CHAPTER 111: THE ONE WHO SENT THE BOX

Daisy sighed as she shut the wedding catalogue with a soft thud. "I can’t think properly..."

Theo, seated at his study desk, lifted his head. "What is it?"

"There’s too much on my mind right now." She rubbed her temple, her voice low. "But the biggest one is this wedding. Announcing that I married you feels like announcing to the Kennedys that I’ve handed them a fortune. I don’t want that."

"Kennedy," Theo muttered under his breath. Setting his pen aside, he pushed back his chair and stood. "That’s your mother’s family, isn’t it?"

Daisy arched a brow and gave a small nod. "I believe you’ve checked my background before... so you already know what they’re like."

Theo sat down beside her, shaking his head lightly. "Not really. I knew about them long before I ever knew you. But when I did run a background check, I’ll admit—I was surprised." His gaze softened as it met hers. "So... is it that you don’t want the reception at all?"

Daisy hesitated, her fingers tracing the catalogue’s edge. "It’s not that I don’t want it. I just... I don’t want them to know about us. As far as I can tell, they still don’t. And I’d like to keep it that way... for as long as possible."

Theo’s smile didn’t fade. If anything, it deepened, but his eyes sharpened in a way that made her throat tighten. He tilted his head, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek.

"Marriage, Daisy... is the least of their concerns," he murmured. "The Kennedys might already be planning their next move by now, aren’t they?"

Her heart skipped. "Wait... what do you mean by that? What next move?" She searched his face, but his expression gave nothing away except that infuriating calm, like he was two steps ahead of everyone else.

"Kennedy is always number four," Theo said evenly, his thumb still brushing her hair as though the topic were nothing more than idle chatter. "They could never surpass the top three who manage the economy of this country. But that’s exactly why they’re dangerous."

Her brows furrowed. "Dangerous how?"

"They’re desperate." His gaze held hers now, sharp and deliberate. "Kingsley, Anderson, and Grayson built their empires on power that can’t be shaken easily. But Kennedy... they claw their way up through sabotage, scandals, and broken alliances. They don’t fight fair, Daisy. They never did."

"What does that mean?" Daisy blinked hard, still clueless about this ruthless business world.

Theo’s lips curved, but it wasn’t quite a smile, more like a quiet triumph. "It means your father was doing something right. He led you here... to me."

Before she could question it, his arms tightened, pulling her firmly into his embrace, as if that alone settled everything.

Daisy’s eyes wavered, her thoughts spinning. ’My father led me towards you?’ The words echoed in her head, over and over again. She pushed lightly against his chest, trying to pull away, searching his face. "What do you mean by that? My father... he couldn’t have..."

Theo’s lips curved, though his eyes carried a weight she couldn’t name. "Sometimes the path is drawn long before we know we’re walking it." He lowered his voice, close enough that the warmth of his breath brushed her ear. "Your father saw further than most... and maybe further than you’ll want to."

"Ah... I am dumb!" Daisy stomped her feet lightly, her brows knitting as she glared at him. "Just be clear, please. I don’t understand the double meaning..."

Theo chuckled, low and unhurried, his hand sliding to the small of her back to keep her close. "It is a bit complicated, but let’s start with why you came to me."

"Revenge?" she blurted out right away.

"Yes, and why?" he asked, trying to lead the conversation.

"Well, a few months ago, I received a box with... hmm..." She bit her lip. "It contained documents about my father’s company. I don’t really know much about it, but every part of it pointed to..." She lifted her finger and aimed it at him. "You—as the cause of the downfall of my father’s business."

"Who sent it?" Theo asked.

"I... don’t know," Daisy admitted, shaking her head quickly. "There was no name, no address, nothing. Just that box sitting at my door like it had dropped from the sky."

Theo’s eyes narrowed, watching her closely. "And you believed it?"

"Well... what was I supposed to do?" Her voice pitched higher in defense. "Everything inside was written in this... terrifyingly official way. Numbers, contracts, reports... I couldn’t even understand half of it. But every page had your name, your company, underlined like a big red flag."

Her brows furrowed deeper as she continued, her tone softer now. "It felt like someone wanted me to hate you... and maybe I did. For a while."

He pinched her cheeks lightly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Ah... what to do, I can’t hold myself... should we stop this conversation?"

Leaning closer, his lips hovered dangerously near hers, but Daisy quickly pressed her hand against them, holding him back.

"Stop it," she said firmly, though her ears betrayed her with their faint blush. "Continue..."

Theo chuckled against her palm, his voice muffled but still deep and teasing. "Ah, this is torture. How can you ask me to hold myself when you’re this cute?"

She narrowed her eyes playfully, her lips curving into the faintest smirk. "Continue, or no kisses for a month."

Theo stilled, blinking at her as though she’d just declared war. "You wouldn’t dare."

Before she could retort, he leaned closer, cupped her face, and stole a kiss. Pulling back just enough, he smirked. "See?"

His eyes locked with hers, gaze unwavering, before he leaned in again, slower this time, as if daring her to stop him, ready to claim another kiss.

This time, Daisy didn’t stop him. Her hand slipped from his lips to his collar, holding him there as their mouths moved together, slow at first, then deepening as if neither wanted to let go.

But just as Daisy thought he might finally lose himself in her, Theo pulled back. His breath was warm against her skin, his thumb brushing her cheek. Then, with a heavy pause, he dropped the words like stones into still water.

"It was your father. The one who sent the box."