Chapter thirteen-The storm between them
1260 Words
The days following Daisy’s decision passed more quickly than either of them expected. With the agreement now signed, she spent almost every hour working alongside Alexander. Meetings became longer, business trips more frequent and late evenings at the office became the new normal. The professional distance they had once maintained slowly began to fade. They still argued, still challenged each other and still disagreed over the smallest details, but somewhere beneath every disagreement was an undeniable comfort. Daisy no longer hesitated before knocking on Alexander’s office door, and Alexander found himself looking up whenever he heard her footsteps approaching. Neither of them spoke about it, but everyone around them noticed the change.
One rainy Thursday evening, the office had almost emptied. Most employees had gone home hours earlier, leaving only a handful of lights glowing across the executive floor. Daisy remained at her desk reviewing financial reports while Alexander was inside his office finishing a conference call with investors overseas. She rubbed her tired eyes before stretching slightly in her chair. It had been nearly ten hours since either of them had taken a proper break.
Alexander stepped out of his office just as Daisy closed another file.
“You should go home.”
She looked up.
“So should you.”
“I still have work.”
“So do I.”
He folded his arms.
“You’re stubborn.”
She smiled.
“I’ve been called worse.”
He walked closer to her desk.
“You’ve been here since seven this morning.”
“So have you.”
“I own the company.”
“And I work for the man who owns the company.”
Alexander sighed quietly.
“That isn’t the point.”
“Then what is?”
For a brief moment, he searched for an answer.
“I don’t want you exhausting yourself.”
The concern in his voice caught Daisy by surprise.
She smiled softly.
“I’ll survive.”
“You don’t have to prove yourself.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why are you still here?”
She looked down at the papers scattered across her desk.
“Because this job is helping my family. Every hour I work brings us closer to saving the farm.”
Alexander watched her silently.
“You don’t have to carry everything by yourself.”
She looked back at him.
“I’ve been carrying everything for years.”
Those words lingered heavily between them.
Alexander understood that feeling better than anyone.
Just then, Ethan walked over carrying another folder.
“Sorry to interrupt, but these contracts need Mr Knight’s signature before tomorrow morning.”
Alexander accepted the documents without complaint.
“I’ll finish them.”
Ethan looked between them before smiling knowingly.
“I’ll leave you both to it.”
As soon as he disappeared into the lift, silence settled once again.
Alexander returned to his office, while Daisy continued reviewing reports.
Almost an hour later, the lights flickered.
A loud c***k of thunder echoed outside.
The rain intensified, crashing against the enormous glass windows.
Daisy stood and walked towards them.
“I’ve never seen rain like this in the city.”
Alexander joined her.
“It usually floods the streets.”
She watched the lightning illuminate the skyline.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You like storms?”
“They remind me of home.”
He glanced at her.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“When I was little, Jake and I used to sit on the farmhouse porch counting the seconds between lightning and thunder while my mother made hot chocolate.”
A genuine smile spread across her face.
“We weren’t allowed outside, but we’d always sneak onto the porch anyway.”
Alexander found himself smiling too.
“My childhood storms were very different.”
She looked at him.
“My father hated distractions.”
Even storms?”
“Especially storms.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“If the weather interrupted my studies, he’d make me start again.”
Daisy stared at him in disbelief.
“You were a child.”
“I was his investment.”
The sadness in his voice made her heart ache.
Without thinking, she reached for his hand.
“You deserved better.”
Alexander looked down at their hands before gently intertwining his fingers with hers.
For several quiet moments, neither of them spoke.
The rain continued pouring outside while they stood side by side, watching the city disappear beneath sheets of silver water.
The peaceful moment was interrupted by the sharp sound of a phone vibrating across Alexander’s desk.
He released her hand and answered immediately.
“Knight.”
His expression hardened.
“What?”
Daisy watched the warmth disappear from his face.
“I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
The caller continued speaking.
“No.”
Alexander’s voice became noticeably colder.
“I said tomorrow.”
He ended the call abruptly.
“Everything alright?” Daisy asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
She hesitated.
“You don’t have to shut me out every time something goes wrong.”
Alexander looked away.
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“Maybe not.”
She took a step closer.
“But you don’t always have to face things alone.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You think you know me after a few weeks?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You have no idea what my life is like.”
“And you have no idea what mine has been like.”
His frustration, built from years of pressure, suddenly surfaced.
“You grew up surrounded by people who loved you.”
Her expression changed instantly.
“You think losing my father and watching my family lose everything has been easy?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You implied it.”
Alexander ran a hand through his hair.
“Daisy…”
“No.”
She stepped back.
“You don’t get to decide whose pain matters more.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Rain continued striking the windows, but neither of them noticed anymore.
Alexander realised immediately that he had gone too far.
“I didn’t mean—”
“No.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“You don’t get to apologise because you feel guilty.”
She grabbed her handbag from the chair.
“I should go.”
“Daisy.”
She stopped at the office door but didn’t turn around.
“I trusted you enough to tell you about my family.”
Her voice trembled.
“And somehow you still managed to make me feel small.”
Before Alexander could stop her, she walked out.
The lift doors closed.
She was gone.
Alexander remained standing in the middle of his office, staring at the empty doorway.
For the first time in years, he realised something terrifying.
He cared far too much about someone who had just walked away from him.
Outside the building, Daisy stepped into the rain without opening her umbrella.
She barely noticed the cold water soaking through her clothes.
All she could hear were Alexander’s words repeating in her mind.
You grew up surrounded by people who loved you.
She had.
But love had never protected her family from grief, debt or heartbreak.
As she disappeared into the rainy night, neither she nor Alexander realised that the distance growing between them was only temporary.
Because some storms didn’t destroy love.
They revealed just how deeply it had already taken root.
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