Chapter 14: How I Do Business

"Help!" Daisy’s voice rang out, loud and shrill in the cold, elegant silence of the room. Theo didn’t flinch, though his frown deepened. He hadn’t expected her to scream. "Anyone?! Hello?!" she shouted again, banging her palms against the thick, double-paneled door. "This is not funny! Someone open the door!" She jiggled the handle once. Twice. Nothing. Click. Deadlocked. Her heart skipped. "Oh my God," she breathed, spinning around. Theo stood exactly where she’d left him, calm, composed, utterly unimpressed. As if he hadn’t just locked her in a designer office like there was nothing wrong with his actions. Daisy blinked. "This is kidnapping." He tilted his head slightly. "Is it?" "You locked me in!" she shrieked. He raised a brow. "Temporarily." "That’s not... that doesn’t make it better!" She turned back to the door and tried again. Still stuck. "This is illegal! I could sue! I should sue!" "This building is soundproof," Theo said blandly, walking over to the couch again and sitting down like her panic was just background noise. "In case you’re wondering." She froze, hand still on the doorknob. "You’re lying." He didn’t answer. "You... are lying, right?" she added, slower now. Silence. Daisy stomped back across the room, her voice climbing as her panic did. "You said we were going to talk. Talking doesn’t usually involve locking people in rooms, by the way!" Theo leaned back slightly, arms resting along the couch’s edge. "I’m listening." She threw her hands in the air. "This is crazy!" He didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just watched her like she was an equation he needed to solve. Daisy started pacing again, muttering under her breath. "This isn’t how people propose. You don’t trap someone in a soundproof room and expect them to say yes. What is this? A billionaire’s version of romance?" Still nothing from him. Frustrated, she stopped, spinning on her heel to face him. "You don’t even care if I want this, do you?" Theo finally moved. He stood up. Slowly. The room felt smaller with him on his feet. He didn’t say a word as he crossed the space between them. His steps were calm. But his gaze never left hers. Daisy stiffened when he got close, maybe too close? She held her breath. He lifted a hand, and for a second, she thought he might touch her cheek. But he stopped short, fingers hovering near her jaw, then slowly lowered his hand again. His voice was calm, even. "You can ask for anything. That was the deal." Her eyes widened slightly. "I’m not talking about things." Theo blinked. Once. "Then what are you talking about?" She let out a breathless laugh, sharp and bitter. "Something real." She paced once, then stopped, facing him head-on. "You think I’m upset because I want better terms? I don’t care about the apartment or the car or whatever luxurious nonsense you’re throwing into the contract. I care that you... you don’t even see me." A pause. His expression didn’t change. "I see you." "No," she said, stepping back like the words had struck her. "You see a fix. A convenient person for you to control, for whatever it is you’re hiding from me right now." Her voice cracked. Just slightly. "You don’t want to marry me. You just want to solve a problem. And I just happen to be standing in the right place... at the wrong time." "So?" Theo’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he genuinely didn’t understand why that was a problem. Daisy stared at him, stunned. "So? That’s all you have to say?" He didn’t respond. Instead, he took a step back, crossing his arms, gaze slowly sweeping over her, from the top of her head down to her toes. "What—what what?!" Daisy gasped, flailing as she tried to follow his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?!" His expression didn’t change. "You’re... you’re scanning me!" she accused, covering her chest with both arms and taking a step back. "Oh my God. Are you seriously evaluating my physical worth right now?" He didn’t blink. "I’m trying to understand what makes you think you can negotiate." Daisy’s jaw dropped. She pointed at herself, outraged. "Excuse me?! Are you saying I can’t ask for something just because I’m not tall, not curvy, and don’t walk around with double D energy?!" His silence was cutting. "That’s sexual harassment," she declared, crossing her arms tightly. "Pretty sure that counts." Theo’s brow lifted, just slightly. "I didn’t say anything." "Yeah, well, your eyes did." She jabbed a finger toward him. "They had opinions." "You’re stalling," he said flatly, taking a slow step toward her. She backed up instantly, bumping into the edge of the couch. "I’m panicking. There’s a difference!" His tone stayed maddeningly calm. "You’ll still say yes." "I won’t!" He studied her again, less like a man admiring a woman, and more like a man sizing up a deal. It made her want to throw a lamp at him. "You’re not my type, you know," she blurted suddenly. "Good," he replied. "This isn’t romance. It’s a deal." "Oh, wow," she muttered. "That sounded worse out loud." Before she could blink, Theo stepped in. Slowly. His tall frame cast a shadow over hers, and his face lowered until there were barely inches left between them. Daisy froze. His voice dropped, calm and quiet but it cut straight through her panic like ice. "I guess you’ve never heard how I do business." He took a step closer, gaze steady and unreadable. "I don’t negotiate. I state the terms. I closed the deal." His eyes flicked over her like she was just another contract on his desk. "You’re the first to keep questioning it." "I was actually playing easy with you," Theo continued. "But it seems like you’ve crossed my patience... and wasted my time." He stepped even closer, the space between them vanishing until Daisy had to tilt her chin just to keep eye contact. "I don’t like threatening people," he added, his gaze unreadable. "But since I’ve already used up my words for the day with you..." A pause. A breath. "Let’s just finish this. Agree..." His tone dropped to something softer, more lethal. "...or not a single hospital in this country will accept your father for treatment."