6. Eenie meanie miny moe

Daisy didn't know what to expect. But she prepared herself for the worst.

Releasing a shaky breath, she raised her knuckles and softly pressed them against his door.

"Come in," came Elijah's magnetic voice.

"Good morning, Elijah." She smiled at him. She was naturally a cheerful person, and despite the hurt, he had caused her, she didn't want to go against her character for him.

Unlike Elijah, she knew how to let go of the past. Her actions weren't driven by the past.

Elijah's money had practically saved her daughter's life and that alone was enough for her to be grateful to him.

"It's sir to you," Elijah snarled, his eyes narrowing with detest.

Daisy tilted her head, wondering how a person was capable of bearing that much hatred.

"Good morning, sir." She repeated, the smile not leaving her face.

Elijah felt his blood boil at how carefree she looked. He hated that about her.

Why was she allowed to smile after making his life a living hell?

Even though he would never admit it but God, he had missed her.

He missed that childlike curiosity in her eyes; he missed how just one smile from her would make his day better.

He missed every part of her being.

And yet here she was, not the least bit affected by his presence.

He scoffed silently, recalling how she had claimed to love him. Is that how you act when you are reunited with the person you love? Completely indifferent to his presence.

"You are late." Daisy heard him say, his voice devoid of the emotions she saw flickering in his eyes.

"Yes. I'm sorry about that." She said simply.

Elijah waited for her to say something else. To explain the reason, give an excuse, anything. But she did none of those. Instead, she stared at him with those big doe eyes of hers.

"Go make me coffee," Elijah ordered coldly.

He needed her out of his sight. For five years, he had stayed awake every single night, plotting how to make her suffer when he would find her again. Right after he was done imagining a life where they were happy together.

Yet when the time came, and he finally had her in his hold, his mind had just gone blank.

Even after everything, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

But he would, he promised. His pain deserved justice. He assured himself that the pain in his heart would lessen only when there would be tears in her eyes.

Only when she would be as broken as he was, he will be satisfied.

"Right away, sir." Daisy bowed dramatically, pretending to tip off her imaginary hat. Even now she realized, she liked the annoyance that clouded his features at her unnecessary theatrics.

Daisy walked outside, gently closing the door before leaning against it.

She had lied to herself. No matter how much she had convinced herself that she didn't love him anymore, it was all a load of bull.

Her heart still fluttered at his presence. And it took every part of her being to pretend otherwise.

She wondered how she would survive working with him for another six months. Or better yet, how she would survive with her heart intact.

Daisy explored the entire floor, earning curious stares from her new colleagues. She passed smiles to some of them, deciding to socialize later.

Once she reached the lounge, she realized Elijah hadn't specified what kind of coffee he wanted.

His preference depended entirely on his mood. He might want pure black coffee one moment and caramel latte the next, she could never guess.

So she did the only thing possible in that situation.

Eenie

meanie miny moe...

Elijah frowned at the mug of Caramel latte that was placed before him. He wondered how she had read his mind. He was craving exactly that since waking up.

He sipped on the latte, feigning disgust the next second. In truth, he would pay millions to eat anything made by her. But like hell, he was ever going to admit it.

"Weren't you a waitress?" He taunted, standing up from his armchair as he slowly approached where she stood. "The least you could do is make a decent cup of coffee."

He stopped right before her, leaning against the mahogany table as he took another sip.

"If you would like, I could go buy you coffee from Starbucks."

"I am not wasting money on something that's your job." He scoffed, taking another leisurely sip from the coffee.

Daisy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He claimed he hated the taste, yet not even two minutes had passed and his cup was already half empty.

His hypocrisy never failed to amaze her.

"I'll try to do better next time." She gave in, taking a step back to create some much-needed distance between them.

"You better," Elijah warned, placing the now empty cup on the table.

"You and I both know you don't deserve this job," he started, his tone condescending. "But until you pay back my money, you're bound to me."

"I know." Daisy nodded. She pulled a chair out, her legs hurting from standing for too long.

"Did I give you the permission to sit?" Elijah smirked making her pause in her movements.

Daisy moved away from the chair, accepting her fate.

"Now," he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out along with him. "Let's get my money's worth."