Chapter 5: The Contract

Daisy stood awkwardly just past the entrance, her gaze flicking to the neat line of maids standing quietly near the marble pillars. She blinked, hesitating. ’Was she supposed to line up too?’ Before she could move, she caught Theo’s sharp stare from across the room. One curt word followed. "Sit." She stood frozen for a few seconds before nodding, tugging her suitcase along as she made her way to the velvet sofa near the centre of the hall. The air felt heavy, maybe it was the sheer silence, or the subtle tension that came with not knowing what was going on. Daisy sat at the edge of the sofa, her posture stiff. She glanced around, still unsure what kind of job started like this, with lined-up maids, suited men, and a house that could host a royal ball. One of the men in a sharp navy suit stepped forward. He held a black folder and looked at her through rectangular glasses. "Miss Daisy Sinclair," he began, "I’m Mr. Han, Mr. Theo’s legal representative. This is the employment agreement you’ll be signing today." Theo, who was already taking a seat at the side, crossed his legs. Mr. Han continued, handing her a set of papers. "Oh," Daisy blinked, taking the file. She quickly flipped to the first page—title: Service Agreement. It looked pretty standard. There were paragraphs, numbers, a couple of dates, and her name typed in bold at the top. She skimmed the first few lines. ’Work period: one year. Compensation: one million. Non-disclosure clause, housing arrangements... blah blah blah. Typical rich-people formalities, right?’ She pouted as she read everything on her mind. "Do you have any questions?" Mr. Han asked. Daisy smiled, already pulling the pen from the file’s corner. "No, I trust Aurora." she mumbled quietly. Daisy signed at the bottom of the page with a flourish. Mr. Han, without missing a beat, flipped through the next few pages and pointed. "Initial here... and here... full signature there." She followed along obediently. The final page had something she didn’t really read—her eyes caught a phrase like "in the presence of witnesses" but by then, she was already scribbling her name down. "Wonderful," Mr. Han said, closing the folder with a soft clap. She blinked, then looked up at everyone who was now staring at her like she’d just done something monumental. "Aha... wonderful." She smiled awkwardly. "I’ll finalize the agreement, but for now, here’s your copy of the contract." Mr. Han handed her the duplicate. She took it, but just then, Theo stood up, and almost instinctively, she stood too. "Your work starts at dinner tonight," Theo said flatly, already turning to walk toward the stairs. "Dismissed." That single word was enough to scatter the rest of the room, maids, assistants, even Mr. Han disappeared back to their duties like clockwork. Daisy, on the other hand, stood frozen, clutching the folder to her chest. She had no idea what exactly her "job" even was. "Excuse me, Mr. Theo?" she called out, raising her voice slightly as he reached the base of the staircase. "What should I do right now? I mean... you said I’ll start working at dinner... does that mean I need to cook?" Theo paused mid-step, glancing over his shoulder. "Can you cook?" "I—I can try?" she said, forcing an uncomfortable grin. He turned back and continued walking. "Then do it." Only a few seconds passed before Daisy suddenly remembered the one thing she really needed to ask. "Mr. Theo...sorry!" she called, quickly rushing toward him. Theo halted, his brows twitching with visible irritation at being stopped a second time. "What is it now?" he asked, his tone edged with impatience. Daisy stopped right in front of him, gripping the contract folder tightly. "I’m sorry, but I... I really need the money," she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes. "About the payment... um, the compensation mentioned in the contract... when can I receive it?" Theo’s brows furrowed. "Didn’t you read the contract earlier?" Daisy blinked, caught off guard. "Sorry? The contract?" She glanced down at the folder in her hands, flipping through it. "Oh... was it written here?" Theo let out a sharp breath through his nose, more annoyance than surprise in his expression. "You signed something you didn’t even bother to read?" Daisy offered an awkward smile, tapping the corner of the page. "Well, I skimmed. I saw something about a million and figured—" He cut her off. "You’ll receive it in full, at the end of your contract period." Her expression dropped. "Wait... at the end? As in... a year from now?" "That’s what a one-year contract means," he replied coolly, already turning away again. She had already planned how to divide the money, hospital bills, debt payments, maybe even hire a private chef for a month so her mother would stop claiming she had no appetite eating her own cooking. She swallowed. Hard. "But... I really need the money," she said, her voice tighter now, the edges cracking. Theo didn’t even turn around this time. "Then behave like someone who needs it." Her head snapped up. "Mr. Theo!" she called, voice louder than she intended. "Can I cancel the contract?!" The air froze. Theo halted mid-step on the grand staircase like the words hit him square in the back. His hand tightened around the railing. Slowly, he turned. This time fully, his eyes sharp and unreadable. "Cancel?" he repeated, voice low and laced with something she couldn’t quite name. It wasn’t just an annoyance. There was a flicker of something else. Alarm? Irritation? Tension? Daisy’s eyes widened. "Wait...I didn’t mean to cancel," she said quickly, waving her hands. "I meant change! I said the wrong word, sorry. I just..." She took a breath. "I want to talk about the terms." Theo’s jaw twitched, but his expression didn’t soften. He masked it well but not fast enough. For a split second, she’d seen it. Something shifted behind his cold exterior. He descended one step. "You don’t get to throw around words like cancel, Miss Sinclair," he said evenly, though his voice was tighter now. "Especially when you clearly don’t understand what you signed." "I do understand...now," she insisted, hugging the folder to her chest. "And I’m not backing out, okay? I just... need the money sooner." Theo’s gaze held hers for a long beat, unreadable. "Can I change the contract to a monthly payment... like... divide the total into twelve installments?" Her voice echoed through the vast living room, but Theo’s sharp gaze stayed locked on her, cold and unreadable in the heavy silence that followed.