Daisy Hartley

Liam hasn't answered his phone for two days, and worry gnaws at me.

Where the hell is he?
Every time I call, it goes straight to voicemail. I feel a mix of anger and fear bubbling inside me. How could he disappear like this, especially now when we need him most?

Unable to sit still any longer, I decide to take a walk. The night is cool, and the streets are quiet, a stark contrast to the turmoil in my mind. I walk aimlessly, hoping the fresh air will clear my head.

As I turn a corner, I hear voices in the distance. Instinctively, I slow down, straining to make out what's being said. Then I see them, two big men, their backs turned to me, and between them, Liam, crumpled on the ground, taking blow after blow.

My heart stops. Without thinking, I rush forward, adrenaline coursing through my veins. "Let him go!" I scream, launching myself at the man closest to me. I hit and claw, my mind a blur of panic and rage.

The man barely flinches, but he grabs me, twisting my arms painfully behind my back. I struggle, kicking out wildly, but it's no use. The other man hauls Liam to his feet, and they drag us both down a dark alley, where a dim light casts shadows on the walls.

In front of us stands an old man, his presence commanding despite his age. He turns slowly, eyes cold and calculating as they land on Liam.
"I warned you, Liam" he says, his voice dripping with menace. "I want my money."

"What money?" I gasp, the realization dawning on me.
"Oh my God, Liam, have you been gambling?"

Liam's head hangs low, shame and fear written all over his bruised face. "Daisy, I'm sorry," he whispers, but the old man cuts him off.

"Sorry won't cut it," the man snarls. "You owe me $50,000. Pay up, or you die."

My stomach churns. A fifty thousand dollars? Where would Liam get that kind of money? How could he do this to us? My mind races, but there's no time to process. The men push us to the ground, their threats hanging heavy in the air.

"You have one week" the old man says, his eyes boring into Liam's. "If you don't have my money, you know what will happen."

With that, they turn and leave us in the darkness. I scramble to Liam's side, helping him up, my heart pounding with fury and despair.

"How could you do this?" I hiss, tears streaming down my face. "How could you gamble our money away? We're already struggling to keep a roof over our heads!"

Liam looks at me, pain and regret etched into every line of his face. "I'm so sorry, Daisy. I thought I could win it back. I thought I could fix everything."

I shake my head, overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation. "We need to get home," I say, my voice trembling. "We need to figure out what to do next."

As we make our way back through the deserted streets, a cold dread settles over me. We have one week to come up with an impossible amount of money. To both Mr. Donovan and now these guys. We're screwed.

We stumble back home, Liam leaning heavily on me, his steps unsteady. My mind is racing, but I force myself to focus on getting him inside. As soon as we cross the threshold, Lilly appears, her eyes wide with worry.

"Oh my God, Liam! What happened?" she cries, rushing over to us.

"It's okay, Lilly" I say, trying to sound calm. "He just had a little accident. Help me get him to the kitchen."

Together, we guide Liam to a chair. I grab the first aid kit from the bathroom and start cleaning his wounds, my hands trembling slightly. Blood drips from above his eyebrow, and his knuckles are raw and bruised.

Liam winces as I dab at his cuts with antiseptic. "I'm so sorry, Daisy," he whispers, his voice filled with regret.
"I thought I could help. I thought gambling was the answer."

I take a deep breath, pushing my anger aside. I can't be mad at him now. He's already hurting enough, and he did it trying to help us. "I know, Liam," I say softly. "You wanted to fix things. But gambling...it was a mistake."

He looks down, shame flooding his eyes. "I thought I could win enough to pay the rent. I just wanted to take the pressure off."

Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away. "We'll figure this out, okay? We always do." I finish cleaning his wounds and gently bandage his hand. "You need to rest."

Lilly hovers nearby, her face pale. "Is he going to be okay?"

I nod, trying to reassure her. "Yes, he just needs some sleep. Why don't you help him to his room?"

She nods and helps Liam to his feet, guiding him down the hall to his bedroom. I follow them, watching as she tucks him into bed with a tenderness that breaks my heart. Lilly gets in bed with Liam hugging him. He pats her head holding her close.

There has to be a way out of this, and I'll do whatever it takes to find it. For Liam, for Lilly, for our family.

***

The next day at work, I force myself to smile and focus on my tasks, hiding the worry that gnaws at me. I can't let my problems show. I need this job, especially now.
I move through the diner, taking orders, refilling coffee, and trying to keep my mind off the looming deadline.

I approach a table where a man and a woman are seated, plastering on my best waitress smile. "Good morning! What can I get you today?"

Before the woman can answer, the man's face lights up with a mix of surprise and stress. He looks at my name tag then,
"Daisy, my love! I didn't know you were going to be here."

I blink, completely taken aback.
I don't know this man.

He looks between me and the woman, who now seems crushed, her eyes widening with hurt and confusion. The woman is neatly dressed, her hair perfectly styled, and she wears a look of complete shock.

"Excuse me?" I stammer, trying to pull my hand away as he grabs it, but his grip is firm.

"I'm sorry my love this didn't mean anything." he says, standing up and practically dragging me toward the door.
I try to resist, but he's stronger, and I don't want to make a scene in the middle of the diner. My coworkers and regulars are starting to stare, and the last thing I need is more attention.

"Let go of me!" I hiss, struggling to free myself. But he keeps pulling until we're outside, finally releasing my hand.

"What is wrong with you?" I shout, anger and confusion boiling over.

"I don't know you!"

He runs a hand through his hair, looking exasperated. "I'm sorry, okay? I just didn't want to be stuck with that woman. She's been talking my ear off, and I needed an out."

I stare at him, disbelief turning to fury. "You used me to get out of a date? Do you have any idea how cruel that was? She looked devastated!"

He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can say anything, the woman from the diner bursts through the door, tears streaming down her face.
"Please come back, I'm perfect for you." she yells, her voice breaking.

Without thinking, the man grabs my face and kisses me hard, right in front of everyone.

"Nooo, that was supposed to be me!" The woman cries then runs away.

Shock freezes me for a second, but then I push him away and slap him across the face.

"How dare you!" I shout, my hand stinging from the impact. "You have no right to treat people like that!"

My chests is heaving with anger.
"Don't ever come near me again. If I see you in the diner, I'll call the cops!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to go this far." He says.

I shake my head, disgusted. "Your apologies mean nothing. Get out of here."

He slinks away, and I take a moment to calm down before heading back inside. As I re enter the diner, Sarah raises an eyebrow at me, clearly having witnessed the scene through the window.

"Everything okay, Daisy?" she asks, concern lacing her voice.

I nod, forcing a smile. "Just a misunderstanding. I'm fine."

But inside, I'm burning. This is the last thing I need right now. I push the encounter out of my mind and get back to work, determined not to let anything else ruin my day. There's too much at stake to let distractions get in the way.

"Daisy?" Sarah calls for me. "Yeah?" I turn to her.

She tilts her head to the office. "The boss wants to talk to you." She says.
This is not so good.

I put the plates I hold down and immediately get to his door. "Good luck" Sarah says before I step inside.

Please don't fire me. Please don't fire me. Please don't....
"You're fired." The boss says.

Fuck my life.

"But I haven't done anything!" I say.
He's an ass and he's never liked anyone around here.

"You've done enough. Kissing customers are absolutely not acceptable!" He says not even bothering to look at me.

"He kissed me, I don't even know the man!" I raise my voice. If I am already fired I might as well stand my ground.

"I'm not going to discuss this. Get out, you're fired." He says and I open my mouth to argue but shut my mouth right after. I'm not going to sink to his level.

Stay calm. Stay fucking calm Daisy.

I take my name tag off and slam it onto his table. "Your food tastes like shit anyway." I say before storming out.

Well that wasn't so calm of me.

Sarah follows me to the dressing rooms in the back. "What did he say?" She asks worried for me.

"I'm fired." I say unbuttoning my uniform and putting on my own clothes.
She gasps. "No he can't do that. I'll talk to him." She says but I shake my head.

"No. I'll find another job don't worry. I wasn't dying to be here anyway." I admit as she laughs, agreeing with me.

"Just call me if you need anything." She says as I squeeze her hand then leave this place.

So a lot happened but it's just because I want to get to the good parts fast!
This is just the back story for everything, it's important for the story!