you," Meryl said, her voice low and trembling with emotion. "How am I supposed to be okay with not seeing my daughter everyday?"

Tyrson's smirk made her blood boil. She felt like she was being toyed with, that he was playing some kind of cruel game. But she couldn't let herself be manipulated by him. Not again.

"I never said you couldn't live with her," Tyrson said, his smirk widening.

"What?!" Meryl's eyes widened in shock. "You want me to live with you?"

Tyrson nodded. "It's up to you," he said. "But I'll be coming to pick you up tomorrow."

Meryl stood there, stunned. Was he really serious?