The music stopped instantly. Daniel’s face paled, and Sofia froze mid-step.

“I—I was just…” she stammered, eyes wide.

Richard’s gaze was like steel. “You were hired as a maid, not as some… performer. Get out.”

Tears welled in Sofia’s eyes. She opened her mouth to protest, but Daniel’s trembling voice cut through the silence.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “She helps me feel… alive again.”

Richard turned to his son, stunned. It was the most Daniel had spoken to him in weeks.

“She makes me forget the chair,” Daniel continued, his voice breaking. “When she dances with me, I’m not broken anymore.”

The billionaire felt something inside him crack. He had spent so much time building walls around his own pain that he hadn’t realized how much deeper his son’s wounds went.

For a long moment, the room was silent. Richard’s chest rose and fell heavily as he looked from his son to the maid. Then, to everyone’s surprise, his stern expression softened.

“Play the music again,” he said quietly.

Sofia blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly.

“Go on,” Richard urged. “I want to see.”

Hesitant at first, Sofia pressed play. The melody filled the air once more. She began to dance, this time with Richard watching closely. Daniel lifted his arms, moving them in rhythm, his eyes shining with happiness. And for the first time since the accident, Richard felt tears sting his eyes.

In that moment, he realized that all the wealth in the world meant nothing if his son’s spirit remained imprisoned.

From then on, Richard encouraged the sessions. He even arranged for professional dance therapists to visit, inspired by what Sofia had begun. But Daniel always insisted that Sofia be part of it; she was the one who had lit the first spark.

Months later, at a charity gala hosted in the Caldwell mansion, Richard did something that shocked the city’s elite. After delivering his speech, he invited everyone’s attention to a small stage set up in the corner.

“My son has been through a great deal,” Richard said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “And while doctors and therapists have played their roles, it was an unexpected source that gave him back his will to fight.”