CHAPTER 45: YOURSELF FIRST

"Sorry?"

Before Daisy could make sense of Liam’s question, her hand was suddenly tugged.

"What are you doing here?" Aurora whispered under her breath. "Our new director is arriving today. You can’t just stand around the lobby like this."

Daisy blinked, still caught off guard, her gaze flickering between Aurora and Liam.

"New director?" she repeated, brows knitting as she glanced at Liam.

"Is he handsome?" Liam chimed in, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

Aurora turned to him, confused. "Sorry?"

"Ah, blur type," Liam said, still smiling. "Looks like close friends really do share traits."

Then, as if suddenly remembering his manners, he extended his hand politely.

"Liam Kingsley, new Marketing Department Director."

Aurora froze.

Her spine straightened like she’d just been electrocuted. Eyes wide, she blinked rapidly, then bowed slightly before awkwardly taking his hand in both of hers like she was shaking hands with royalty.

"I—I’m Aurora Williams. Assistant Manager in Marketing... Sir."

Liam tilted his head, amused by her flustered reaction.

"No need for the ’sir.’ Just Liam is fine."

Aurora turned red. "Y-Yes, Director—Liam—I mean..."

Daisy tried not to laugh. Watching Aurora malfunction in real time was oddly comforting. It meant... for once she wasn’t the only one falling apart today.

"Anyway," Daisy cleared her throat and quickly looked away from Liam, "since you’re the new director, congrats."

Liam gave her a wink. "Thanks, Barbie-in-law."

Aurora’s head snapped toward Daisy. "Wait, what?!"

"Kingsley..." Daisy pointed to Liam.

"Ah..." Aurora’s eyes widened. "I’m sorry—my mind’s all over the place today..."

Liam chuckled softly. "Don’t worry, Miss Aurora. It’s only my first day. I’ll pretend I wasn’t just mistaken for a random lobby guy."

Aurora looked like she wanted to curl into a potted plant and disappear.

"I-I’ll show you the way to the marketing floor," she offered, fumbling with her staff ID.

"No need," Liam replied, then turned to Daisy. "You coming up too, Barbie-in-law?"

Daisy blinked, taking her time to answer before shaking her head. "I’ll come up with Aurora."

"Okay." He leaned closer to her ear and added in a lower voice, "I hope it’s not my brother’s doing..."

Then, with his lips pressed into a thin, straight line, he turned and walked toward the elevator. The others started to follow behind him, though many kept glancing back at Daisy and Aurora, their heads turning even as they walked.

"What did he say?" Aurora’s eyes were still fixed on Liam until the elevator doors closed.

Then she turned back to Daisy and froze. Her eyes widened. "What is that?! What happened to your face?!"

Daisy quickly covered her mouth again, she had forgotten for a moment. "Nothing..."

To avoid any more chaos, she rushed toward the elevator. "Hurry up."

Luckily, they were the only ones in the elevator.

Daisy barely got the last word out when Aurora took a step back, blinking as she processed everything.

"So... you’re telling me a loan shark hit you?!" Aurora’s voice rang louder than she intended, echoing in the elevator. "Daisy! Be serious. Just send your mom back to her family. I know she’s your mother, but..." She paused, biting her lip, struggling to hold back her emotions. "She’s hurting you."

"Come here..." She pulled her into an embrace, her arms tightening protectively around Daisy. "You can’t keep doing this to yourself."

Daisy didn’t resist. For a moment, she let her forehead rest on Aurora’s shoulder, the tension in her body slowly unwinding.

"You know what..." Daisy whispered. "I gave her ten thousand two weeks ago... just for her to survive. Food, daily necessities ... not to spend like she won the lottery."

She paused as the elevator dinged, the soft chime slicing through the silence.

The doors slid open.

They stepped out.

Aurora exhaled sharply. "That’s probably what made her think you had more. Ten thousand is a lot... for both of you at this moment, right? It’s easy to assume you’re rolling in money if you can hand out that much."

She turned to face Daisy, her tone turning firm. "So please, lesson learned. Don’t give her anything else. Just think about yourself first. That’s not being selfish... it’s protecting yourself."

Both of them stood still as Aurora’s words sank in. The hallway was quiet until the sound of a door swiping open made them both jump.

Marla peeked her head out from behind the glass door. "I’m sorry, Miss Sinclair, are you here to meet Mr. Kingsley?"

Daisy nodded right away, instinctively lifting her scarf higher to cover her cheek.

"But he has a full meeting today," Marla continued. "Might not be finished until late in the evening."

Daisy hesitated for a moment, her fingers tightening around her bag strap. "Then... Can I wait inside his office? I need to talk to him."

Marla blinked at her, surprised, then gave a small nod. "Of course. Let me unlock it for you."

As Marla held the glass door open, Aurora leaned closer and whispered, "Get back to me after this. Let’s get dinner together, okay?" She gave Daisy a warm, reassuring smile. "I can’t stay long... there’s a meeting with a new director in an hour."

"Okay, go..." Daisy bobbed her head in understanding, her voice quiet but steady.

She stepped through the glass door that Marla held open, leaving Aurora behind in the corridor. The soft click of the door closing behind her echoed faintly, like the final note of a conversation that still hung in the air.

"Would you like tea or coffee, Miss Sinclair?" Marla asked as she tapped her card to open the door to Theo’s room.

"Hmm..." She shook her head, "You can just give me a bottle of mineral water."

"Okay," Marla gave her a feeble smile, "You can wait inside..." She turned, ready to grab a bottle of mineral water when Daisy stopped her.

"Has he had a packed schedule the past weeks too? I mean... he is... right... but like full... full?" Daisy looked at Marla with her expression slightly hardened.

Marla paused, then, with a slight nod, she said carefully, "Yes... It’s been like this for the past few weeks. Meetings back-to-back, a lot of last-minute changes. He barely has time to sit down. Sometimes, he doesn’t even come back to the office until it’s dark."

Her voice softened, a touch of sympathy creeping in. "Honestly, I don’t know how he’s doing it."

Daisy gave a small nod, her eyes drifting toward Theo’s office door, now unlocked. As Marla slipped out to fetch the water, Daisy quietly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"What is this scent? Wait..." Her brows knitted together the moment her nose caught the scent that filled the entire room.

"What are you doing here?"