Under the summer sunset, the suburb looked like a beautiful landscape painting. Even the strong features of Edward's face were blending in the bright colors. With the soft and thin lips lightly closed and the deep eyes looking at the spiraling road, his figure seemed distinguished and elegant. The posh Lamborghini drew a curve and stopped at the gate of the military base. Edward looked at his watch. His timing was perfect. He wondered whether Daisy had finished her work.
He had exhausted her the night before. She slept quite late in the night, and she woke up at the break of dawn. She had been too busy to eat at the office. She must be exhausted by now. He had left his office early to pick up Daisy, worrying that she might doze off while driving.
"Colonel, time to go home, "
Mark said to Daisy. She should have left for home hours ago. He wondered what was keeping her. The commander was ruthless. How could he assign so much work to her on the first day after vacations?
"Well, soon. You may go now." Daisy's head was still buried in the files. The tiredness was evident on her beautiful face. Maybe it was because of the vacations; she didn't seem to be as motivated as before.
"Colonel, please let me drive you home today.' Mark was worried. Her tired face made him feel more resentful towards the commander.
"No, thanks. I'm fine. You please go home." Earlier, she used to manage to stay awake day and night while on a task. This was a piece of cake for her.
"OK, Colonel. Take care of yourself." Although she had scolded him just this morning, he still worried about her. He knew she was right.
"OK. Thanks." Daisy exhaled deeply. One more file to go. She would be able to head home soon. A military exercise had been scheduled in a few days. She would be quite busy then. She was grateful that someone would take care of Justin for her.
Edward anxiously looked at his watch again. Half-an-hour had passed. Still, there was no sign of Daisy coming out of the office. 'Is it possible that she already left for home? Unlikely.' He came quite early to surprise her. Nevermind the surprise, he decided to call her. He wasn't in the habit of waiting for anyone. Daisy was an exception.
"Hello. This is Daisy speaking. Who is this?" Hearing the phone ringing, Daisy answered it without looking at the screen, eyes still on the files, brows knitted.
"Honey, it's me. Are you still at the military base?" Edward asked with a big smile.
"Yes. I still have some more work to do. Are you off work?" Daisy signed the last file and put it on the top of the big pile on her desk. Her work for today was officially finished. "Will it be long?" Edward frowned a little. 'Is she that busy? It's late. Can't she leave some work for tomorrow?'
"It's finished already. What's up?" she answered, straightening out the files.
"Oh, then come out fast. I'm waiting outside." Thinking that she might drive her car out, Edward decided to tell her the truth. "What? You're here? I told you I'd drive home myself." Puzzled, Daisy stopped arranging the files. 'Why was he here?'
"Yes. I have been waiting for a long time. I thought you had already left for home." There was a hint of complaint in his words. This was the first time he had been waiting for someone, but she was still unhappy about it.
"OK. Stay there. I'm coming." Daisy put on her army cap, grabbed her briefcase and walked out quickly. Her heart was filled with happiness.
"OK. I'll be here." Edward leaned against the seat back. He was smiling happily while rhythmically tapping on the steering wheel.
"Daisy. What's the rush?" asked the commander. He was wondering what made her walk in a hurry. 'Doesn't she live in the residential building attached to the military base?' He wondered.
"Oh, how are you, Commander? What can I do for you?" Daisy saluted him and winced. 'Please don't let it be more work.'
"Kiddo? Can't I talk to you about something else besides work?' The commander frowned at Daisy, pretending to be mad. He felt she was taking him less seriously these days. At the morning meeting, she even opposed many of his proposals. But he understood her well, so he knew that she would never cross him.
"No, Commander, I didn't mean that." Daisy sounded anxious; she wondered why he was stalling her. She was also worried that if she kept Edward waiting, he might get angry again.
"Never mind. I was just teasing you. Are you all set for the upcoming war game? Your performance will be a deciding factor in your promotion next year. And a good performance will save you from worrying about being replaced by someone with a stronger background." He looked at her thoughtfully. She was the best he had ever seen in the army. But sadly, she came from an ordinary family and hence tended to fail in the assessments no matter how well she did.
"Thank you, Commander. I'll do my best. It doesn't matter whether I get promoted or not. I just hope to do my job well." Daisy knew that the commander meant well. But she also knew that she would have to work much harder to get promoted.
" Good, I'm glad you think that way. I assume you were still unhappy about your failure last time. Although she had more achievements than any of her peers in the army, she had to give up opportunities just because of her unfavourable background. Knowing how hard it had been for her, the commander patted her on the shoulder in approval.