After a few seconds of silence, the kiss came to an end. Daisy looked around and noticed everyone buzzing with conversation and clearly waiting for something to happen. She realized that both she and Axel had become the center of attention.
Daisy's heart was pounding, but there was no shyness or embarrassment in her blue eyes. Instead, a fiery anger radiated from her gaze. That kiss had crossed boundaries, invading Daisy's personal space in a ruthless manner.
Everyone patiently waited for Daisy's reaction. But contrary to their expectations that she would burst with happiness at Axel's confession, she appeared furious and immediately confronted Axel about his actions.
"What the hell did you just do? How dare you kiss me without my consent?" Daisy exclaimed angrily.
Sensing Daisy's agitation and fearing that people might suspect something, Axel suggested calmly to Daisy:
"Come on, sweetheart, don't be mad. Everyone is watching." As Axel attempted to stroke Daisy's chubby cheek, she flinched away and slapped his hand with a pained expression.
"Don't you dare touch me again," Daisy warned sternly.
Axel glanced around and noticed everyone staring at them intently. He realized that the situation would get really bad if he disregarded Daisy's rebellion. Therefore, Axel needed to do something immediately to improve the situation.
"My girl, please don't be angry. You'll look ugly if you behave like that," Axel said gently, attempting to soothe Daisy as he courageously approached her. Seeing Axel coming towards her, Daisy instinctively stepped back to keep her distance from him. Daisy remained shocked and unsure of how to handle Axel after he suddenly kissed her. And she needed time to gather her thoughts and emotions.
"Who said I was your girl?" Daisy growled, "And I couldn't care less about looking ugly. Do you know how rude it is to comment on someone's appearance?"
With all his might, Axel finally managed to approach Daisy and corner her against the side of the table.
Feeling trapped against the table, Daisy took a deep breath to regain her composure. She looked directly into Axel's eyes, her expression a mix of confusion, anger, and vulnerability.
"You're behaving overly dramatic, like a teenage girl who just lost her first kiss," Axel whispered just loud enough for Daisy to hear. "And it's making me look bad in front of everyone."
"Whose fault is it to lose face? Isn't it your fault?" Daisy wanted to raise her voice, but Axel's glare threatened to turn it into a whisper.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Axel went straight to the point with a brazen suggestion: "Listen, let's pretend to reconcile as a couple."
"Why should I do that?" Daisy interrupted sharply.
"I will pay you for the kiss just now." Disregarding Daisy's discomfort, Axel arrogantly declared, "You can name your price. As long as you agree to be my girlfriend in front of everyone here,"
"You lunatic, you despicable person, get lost!" Unable to bear it any longer, Daisy shouted in a rough manner and slapped Axel hard across the face.
The sound of the slap reverberated like thunder in the chaotic space. People couldn't believe what was happening. A chilling silence engulfed the bar, and all eyes were fixed on Axel, who stood frozen like a statue, unable to move or utter a word.
Axel felt a shock running through every cell of his body. His pride was sliced deep, and the mocking and sneering gazes around him were like sharp knives. Axel had never experienced such humiliation and loss of face before. He had crossed boundaries in his attempt to escape from an arranged marriage, but he never expected that the girl he looked down upon would respond to his proposal with such courage and cruelty.
"Do you dare to slap me?" Axel asked, surprised and infuriated at the same time.
"Well, what if I slap you? You despicable scum," Daisy responded firmly. People continued to watch, but no one dared to intervene in this tense situation.
"Do you know who I am?" Axel continued to ask.
"I don't need to know who you are," Daisy declared firmly. "The issue here is, how could you touch me without permission? And on top of that, you uttered disrespectful and offensive words toward me. You are a despicable and detestable person."
"I was trying to say..." Axel wanted to argue, but Daisy refused to listen.
"Are you crazy or do you have some nerve problem?" Daisy emphasized.
"Listen, I'm just..." Axel lost his composure while speaking.
"That's enough. Don't say anything else," Daisy sternly interrupted. "No matter what you say, it won't change the fact that you're a despicable person, deceiving others."
Realizing that she was drawing even more attention, Daisy wanted to escape from this situation as soon as possible. So, she quickly took out a few dollar bills from her pocket and handed them to Axel.
"I only have this much. Take it for now and go get your nerves checked at the hospital. I hope you recover soon."
After saying that, she turned away, muttering curses towards Axel and wiping her lips vigorously, like she wanted to erase the last kiss.
Axel stood there like a pillar in the bar, his heart overwhelmed with intense waves of turmoil. Mocking laughter from the audience filled the space, making Axel feel even more embarrassed and infuriated.
Rosa's anger turned into gleeful satisfaction as Axel faced an outcome no one could have anticipated. After a moment of standing in silence, Axel returned to his group of friends and Rosa, only to be teased immediately.
"So, Axel? Ready to give up? Or will you accept defeat to end this? The slap earlier must have hurt a lot, huh?" Rosa arrogantly taunted
"Definitely. The sound was so loud," Zane chimed in, joining Rosa's remarks. "Look, Axel's face even has the imprint of the girl's fingers."
Axel's friends laughed mockingly, and Rosa was pleased with Axel's failure.
"This is just the beginning. There's still plenty of time," Axel coldly stated, causing the laughter to abruptly cease. "I won't accept defeat so easily."
Axel mentioned the aspect of time, prompting Rosa to realize that she hadn't discussed the deadline for the bet to end. Fearful that Axel might take advantage of this loophole and prolong the timeframe to her disadvantage, Rosa was determined to address it immediately.
"Axel, we haven't talked about the deadline for the bet to end. Now, I want to add it." Rosa nervously awaited Axel's reaction.
"Just say it directly; no beating around the bush," Axel impatiently demanded. "What do you want?"
"I want you to complete the challenge within ten days, or else you'll lose," Rosa passionately declared. "What do you think? Is it a reasonable timeframe?"
"Any number of days is fine with me," Axel confidently responded. "It's not a problem for me."
"Good." Rosa breathed a sigh of relief as Axel easily accepted the additional condition. If Axel had refused, this bet would never have reached its conclusion. By then, Rosa would be no different from a loser.
"Axel, you look so confident," Zane commented.
"Of course. I've never been defeated," Axel arrogantly stated.
"Axel, that girl isn't easy to charm. Despite being unattractive, I have to admit she has a strong personality," Tom said in an impartial observation.
"I haven't even used my most powerful tactics yet. Just wait and see," Axel proudly declared. He wouldn't let others diminish his morale.
After their conversation, the group of friends bid farewell. Rosa, with a haughty demeanor, left the bar. Axel also went home to plan his strategy to conquer his target.
8 a.m. in Axel Smith's private officeAxel is sitting comfortably in a plush chair, holding a glass of red wine, and his eyes are quietly immersed in the beautiful scenery outside the window. The space is filled with a sense of tranquility, but suddenly, a gentle knocking sound disrupts the serene atmosphere.Axel, with a surprised expression, blinks and turns his head towards the door."Please come in." Axel hurriedly speaks, immediately resuming a serious demeanor for work.The door opens, revealing a polite man dressed in a minimalist suit yet exuding an air of elegance."I've come to report," the man says with a deep and confident tone, standing across from Axel."Speak up then," Axel demanded.Axel remains seated in his position, trying not to show any impatience."Sir, this is the result of the investigation," the man says, his voice warm and resolute. "For now, I can only gather basic information. To delve deeper, more time will be required. Therefore, I ask for your patience a
Seeing Daisy's contemplative expression, Axel anxiously interjected, "Can you hear what I'm saying?""You're like that again. Why do you have to make me hate you?" Daisy exclaimed, looking annoyed at Axel. "When will you give up? Did you forget about last night? Do you want me to repeat it?""I'm being serious. Please go on a date with me," Axel reiterated impatiently."Are you drunk?" Daisy recreates the situation from last night by asking questionable questions."I haven't had a single drop of alcohol today," Axel affirmed, although he was lying. The truth was that Axel had consumed a glass of wine before meeting Daisy."Well, then you must be insane." Daisy went on to claim that Axel was mentally ill, mixing mockery with probing. "Where is the money I gave you? Why haven't you gone to the Mental Health Hospital for diagnosis and treatment?"Unfazed by Daisy's blunt and provocative remarks, Axel remained calm as he emphasized, "I'm perfectly healthy. There's no need to go to the hos
Unable to keep Daisy from leaving, the manager quickly approaches Axel with apprehension, saying, "I apologize for the actions of our staff member, Mr. Axel Smith. May I ask what happened? Did Daisy commit any serious mistakes?""That staff member..." Axel swallows his anger, about to accuse Daisy, but suddenly realizes that he himself is the cause of the situation."Well, if there's anything unsatisfactory, please feel free to share," the manager suggests courteously. "If Daisy has done something wrong, I will immediately terminate her employment."Terminate employment? Axel never intended to make Daisy lose her job. Axel only wanted to achieve his goal through peace, without any bloodshed or sacrifice. However, Daisy is not the type of person to easily compromise. Axel truly encountered a challenging opponent."There's nothing," Axel says coldly, trying to suppress the turmoil that Daisy has caused him."I have spare clothing. If you don't mind, I can lend them to you," the manager
The next day. After the incident where Daisy splashed dirty water on Axel, everyone thought that Axel wouldn't bother coming to the bar anymore. But to the surprise of the staff, Axel still appeared confident, and to top it off, he brought along a large bouquet of roses. Some curious individuals dared to estimate that the bouquet had nearly 100 flowers. A colleague who noticed Axel approaching turned to Daisy and said: "Hey Daisy, that director guy is here again." At that moment, Daisy was busy cleaning the bar to prepare for the first wave of customers for the day. She had to raise her head when she heard her colleague's announcement. "Who is it?" Daisy asked bewilderedly, not bothering to scan the area for the person mentioned. "It's Axel," Daisy's colleague hesitantly said, then abruptly stopped and hurriedly left the counter. "Where are you going?" Daisy looked after her, perplexed, and asked "Greetings, Daisy," Axel said politely, capturing Daisy's attention. The call mad
"Are you determined to resist me?" Axel shouted, highly dissatisfied with Daisy's unprofessional and ignorant behavior. "Do you believe that I would fire you immediately?"Daisy showed no fear, instead remaining calm and gently explaining, "Respected boss, the water is near your place, just within your reach. In the meantime, I am far away from it with the water jug.""I don't need to know that. You should figure out how to solve it yourself," Axel insisted, making things difficult for Daisy. "I hired you not to be lazy and shirk responsibilities.""Don't you see that I am busy?" Daisy tried to emphasize the main point."I don't see anything," Axel replied, pretending to be blind."Why make things difficult when you can reach out and touch the water jug?" Daisy objected, feeling indignant."Because I am the boss, the one paying to be served," Axel reiterated his position. "So if you don't want to..."Daisy interrupted Axel by raising her hand, requesting that he be silent. Her gaze wa
Time continued to pass, and the deadline for Axel to complete the challenge was approaching. However, up until this point, Axel had been unsuccessful in bribing Daisy with money or material possessions. Axel never liked to experience failure. He had never tasted defeat before. Could it be that this time Axel would have to face all of that? No, Axel's reputation couldn't be tarnished like that. Axel couldn't accept the feeling of humiliation and being controlled by Rosa in the future. Finally, to avoid all of that, Axel came up with an idea. He would investigate Daisy's weaknesses and use them as leverage to manipulate her into complying with Axel's arrangements. This plan could be considered despicable, but for the sake of his own future and freedom, Axel would disregard everything as long as he achieved his goal.Axel's trusted assistant, John, confidently entered the room, holding a stack of papers containing information about Daisy."Boss, here's the latest report you requested," J
"Who are you, and what do you want? Move aside so we can go," the leader asked in a loud voice. Axel didn't bother to look at them; he was focused on Daisy, the girl lying weakly on the ground. A sense of pity welled up in Axel's heart."Did you do this?" Axel asked coldly."Yeah, so what? What's it to you?""Can you hit a woman?" Axel asked, deeply indignant at this inhuman behavior. Axel has never been physically cruel to a woman, and he detests such violence."Why not? Besides, she's not a woman. She's an ugly creature."Laughter filled with mockery escaped the lips of the thugs. In their eyes, Daisy did indeed look both ugly and repulsive."So, what do you want, you audacious fool? You want to play the hero and save..."Before the man could finish his sentence, Axel swiftly delivered a powerful punch to his face. Blood started to flow from the nose and mouth of the man who had been struck."You son of a bitch, how dare you hit me?" The man screamed, a mix of anger and fear evident
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept in, shaking the trash cans around them. The lid of the trash can was lifted and thrown off, creating a loud and menacing noise. Both Axel and Daisy jolted in fear, feeling as if all their escape efforts had been discovered.Terrified, they dared not make a sound, waiting for the worst to happen. Time passed slowly in the chaos of their minds. But as nothing unfolded, their anxiety began to diminish.Axel, more determined and courageous, decided to hold his breath and sit up straight. He tried to peek outside to assess whether it was safe. His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any signs of hidden danger.In that moment, as Axel's mind and body reached a peak of tension, an unforeseen incident took place. From the shadows, a wild cat emerged and leapt over his head. Its mischievous gaze and subtle noise nearly caused Axel to scream. Startled, Axel lost his balance and unintentionally exerted a strong impact on Daisy's leg. It was an unint