8 a.m. in Axel Smith's private office
Axel is sitting comfortably in a plush chair, holding a glass of red wine, and his eyes are quietly immersed in the beautiful scenery outside the window. The space is filled with a sense of tranquility, but suddenly, a gentle knocking sound disrupts the serene atmosphere.
Axel, with a surprised expression, blinks and turns his head towards the door.
"Please come in." Axel hurriedly speaks, immediately resuming a serious demeanor for work.
The door opens, revealing a polite man dressed in a minimalist suit yet exuding an air of elegance.
"I've come to report," the man says with a deep and confident tone, standing across from Axel.
"Speak up then," Axel demanded.
Axel remains seated in his position, trying not to show any impatience.
"Sir, this is the result of the investigation," the man says, his voice warm and resolute. "For now, I can only gather basic information. To delve deeper, more time will be required. Therefore, I ask for your patience a little while longer."
"I understand; continue your investigation into the girl. Report to me immediately if there's any new information," Axel orders.
"Yes."
"You may leave now," Axel requests.
"Then I'll excuse myself."
John leaves the file on the desk, bids Axel farewell, and exits to resume his work.
As the door closes, Axel immediately opens the file that John brought. He carefully examines the information regarding his target: The girl from the bar last night, Daisy Martin. Twenty-three years old, working at a bar for four months. Besides these basic details, there is nothing particularly noteworthy that catches Axel's attention.
"Daisy, huh?" Axel murmurs. That familiar name suddenly rushes back into Axel's memory. His first love was also named Daisy. Daisy Thomas.
…
After gathering some information about Daisy, Axel took some time to contemplate. His mind was filled with uncertainty about Daisy's emotions and reactions to their previous encounter. He couldn't help but wonder if she still harbored any resentment towards him for the events of the previous night. However, determined to push aside any negative thoughts, he gathered up the courage to meet her at the bar again, this time being more cautious and attentive in his approach. It was all for his victory and freedom.
When Axel arrived, the bar was still closed. But thanks to his relationship with the owner, he easily walked in without any hindrance. Luckily, he spotted Daisy in the bar, and he swiftly made his way towards her, his heart pounding with a mix of nervousness and anxiety. Taking a deep breath, Axel initiated the conversation:
"Hello."
"We're not open yet. Please come back later."
Hearing someone call her name, Daisy paused in her cleaning and looked up to respond.
The moment their eyes met, Daisy's expression immediately shifted from friendly to displeased upon seeing Axel.
"It's you again? What do you want now? And why are you talking to me?" Daisy asked with annoyance in her voice.
Axel thought to himself, ‘There's only Axel and Daisy here. If I'm not talking to her, then who am I talking to? This girl is really foolish.’
"I am talking to you," Axel replied calmly, his gaze firm and direct. Concerned that Daisy might brush him off or pretend to be ignorant, Axel emphasized her full name to ensure clarity. "Daisy Martin."
Daisy felt surprised and puzzled as to how Axel knew her name. "How do you know my name?" she asked, her tone filled with curiosity and suspicion. "Have you been investigating me, or are you some kind of stalker?"
Axel didn't pay much attention to Daisy's mundane question. "That's not important," he firmly asserted. "Today, I came here because I have something to discuss with you."
Daisy furrowed her brow, staring directly into Axel's eyes, trying to discern any hidden intentions within them. However, Daisy couldn't discover anything. Then she coldly rejected him, saying, "But I don't want to hear what you have to say. Please leave."
After speaking, Daisy picked up her bucket of water and broom, distancing herself from Axel.
Axel felt frustrated by Daisy's cold behavior. However, he didn't give up. He decided to follow Daisy discreetly and continued persuading her:
"Daisy, please give me a little time." Axel's tone was cunning. "You don't need to say anything; just listen to me."
"Stop bothering me! Can't you see I'm busy?" Daisy snapped, still diligently mopping the floor.
Axel remained calm as if nothing had happened, and Daisy felt like he was teasing her. So Daisy casually swung the mop at Axel's leg, indicating her desire for him to leave. However, Axel remained patient, standing still as if deliberately provoking Daisy's anger.
Ignoring Daisy's stubborn attitude, Axel persisted. "I want to apologize for what happened last night," Axel said gently, his words warming like a gentle breeze. "I acted carelessly and spoke without thinking, causing inconvenience to you. It was an unforgivable action, and I apologize for it. I hope you can generously forgive me."
Axel's words caused Daisy to pause what she was doing in consideration and exploration. Daisy looked into Axel's eyes, sensing the profound sincerity in his words, and a strange emotion suddenly filled her heart. Following her natural reaction, she nodded gently and replied:
"Fine, even though I'm not an easy person to forgive, I can sense your genuine remorse, and I accept your apology."
"Thank you," Axel said happily.
"No big deal; you can feel reassured and relieved now," Daisy reassured him. "If there's nothing else, please excuse me; I have work to do."
Daisy refocused on completing her tasks to be able to go home early. She thought that once she achieved her goal, Axel would leave. But no, he still stood there, looking at her intently.
"What's wrong? Is there something else?" Daisy paused her actions, looking at Axel and asking, "Do you want me to apologize for hitting you? I won't. I don't feel like hitting you was wrong."
"I'm not implying that," Axel explained, "Because regardless of anything, I was wrong for suddenly forcing a kiss on you."
"Then what do you want? Haven't you already received forgiveness from me?" Daisy felt both confused and suspicious, wondering if Axel had any ulterior motives.
Facing Daisy's guarded gaze, Axel suddenly realized that he had acted too hastily, forgetting the most basic way to behave. Therefore, to avoid mistakes and achieve the best outcome, Axel quickly adjusted and started anew.
"Firstly, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Axel Smith, 23 years old, CEO of GDP Company," Axel said politely.
"Well, hello. It's nice to meet you. How can I help you?" Daisy replied calmly.
"Daisy, I'll be straightforward." Axel carefully chose his words to sound pleasant and make Daisy more open to his request: "I'd like to ask you out on a date."
Upon hearing Axel's words, Daisy immediately rolled her eyes and expressed her opposition. Daisy didn't like being toyed with. Yet Axel seemed oblivious to it and enjoyed provoking Daisy.
What should Daisy do to sever Axel's stubbornness?
Seeing Daisy's contemplative expression, Axel anxiously interjected, "Can you hear what I'm saying?""You're like that again. Why do you have to make me hate you?" Daisy exclaimed, looking annoyed at Axel. "When will you give up? Did you forget about last night? Do you want me to repeat it?""I'm being serious. Please go on a date with me," Axel reiterated impatiently."Are you drunk?" Daisy recreates the situation from last night by asking questionable questions."I haven't had a single drop of alcohol today," Axel affirmed, although he was lying. The truth was that Axel had consumed a glass of wine before meeting Daisy."Well, then you must be insane." Daisy went on to claim that Axel was mentally ill, mixing mockery with probing. "Where is the money I gave you? Why haven't you gone to the Mental Health Hospital for diagnosis and treatment?"Unfazed by Daisy's blunt and provocative remarks, Axel remained calm as he emphasized, "I'm perfectly healthy. There's no need to go to the hos
Unable to keep Daisy from leaving, the manager quickly approaches Axel with apprehension, saying, "I apologize for the actions of our staff member, Mr. Axel Smith. May I ask what happened? Did Daisy commit any serious mistakes?""That staff member..." Axel swallows his anger, about to accuse Daisy, but suddenly realizes that he himself is the cause of the situation."Well, if there's anything unsatisfactory, please feel free to share," the manager suggests courteously. "If Daisy has done something wrong, I will immediately terminate her employment."Terminate employment? Axel never intended to make Daisy lose her job. Axel only wanted to achieve his goal through peace, without any bloodshed or sacrifice. However, Daisy is not the type of person to easily compromise. Axel truly encountered a challenging opponent."There's nothing," Axel says coldly, trying to suppress the turmoil that Daisy has caused him."I have spare clothing. If you don't mind, I can lend them to you," the manager
The next day. After the incident where Daisy splashed dirty water on Axel, everyone thought that Axel wouldn't bother coming to the bar anymore. But to the surprise of the staff, Axel still appeared confident, and to top it off, he brought along a large bouquet of roses. Some curious individuals dared to estimate that the bouquet had nearly 100 flowers. A colleague who noticed Axel approaching turned to Daisy and said: "Hey Daisy, that director guy is here again." At that moment, Daisy was busy cleaning the bar to prepare for the first wave of customers for the day. She had to raise her head when she heard her colleague's announcement. "Who is it?" Daisy asked bewilderedly, not bothering to scan the area for the person mentioned. "It's Axel," Daisy's colleague hesitantly said, then abruptly stopped and hurriedly left the counter. "Where are you going?" Daisy looked after her, perplexed, and asked "Greetings, Daisy," Axel said politely, capturing Daisy's attention. The call mad
"Are you determined to resist me?" Axel shouted, highly dissatisfied with Daisy's unprofessional and ignorant behavior. "Do you believe that I would fire you immediately?"Daisy showed no fear, instead remaining calm and gently explaining, "Respected boss, the water is near your place, just within your reach. In the meantime, I am far away from it with the water jug.""I don't need to know that. You should figure out how to solve it yourself," Axel insisted, making things difficult for Daisy. "I hired you not to be lazy and shirk responsibilities.""Don't you see that I am busy?" Daisy tried to emphasize the main point."I don't see anything," Axel replied, pretending to be blind."Why make things difficult when you can reach out and touch the water jug?" Daisy objected, feeling indignant."Because I am the boss, the one paying to be served," Axel reiterated his position. "So if you don't want to..."Daisy interrupted Axel by raising her hand, requesting that he be silent. Her gaze wa
Time continued to pass, and the deadline for Axel to complete the challenge was approaching. However, up until this point, Axel had been unsuccessful in bribing Daisy with money or material possessions. Axel never liked to experience failure. He had never tasted defeat before. Could it be that this time Axel would have to face all of that? No, Axel's reputation couldn't be tarnished like that. Axel couldn't accept the feeling of humiliation and being controlled by Rosa in the future. Finally, to avoid all of that, Axel came up with an idea. He would investigate Daisy's weaknesses and use them as leverage to manipulate her into complying with Axel's arrangements. This plan could be considered despicable, but for the sake of his own future and freedom, Axel would disregard everything as long as he achieved his goal.Axel's trusted assistant, John, confidently entered the room, holding a stack of papers containing information about Daisy."Boss, here's the latest report you requested," J
"Who are you, and what do you want? Move aside so we can go," the leader asked in a loud voice. Axel didn't bother to look at them; he was focused on Daisy, the girl lying weakly on the ground. A sense of pity welled up in Axel's heart."Did you do this?" Axel asked coldly."Yeah, so what? What's it to you?""Can you hit a woman?" Axel asked, deeply indignant at this inhuman behavior. Axel has never been physically cruel to a woman, and he detests such violence."Why not? Besides, she's not a woman. She's an ugly creature."Laughter filled with mockery escaped the lips of the thugs. In their eyes, Daisy did indeed look both ugly and repulsive."So, what do you want, you audacious fool? You want to play the hero and save..."Before the man could finish his sentence, Axel swiftly delivered a powerful punch to his face. Blood started to flow from the nose and mouth of the man who had been struck."You son of a bitch, how dare you hit me?" The man screamed, a mix of anger and fear evident
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept in, shaking the trash cans around them. The lid of the trash can was lifted and thrown off, creating a loud and menacing noise. Both Axel and Daisy jolted in fear, feeling as if all their escape efforts had been discovered.Terrified, they dared not make a sound, waiting for the worst to happen. Time passed slowly in the chaos of their minds. But as nothing unfolded, their anxiety began to diminish.Axel, more determined and courageous, decided to hold his breath and sit up straight. He tried to peek outside to assess whether it was safe. His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any signs of hidden danger.In that moment, as Axel's mind and body reached a peak of tension, an unforeseen incident took place. From the shadows, a wild cat emerged and leapt over his head. Its mischievous gaze and subtle noise nearly caused Axel to scream. Startled, Axel lost his balance and unintentionally exerted a strong impact on Daisy's leg. It was an unint
After getting out of the trash bin, Daisy couldn't maintain her balance due to her injured right leg. Regardless of her own condition and the surrounding environment, Daisy sat down on the ground to rest and regain strength. Axel stood by her side, paying no attention to Daisy. He kept muttering curses, feeling uncomfortable within himself as the foul smell from the trash clung to his body, making him nauseous. Axel unbuttoned his outer vest and forcefully shook it, hoping to get rid of the smell. He thought that by doing so, the stench would disappear. Daisy found Axel's behavior excessive and couldn't help but smile mockingly."Do you really think that will get rid of the smell on your body? Isn't that quite naive? Stop these foolish actions," Daisy remarked."Whether it works or not is my business." Axel turned around, glared at Daisy, and reproached her with annoyance. "Whose fault is it that I ended up in this situation, huh? Can you still sit there and talk like that? You're bei