CHAPTER 3

Daisy's POV

I am falling off a building but I can't make a sound because my eyes are tightly shut waiting for the impact of the floor and for my head to break into pieces.

But I didn't hit my head.

A sound eventually comes out of my mouth. Not a scream in fear of death. A wince.

This is when I realize my arm hurts. Then, my eyes flutter open to meet reality.

I am not in school, not at work, and not on the floor after jumping off a ten-leveled building because I want to give up on living.

Where the hell am I? I ask inwardly as I try to stand up from my fall.

A pain sips through my arm and my head bangs severely. My gaze shifts to the huge bed and it dawns on me when the memories of last night come rushing back.

I fell off this huge bed thinking it was from a building. I didn't sleep on the streets last night because I….

I gasp.

I saw a stranger. The same man watched me closely at the club last night like a predator watching over its prey.

"Goodness!" I scramble up and rush towards the bed. "What the hell happened last night?"

Did I have sex with a stranger? I glance around, wondering where the hell he is. My clothes are still on just the way I left them before coming to the club which means I wasn't raised or taken advantage of.

Then what happened?

I know I burst into his room, asking for help despite my drunken state. He asked me out and I thought I left his room, why am I here again?

Did he offer to help me and he offered me a bed for the night so I can continue with my miserable life this morning?

Quickly, I grab my ID card which he probably placed on the side drawer for me and my only surviving purse, then my shoes before running off to the door.

Maybe he is in the shower and I need to get him out of here before he is out. I will be too embarrassed to see him this morning after the drama I did last night. I don't want him to think of me as a prostitute trying to take advantage of him.

I am not a prostitute.

At least, I am not one yet.

That might turn out to be my last option eventually. But for now, I can proudly say I am not a prostitute and I am a f***ing virgin.

I have never been afraid of telling people that I am a virgin. Even though Brenda used to taunt me about it and my friends in school.

Well, they aren't real friends. We just call each other friends for the sake of it. They benefit from me academically and I don't benefit anything from them. I can't even bring myself to ask any of them for help.

I have never had enough time for myself, not to talk about going on a date with a man and having sex.

Not bothering to close the door without a sound, so as not to alert him of my disappearance, I make my way to the staircase, my heart pounding loud and hard.

My feet keep shuffling down the staircase until I can barely breathe and I realize there are still a lot of stairs to take before getting to the ground floor.

Goodness! How the hell did I get to the last floor last night without taking the elevator?

Glancing around to see if there is an elevator close by, my hand holds onto the reins of the stairs while I even my breathing.

There is no elevator there. Maybe I will find one on the next staircase. Without thinking, I continue running till I stop halfway when I spot a familiar figure holding a phone to his ears and approaching.

"No, no, no!" I chant to myself as I find my feet moving backward slowly.

I recognize him from last night. He is the same man watching me and the same man who gave me a bed to lie on.

He isn't someone difficult to recognize. His eyes gave him away.

Blue eyes. Crystal clear. Like the ocean.

I don't want to think about his generosity. All I am after is getting the hell out of here so he won't think otherwise.

"Hey", he spots me and I turn back hurriedly to go up again. I can't talk to him. I can't let him see my embarrassed and pathetic self. "Hey."

His voice comes out louder and I have a feeling he is running after me.

What for? Does he want me to pay for using his bed? Does he want sex in exchange for bursting into his room and asking for help?

No! I almost scream as I keep running, almost close to the last floor when I hear the elevator ding open.

I turn to find it.

Like a jackpot, a grin spread across my face. I was so much in a hurry the other time to see the elevator here.

The person inside comes out and I rush in. The door closes right on time before the man I am running away from appears but before the elevator takes off, I hear his voice.

"Young lady." It was breathless.

Free at last, I breathe a deep sigh of relief and a smile touches my lips. When I remember I haven't found a solution to my problems yet, the smile vanishes and I hug my petite body to myself, not bothered about how I look with my disheveled hair.

The elevator edges down slowly till it gets to the ground floor and dings open.

Then I step out, forcing myself to walk confidently towards the lobby and out of the huge place.

I wonder if this is just a club. It is too big and large for a club.

When I get out, I remember I have just a wad to take me to school. I should probably beg one of the cabmen to help me out.

This wad might not be enough. I am so stupid to have spent the rest of my money on drinking myself to a stupor last night.

I am gullible.

I wave down a cab and the man behind the wheels glares at me, reminding me of my disheveled hair.

I know I look out of place but this is not the problem right now. The problem is how to plead with him to help me get to school this morning.

I should try my luck. I should talk to the dorm representatives. Maybe I might find favor and I really don't want to miss my test for anything in the world.

I didn't read but I know I am going to pass the test. I am a brainiac.

"Are you getting in or not?" The man who seems to be in a bad mood thunders at me.

My resolve to ask him for help dies down. This is me. I find it very hard to ask people for help. Now I am trying to summon up the courage to ask for help and he is barking at me like a dog.

He should go to hell!

I lean upright and wave him away. He glares at me once more before driving off.

I hiss in irritation, dropping my shoes on the floor to wear them.

School is a bit far from here and walking to school is a really bad idea. I am still hung over from last night's drink and I am supposed to get to school, go to the library to relax for a few minutes, and go through the textbooks there for my test.

Sighing loudly, I start to walk.

I can't get a free ride here because all the cabs here are for commercial purposes. Maybe if I walk up a bit, I will find someone to help me to school.

The overwhelming intensity of my life's problems isn't weighing me down like it did yesternight. Probably because I have a test and I don't want my problems to affect my test.

Before I can walk further, I hear the loud screeching of a car which jerks me out of my reverie. I hurry sideways so as not to be hit by the car but it isn't even coming for me. The car drives past me and stops at a distance.

Ignoring it, I continue to walk, placing my left hand on my chest to calm my racing heart.

Even though I was so desperate to end it all yesterday, I don't want to die. Not now.

I should graduate first. Have my first sex. Find a good man. Fall in love. Get married if possible. Have kids. And then see my kid's children.

Then I can go to heaven. I'm sure I would be ready then.

"Hey", a familiar voice calls out to me when I walk past the car. In a haste, I snap my head towards the man at the back of the car.

The window glass winds down and I see his face.

The man whose generosity is making me go to school this morning. The man who saved me from dying.

The man who gave me a bed to lie on. The man who wants something in exchange for his favor.

That blue ocean-eyed man. He is sitting comfortably at the back of the car, his gaze unwavering, his confidence unmatching, and his anger noticeable.

"Get in!" He orders with implacable authority.