His own

Chapter 5

He was tall, his lean muscular upper body clad in a black button-down shirt. The waves of dark brown hair accentuated his hazel orbs, and his jawline looked sharp enough to cut through steel.

He extended a hand holding out a card. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing his veiny forearm. "Call here and provide your details. Your loss will be compensated.!" His

words were sharp yet his voice low as he looked down at

her. The woman was intimidated. It was apparent by the

way she struggled to keep her eyes on him.

"Oh no, you don't have to pay for what this unruly child did. And this lady here deserves to be fired!"

"I do have to compensate because this 'unruly child' here is my daughter."

Treasy's eye widened at the piece of information.

To her it was some revelation and she saw it in the woman's eyes. She was contemplating apologizing to him. Everyone watched as he held her down with just an icy stare.

Must be nice to be able to assert such dominance on

strangers!

"It's better if you accept the compensation and leave right now before I make you pay for harassing my daughter and this young lady here." He added with soo much dominance and controll in each word

The conviction in his voice stated that he would live up to his words if defiled she thought, as she struggled to form a response. "Leave," he insisted through gritted teeth. She glanced between them, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, before hastily exiting the diner. The onlookers, who had paused to watch, resumed their activities. She couldn't shake the image of Aby, tears glistening on her cheeks.

"Treasy, I'm sorry," Aby whispered, another tear escaping down her cheek. Treasy knelt before her, gently wiping away the tears. "No, sweetheart, it's alright. You've already apologized," she reassured her, making a silly face in hopes of eliciting a smile. But Aby remained solemn.

"She yelled at you because of me. What if she hurts you?" Aby asked, her concern touching Treasy deeply.

Before she could respond, Aby's father stepped in.

"Come here, sweetheart," he said gently, lifting Aby into his arms. He spoke with a faint accent. "She won't hurt Treasy. I won't let her alright??" He said as

he comforted his daughter, Aby looked at her father with soo much trust in her eye. why was he so difficult to look away from? Maybe because he didn't resemble the cold, intense man she had witnessed just a few moments ago. His face seemed to have lost all that harshness the moment he looked at his daughter.

She was far too engrossed in observing what played out in front of her to note the alarm that had gone off in her head. It was too late. He looked up only to catch her staring. Should she explain herself? She panicked. She had no interest in experiencing how it felt to be on the receiving end of his icy stare.

But what she didn't expect was for his eyes to trail down the length of her. When his eyes finally came back up, something flashed in them and it definitely wasn't animosity.

What was it?

Before she could ponder a second longer, she took the initiative to break the stare and her eyes immediately found Aby's.

This wasn't how he had imagined the day to unfold. It was supposed to be enjoyable for Aby, yet she ended up in tears. He had almost decided to leave when Aby nodded towards an ice-cream, drawing his thoughts back to the waitress who had intervened.

He had been intrigued the moment she stepped in to shield Aby.

Why would she do it? Out of pure goodwill, or did she have ulterior motives to gain Aby's trust? Perhaps that explained Aby's unusual attachment to her. It was hard to believe people would act selflessly in today's world without some personal gain.

Such thoughts might seem cynical, but he found it prudent. That's how things worked in the real world—people climbed the ladder and looked after their own interests.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed her walking over to them. :

"A chocolate ice-cream for the pretty girl!" Treasy exclaimed, stopping before them and placing the glass dramatically in front of Aby, who giggled in response.

"Treasy, he's my Daddy," Aby announced proudly, grabbing Treasy's hand and beaming at her. It seemed like the cue for Tyron to introduce himself.

"Tyron Harrington " he said, extending his hand.

He noticed Treasy hesitated for a split second, her crystal blue eyes contemplating his gesture, before she shook his hand.

"Treasy Adams," she replied politely, smiling as their hands met. Tyron couldn't help but notice how perfectly her hand fit in his, but he quickly withdrew his hand, swallowing his irritation.

"You defended my daughter back there. You were risking your job," he remarked,tilting his head slightly, waiting for her response.

"That woman was clearly out of line," Treasy replied, her face briefly contorting in annoyance before she exhaled and the smile returned.

"Would you like to order?"

"A black coffee," Tyron nodded, and Treasy nodded in acknowledgment before leaving to fetch it

*************

"Treasy" her mother called out.

"In here." Treasy made it to their living room and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother.

"What is it? What made you so happy?" her mother asked, turning around as Treasy loosened her hold.

"I got the job at the Knight's." Her mother's face broke into a grin as the news settled in.

"You got the job. That's such good news, honey," her father said from behind. Treasy walked up to him and sat beside him.

"Yes, Dad. Now I will be able to support you guys. You don't need to stress about moms medical bills." Circling her arms around his, she put her head on his shoulder and sighed in relief. Her father placed his hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You were already supporting us, sweetie. You make me proud, Treasy." She stared up to see the adoration and pride in his eyes, and nothing was better than knowing she was the cause behind it.

"I love you, Dad," she said, kissing his cheek.

"And I love you more" he said with a broadsmile