Daniel rubbed his palms together as he walked to the front door of the ‘Wells Diner’. He looked to his right and left, rubbed his palms again, and breathed warmly into his palms, then he opened the door and walked inside.
He let out a satisfied sigh when the warmth of the diner engulfed him, releasing him from the shackles of the cold weather outside. The heavy rain that fell the previous night until early in the morning made the weather seem like it was winter season.
He noticed a certain blonde at the far end of the diner. Her back was to him, and he let out a sigh then walked over to her.
“I hope you didn’t wait too long." Stacy looked back when she heard him speak. A small smile on her lips.
“Just five minutes,” she adjusts in her seat when he sits opposite her. “Hope it wasn’t a hassle coming down here." There was worry in her eyes.
He shook his head. “It’s fine,” he said, putting his hand on the table while watching her carefully. “How are you doing?”
Stacy let out a sigh. “I guess I can say fine,” she shrugged. “How about you?”
He nods in response.
A waitress came to their table with a notepad in hand.
“Can I take your order now?” She was talking to Stacy.
Stacy smiled at her. “Black coffee with a separate cup of full cream milk mixed with sugar and a slice of apple pie.”
The waitress wrote down her order, then turned to Daniel. “And you, sir?”
Daniel looked her up and smiled at what he’s seeing. “Same as hers, I’d prefer peach though,” he said, looking from her bare, slim legs up to her cloth-cladded body, up to her face, which looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. “Your number as Desert would be great too,” he winked when she looked away from her notepad to look at him.
Angela, as indicated on her nametag, eyed him like he was a leech, rolled her eyes, and walked away from them.
“That was weak,” Stacy laughed. Daniel glared at her and cleared her throat.
“Why did you want to see me?”
Stacy sighed; she avoided eye contact, trying to gather her thoughts.
“I need some money,” her eyes met with his when she spoke. Daniel’s brows furrowed.
“Your father is rich,” he frowned.
“We’re going bankrupt,” she said almost immediately.
Daniel scoffed. “Why come to me then? Go to your boyfriend, Santiago.”
Stacy frowned at his response. She wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Daniel is known to be a level-headed person amongst him and Santiago. She didn’t expect such a response from him.
Now that she looked at him closely, he seemed kind of off. He had dark circles under his eyes; his skin looked pale and dry like it wasn’t properly taken care of.
“Daniel, are you okay? You don’t look good,” she noted.
Daniel snarled. “You called me all the way from the city just to insult me and beg for money?” he asked irritably.
“Oh no, please. I never had such an intention. I am just concerned about your well-being.”
“That’s none of your business, Stacy, and no, I can’t lend you any money. I don’t trust you or your selfish dad,” he said to her.
Stacy’s heart melted in disappointment; she had no one to go to. Asking Santiago was a ‘no’ to her.
“I will return them as soon as I can.”
“That is a strong reason for me to give you the money.”
Stacy bowed her head. She secretly battled with opening up about her current situation or not. She had no one else to go.
“My dad is dying,” she cried.
Daniel’s face held no emotion. He just stared at her like she was an outcast or like he held so much hate for her. He saw her as a tick that should be taken off the skin. Her crying did nothing to convince him.
The waiter came with their order, a small frown on her brows when she saw Stacy crying and Daniel checking her out. She threw him a dirty look and walked away.
“Crying wouldn’t make me agree,” he said dryly.
“What is wrong with you, Daniel? Why are you treating me this way?” She wiped her eyes because they were clouded with tears. “I know Santiago never wanted anything to do with me, but he still treated me better than you are doing. What have I ever done to you?” she demanded.  She was confused.
What was his problem?
“If you think Santiago treated you well, then you are a poor excuse for a woman.” Stacy’s jaw dropped. He leaned closer to the table. “Santiago never liked you, mainly because of your greedy daddy, and you are not just likeable. You want love from people, but they don’t want that for you. Just stop trying and never contact any of us again,” he warned.
She chuckled and cleaned her cheeks. She took the tissue, cleaned her face, and blew her nose.
“I think I understand why you are doing this or whatever you do. I understand,” she nods.
“What do you mean?” he was curious.
“I am very aware of all the things you are doing,” she said confidently, a small furrow on her brow when she drank from her coffee. “One question, why? Why are you doing them? I know your parents aren’t as rich as Santiago’s family, but you guys are okay; why are you doing it?” she asked.
She took bites after bites from her pie, awaiting his response.
Daniel watched Stacy closely. He knows what she is talking about but doesn’t want to slip and give himself away. The last thing he wanted was anyone being aware of his current doings.
“Whatever I do is none of your business or anybody’s business. I owe no one an explanation and would warn you to shut your mouth and stop poking your nose where it’s not your concern.” He points at her. “Stop poking or you get poked,” he warned. His eyes glared disdainfully at her.
“I will not say anything to anyone, but just know that if you think no one will find out what you’re doing,” she chuckled and took the last bite of her pie, then cleaned her lips and said, “You are playing.” She finished the rest of her coffee and pushed the empty dish from her.
“I don’t need your help anymore; I will sort myself out.” She stood up and picked up her purse. “Bye ass.” She rolled her eyes and walked away from him.
Daniel watched her walk away from him. He was irritated by her attitude toward him. He doesn’t believe she knows his secret operations. He was assured they were careful about transactions and everything else.
“Those incompetent fools,” he grunted. He drank the coffee without mixing the milk inside and almost spat it out. “What the hell?” he groaned.
Angela walked back to the table with the bill and pushed it towards him.
“Would there be anything else you need?” she asked.
“Your number is not on the menu." He winked at her.
“A letter from the police for being a disgusting perv is available,” she batted her lashes, his smile dropped, and he quickly brought out some cash from his pocket. She didn’t wait for him to pay up and walked out on him again.
"Witch,” he muttered under his breath and walked out of the diner, a promise to follow Stacy quietly so she doesn’t slip up.