CHAPTER 96: HE KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING?

Theo moved with practiced precision, slipping behind the driver’s seat. One sharp tug and the chair snapped backward, forcing the driver to jolt in shock, a gasp tearing from his throat.

"Any explanation?" Daisy’s eyes narrowed, suspicion lacing every word.

Theo’s gaze met hers, steady and unreadable. He said nothing.

Her lips curved into a cold little smile. "So, after being caught red-handed, you choose silence? Is this you protecting your ego?"

Theo leaned back in the seat, his expression as calm as ever, as if her accusation had bounced right off him. "I don’t answer to speculation," he said evenly, his voice low but cutting.

Daisy scoffed, folding her arms. "Speculation? I literally caught you."

"You caught me doing what?" Theo countered, tilting his head slightly. "I just happened to have a meeting here."

Daisy narrowed her eyes, her lips curling into a disbelieving smirk. "A meeting? In that building?" She jabbed her finger toward the worn-down structure, its windows dark and boarded. "The company shut down six months ago. Don’t tell me you came here to negotiate with dust and cobwebs."

Theo’s expression didn’t flicker. His calm reply only fueled her irritation.

"Do I need to have a meeting there?" he asked evenly, his tone almost bored. "Just because I’m here, doesn’t mean I’m meeting in that building, does it?"

Daisy let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "So where, then? Sounds more like an excuse to lurk around like some creep."

Theo finally tilted his head, his gaze steady on her. "You sound awfully sure of yourself. Tell me, are you accusing me... or just hoping you’re right?"

Daisy’s jaw tightened. "I don’t need to hope. You’ve been following me since the start, don’t even bother denying it."

Theo shifted slightly in his seat, his posture relaxed in contrast to the fire sparking in her eyes. "If I were following you, you wouldn’t have noticed." His words were quiet, but they landed like a challenge.

Her mouth fell open for a second before she snapped back, "Oh, so now you’re bragging about being a stalker?"

His lips curved the slightest bit, not quite a smile, but enough to irritate her. "No. I’m correcting your flawed observation. There’s a difference."

Daisy narrowed her eyes, leaning closer as if daring him to blink. "You think you can twist words and get away with it?"

Theo’s voice dropped, steady as steel. "I don’t need to twist anything. You’re the one desperate to catch me doing something wrong."

The driver shut his eyes, silently praying he’d make it out alive from this storm brewing in the back seat.

Daisy gave a stiff nod, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine," she said coldly. "Then I hope you enjoy your little meeting." She pulled back, turning away with a sharp flick of her hair, her heels clicking hard against the pavement as she walked off, each step echoing her frustration louder than words.

Alex, who had been standing rigidly by the car, felt his stomach twist. He glanced from the tinted window to Daisy’s retreating figure, already bracing for the fallout.

"Let’s go," she muttered, storming toward him. Her hand shot for the car door handle. "I need to vent my frustration."

But just as her fingers curled around the metal, she froze. Something clicked, sharp and sudden.

Her head snapped toward Alex. His face had gone pale, as if her gaze alone pinned him in place.

"Yes, madam?" he stammered.

Daisy’s breath came out uneven, the realization sinking like a weight in her chest. "No... wait..." Her voice dropped, raw with the sting of betrayal. "I’ve been a fool all this time."

"Sorry, madam?" Alex asked carefully, confusion lacing his voice as he searched her expression.

But Daisy didn’t answer. Her jaw tightened, eyes narrowing with sudden clarity. Without another word, she spun on her heels and strode back toward Theo’s car, each step harder, sharper, fueled by the fury rising in her chest.

She slammed her palm against the tinted glass, her voice cutting through the air. "We need to talk!"

For a beat, nothing happened. The car sat still, dark and silent, like it was mocking her. Then, slowly, the window rolled down, revealing Theo’s face, calm and unreadable, as if he had been expecting this all along.

His gaze met hers, steady and cold. "Now? Is it going to take long?" he asked, his tone deceptively mild. "I’m quite busy, you know."

But Daisy’s heart hammered against her ribs, her thoughts racing. No, this wasn’t just about him following her. This was bigger. This whole time, her staying close, her reasons, her hidden plan for revenge, he already knew. He’d known.

Her breath came out shaky, her anger twisting into something sharper. "You knew," she whispered, the words escaping before she could stop them.

Theo’s calm faltered for just a fraction of a second, barely visible, but enough. His eyes narrowed slightly as if buying himself time. "What is it?" he asked evenly, as though she meant something else entirely.

Daisy bit down on her lower lip so hard it stung. The taste of iron hit her tongue as she gave a stiff nod, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Betrayal crashed over her in waves, bitter and undeniable.

"All this time... I thought I was so clever. Keeping everything locked up, hiding my reasons, making sure you wouldn’t see through me." She let out a bitter laugh, her chest tightening with every word. "But I was a fool, wasn’t I? You already knew. From the very beginning, you knew why I stayed."

Theo didn’t reply. His silence only made her words spill faster, harsher.

"You let me think I was in control. You let me believe I had the upper hand. Every step, every little plan, I thought I was moving in secret. And yet you... you just stood there, watching, waiting, letting me play my pathetic little game." Her hands clenched at her sides, shaking.

Daisy’s eyes burned, but she refused to let tears fall. "Do you know how humiliating that is? To realize the one thing I thought I had... my secrecy... was nothing more than your amusement?"

Her voice cracked, fury and shame colliding inside her. "You must’ve been laughing at me this whole time. Watching me plot revenge, thinking I was holding all the cards, when really... you held them from the start."