His Queen (18+)

Chapter XVI

THE ALTERCATION

All of our conversations end like it's the last goodbye.

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CHAPTER XVI

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“DANIEL?” I POKED my head into his office and saw him sitting at his desk with his laptop right in front of him. He glanced up at me briefly before going back to his work. “Can we talk?”

He didn't have a choice in the matter, but I knew from experience that making people believe they did made them more receptive to what I was going to say.

Daniel only grunted, getting first place for the most minimal response I had ever received to that question. I still let myself in, closing the door behind me with a soft click before making my way over to his desk.

I had decided to clean myself up before I came to speak with him, now adorned in one of his black shirts and the same sweatpants after a much needed shower.

He hadn't looked up at me at all since I had called for his attention and I soon realised that that was how our conversation was going to go.

With a small exhale, I gathered my thoughts and then began talking. “I want to go back to New York.”

His eyes snapped up to meet mine in a matter of a seconds and a feeling of triumph had washed over me. “Are you mad?”

“No, but I am tired of feeling useless so I'm going back,” I stated, shrugging. “There's nothing for me here.”

He narrowed his eyes at me and dropped his pen on his desk. He leaned back in his seat as he stared at me. “And how do you intend to do that?”

“With a plane ticket.”

“I'm not joking—”

“Neither am I,” I said, swiftly cutting him off. “I intend to go back to New York, threat or not because I can't sit here and twiddle my thumbs in front of me like nothing is happening while other people take care of my shit. I feel useless.”

“Better than feeling dead.”

“You would know, huh?” He glared at me at my words and I only raised my hands in defense, not wanting him to think that I was staging a personal attack against him. “Look, Daniel, believe it or not, I have a job that I need to do. I have bills that need to be paid and my rent too. People know me in New York and it won't take long before they start noticing my absence if they haven't already. I have appointments to go to.”

“Cancel all of them.”

“I can't cancel them. What happens when all of this ends and I have no home to live in and no job?” I asked, leaning over the desk to get closer to him. “What do I do? Rely on you again?” He said nothing as I spoke, only watching me with his cold eyes. “And what about all my things? How do I get them? I'm assuming I'll be here for a bit of time so what happens to that?”

He again said nothing, not providing a solution and only adding to the problems I needed to solve. If it was just me, the solution was easy; go back to New York.

“You can go back,” Daniel said, making my eyes widen. “But wherever you intend on going, know that Mateo stays here.”

I knew there was a catch. There always had to be a catch. It was Daniel after all. There was no way I would ever win something against him.

I narrowed my eyes at him before letting a chuckle slip past my lips. He narrowed his eyes at the sound of it and pursed his lips as I began to speak. “You think you can care for him? He doesn't even know you're his father.”