Chapter 2: Come to My Office

"Where's Claire Madden?" Aiden's voice rang out, sending a jolt of fear through me.

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. What was Aiden going to do? What was he going to say? I couldn't let him find me, not like this.

I heard Daisy's calm voice responding. "Claire's not feeling well this morning, Mr. Katz. She caught a bit of a cold and needs to rest."

Aiden's tone shifted to one of concern, but there was an undercurrent of frustration. "A cold? She seemed fine last night. Are you sure it's nothing serious?"

Daisy didn't miss a beat. "I'm sure. She just needs some rest. I'll make sure she gets what she needs."

There was a pause, and I could almost feel Aiden's suspicion. "Alright, but if she needs anything, let me know. We have a lot to discuss."

"I will, Mr. Katz. Thank you for understanding," Daisy replied, her tone soothing but firm.

I heard the murmur of voices growing fainter as people started to disperse. Thankfully, Daisy had once again saved my ass.

---

After what felt like forever, Daisy slipped into my tent, her face full of worry. The worry lines etched on her face made her look even more serious.

“Hey, are you okay?” Daisy asked softly, touching my forehead with the back of her hand. Her touch was gentle, almost like a mother's.

"You..." She hesitated, looking into my eyes. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but you know I'm your friend, right? You can talk to me anytime."

I just nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. What more could I say? I wanted to reassure her, to tell her I was fine, but after everything she did for me, I couldn’t lie to her. The truth was too heavy to share.

Daisy stared at me for a moment, her eyes looking as sad as mine. She sighed. "Forget it," she whispered. "Tell me when you're ready."

As she turned to leave, I watched her shadow against the tent flap, her shoulders slightly slumped. She probably thought she was giving me space, thinking I needed to be alone.

But instead of feeling better, I felt a tightness in my chest, a huge weight pressing down on me. Her absence made me feel more alone, and the silence made my thoughts louder. I needed air, needed to get out of this tent and away from the crushing loneliness.

I clambered out of the tent, hoping to fill my lungs with some much-needed fresh air. But instead of fresh air, it was sneakers that I saw upon stepping out. When I saw the sneakers, I didn't have to look up to know who they belonged to. But I did anyway, my eyes meeting Aiden's serious expression.

"Ms Madden," he said, his tone firm, "I need to ask you something."

My heart pounded in my chest. "Did you see anyone enter my tent last night?"

"No," I managed to say, but my voice was shaky, just like my body.

"If you didn't, you didn't. What are you shaking for? Why do you seem so afraid of me? It's not like I'm going to eat you."

I forced myself to meet his gaze, but that momentary clash was too intense. I had to quickly look away. "I'm cold."

"It's thirty degrees outside, yet you say you're cold?"

"I have a fever," I lied, hoping he'd believe me.

Aiden studied me for a moment, then reached out to touch my forehead. "You're burning up," he murmured, his voice softer. "You need to rest."

My vision blurred, and I swayed on my feet. The next thing I knew, Aiden had caught me, lifting me up easily. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I heard him talking to Daisy.

“Can you take her to the hospital? She needs medical attention.”

---

I slowly emerged from a foggy slumber in a small, stark hospital room, my senses gradually coming to life. The incessant beeping of various machines and the unmistakable sterile, antiseptic odor permeating the air made it painfully clear where I was. Sitting beside me was Daisy, her eyes wide with concern, her face lighting up with obvious relief the moment she saw I was awake.

"You gave us quite a scare," she said, her voice filled with emotion as she squeezed my hand tightly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," I croaked, my voice barely above a whisper, each word a struggle. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Daisy explained. "Aiden carried you out, and I drove you here. You've been out for a few hours."

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "This is a nightmare."

"It gets worse," Daisy said hesitantly.

“Claire, I don't want to pressure you, but… did something happen between you and Aiden? I know you don't like Mr. Katz, so when he started asking about someone being in his tent, I wasn’t really concerned. But then I … I will recognize that shoe anywhere. It was custom-made, for goodness’s sake. Claire, what’s going on?”

It was obvious Daisy was trying her best to stay calm and gently pry. The embarrassment I felt earlier had started to fade, but it was still hard to voice it out.

"When you fell unconscious, Aiden kept asking me if you slept outside last night. I had to repeat countless times that you slept with me before he let me off the hook. But as for whether he bought that lie, I can’t tell. I don't want to jump to conclusions but… Claire…" Daisy was so stressed talking to me that she unconsciously reached for the bottle of water by the bedside, uncorked it, and started gulping mouthfuls of water.

"I… I slept with Aiden."

Pfft.

Daisy sprayed a mouthful of water at me, eyes wide in shock at my sudden confession. It was probably too much for her to take in. But after saying it, I felt my nerves calm. The initial nervousness had waned, making it easier to continue.

"So… like I was saying, I slept with Aiden. I don’t know how or why. I don’t remember us having sex, but it was obvious when I woke up. I should have searched for my heel before sneaking out, but I was scared and confused. He was about to wake up, so I panicked. That’s what happened."

"To be honest, I don’t know what to do. It sucks that I don’t even remember. When I think of him remembering before I do, I just want to run ten laps."

...

There were a few moments of silence. Daisy was probably still processing my confession.

"You slept with the boss? Claire, those heels are custom-made!"

The serious atmosphere was completely broken.

"That's not the point, Daisy. The point is, Aiden and I have been enemies since school. If he knows I'm the one he slept with, he'll destroy me."

Daisy stared at me, pondering deeply. "Claire, you know Aiden doesn't hate you, right? In fact, I can swear the guy has it bad for you. His voice and entire demeanor soften around you."

I rolled my eyes at Daisy in distaste.

"Really! If it was anyone else missing today, he wouldn't have bothered at all. But when it was you, he had to personally confirm. If you ask me, I think you’re in a one-sided hate relationship with him."

I tried to interrupt, but Daisy continued. "Don't look at me with those eyes, Claire. You know I'm right."

I couldn't help but pout. Daisy always knew how to poke my sore spots. "But..."

"No buts. Keeping this bottled up will only eat at you. It was just a one-night stand. Both of you were drunk. Shit happens when people drink, Claire. Our boss isn't unreasonable; he was a willing participant. You didn’t force yourself on him, right?"

Daisy's eyes sparkled with gossip, already imagining outrageous scenarios in her head. I groaned inwardly. "Hey, what crazy thoughts are you having? Seriously, Daisy, can we stay on topic?" I huffed, throwing a pillow at her.

"Okay, okay. My baby is the most innocent and cleanest in the whole world. Happy?"

Tsk.

"But seriously, I think you should tell him. You’re pretty and smart; who wouldn’t like you? The more you keep it a secret, the more it will escalate. He might think you have ulterior motives. Just spill it and leave it at that before someone sees this situation as an opportunity… or worse, someone points you out as the culprit."

I sighed, my frustration mounting. "I just don’t want to mix personal feelings with professional interests. I refuse to let this mess up my career. And... I don't even like the guy."

Daisy sighed, equally frustrated. "Claire, this isn't just about business. It's about being honest with yourself and him. If it didn’t mean anything, neither of you would be this worked up."

The upbeat tone of Daisy's phone rang, interrupting her ‘motivational speech.’ Her hand moved to the volume button in an attempt to silence it, but something about the caller made her brow quirk in amusement. She turned to me, threw a wink, and picked up the call.

I couldn't help but shake my head at her antics, my first smile of the day making an appearance. For all Daisy's professionalism and stern, no-nonsense demeanor, she was quite amusing.

"Yes, Mr. Katz. Claire is awake," she said.

I turned my head so quickly that I felt a strain on my neck. Why was Aiden calling Daisy? If he was concerned, he could have called me directly. I didn't want to talk to Aiden, but why did I feel displeased that he didn't call me?

I must still be delirious to want that guy to call me.

"No problem, Mr. Katz. Claire is my friend; it's the least I could do," Daisy continued in an obviously elated tone before hanging up.

"Baby girl, I can't believe the same Aiden Katz we know didn't let Ethan drive us here or check on us, and you claim that it's animosity?" Daisy teased, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"He probably—"

Ring, ring.

This time it was my phone interrupting my speech.

What was up with all these phone calls today?

Thinking it was my mom, I swiped to answer and placed the phone to my ear. "Mom," I uttered in a weary tone.

"Ms. Madden," Aiden's distinct voice rang clear in my ears, causing me to shiver in panic.

I quickly checked the caller ID just to be sure. Boldly staring at me was the contact name I'd stored for him: "That Thief."

"Ms. Madden?" he repeated.

"Yes, sir," I responded, my heart racing.

"Hope you're feeling better now?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll be discharged soon."

"That's good to hear. Then I presume you'll be ready to work on Monday?"

"By all means, sir."

"Come to my office first thing when you get to work," Aiden said with so much finality that I couldn't muster the courage to protest.

"Yes, I'll be there," I replied as steadily as I could, though I was panicking inside.

Really, what mess did I get myself into?