Glad to be Eliminated

I stood in the shadow behind the cafe's back door, my fingers unconsciously twisting the strap of my canvas bag. From inside came Hugo Shaw's voice, carrying a frivolity I had never heard before. "Honestly, this last-place elimination system is pretty effective." The glass door wasn't shut properly; his friend's laughter cut into my ears like shards of broken glass. "Hugo, are you treating this relationship like project management? Nineteen candidates—that's ruthless." My breath caught sharply, my nails digging into my palm. Nineteen. So I was just one out of those nineteen. Hugo Shaw let out a low chuckle—a laugh that once felt gentle, but now was only cold. "We have to pick the most obedient one, the one best suited to be the Shaw Family's young mistress." "So, who's leading right now?" "It's hard to say, but Daisy Xavier has been doing well lately—she's sensible and not clingy." My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain almost making me lose my balance. Sensible? Not clingy? So the boundaries I carefully maintained were, in his eyes, just 'doing pretty well' on the evaluation scale. I staggered backward, my canvas bag hitting the trash bin in the corner with a dull thud. The conversation inside abruptly stopped. I turned and ran, not daring to look back, as if a flood of wild beasts were chasing me. When I got back to the apartment, there was an unfamiliar pair of high heels by the entrance. Pink, stiletto heels, looking just like the flicking tongue of some venomous snake. A woman in a tight dress came out of the living room, her eyes sizing me up with blatant hostility. It was Sophia Miller, the new intern at Hugo Shaw's company; I'd seen her once at a party. "You must be Daisy Xavier?" She tilted her head, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips. I said nothing, changed my shoes, and walked straight to the bedroom. Mr. Shaw said, you're quite sensible. She followed behind me, her voice rising a notch, "But don't think you're safe yet—I'm younger than you and understand better what he wants." I opened the wardrobe door and began stuffing clothes into the suitcase. Say something? Did I hit the nail on the head? She reached out, trying to touch my hair. I turned away, dodging her hand, looking at her coldly. Hugo Shaw's game—you can play if you want. I zipped up the suitcase, my voice calm and steady, "But I'm done playing." Sophia stood frozen, probably not expecting me to react like this. I dragged my suitcase out of the apartment without looking back. Hugo Shaw's call came through just as I was waiting for a taxi by the roadside. The name flashing on the screen once made my heart skip; now it just felt bitterly ironic. I hit decline and added his number to the blacklist. The rain had started without my noticing, fine droplets hitting my face with a chill. I looked up at the gray, overcast sky and took a deep breath. Daisy Xavier, from today on, live for yourself.