Help! the four Alpha's are obsessed with me.-Chapter 207 A trip to the past II

Daniel hadn’t fully thought it through, but he always felt suffocated with them together—especially during awkward dinners like the one they were having now.

Sure, he loved singing. And if he could turn back time, he would take back telling his daddy that he enjoyed music. Because that confession hadn’t just changed everything—it had planted a seed in his father’s mind. Someone had told Alessandro that Daniel could get rich from it. Filthy rich. And that’s when his nightmare began.

Now he wasn’t a normal teenager anymore. Not only was he preparing for his regular school exams, but also for music examinations—the ones that would take him to the international prestigious school of the elite, where the most famous musicians of all time had graduated from.

That was his father’s goal. During those times, Daniel would be picked up, made to sing, and that voice would blow him up—make them rich. Billionaires.

None of them understood how draining it was. His siblings probably thought he was enjoying himself, when that was far from the case. It might have looked like he was being pampered, but he was in a deep mess, rooted in trapped perfectionism. Anything less than perfect was frowned upon. Anything less might get him disowned.

He could see the cold shudders they gave him. It crushed him every time.

"Daniel, you’re going for the final exams tomorrow," Alessandro declared with so much authority that Daniel felt like his father was the one taking the exam instead of him. "The biggest one yet. The top five are performing, so whatever you do, don’t fail to perform. That means you shouldn’t just be among the top five—you will be the top of all time."

The weight of the order made him shake to his bones. He could almost collapse right there.

"But Dad, my normal school—we have exams tomorrow too. I’ve been missing so much that I’m becoming an outcast. At least let me go for that one."

When Daniel was talking, he hadn’t noticed the grave change in Alessandro’s expression. Not until he met his father’s eyes. His soul nearly left his body when he saw that venomous scowl.

"You would rather go to an ordinary exam than the one that will make us turn from nobodies to somebody?" Alessandro’s voice was low, daring. "Is that what you’re implying, Daniel Lancaster?"

Daniel’s heart nearly flew from his chest.

He didn’t reply. The man stood up and slammed his hands on the table. Everyone stopped eating immediately and watched, all of them shaking. This time, it shocked Angelo and Lily—they had thought Daniel was untouchable. Seeing him get scolded, probably worse than them, made them both shift back in their seats.

Daniel felt his mother’s leg nudge him under the table. The signal. Talk now, before it takes a darker turn. Before he does something crazy. Agree.

"I won’t go for my school exams, Daddy. I’m so sorry for even thinking of going against your order. Please forgive my impatience."

Daniel apologized. He couldn’t kneel—the table was too tight—but at least his father’s face wasn’t boiling as before. Those scary eyes turned calmer as he sat back down. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I know what I spent to get you registered for this exam. So don’t fail me, Daniel. Unless you want me to hate you for life."

And no one needed to tell Daniel that from here on, his life had been altered. Changed forever.

Daniel didn’t argue. He went slowly through the rest of his meal, and when he was done, he excused himself and went straight to the studio his father had built for him. The beauty of the place was unparalleled, but instead of finding peace when he entered the room, it felt like he was walking into his cage. Trapped there like a bird.

Raking a hand through his mass of hair, he placed a microphone on the stand beside the piano. He began to hit the keys, closing his eyes and nearly bursting into tears.

Tiredness threatened to wear him down, but he pushed through and started singing, following the lines he’d composed. The piece he wrote was his most personal song ever—about being trapped in a prison. He used a bird as a metaphor to describe himself, so that no one would understand. But if you paid attention to the details, you would notice the similarities. His father was too dumb to see he was being dragged in the song.

Like a robot, Alessandro stood up from the dining table and made his way to the studio. He watched his son perform, listening to the vocals—the ones that would change his life forever.

Watching Daniel, he smiled. He couldn’t believe tomorrow was already here. This was what they had been practicing for years—forcing Daniel to sing morning till night, drafting lists of songs, even ones that could encompass an entire album.

He nodded his head to the melody, waiting till Daniel landed the final note before he spoke.

"Not so bad, Daniel. You’ve improved a lot."

Daniel, who had been expecting at least a praise, was snubbed of one. He staggered back to the seat where he stayed for almost another hour. Then Alessandro clapped his hands together.

"Ten more times to go, Daniel, and we’ll be ready."

It was like cold water was poured on him. He felt drenched immediately.

Unable to complain, he pressed the piano keys, tightening his hands in utter agony. Why him? he thought. Was it too much to ask for rest? He wasn’t a robot—he was human. Since morning, he had been at this, hadn’t rested except for dinner. His voice grew fainter, slower, till he finally fell asleep on the piano.

That was the tenth practice of the same song. Alessandro was finally satisfied.

"Now I’m assured that no one can beat you, my boy." He turned and left.

Celeste, who had sneaked in after Alessandro walked away, carried Daniel, placing him on her shoulders. Her poor baby boy. The man she married wasn’t even paying attention as she tried to help.

Slowly, she opened his room—filled with nothing but different music posters and medals he’d won from childhood, from poem writing. Now all that passion was being exploited. The poor boy wasn’t as keen on music as he’d been in his early childhood. He even prayed that he could quit permanently and live his life. But at this point, that was just a fantasy.