DAISY

However, I use my cleverness against him. "Good morning, Vance. Here's the kindest proposal I'm willing to offer: give me the keys, and I'll drive myself."

I need to get to school as quickly as possible. Driving myself is my only option since I still haven't spotted a cab.

"Mr. Chandler says to—"

"Drive me to school," I interject. "You either give me the keys so I can drive myself or I'll catch a cab. Your choice." I don't mean to put him in a difficult position; I just don't want Kay's people bodyguarding me around school like I'm a hostage.

After a moment, his eyes filled with doubt, he lets out a defeated sigh and hands the key to my open palm.

I thank him gratefully and pull open the luxurious SUV driver's door, hopping in.

Most of my lectures today focus on class discussions, which I remain mute during, despite having many opposing thoughts. Not everything the professor says is agreeable to me.

KAISER

I walk into the house, half annoyed, half angered. After a long day of classes and an ungrateful parent bringing up business issues with their teenage son, then discovering that the girl I despise left without letting my men look after her, you wouldn't complain about my mood.

I come home to find Riley snuggled in the hanging chair, completely absorbed in her books. Cuppy is nestled beside her, mostly sleepy.

Riley might enjoy the fun and the excitement of college life, like the show she put on earlier to get me out of an active class, but she knows better than to mess with her GPA. I know she and Daisy are here on some scholarship-related terms, and maintaining it requires dedication to studies.

Minding my business, I warm up some leftovers from the fridge and devour them before changing clothes and heading to the gym to clear my head.

I should be at the group class, but I can't attend due to the weather and my unwillingness. The sky grows darker and angrier. A little more time and the rain will break through.

She had to go to school by herself. Why is she so stubborn?

I turn up the HomePod and begin my workout.

I'm so angry I want to punch a wall. Everyone knows better than to disobey me. Who does she think she is?

Thinking she can do whatever she wants. Oh no, Daisy.

I keep pulling on the lat pulldown machine until I lose count. Suddenly, I'm distracted by a smell that has been absent from my life for eight years.

It smells like the old good days when everything was perfect. It not only smells like home but also brings back thousands of beautiful memories I had lost long ago.

The smell ignites my fury.

Who's possibly testing my patience? I take quick steps toward the kitchen until I spot the barefooted menace, looking dangerously beautiful in my kitchen.

It hurts that I can't caress her, run my fingers through her long silky hair, or lick the chocolate sauce off her fingers.

Brownies?

She's making brownies? She must have a death wish.

DAISY

It's almost evening when I return to Center Yorker.

I had stayed in the library after classes, doing some research on my homework, soaking in the quiet atmosphere packed with oblivious people focused on the white pages of books.

The house is complete when I arrive, with Riley in the library reading and Kay in the gym playing music. I change into comfortable clothes and head downstairs to make a snack.

My favorite snack.

I plug in my AirPods and gather the necessary ingredients before starting to make chocolate chip brownies. Riley begs the timer to speed up every time she checks on the progress in the kitchen.

It's almost eight when the timer goes off. I put on my mitts and take the tray out of the oven, setting it on the worktop.

They look so fresh and smell delicious, just like Kay's mom's recipe. I have to wait for them to cool before applying the fudge sauce on top.

Just like we used to like it. I still like it. I've been making brownies since I started cooking for myself.

I'm lost in the pop song playing loudly in my ears when Kay walks into the kitchen with his disheveled hair hanging around his face.

He looks devilishly attractive as he ambles toward me in his sweaty state, highlighting every exposed muscle on his body.

His intense emerald eyes pierce through me; he says nothing and shows no hint of emotion. He simply grabs the hot stainless tray with those perfect hands I wish could touch me, walks to the waste disposal sink, dumps my hours of effort, and presses the button while watching me.

He wears a do-not-dare-me look. He has no idea I'm not going to stop him.

I don't have it in me anymore.

Then he begins, "It seems you're too egotistical to follow simple rules. I ordered Vance to drive you, but you did the opposite." He says calmly.

I have no words. I keep my gaze fixed on him.

"You came here to poison what's left of me. Did I mention that brownies disgust me? This should be the last time you make them." He warns. "I want to believe you've been here long enough to know the rules by now. This is the last time you do the opposite of my wishes. This is my territory. And you, here, are my property."

He steps closer until I can only inhale him. He is everywhere. I watch his huge, chiseled chest rising and falling beneath his shirt. He smells like heaven; it takes everything in me not to melt into him. I can feel his eyes on me, though I'm not strong enough to look up.

"Only if you want our situation to escalate," he continues, "for I'm more than ready to tear you limb from limb, shred you like a piece of waste until you can't find yourself anymore. Daisy, I can be your nightmare even in the daylight; the one you'd rather have in the darkness of night at the start of a new moon. I assure you, even darkness would be merciful compared to my terror. I can make you pay for what you've done to me, one. By. One. All without breaking a sweat."

I don't understand what he means, but with the edge in his tone, I know he means every word.

The truth is, I don't intend to move past this level we're at. In the few days I've spent here, I've been treated worse than ever before in my life.

With those words, he swaggers off to the library.

How does he find comfort in hurting me?

What will I tell Riley about the brownies she's been expecting? 'Hey, your boyfriend threw them out because we have some old bad blood history'?

Kay did this on purpose. He keeps hurting me on purpose.

Despairing, I sink into a seat around the counter and try to convince myself that everything will be okay. Everyone has their problems; I can't possibly be the only person going through pain, can I?

"KC."

The sound comes with such force that it stops my heart.

Yes! That's Riley moaning from the library.

My lungs deflate. I shoot up, knowing I can't endure another hell, but the universe seems against me as the power goes out and everything goes dark in an instant.

Damn.

The rain is about to break through the dark, angry sky.

"Please, faster," she cries, along with the uncertain noise of objects hitting the marble floor.

I weigh the chances of leaving, but my confidence is low. I've always been scared of the dark.

The penthouse is pitch black. There's distant light from occasional lightning and other buildings surrounding Center Yorker, but it's not enough to protect me from my fear.

Once again, I'm trapped in another hole of torture.

I lower back into the seat and bury my face in my palms. I crank up the volume on my AirPods until the sexual noises fade away.

Kay is driving me crazy, and I don't know if I can survive much longer.