Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 419

Sandra Taylor’s words rang with such sincerity that even Daniel, though clueless about why Jordan Smith was so angry, saw his mom’s face darken and decided to milk the moment. “Dad Jordan, I swear, I never picked on Lillian! Don’t listen to—” Daniel’s voice quivered as he tried his best to look pitiful, eyes welling up with tears.

Jordan glanced between the two of them, unable to figure out who was telling the truth. But the image in his mind—Camila Davis, his ex-wife, dragging their daughter into the mess with another man—tilted his trust toward Sandra. Besides, Lillian was just a kid. What could she possibly know? No way she’d come up with something like this on her own. If anyone was putting ideas in her head, it had to be Camila.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Jordan got. He never should’ve let Camila win custody. Just look at how she was raising Lillian! His irritation boiling over, Jordan snapped, “Enough. That’s it for today. Sandra, take Daniel home. I’ve got work.”

He didn’t wait for a reply before climbing into his car. “Drive,” he told his assistant, Nathan Gates. “Take me to Smith Enterprises. And look into that art contest Lillian won. And that guy—why can’t we find anything on him? Who the hell is Dennis Williams, anyway?”

Nathan just nodded, knowing better than to push back against Jordan’s tone.

Sandra stood by the curb, watching Jordan pull away without so much as a glance back. Fury twisted in her chest. Why did Camila Davis always have to ruin everything for her? Daniel had finally started to become useful, and now, Camila had destroyed their hard-won moment of family warmth. That woman and her daughter were nothing but a curse!

That evening, Nathan forwarded Jordan the details about Lillian’s winning artwork. When Jordan opened the email and saw the painting, he could barely believe it. Was this really Lillian’s work? Her name was right there on the submission—no way to fake that. His little girl had actually won first place.

A mixture of regret and pride churned inside him. The style he’d once dismissed was now being praised by professionals. No matter what Camila said, Lillian was his daughter—Smith blood, through and through.

Determined to make things right, Jordan told Nathan, “Buy a few paintings. I want to bring them to Lillian next week.”

Nathan hesitated, wanting to say that maybe Lillian wouldn’t accept them. But Jordan’s expression brooked no argument. “Right away, sir,” he replied.

Meanwhile, Camila had no idea what was happening on Jordan’s end. She’d actually managed a good night’s sleep for once, but Lillian was up at dawn, wandering the house in search of her dad. Camila woke to Lillian’s plaintive cries, and her heart sank. She’d hoped a night’s rest would help, but nothing had changed.

“Where’d Daddy go? Doesn’t he want me anymore?” Lillian’s tiny voice trembled with disappointment, leaving Camila at a loss for words.

Thankfully, Susan—their housekeeper—came to the rescue, echoing Dennis’s earlier promise. “Daddy’s just at work, honey. He asked me to tell you to be good while he’s gone. When he comes back, he’ll bring you a present. Deal?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify