Chapter 4: A Dilemma

Right now, Daphne was in a hot potato.

After moving with her friend Clara for a few days, both her mother and her ex-boyfriend had been pestering her with calls. Linda kept on pestering her for money, while Maverick was constantly calling and texting her to come back to him. More so, on the same weekend she had just settled down in Clara’s apartment, her mother called her again, asking Daphne with her most pitiful voice about getting back with Maverick. Linda explicated Maverick was the only way they could, or more likely, Linda could pay for her debts.

She tried to reason it out on her mom that she didn’t want to go back with Maverick and that she was done with him. However, since Daphne was a woman who had a golden heart, she obliged her mother and finally texted Maverick back. Daphne asked him if he could meet her and Maverick pleasantly agreed that they could meet in a hotel.

With that, Daphne came to the hotel and found Maverick by the café, surrounded by a bunch of women. She approached him without hesitation, pushing off each woman who was blocking her way in Maverick’s direction. As soon as she met him eye to eye, Daphne crossed her arms against her chest and lifted her eyebrow.

“I’m breaking our engagement, Maverick,” Daphne greeted him with indignation.

Although Maverick was a bit surprised, he held it back and looked at her impassively. He just laughed at her like Daphne was a complete joke. “I don’t really care, Daphne. Besides, I have never loved you in the first place.”

Daphne’s lips pressed into a thin line. Her heart sank to his cold, mercurial tone. Even if Daphne already knew that Maverick fooled her, his words of affirmation hurt like her. Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fingers and balled them into a fist.

“Then you should pay for every single cent I’ve used just to purchase everything we needed for our wedding, which, by the way, should be your responsibility as the groom!” She pointed her index fingers at him and added, “And also for the emotional damages you have caused me throughout the years that you deceived, used, and humiliated me!” Daphne seethed with anger.

Maverick chuckled so loud enough to be noticed by everyone near them. “This is the reason you’ve always been fooled, Daphne. You’re so stupid!”

Daphne’s tears instantly shed not because she found Maverick’s statement insulting, but because she knew that what he had said was true. She was stupid enough to believe him and she was a fool to love him.

“Yeah, you’re right, Maverick. I was an idiot to believe all your lies, and I was stupid enough to love you, despite your shit narcissistic attitude. Yes, I’m that fucking stupid!” She slapped him on his cheeks as she tilted her chin to meet his gaze.

“This is for hurting me!” Daphne hit his other cheeks. “This is for humiliating me!” She slapped him back again on the right side of his face. “And this is for lying to me, you piece-of-shit!” One more time, she hit him with full force to let him know how angry she was.

“Ann—” Daphne heard his voice. However, before she could fully hear his reply, she dashed out of his way, while her tears incessantly fell down her cheeks.

By the time she reached the hotel’s entrance, her feet halted when she suddenly bumped into another person. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up and was daunted by a familiar face.

It was Nathan Kelly, the man who offered her a job, wearing a black slim-fitted suit. His hair was tousled back in perfection, as though it took an hour to look as fine as hell. Daphne immediately stepped back, hunching her head down.

“Sorry,” the woman stingily replied.

Nathan’s eyebrow twitched a little. Before she could move away from him, he yanked her arms, placing his palms on her shoulder. “Miss Collins, are you okay? Did something happen?”

She shoved his hands away from her while trying her best to look away. “Yes, I’m fine.” Daphne cleared her throat and then was about to walk out when Nathan persisted in asking another question of her.

“Are you sure?” He blocked her way, staring directly into her eyes. She looked at him as though all the barriers on her eyes were almost naked. Her cheeks were scarlet red, her eyes were glinting with tears that he found so appealing and mesmerizing.

She softly nodded. “Yes. Thanks.”

Daphne was about to go to the entrance door when he turned around to ask her another question. “Uh, Miss Collins?”

She stopped walking and pivoted to her back. “Yes?”

Nathan gulped as he felt his heart skip a beat at the moment their gazes collided. Inserting his hands in his pants pockets, he asked again, “It’s the last day for you to decide, Miss Collins. Are you still up for it?”

“Yes, I accept the job offer,” Daphne quickly answered, with no hesitations.

He was dawned by her answer. Nathan didn’t expect that she would quickly accept it without asking for the specification of the job responsibilities. “Great! Finally, you’ve come to your decision.”

She bit her lips in contemplation, and after that, lifted her chin to answer him. “And thanks—really — for the offer.” His Job offer was a God-sent to Daphne, surmising that this might be her way to move on from Maverick and get her life back.

“No worries, Miss Collins. Glad I could be of help,” He replied.

Daphne pointed her finger at the back. “Well, I guess, I got to go, Nathan . . .” she said it with slight disinclination.

“My driver can take you home.” He fished out his phone and called his secretary. “Jonathan, please tell Isaac to drive Miss Jenning home.”

However, she waved her arms at Nathan, rejecting his gracious offer. “No! No—You don’t have to do that! I can just get a cab, sir!”

“I insist,” he retorted back while dropping his smartphone back into his pockets.

“Really, it’s alright, sir. My apartment is just two blocks away from here,” Daphne lied. It actually took her forty-five minutes to get to the hotel and a fifty bucks cab fee. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to owe the guy more until it would get to where she could hardly repay him.

“I told you, just call me Nathan.” He rubbed his palms against his scruff. “Besides, it might be actually weird for my nephew to hear you calling me, sir.”

“Then I suppose you also have to call me by my name, Nathan. Since you said your nephew will get awkward about it,” Daphne rebutted.

Nathan couldn’t help but smile at her remark. “Touché, Daphne.”

Daphne’s eyes glittered with delight. “And you really don’t have to let your driver drive me home.”

“It’s fine, Daphne. Besides, Isaac must know where you live, so he knows where he could drop you off after your tutoring sessions with Chuck,” Nathan explained.

Her eyes widened. “I assume that’s your nephew’s name. Isn’t it?”

Nathan looked back at her and answered, “Yes, it is. Chuck for Chester.”

“I’m excited to meet him,” Daphne commented.

He didn’t know what to reply to her, that it rendered him mute. It was fortunate for him that his car arrived soon before Daphne could ask him another question.

“He’s here,” he informed her, and they walked to the entrance door and were welcomed by Isaac, Nathan’s driver.

“Take her to her flat, Isaac,” Nathan replied thriftily.

Isaac nodded at her and asked Daphne for her address. She was reluctant at first, but she then gave it away to the driver. As soon as both of them got inside the car, Nathan watched them as his gaze trailed to where the car was.

When it disappeared from his view, he turned away, walking back inside of the hotel to meet with his dear-old friend Maverick while the smile on his face was still etched unwittingly.

***