After getting out of the car, I pretended to walk toward a nearby apartment complex.
Only after I saw Daniel's car disappear into the night from the corner of my eye did I finally let out a breath and call another cab home.
On the way back, my mind was in such chaos that I never noticed the black Maybach following at a steady distance behind me.
Outside the old apartment building, the Maybach did not start again until the sky had begun to turn pale.
The next morning, I walked into the office with dark circles under my eyes and had to drink two cups of coffee before I finally pulled myself together.
I had prepared myself to be targeted by Daniel again, but to my surprise, he stayed unusually quiet the entire morning.
When I submitted the file, he only skimmed through it, pointed out two minor issues, and spoke in the same cold tone as before, but there was no deliberate hostility in it.
During the project briefing, he remained strictly professional. He even looked at me far less often than he had the day before.
Sitting at my desk with the documents in my hands, I somehow felt oddly unsettled.
"Is Mr. Carter in a good mood today?" Lily leaned over quietly while no one was paying attention. "I went in earlier to get his signature and was fully prepared to be chewed out, but he didn't say a single unnecessary word."
I pressed my lips together and said nothing, though I found it strange too.
Even as the end of the workday approached, Daniel still had not made things difficult for me again.
I even began to wonder whether the tension over the past two days had only been in my head.
But the moment that thought surfaced, a new email popped into my inbox.
Sender, CEO, Daniel Carter.
My eyelid twitched. I clicked it open and saw only two short lines.
"Seven tonight. Attend a dinner event with me. Work requirement."
I stared at the screen, frowning slightly.
There were plenty of people in the company far more suitable than me, yet he had chosen me.
But no matter how unwilling I was, I could only reply with a proper, "Okay."
After work, I waited until everyone in the office had left one after another before resting my forehead in my hand and slowly letting out a breath.
A dinner event.
I looked down at the business suit I was wearing and felt my headache worsen.
When I left the Cooper family, they had been terrified I might take even one extra thing with me.
I had only taken my documents and daily necessities. Most of my clothes suitable for formal occasions were still there.
I could not possibly go back and endure their faces again just to attend a dinner event with Daniel.
The thought only made the weight in my chest heavier.
Just then, two people appeared at the office door, one carrying a garment bag and the other holding a jewelry box.
"Ms. Parker, Mr. Carter asked us to deliver these to you."
I watched them set the items down, and my heart suddenly began to beat unevenly.
I lifted the garment bag with my fingers, revealing the gown inside, then let my gaze fall on the open jewelry box beside it.
A diamond jewelry set shimmered brilliantly beneath the light.
My breath caught.
It was the same one, exactly the same set listed on the receipt from last night.
A mess of emotions surged up inside me all at once.
Last night, I had thought that jewelry set was something he had bought for another woman.
But now, it had been delivered to me.
My throat tightened. What was this supposed to mean?
Suddenly, familiar footsteps sounded at the door.
Daniel stood there, his gaze sweeping over the things on the desk. "What are you standing there for? Go try it on."
I did not move. I only stared at him. "What exactly is this, Mr. Carter?"
"Wear it to the dinner."
I closed the box. "It's too expensive. This isn't appropriate."
"Put it on."
"I'm only going there for work. I don't need to..."
"You're my date for the evening." He cut me off, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "Anyone I bring with me can't look shabby."
After a few seconds of stalemate, I picked up the gown and walked into the fitting room.
The gown fit me perfectly. It brought out the clean lines of my shoulders and neck, while the necklace at my collarbone caught the light in delicate fragments.
When I pushed the door open and stepped out, my pace slowed despite myself.
Daniel looked up.
The instant his gaze landed on me, he visibly froze.
Only for a brief moment.
But that fleeting lapse, too quick for him to hide, still did not escape my eyes.
The next second, he looked away, his expression returning to normal.
"Stay by my side tonight. Don't wander off."
