“Yes. We are putting you on a three-month probation period. Impress us or you’re gone. Like broomstick.”
Leo tried not to laugh. “Understood. I’ll do my best.”
Faith looked at both of them. Her daughter—their daughter—had his eyes, his lips, even his stubborn charm. She hadn’t forgiven him fully, but a door had opened, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to close it again.
Faith had finally been discharged from the hospital, but her heart was not at peace. She was relieved to be alive, grateful for the healing, but now she felt trapped. Leo had paid for everything—her surgery, her medications, even new clothes and supplies for Daisy. She didn’t like this feeling of being indebted. It bruised her pride, especially when the debt was owed to a man who had once abandoned her when she needed him the most.
So, when Leo brought up the idea of moving in with him, she shut it down.
“I don’t want to feel like I owe you more than I already do. I’m only talking to you because of Daisy. Don’t get it twisted.”
Leo didn’t argue. He didn’t push. He just nodded like a schoolboy who had been properly scolded. He respected her boundaries. He knew she was still angry—very angry—and he deserved every bit of it.
He was walking on thin ice around Faith. The kind of bad eyes she had been giving him lately could cut through a rock. If looks could kill, Leo would have dropped dead ten times over.
But he didn’t mind. He had made his bed years ago when he rejected her and the pregnancy. Now he was ready to lie in it. And if that meant taking a daily beating from her eyes, then so be it.
Still, he wasn’t going to give up.
Every day he came to visit their tiny slum home. Sometimes with fruits, sometimes with hot jollof rice from a five-star restaurant, sometimes with packs of school supplies. And every time he showed up, he wore the same nervous, hopeful smile.
One day, when Daisy had gone off to school, Leo came alone. No driver, no security, no fanfare. He wore a simple white T-shirt and dark pants, holding a nylon bag filled with groceries—bread, fruit juice, and small gifts for Daisy. He knocked.
When Faith opened the door and saw him standing there smiling like a Christmas goat, she hissed so loud the birds in the sky probably paused mid-flight.
“What are you doing here again?” she snapped. “Your daughter is not at home. She has gone to school. Why are you always coming here every day anyway? Or do you want to move in with us?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “This house cannot contain a selfish lizard like you. So, park well, Mr. Man.”
Leo smiled gently. “I know you’re very mad at me, and you have every right to be. I messed up big time, Faith. I made the worst decision of my life, but I will spend the rest of my life making up for it.” He hesitated, then added, “Please, I want us to talk about Daisy’s future.”
Faith looked at him for a few seconds, her lips tightened. Then she opened the door wider, muttering under her breath, “Enter! Enter. Talk fast and go.”
When he stepped into their cramped sitting room, Faith barely looked at him. “You can sit or stand. I really don’t care.”
Leo sat quietly. He didn’t argue. He just looked around the modest room—the cracked walls, the worn-out cushions. Then he turned to her.
“Please move in with me. You and Daisy—she deserves better. You both do. I know I failed you before and I can’t erase that, but I want to make things right. Let me take care of you both. Not out of pity, but out of love. Genuine love and responsibility.”
Faith didn’t say anything.
He tried to reason with her. “She deserves to be in a better environment, Faith. She deserves a good school, good clothes. She’s my daughter. I have everything. I have billions.”
“She does not deserve to be begging on the streets or sleeping in the slum. I mean, no offense—”
“Excuse me,” Faith snapped, her arms folded tightly. “What do you mean begging on the streets? Are you trying to insult me? Are you calling me a beggar?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Leo said quickly, trying to pacify her. “Do you know how I met her for the first time? I met her at Silverline Junction. She was begging.”
“What?” Faith gasped.
“Yes. She’s been going there for months now. I didn’t know who she was at the time. I just saw this smart, brave little girl standing up to a woman selling eggs. That was the first day. Since then, I kept going back. I needed to know why she wasn’t in school. I followed her home, and that’s how I got here.”
Faith stared at him in disbelief. “She goes to school. Even before my illness got worse, I made sure I paid her school fees. We don’t have everything, but I tried my best. Why would my daughter go out begging?”
Then it hit her. Her eyes widened. “Oh… so that’s where she’s been getting all that food stuff she brings home. She told me it was the pastor at church giving her food and medicine. Oh my God.”
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