"I know who you are," Daphne said to Kian as she opened the door of the cafe to him. She didn't bother with any 'Good morning,' greetings. Daphne had a feeling that he wouldn't answer her, even if she greeted him thousands of times.
Kian let out a tired sigh as he quickly walked past Daphne into Mr Mateo's office.
'is he not even curious about what I had to say?' Daphne thought. She woke up extra early for work at the cafe. Kian and Nyla were usually the first ones to arrive at the cafe before others. Daphne didn't bother to wait for Esther before coming to the cafe, she wanted a chance to tal_ threaten Kian before the cafe was open for customers. She decided that if she couldn't control him by making him fall in love with her, she was going to control him in some other way.
"You don't know how to give up, do you?" Kian asked Daphne as he came out of Mr Mateo's office. Daphne had been waiting outside for him. "I don't know what you are up to today, but I'm not in the mood for any of your tricks. Because of you, yesterday..." His words drifted away as he turned his face away from her In an attempt to hide his blush, but Daphne saw his red ears. When Kian faced Daphne again, he was more composed, with a grumpy expression on his face. "I have work to do, I don't have any time for you and your nonsense."
Kian went to the changing room for male workers and closed the door against Daphne's face. Daphne suspected that he would have slammed the door against her face if Mr Mateo wasn't around.
Daphne felt tempted to open the door to the changing room, she thought that there was nothing to be shy about, after all, she had once seen Kian naked before, and seeing him half-dressed wasn't going to mean anything.
"I don't think that is right," Nyla said to Daphne whose hand was on the doorknob.
Daphne was startled by Nyla's presence. Her heartbeat increased, Daphne couldn't tell if it was because she was about to barge into Kian privacy or if it was because Nyla had suddenly popped up behind her.
"How about you help me set up the cafe?" Nyla ask. "It is nice to have someone other than Kian who can help me out by this time of the day."
Daphne silently nodded as she helped Nyla. She was grateful that Nyla didn't talk about what she was about to do. At first, Daphne thought it didn't matter, barging in on Kian, but after she had been caught by Nyla, she felt embarrassed.
"You are still running after Kian." Nyla glanced at the changing room that Kian went in. He still hadn't come out. It usually didn't take him long to change into his working uniform but he still didn't come out as though he didn't want to. Nyla suspected that it was because of Daphne. "I can see that you don't plan on giving up."
"I have given up." Daphne turned the 'open' sign at the door of the cafe.
Nyla was shocked by Daphne's reply. "It... It's not yet time to turn the sign." She stumbled on her words as she showed Daphne the time.
"Ohh. I'm sorry." Daphne turns the sign back to close.
'Mr Mateo was as time-obsessed as Kian.' Daphne thought. She smiles softly at how they both always wanted things done at a particular time on constant repeat. It shows that they were truly relative. Daphne's thought made her think sadly about her family that were gone forever, because of Noah. She had given up on Kian half-heartedly, in a completely different way, she had new plans for him.
"I haven't fully given up on him," Daphne said to a shocked Nyla who was now confused by Daphne's new statement. "I have given up on the idea of any form of romantic feelings forming between us." She felt disappointed even though there was a new plan.
Daphne didn't understand her disappointment. The relationship she had wanted with Kian was something that was never going to be real. She concluded that she was probably disappointed because she couldn't make Kian fall in love with her. She was only disappointed that she failed, Daphne wasn't going to let herself fail again.
"I don't understand," Nyla said. "I thought you wanted a relationship because of your feelings for him. What do you want exactly?" Nyla ask, still confused.
"Him." Daphne gave a short reply. "I want him, Kian Landon, himself," Daphne repeated. "Even without love tying me and him together, there are other things that could connect us and bring him to my side forever."
As long as Noah was still alive, Daphne could never let herself give up on Kian. His existence gave hope to the battle she had fought a million times in her mind. With Kian by her side, she won against Noah and made him pay for taking her family away from her.
It didn't matter to Daphne if she looked pathetic because she was chasing the same guy again and again even after rejection. Getting what she wants matters more to her, and she is ready to use all means to get Kian Landon.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Nyla asked, gazing at Daphne as though she had lost her mind. Her eyes went to the clock on the wall, they had spent too much time chatting. It was almost time to open the cafe, from the transparent glass window, Nyla could see Bella and Esther heading towards the cafe. Adriel would be coming soon, and when he did, Kian would have to come out of his hiding place, it wasn't big enough for two people. "It's almost time for me to open the cafe. I think Adriel is going to be late again today." Nyla said in a disappointed tone.
"It's not the same thing," Daphne said with a low voice that was barely a whisper.
'How I get him is different.' Daphne thought. Her method of approaching Kian was kind, compared to what she plans to do now. There was nothing kind about it.
It bothers Daphne that Kian thought nothing about her earlier words to him. She should have been cleared and made him understand that she wasn't only trying to arouse his curiosity, she was threatening him.