After He Knows My Dad Backs Him Up

As the private room door swung open, I glanced down, stirring the lemonade in my glass; the ice cubes clinked sharply against the glass. A sharp scent of perfume mixed with smoke and alcohol swept in, accompanied by a voice I hadn't heard in ten years but recognized immediately. "Well, isn’t it Daisy Scott? What a rare guest." Leo, a college classmate sporting a beer belly, sized me up with a piercing gaze that ran from my hair to my shoes, like a fine-toothed comb. I looked up and locked eyes with Gavin Shawn. He wore a dark gray custom-tailored suit, the shoulder lines sharp and perfect. An expensive watch gleamed under the lights on his wrist, surrounded by Tina, Henry, and Peter—the very same ones who had always revolved around him back then. "Ten years, and you're only just showing up now?" Tina covered her mouth, laughing, "Don't tell me you rushed over just because you heard Mr. Shawn was here?" "Mr. Shawn is now the head of a publicly listed company. If Daisy Scott is with him again, wouldn't that be an instant ascent to the top?" Peter joined in the teasing, his sarcasm obvious. Laughter broke out again and again. I held my glass steady, fingers unmoving, nails lightly resting against the cold surface. Gavin Shawn pushed through the crowd and walked over to me, the air of a successful man clear in his expression. He casually handed me a black card. "I heard you opened a small gallery. If you ever need help, just say the word." The condescension in his tone was like a dull blade—not painful, but deeply unsettling. I met his aloof gaze and said, "Mr. Shawn, please keep it. I don't need it." A sharp female voice cut through the air behind us. Rachel Shaw, stepping confidently in ten-centimeter heels, looped her arm through Gavin's. Her nails were painted bright red, and her disdainful eyes fixed on me. "Back then, she begged to marry you, and now, divorced, she still clings to you. She really has no shame." I looked at her, remembering how I had personally recruited her into Gavin Shawn's company and even told Gavin to look after her closely. Life is truly ironic. "Ms. Shaw, you're worrying too much. Mr. Shawn and I have long been over." I set down my cup and stood up. "Since I'm not welcome here, I'll be leaving now." Gavin's expression darkened, clearly not expecting me to be so blatantly disrespectful. I didn't look back at them, turning to leave the private room as the murmurs behind me were muffled by the door. Outside in the parking lot, the night breeze carried the coolness of autumn; I took a deep breath, and the tightness in my chest eased a little. It's been ten years, Gavin Shawn. In the end, we can never go back—and there's no need to. The Daisy Scott who once gave up everything for him long ago died beneath the cold glare of the operating room lights, lost forever in that unbearable scene inside the hotel room.