Chapter 8 Uprising

"Thirsty?"

Daniel's voice was soft, breaking through the ringing in Caroline's ears. She sat slumped on the velvet sofa, her feet finally free from the torture of the four-inch heels. Daniel opened his water bottle and handed it to her. Caroline took it with a grateful nod, her ponytail messy and her spirit frayed.

From across the room, Harrison watched them. His blue eyes were narrowed, tracking the easy, practiced intimacy between the two. Is that the boyfriend? Harrison wondered, a mysterious, bitter smile touching his lips. I suppose that makes us even. She has her 'commoner' hero, and I have Tania. The contract remains balanced.

But Harrison didn't see the truth. He didn't see that Daniel was a man trapped in the amber of unrequited love, a literature student who had spent two years weaving words of affection that Caroline mistook for mere friendship. To Caroline, Daniel was the charming "heartbreaker" of the campus, a guy who spread the "love virus" to countless girls while remaining safely, platonically by her side.

"Let's get some dinner, and then I'll take you home?" Steven asked, though his eyes were darting between Harrison and Tania. He was trying to salvage the wreckage of the afternoon.

Tania, ever the actress, was practically fused to Harrison's side. She radiated a polished, feminine grace that made Caroline's jeans and long-sleeved shirt look like rags. Caroline felt the sting of it-the realization that the "Sky Brand" didn't just refer to money, but to a level of perfection she could never inhabit.

"Steven, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Tania asked, her voice like honey.

"Should I introduce you as an actress, an old school friend, or a complication?" Harrison asked, his boredom finally returning.

"You always did like to tease," Tania laughed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Harrison stood up abruptly. "I'm going with Tania. Steven, you take care of the other two."

"Wait a minute," Caroline interrupted, her designer-induced fog finally lifting. "I'm still not okay with the dress. It's too... much. It's too loud."

Harrison looked at her, then at Dede James, who was waiting for a final word. "Dede, listen to her. Whatever she wants, make it happen. I can't linger here."

"I can take her home, Harrison," Daniel interjected, standing up. He didn't look at the CEO; his gaze was fixed on Caroline. "She'll be more comfortable with me."

Harrison's eyes flashed. "I don't agree. Steven will take her. It's safer."

"Ask Caroline," Daniel challenged, his voice steady. "She's known me for two years, not two weeks. She doesn't need a Marcus security detail to get to her own front door." He added a sharp, stinging look at Tania. "Besides, you seem busy with your 'other' engagement."

The air in the boutique turned frigid. Steven looked like he wanted to jump out the window. "This kid is dangerous," Steven whispered to himself. "He has no idea who he's talking to."

"Thank you for everything, Steven," Caroline said, standing up and grabbing her bag. "But Daniel is right. We'll head out on our own. See you at the office."

She gave a small, polite wave-even to Tania-and headed for the stairs. Daniel followed her, throwing a victory smile over his shoulder that made Harrison's blood boil.

"Tania, take the car. Go home," Harrison said, thrusting the keys into the actress's hand.

"What? Harrison, wait!"

"I have things to do," he snapped. He turned to Steven, who was watching him with open-mouthed shock. "Get in. We're going."

"Where?" Steven asked as they pulled away from the curb. "The office? The hotel?"

Harrison didn't answer. He was on his phone, his thumb flying across the screen. "Make sure you keep an eye on them!" he barked into the receiver. "Photos, videos, everything. Report their location every ten minutes!"

Steven burst out laughing. It wasn't a polite laugh; it was a roar of genuine, hysterical amusement. "Are you serious, Harry? You've hired a private investigator to tail a college student and his friend to a burger joint?"

"Shut up, Steven."

"You're jealous! The 'Sky Brand' heir is stalking a girl in a ponytail!"

"I said shut up!" Harrison's face was a brilliant, humiliated red. "It's about the contract. I need to know if she's associating with people who could damage the Marcus image."

"Right. The image. That's definitely why you're vibrating with rage," Steven teased. "I should submit my resignation now. I can't work for a crazy person."

Harrison slammed the brakes, nearly sending Steven through the windshield. "Get out."

"What?"

"Get out of the car. Now."

Steven realized he had pushed too far. Harrison's eyes weren't just angry; they were desperate. With a sigh, the assistant stepped out onto the Havenport sidewalk. The luxury car sped off, leaving Steven shouting at the taillights.

"Daniel, can we eat there?"

Caroline pointed to a bright, neon-lit fast-food place a block away from the boutique.

"You know I hate that stuff, Caroline. It's all salt and regret."

"I'm starving, and I'm stressed, and I want a burger," she pleaded, rubbing her stomach.

Daniel couldn't say no to that face. They sat in a corner booth, tucked away from the window, oblivious to the man in a nondescript sedan taking photos of them from across the street.

"You're really anxious today," Daniel observed, watching her tear into a box of fries. "Is it the wedding? Or the guy?"

Caroline didn't look up. "I don't want to go home, Daniel. If I go home, I have to look at my father's face. I have to look at the 'deal.'"

Daniel reached across the table, his hand hovering near hers before he pulled it back. "Then we don't go home. Let's go somewhere real."

They caught the Havenport Trans-Bus, the double-decker swaying as it navigated the evening traffic. The bus was crowded, and Daniel stood close to her, one hand on the overhead rail and the other tucked behind Caroline's back to steady her against the jolts of the road.

Again, the shutter of a camera clicked from the back of the bus.

Daniel looked down at her. Usually, Caroline would have pushed him away, complaining that he was being "too much." But tonight, she was silent, her head bowed as if she were carrying the weight of the entire Marcus skyline on her shoulders.

"We're here," Daniel said, guiding her off the bus at the summit of Havenport Heights.

He didn't take her to a mall or a cinema. He led her toward the Aura Gardens-a legendary residential complex built on the literal roof of a skyscraper. It was a forest in the clouds, with minimalist trees, park benches, and a view that stretched all the way to the harbor.

Caroline ran toward the glass railing. Below them, Havenport was a sea of sparkling lights, a metropolitan pulse that felt far away and silent from this height.

"Thank you, Daniel," she whispered. "It's... it's exactly what I needed."

"I knew you'd like it," he said, stepping up beside her.

They stood there for a long time, the cold wind whipping Caroline's ponytail. Daniel felt the silence stretching between them, a heavy, suffocating thing. He looked at the girl he had loved for two years-the girl who was about to become the wife of a man who tracked her movements like a criminal.

I'm losing her, Daniel thought. I'm losing her before I even had her.

His chest felt tight, a sharp, physical ache that made it hard to breathe. Without thinking, he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug from the side, drawing her head against his chest. He stroked her hair, the scent of her shampoo-something like vanilla and paper-filling his senses.

"There's nothing to worry about," he whispered into her hair. "I'm here. I'll always be here."

Caroline's eyes widened. The comfort was there, but so was a sudden, jarring realization. Daniel? Spontaneously, her elbow lifted, landing squarely in his ribs as she pulled away.

"Ouch!" Daniel groaned, clutching his side.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked, her voice a mix of confusion and annoyance. "My head is a mess, and you're still trying to play the 'sweet hero'?"

Daniel didn't smile this time. He didn't make a joke about her "sharp elbows" or his "fragile ego." He looked at her with an expression so raw and serious that Caroline felt the air leave the room.

"Do I look like I'm joking, Caroline?"