CHAPTER SEVEN: His Apology

I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Damien had called me by my name.

The way he said it made me feel like I meant nothing to him, like he wasn’t feeling the same way I felt about him.

The thought alone was enough punishment for me.

I kept replaying that moment in my head.

Jane.

Why did hearing my own name from him hurt so much?

Maybe because I was already used to being his baby girl.

Maybe because I had started expecting more from him.

It was 8 a.m., and I needed to freshen up before he called for me. I remembered that he had stated it clearly in one of his rules.

Breakfast was by eight.

I dragged myself out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

As I stood under the shower, my thoughts went back to the previous day.

He hadn’t called me baby girl.

And somehow, that bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

I got dressed afterward, choosing something less revealing.

There was no point dressing in a way that would attract his attention when he clearly didn’t feel the same way I did.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

The morning passed without me hearing from Damien.

The last time I had seen him was when he had stormed out of the house after receiving a phone call that had clearly upset him.

He had left without saying a word.

I wondered what had happened.

I hoped whatever it was, he had managed to sort it out.

By afternoon, I found myself checking the time more often than I should.

Why was I waiting for him?

I picked up my phone that evening, hoping to find something that would drive my thoughts away from him.

I scrolled through my phone for a while, but nothing worked.

My mind kept going back to him.

His voice.

His eyes.

The way he used to call me baby girl.

I sighed and dropped my phone on the bed.

I needed to stop thinking about him.

I decided to go downstairs and prepare dinner instead.

Skylar had already left. She usually came in the morning and left around noon.

I entered the kitchen and started preparing the meal.

I decided to make roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

I knew Damien loved chicken.

Maybe if I prepared something he liked, he would be happy when he came home.

I smiled at the thought.

I was doing it again.

Thinking about him.

I shook my head and continued cooking.

Damien’s POV

The noise from my phone woke me up.

Who was calling me this early?

I reached for my phone and saw it was my personal assistant.

I answered.

She immediately told me that a client was threatening to end a major contract.

Who dared threaten Damien?

I got dressed and left the house almost immediately.

I was so angry that I didn’t even remember to check on Jane.

The matter at the office took longer than I expected.

By the time everything was finally settled, I was exhausted.

But as I drove back home, my thoughts slowly drifted to Jane.

I remembered the previous day.

I had called her by her name.

It hadn’t been intentional, but I had noticed the way her expression changed.

She had looked hurt.

Even during the drive home, she had barely spoken.

I wondered if she was still upset with me.

I wanted to make it up to her.

On my way home, I stopped at a store and decided to get her something.

I eventually picked out a piece of lingerie.

I wasn’t completely sure if she would like it, but I thought she might.

I paid for it and continued my journey home.

The moment I opened the front door, the aroma from the kitchen hit me.

I stopped for a moment.

The house smelled different.

Warm.

Comfortable.

Almost like home.

Skylar had already left.

So who was cooking?

I followed the smell toward the dining room.

Jane’s POV

I was serving the meals on the table when I heard the door open.

My heart skipped.

Damien.

I quickly placed the last plate down.

A few seconds later, he walked straight into the dining room.

He was still dressed in his work clothes.

His face looked tired, but the moment his eyes landed on the table, his expression changed.

“You cooked dinner for us?” he asked.

The word us immediately caught my attention.

Us.

I couldn’t help smiling.

“Yes, I did.”

He walked closer to the table and looked at the food.

“You angry?”

He looked at me for a second before shaking his head.

“Not at all. In fact, let’s dive into it.”

I smiled.

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

Then he looked at the food again.

“Let me taste what my baby girl cooked.”

My heart fluttered.

Baby girl.

Finally.

He was calling me baby girl again.

I tried not to let my excitement show on my face.

I sat down opposite him.

He picked up his fork and took a bite.

Then he suddenly stopped.

His expression changed.

My smile disappeared.

I stared at him.

Was something wrong?

“Damien?”

He looked at me for a few seconds before a smile appeared on his face.

“I got you.”

I released the breath I had been holding.

He chuckled.

“It tastes really good.”

I smiled.

“Really?”

“Really.”

For the first time that day, I felt happy again.

We continued eating.

The conversation was simple, but I enjoyed every moment of it.

I had missed this.

I had missed him.

After dinner, I cleared the table and headed toward the stairs.

I was almost at my room when his voice stopped me.

“Baby girl.”

I froze.

My heart started racing.

What had I done this time?

Had I broken another rule?

I quickly went through his rules in my head.

He hadn’t said I couldn’t cook for him.

He hadn’t said I couldn’t use his kitchen.

So why was he calling me?

I slowly turned around.

Damien was holding something in his hand.

“I got you this,” he said. “I thought you would like it.”

He stretched the package toward me.

I walked closer and took it from him.

When I opened it and saw what was inside, my face immediately flushed.

It was lingerie.

And it was red.

My favourite colour.

I looked at him, surprised.

“I love it.”

I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

He stared at me for a moment.

I quickly looked away, suddenly feeling shy.

Damien’s POV

I hadn’t expected to come home to the smell of roasted chicken.

The aroma had filled the entire house.

I knew Skylar wasn’t there, so I immediately figured it had to be Jane.

I walked into the dining room and found her serving the food.

She looked different.

Maybe because she had spent the entire day without me.

Or maybe because I had spent the entire day thinking about her.

I tasted the food and deliberately gave her a disappointed look.

Her reaction almost made me laugh.

She looked genuinely worried.

I couldn’t keep the act going for long.

“I got you.”

Her relief made me smile.

The food really was good.

After dinner, she was about to leave when I called her.

“Baby girl.”

She stopped immediately.

I handed her the gift.

Her reaction surprised me.

She looked genuinely excited when she opened it.

I didn’t know red was her favourite colour.

Apparently, I had somehow managed to get it right.

I watched her hold the lingerie against herself, smiling.

Her happiness made something inside me feel strangely warm.

I tried to hide it.

I’m Damien.

I don’t get sentimental over small things.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

But Jane had a way of making me question that.

I watched her disappear upstairs.

I remained standing there for a moment, thinking about her reaction.

Then my phone rang.

I looked at the screen.

It was my personal assistant.

I answered.

“Sir, there’s something you need to know about the client from this morning.”

My expression immediately hardened.

“What happened?”

There was a pause on the other end.

“Someone else is involved.”

I frowned.

“Who?”

The name she mentioned made me go completely still.

Someone had been watching my business.

And somehow, I had a feeling this wasn’t the end of it.