Chapter 11
1091 Words
Chapter 11
HER POV
I should have known something was wrong.
Not because Daniel had done anything terrible.
Not yet.
It was the little things.
The comments.
The questions.
The way his smile disappeared whenever I talked about my company for too long.
At first, I had ignored them.
Maybe I was being too critical.
Maybe I was simply used to doing everything on my own.
But tonight, I couldn't ignore it anymore.
Daniel sat across from me, casually scrolling through the menu.
“You're working again?” he asked.
I looked down at my phone.
“One email.”
“You said that last time.”
“And?”
He looked up.
“You really don't know how to relax, do you?”
I put my phone down.
“I know how to relax.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“I'm just saying, you're too focused on work.”
I didn't answer.
The waiter came, and we ordered.
For a few minutes, things were quiet.
Then Daniel leaned back.
“I was thinking about what you told me about your company.”
“What about it?”
“You're putting too much pressure on yourself.”
“I don't think so.”
“You're twenty-four, Angela. You don't need to have everything figured out already.”
I stared at him.
“I don't think having goals means I have everything figured out.”
“Goals are good.”
He paused.
“But there should be a limit.”
I frowned.
“A limit?”
“You're always talking about expansion, investments, meetings, travelling…”
“That is what my life is about right now.”
He gave a small laugh.
“Exactly.”
I didn't like his tone.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Nothing bad.”
He reached across the table.
“I just think a woman shouldn't have to work this hard.”
There it was.
I leaned back.
“And why is that?”
“Because eventually, you need a life outside business.”
“I have one.”
“Do you?”
I stared at him.
“My business isn't my entire life.”
“But it's a huge part of it.”
“Yes.”
He shook his head slightly.
“I just don't understand why you want to compete so much.”
“Compete with who?”
“Everyone.”
I almost laughed.
“I don't compete with everyone.”
“You're building an empire.”
“So?”
He smiled.
“Nothing. It's just unusual.”
I looked at him carefully.
“Do you have a problem with ambitious women?”
“No.”
His answer came too quickly.
“I just prefer women who know when to let a man take care of things.”
I went silent.
That sentence told me more than he probably intended.
I took a sip of water.
“I don't need someone to take care of me.”
“I didn't say you needed it.”
“You implied it.”
He sighed.
“Angela, you're taking this too seriously.”
Maybe I was.
Maybe this was just one badly worded conversation.
But I remembered the first date.
Do you ever switch off?
Then tonight.
You work too much.
You don't need to have everything figured out.
A woman shouldn't have to work this hard.
It was starting to look less like coincidence.
Dinner continued, but I wasn't as relaxed anymore.
When we finished, Daniel walked me outside.
“I had a good time,” he said.
I gave him a polite smile.
“Thanks.”
“Same time next week?”
I hesitated.
“No.”
His expression changed.
“No?”
“I don't think we should keep seeing each other.”
He stared at me.
“Why?”
“Because I don't think we're looking for the same thing.”
He laughed softly.
“You barely know me.”
“I know enough.”
His smile disappeared.
“You're rejecting me because I told you to slow down?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
I looked directly at him.
“Because I don't like the way you talk about my life.”
He scoffed.
“I was trying to help you.”
“I didn't ask for help.”
“You're proving my point.”
“What point?”
“That you're too independent.”
I shook my head.
“No. I'm independent because I choose to be.”
He stepped closer.
“You know, Angela, not every man is going to tolerate this attitude.”
I stared at him.
“I don't need every man to tolerate it.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You really think you're something.”
I remained calm.
“Are you finished?”
His jaw tightened.
“You know what your problem is?”
I said nothing.
“You have all this money, but you still don't understand men. What man is going to follow a woman who is always chasing the next business deal?”
I felt nothing.
Not hurt.
Just disappointment.
He continued.
“You're so obsessed with being ambitious that you've forgotten how to be a woman.”
I almost smiled.
“And now you're standing there acting as if you're too good for me.”
“I'm not acting.”
He went quiet.
I looked at him.
“I wasn't interested before this conversation, and I'm certainly not interested now.”
His face hardened.
“You think you're gold because you have money and a company?”
“No.”
“Trust me, there are plenty of women who know how to make a man feel wanted.”
I nodded slowly.
“Good for you.”
“A man doesn't need another businessman at home.”
I looked him straight in the eyes.
“My ambition isn't a problem that needs a man to fix.”
He said nothing.
“And I don't need someone to follow me.”
I stepped toward my car.
“I need someone who can walk beside me.”
I opened the door.
Daniel remained standing there.
I looked back at him one last time.
“Don't approach me like this again.”
Then I got into my car and drove away.
I wasn't angry.
I wasn't heartbroken.
I wasn't even surprised anymore.
I simply knew I had made the right decision.
Daniel wanted a woman he could change.
I wasn't that woman.
And I never would be.
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