Chapter 14: Lines You Don’t Cross
772 Words
Daisy paused at the door.
Her hand resting lightly on the handle.
For a moment, it felt like she might just walk away.
Like none of this had happened.
“Wait.”
Regal’s voice stopped her.
Daisy turned slightly.
“If you’re serious,” Regal said, stepping closer, “about helping… we can’t keep doing this by chance.”
“Give me your number.”
Daisy studied her for a second.
Measuring.
Deciding.
Then she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
“You’re bold,” she said.
“You came to me,” Regal replied.
“Fair.”
They exchanged contacts quickly.
Simple.
But heavy with meaning.
“If anything feels off,” Daisy said quietly, “don’t ignore it.”
Regal nodded.
“I won’t.”
And just like that—
the line was crossed.
Daisy left.
This time for real.
⸻
By the time Sebastian returned, he knew something was wrong.
Regal was sitting on the couch.
Too still.
Too quiet.
“You had a visitor.”
Not a question.
Regal didn’t look up.
“Yes.”
Silence.
“Who?”
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
But that was enough.
Sebastian’s gaze hardened.
“Regal.”
“Daisy,” she said.
The reaction was immediate.
Sharp.
Controlled—
but barely.
“You let her in?” he asked.
“She wanted to talk.”
“That’s not the point.”
Regal stood.
Ignoring the slight discomfort in her body.
“You told me not to open the door,” she said. “Not to stop thinking.”
“That girl is dangerous.”
“She didn’t seem like it.”
Sebastian let out a quiet breath.
Frustration creeping in.
“You don’t understand who you’re dealing with.”
“Then explain it to me!” she snapped.
Silence hit hard.
Because he couldn’t.
Not fully.
Not yet.
“That’s exactly the problem,” Regal continued. “You keep making decisions for me without telling me anything.”
“I’m keeping you alive.”
“And I’m not a child!”
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Sebastian stepped closer.
Not angry.
But intense.
“You were drugged. Attacked. Almost killed—twice,” he said, his voice low. “And you think I’m overreacting?”
Regal’s chest rose and fell.
“I think you’re controlling.”
That landed.
Hard.
For a moment—
neither of them spoke.
Then—
“Fine,” Sebastian said quietly.
Too quietly.
Regal frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he replied, stepping back, “you make your own decisions.”
A beat.
“And you deal with the consequences.”
Something about that—
hurt more than she expected.
“Great,” she said.
“Great.”
⸻
That night they didn’t speak.
Same apartment.
Same space.
But it felt different.
Distant.
Regal lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her mind restless.
Her chest tight.
She hated that he was right.
But she hated even more how he said it.
Across the apartment—
Sebastian stood by the window.
Phone in hand.
Unread messages blinking.
Ignored.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“She’s not just a client,” he muttered under his breath.
And that—
was the problem.
⸻
Elsewhere—
Daisy’s world had shifted.
“You went to see her.”
Her father’s voice was calm.
Too calm.
Daisy stood still.
Not denying it.
“I told you to stay out of it.”
“And I told you,” she replied, “you’ve gone too far.”
Silence.
Then—
“Take her upstairs.”
Her eyes widened.
“What?”
Two guards stepped forward.
“Don’t do this,” she said sharply.
But it was already happening.
Within minutes the door shut behind her.
Locked.
Her father stood outside.
Unmoved.
“You’ll stay here,” he said, “until you remember where your loyalty lies.”
Daisy let out a bitter laugh.
“You mean until I stop asking questions?”
No response.
The lock clicked.
Final.
⸻
Hours later—
The room was dark.
Quiet.
Daisy sat on the edge of the bed.
Still.
Thinking.
Then—
slowly—
she reached beneath the mattress.
A second phone.
Small.
Hidden.
She turned it on.
The screen lit up faintly.
Encrypted.
Untraceable.
Her fingers moved quickly.
“You’re not safe.”
Another message.
“We need to talk. Not through him.”
Back in the apartment—
Regal’s phone buzzed.
She frowned.
Unknown number.
She hesitated.
Then opened it.
Her heart skipped.
Because somehow—
she already knew who it was.
- Writer
