002

Chapter 2

 Daniella’s POV  

I stood frozen for what seemed like a lifetime before Matilda's syrupy voice filled the air. 

“Ah, the coffee,” she purred. “How thoughtful.” her gaze never left me, her eyes glinted with something venomous beneath the veil of a practiced smile

I ignored her tone and placed the tray on the table beside her. My hand had barely left the cup when Matilda suddenly stood, her chair screeching backward. Her foot wobbled theatrically, and the next moment, her shriek pierced the air.

The tray tilted, spilling its contents. Most of the hot coffee splashed onto my leg, the searing pain making my breath catch. 

But Matilda clutched her arm “Oh!” she yelped, stumbling into me,  blinking rapidly as if on the verge of tears. “I know you don’t like me, but this is too much. Bullying me like this?” her eyes wide with feigned innocence.  

My lips parted, words of protest bubbling up, but Liam’s head snapped up from his phone. His eyes zeroed in on Matilda’s reddened hand, and his face darkened.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded, standing swiftly.

“It… it was an accident,” Matilda said, her voice trembling just enough to seem sincere. “I… I think Daniella was upset and… well, it’s fine. I’m sure she didn’t mean to.”

“What the hell, Daniella?” he barked, striding over.  

“That’s not what happened!” I protested, the pain in my leg sharp enough to bring tears to my eyes. “She stood up and—”

“Enough!” he snapped, silencing me. He turned his back to me, his focus entirely on Matilda. “Let me see,” he said, gently taking her hand.

I stood there, frozen, as he grabbed a handful of ice cubes from the tray and wrapped them in a napkin, pressing it to Matilda’s arm. 

“Look at her arm!” he snapped, gesturing to Matilda’s barely reddened skin. “How could you be so careless?”  

I swallowed hard, feeling the burn on my own leg throb. “It was an accident. She—”  

“Does it hurt?” he asked her, his tone gentle in a way he’d never used with me.  

“A little,” she murmured, casting me a sidelong glance. “But I’ll be fine. Just… please, don’t be too hard on her. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.”  

“I disagree with you,” Liam said grimly, his thumb grazing her wrist in what looked like an intimate gesture. He finally turned to me, his eyes blazing. “How could you be so careless? Is this how you conduct yourself in a professional setting?”

The words struck harder than they should have. “I wasn’t careless,” I said, my voice trembling with suppressed anger and humiliation. “She—”

“Apologize,” he said, cutting me off.

The room spun for a moment, the pain in my leg nearly eclipsed by the ache in my chest. I opened my mouth to argue, to explain, but the look on his face—impatient, dismissive—silenced me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, though my voice cracked on the words.

“Louder,” he demanded.  

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, my voice breaking.  

Matilda smiled triumphantly. She brushed her hand against Liam’s arm, a touch so casual it was intimate.  

 “It’s alright,” she said, magnanimous in her victory. “Thank you, Liam,” she said softly. “You always know how to make things better.”  

‘I could never let any harm come to you,’ Liam smiled at her, making me nauseous in the process

‘I have to go now, my nail appointment is in thirty minutes, she stood and kissed Liam on his cheeks and waved at me in obvious triumph.

As soon as she left, and the door clicked shut behind her, for a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of my uneven breathing.

“Why won’t you believe me?” The words spilled out before I could stop them.

Liam looked up, his expression hard.

 “She tripped on purpose. She’s playing you, Liam.” I muttered

His brows furrowed, irritation flashing across his face. “Playing me? You think I’m blind?”

“I think you’re cruel,” I shot back, my voice breaking. “Cruel to me.”

He sighed, exasperated, and leaned back against his desk. “Daniella, don’t make this bigger than it is. You spilled the coffee. You apologized. End of story.”

“What am I to you?” The question came out in a whisper, but it hung heavy in the air. “For these past years… what have I been to you?

For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker there—remorse, regret, anything. But then his jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as if he found the question absurd. And then he spoke, his voice cold and clipped, like a knife slicing through the fragile hope I’d been clinging to for so long.

“You’re just my pleasure in bed, Daniella. A pass time, Nothing more.” he sneered

The words struck like a physical blow, the air knocked from my lungs. My hands clenched at my sides, the pain in my leg now dull compared to the ache that spread through my chest.

“That’s all I’ve ever been to you?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.  

He shrugged, turning back to his papers as if dismissing me entirely.  

“I see,” I said finally, my voice shaking but steady enough to carry the shards of my dignity. I turned and walked out, each step a battle against the tears threatening to spill.

When I finally left his office, the tears came, hot and unchecked.