Louis could feel himself tense up. There was no mistaking that voice. He'd heard it countless times during high school. For a moment, he could have sworn his heart stopped. Slowly and reluctantly, he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting none other than Daniel Sterling himself, standing before him, in the flesh.
The moment their eyes met, a shiver ran down Louis' spine. He hated Daniel—he hated everything about him.
Daniel, meanwhile, smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. He cut an imposing figure, tall and slender, with perfectly styled soft blonde hair and not a strand out of place. He wore an expensive-looking navy-blue suit, his hands covered in sleek black gloves. A bouquet rested in his hands—ferns, dandelions, and wilted daisies, elegantly wrapped in dark black paper with gold outlines.
Louis scoffed as Daniel placed the ostentatious "get well soon" bouquet near his pillow. This pretentious bastard, he thought. Always sending his *well-meaning* flowers.
Still, Louis stayed silent, refusing to acknowledge Daniel's presence or actions.
"Nothing to say, Williams?" Daniel asked, his voice a mix of condescension and faux concern.
Louis answered, "I don't need to answer to a coward who's too scared to show his goddamned face in front of who it actually matters."
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly, but his composed expression didn't falter. It didn't take a genius to understand Louis was referring to Elias.
"Coward, you say?" the politician mused, almost amused. "I'm not the one causing car accidents, Mr. Williams. But I suppose accountability isn't a concept you grasp."
His gaze flickered to Louis' injuries, and he clicked his tongue. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to go this far. I sincerely apologise, I underestimated the depths of your insanity."
Louis remained silent, refusing to rise to the bait. So, Daniel continued.
"Normally, I wouldn't care about your theatrics, but this concerns Elias. So let me suggest this one more time: quit. It."
Louis bristled at the words, his jaw clenching as his grip tightened on the bedsheets. His voice was low but sharp, filled with disdain. "I don't need your damned advice. And don't even pretend you care about him. If you did, you would've protected him back then when it actually mattered."
"You're just like the rest of your family—cruel, indifferent, and cowardly. Pay your own debts before giving me sermons, you bastard."
For a moment, Daniel's composure wavered, a flicker of something indefinable passing through his eyes. But he quickly recovered, his gaze turning colder than ever.
"You know nothing about me," Daniel said, his voice quiet but heavy with restrained fury. "I've always protected him. I may have failed to stand up for him publicly, but I've worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure his safety and well-being. Don't presume to understand the extent of my involvement—or my love."
"And as for my family," he continued, a dark smile curling at his lips, "you're right. They're useless. But you know…" His voice dropped to a whisper, each word a dagger. "He still cares more about useless me than you. If I were to show my face in front of him right now, he'd forgive me in a heartbeat. Is that naïve? Idiotic? Yes. But that's exactly how Elias thinks."
Louis' fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms. Despite the pain shooting through his body, he sneered, his voice laced with venom, "Is that supposed to be a victory for you? That he cares about you more than me? You don't even deserve it."
He continued, voice rising slightly, "And I know enough to see right through you. Your little acts of protection are just meaningless gestures to soothe your guilt. If you truly cared about him, you'd have stood up for him when it mattered. You're pathetic. I don't need to listen to you."
Daniel's patience was visibly thinning as louis repeated his words. He leaned in, his gaze locking onto Louis, his eyes darkening with a chilling intensity.
"Pathetic?" he echoed, his voice dangerously low. "You dare use that word against me when your actions led to this? You're the pathetic one, Williams. Your misguided, twisted obsession has caused nothing but pain. And I'm tired of watching him bear the consequences. I have eyes and ears in places you can't even imagine. I know you orchestrated it. Don't take me for a fool."
Louis' eyes burned with anger as he met Daniel's steely glare head-on.
"Oh, congratulations on having eyes and ears," Louis retorted with biting sarcasm. "I assumed you didn't have them in the past, considering how silent you were when it mattered most."
He scoffed, the sound dripping with disdain as he continued, "And my actions? My obsession? Yes, it's twisted. But it's the only way I could actually be with him. At least I can admit my feelings openly. Unlike you."
Louis smirked, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes as he saw Daniel's face contort in rising fury. He knew he shouldn't...but he continued, "And don't think you can harm me. Your threats are meaningless. At least I don't hide behind sending him nameless flowers every year. Don't think I don't know about that."
Daniel's jaw tightened, his expression unreadable but his eyes glinting with something dangerous.
"You're delusional, Williams," he finally said, his tone deadly calm. "You don't even see the extent of your madness. You talk about me hiding, but you're the one who orchestrated a car crash just to be near him. That's not love; that's a twisted obsession. And Elias would be horrified if he knew the truth."
He paused, exhaling a sharp breath. For the first time, his voice sounded almost tired. "As for the flowers, that's a different matter. But mark my words—push me any further, and I won't hesitate to expose you. You have no idea what I'm capable of. And trust me, you don't want to find out."