CHAPTER 102: MY ENEMY

"No!"

Aurora sprang to her feet, the chair screeching against the floor, breaking the quiet of the room.

"That’s quite a reaction Miss Williams," Theo finally formed a light smile and turned, heading straight to the toilet.

"No—no. What are you doing?" Aurora rushed and immediately spread her arms, halting Theo’s movement from continuing heading to the toilet, "You can’t use it, the toilet is currently... clogged! Yes! Clogged!"

Theo paused mid-step, one brow arched as he looked at her. The faint smile on his lips didn’t reach his eyes, which remained sharp and calculating. "Clogged?" His voice was calm, almost amused.

"Yes! Clogged!" Aurora’s voice rose, panic threading through her words. "I... I just—someone tried to use it earlier and... it’s stuck! You can’t!" She spread her arms wider, as if physically blocking him.

Theo tilted his head, studying her with that unreadable gaze. "I see..." His tone was measured, but a faint undertone suggested he didn’t believe her at all.

Aurora’s pulse pounded in her ears as she tried to steady herself. "Just... just wait. I’ll fix it. Or..." She swallowed, hesitating. "You can wait outside if you want, but you cannot—cannot go in there!"

Theo let out a slow, deliberate sigh, his shoulders relaxing fractionally. "Actually, I’m surprisingly quite good at fixing clogged toilets."

"Yeah, surprisingly!" Liam added, turning toward Aurora and flashing a smirk at her.

Aurora barely had time to react before Theo slipped past her with a speed that made her heart jump. In a blur, he flicked on the light and disappeared into the toilet, the door clicking shut almost instantly behind him.

Inside, Daisy froze against the wall, her back pressed to the cold surface, eyes wide as they met Theo’s, just for a heartbeat before the door had closed. The suddenness of it left her breathless, caught between panic and the realization that she’d been discovered.

Aurora’s hands flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp. "Daisy... I’m sorry..." she muttered dramatically, her eyes darting toward the bathroom door.

Meanwhile, back at the dining table, Liam continued munching on his food as if nothing unusual had happened. "I’ve never tried this dish before," he said casually, blinking innocently at Aurora’s parents. "Mind if I come here again sometime?" His tone was shameless, and his gaze lingered unabashedly on both Mr. and Mrs. Williams, leaving Aurora internally groaning.

The room’s tension hung in the air like a fragile thread, stretching thin between normalcy at the table and the chaos brewing just behind the bathroom door.

Inside the bathroom, the air felt thick, suffocating. Daisy pressed herself tighter against the cold wall, every instinct screaming to run, but there was nowhere to go. Her heart pounded violently, each beat hammering in her ears.

Theo’s voice came through the closed door, calm but edged with restrained urgency. "Come back home. I don’t like having to drag my wife."

Daisy’s lips trembled. "W–why?"

"Why?" Theo’s voice hardened, the calm giving way to something sharp, desperate. "No... I should be asking you—why did you run away?"

Daisy’s hands clenched at her sides, her voice tight and bitter. "Then what would you do if you were me? After believing, so strongly, that I had everything planned perfectly... only to find out I was a fool, played by my own enemy?" She bit her lips, trying to keep them from trembling uncontrollably.

Instead of answering directly, Theo’s lips curved into a faint, teasing smile. "So... you’re saying you were planning everything perfectly?"

"Yes!" Daisy shot back, her voice sharp, defending not just her plan but herself.

"You see," Theo said, his voice softening, a small, amused smile tugging at his lips, "your ’perfect plan’... it wasn’t perfect at all. Not even close. And honestly... I found it kind of cute."

Daisy gasped, frustration flaring. "Excuse me, Mr. Kingsley, that is rude!"

He leaned closer, the warmth of him brushing against her. "Hmm... let’s go home, please..."

"No! You are my... e...ne... my—"

Theo cut her words by his sudden embrace, his arms tightened slightly around her, his voice low but insistent. "I don’t want permission. I just want you to stop running."

Her chest heaved as she tried to push him gently, but the strength behind his embrace left her no room to escape. "You don’t understand! You knew everything... and I—"

"I knew," he admitted softly, leaning his forehead against hers, "but not because I wanted to trap you. I... I liked watching you try. You were cute, determined, stubborn... and I couldn’t stay away."

Daisy froze, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst. She blinked up at him, a mixture of disbelief, anger, and something else, swelling inside her.

"You... you think my revenge plan was... cute?" she whispered, half horrified, half incredulous.

Theo let out a quiet chuckle, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Every single bit. And I don’t care how mad you are at me right now... I just want you."

"You just don’t care? Did you just say you don’t care?" Daisy’s voice cracked, sharp with anger and fear. "Everything I risked... everything I planned... was that just for your amusement?" Her eyes started reddening, "So, just because you want me, everything I felt... it means nothing to you?"

Theo’s gaze softened, but the calmness in his eyes only made Daisy’s heart twist tighter. He stepped closer, closing the distance without touching her yet.

"I never said it meant nothing," he murmured, his voice low, careful. "I... I like you, Daisy. Not your plan. Not the mess, not your schemes... you."

Daisy’s breath hitched. "Like me...?" Her voice was barely audible, laced with disbelief.

He shook his head gently, a faint, earnest smile tugging at his lips. "Hmm...You... even when you run, even when you think I know everything and maybe hate me... I like you anyway. That’s why I couldn’t afford to lose you."

Her chest heaved as tears threatened to spill. "Too bad..." Her voice barely came out, trembling, "At this moment, I clearly hate you so much. So, Theo Kingsley... would you please get lost?"