“No,” she whispered.
“Not like a prayer, like a warning.
” “No, please.
” She stared at her reflection like the mirror was about to answer her.
Her mouth tasted bitter.
Her throat burned.
Her hands were shaking so badly she had to grip the sink to keep herself steady.
She rinsed her mouth, forced herself to stand straight, and walked out of the restroom like nothing happened.
But inside her, everything was spinning.
She tried to work.
She tried to smile.
She tried to pretend.
Yet, the nausea came again, soft this time, like a warning, and fear finally pushed her into action.
That same day, after work, Daisy stopped at a pharmacy on her way home.
She kept her head down as she spoke, as if the walls could hear her shame.
Good evening.
Please, I need a test strip.
The pharmacist looked at her for only a second too long, like he already had assumptions, then handed it over.
Daisy paid quickly, and left.
At home, she didn’t even greet properly.
She went straight to the small shared bathroom, locked the door, and leaned against it as if her legs could no longer carry her.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the pack.
Please be negative, please.
She took the test.
Then she waited.
Those seconds stretched like punishment.
Her eyes didn’t blink.
Her breath came shallow.
Her heart pounded so loud she felt it in her ears.
And then two lines appeared, clear, unarguable.
Daisy’s knees gave way.
She slid down to the floor, pressing her palm over her mouth to stop a sound from escaping.
Tears filled her eyes.
Not gentle tears.
Hot tears that came from shock, regret, and helplessness.
“No,” she whispered again, but this time it sounded like mourning.
“No, no, no.
” Because she already knew what this meant.
She was pregnant and she was alone.
Six weeks earlier, before Apex Lux became a daily name on everybody’s lips inside that boutique, before Ethan Adam began showing up with sister excuses, before people started watching Daisy like she was a snake pretending to be a dove.
Daisy had been surviving the way many people survived, quietly, desperately, and without any help.
She had a part-time job at a luxury bar.
It wasn’t the kind of place she was proud of, but it paid.
and Daisy needed money.
That night, the bar was loud and polished, filled with perfume, laughter, and men who spoke like money was a language they owned.
Daisy wore a simple uniform, black skirt, white shirt, hair tied back.
She moved between tables with a tray in her hand, serving drinks and forcing polite smiles.
Then she saw him, a man sitting alone with a glass in his hand, his shoulders heavy, like he was carrying something inside his chest.
handsome.
Not flashy handsome.
The kind of handsome that doesn’t need to try.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up.
His tie was loose.
His eyes looked tired.
He looked like someone who had drunk too much, but was still holding himself together out of pure discipline.
Daisy only knew one thing about him that night.
He was a man she had never seen before.
A rich-l looking man, yes, but Daisy didn’t know he was Ethan Adai.
She didn’t know he was the CEO of Apex Lux.
She didn’t know he was a billionaire.
To her, he was simply a handsome, drunk man who looked lonely.
When she served him, their eyes met for a moment, and something passed between them.
Something dangerous and quiet.
Ethan’s voice came low.
“Do you ever get tired?” he asked.
Daisy hesitated.
Customers didn’t ask her that kind of question.
But something about his face made her answer honestly.
“Every day,” she said.
He gave a small laugh that didn’t carry joy.
They talked.
Not long talk, not deep talk, but enough.
Enough for Daisy to feel like she was seeing a man behind the money.
A man behind the power.
A man who looked like he didn’t trust the world anymore.
And Daisy, Daisy was young, lonely, and human.
She had been hungry for gentleness for too long.
So when he offered to take her away from the noise for just one night, Daisy made a decision she never thought she would make.
She gave him her first night.
Not for money, not for promotion, not for a connection, but because she was attracted to him and she was tired of being strong every day.
That night happened quietly.
No cameras, no witness, no promises, just two strangers whose loneliness found each other in a dangerous way.
And before Ethan even woke up the next morning, Daisy was already gone.
She left the room silently, her shoes in her hand, her heart pounding.
She didn’t take money.
She didn’t leave a note.
She only left with one thought.
This must never follow me.
The next day, Ethan woke up sober and angry at himself.
He remembered enough to know what could happen to her reputation if anyone ever found out, especially because she was small in society and he was powerful.
Men like him could recover from scandals.
Women like Daisy got destroyed by them.
When he found her later, when he made a quiet effort to speak to her again, Daisy’s face was tight with shame and fear.
“It was a mistake,” she told him immediately, her voice trembling but firm.
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
I didn’t plan.
Please, Daisy cut in.
Don’t ever bring it up.
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
Daisy, don’t let anybody know, she said, almost pleading now.
Please.
Ethan saw it then.
Not pride.
Fear.
The kind that came from knowing how the world treated girls like her.
He nodded slowly.
All right, he said.
I won’t.
Daisy held his gaze as if she was sealing in a painful agreement.
And that day, she vowed to herself, no matter what happens, she would take care of herself.
And if the worst happened, she would take care of her baby alone because she knew how people already talked.
Luxury sales girls, luxury bar girls, they would say she slept for money.
They would reduce her entire life to one night.
She refused, even if her heart broke.
Back in the present, Daisy sat on her bed that night, staring at the test strip like it was evidence of a crime.
Her hands rested on her lap.
Her eyes were empty.
Her mind was loud.
I’m pregnant.
She looked around her small room, her portion of the crowded apartment she shared with her mother and sister.
The walls were thin, the air was heavy, and her problems were about to become everybody’s business, whether she wanted it or not.
Daisy pressed a hand to her belly, this time touching it.
A silent tear rolled down her cheek.
“What do I do now?” she whispered.
The next day at work, Ethan found her again.
He watched her from a distance first, like he was studying her mood.
Then he walked up calmly as if he was only a customer.
Are you free tonight?” Ethan asked.
Daisy’s heart skipped.
“Dinner with him?” Her mind went straight to the pregnancy.
She swallowed hard.
“Yes, I mean, I don’t know.
I’d like to take you out for dinner,” Ethan said.
“Just dinner.
” Daisy forced a small nod.
“Okay, sir.
” As Ethan walked away, Daisy stood there frozen.
