Chapter 16: Bruised Words
Theo crossed his arms, and carefully leaned against the desk, waiting for Danielle's reaction to his pretty bold statement.
While Danielle was between his room and the exit to the hall, she didn't make any specific face.
The princess was still wearing the same expression she'd had when she begged him not to tell her father.
"You think I don't know why you want me to stay?" Theo repeated his words finally, provoking Danielle on purpose. "You're scared your father will find out what you tried to do. You want someone around to take the blame if he does."
Danielle's lips parted, but no particular sound came out.
He went on. "You think I'm blind? You tried to push me away because you wanted freedom from the truth. But the second you realise I'm the only one keeping that truth quiet, you want me here again."
"That's not…" Danielle's voice started shaking.
"That's exactly it," Theo cut her off, straightening from the desk. "I'm not here to make you feel safe from consequences, Danielle. I'm here to do my job. And from now on, you're going to listen when I tell you what to do. No more of your teenage games, no more pity parties."
She clenched her fists at her sides. "You think you know everything about me, don't you?"
"I know enough," Theo nodded.
"You're wrong," she said confidently this time. Her tone turned louder, more convincing than usual. "I don't want you to stay because I'm scared. I want you to stay because I like you…"
The words landed heavy…and Theo flinched.
At that moment, the only thing Theo could do was just stare at her. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed…"hahahahah!"
He turned his head slightly, running a hand through his hair before meeting her eyes again. "You don't like me, Danielle. You like the idea of someone saving you. That's not the same thing."
"That's not true!" she snapped, her cheeks started flushing.
Theo shook his head slowly, almost pitying her. "You need to stop believing your own delusions. You make up stories in your head just to survive them. You build castles in your mind because the real world scares you. But I'm not going to live in one of those castles with you."
Her breath quickened. "You don't have to be cruel about it."
"I'm being honest. You need to learn self-respect. You need to stop doing things that make you hate yourself later." He took a small step closer, lowering his tone. "Stop sending pictures of yourself to men just to make them like you."
Her entire face was stopped by force from any movement. The words hit harder than he expected.
Danielle's hand trembled once before she lifted it.
*Clap!*
The sound of her slap cracked through the room.
Theo didn't move or even flinched. He just took the slap like a prize, even if one cheek reddened, his expression remained unchanged.
For a long moment there was silence, and Theo could hear Danielle's uneven breathing.
Then he finally started speaking calmly again, "Good."
She blinked, furrowing her eyebrows. "What?"
"That," he said, nodding toward her hand. "That's how you should treat any man who tries to take something from you. Any man who disrespects you, hurts you, or threatens who you are. Don't let them talk you into silence. Don't let them take your power."
Her throat tightened and she swallowed her saliva. "You're saying I should've hit Jackson?"
"I'm saying," Theo replied quietly, "you should've never let him see you as easy to break."
Danielle looked away, blinking back the heat in her eyes. "You're crazy and unbelievable."
"I am," he replied simply. "But I'm right."
Danielle wrapped her arms around herself, every word of his was spreadinh like a bruise under her skin. "You talk like you know everything about pain," she muttered. "Like you're the only one who ever suffered."
"No. I talk like someone who learned the hard way that surviving isn't the same as living. You keep surviving, Danielle. But when are you going to start living?"
She didn't answer. Her eyes darted to the floor, to the small crack running along the tile. Her pulse was still racing.
Theo watched her not saying anything, like she was calculating her next statement to bite him. "I'll do my job. That's all. I'll protect you whether you hate me or not. But you're going to have to start helping yourself."
Danielle finally looked up. "And if I don't?"
Theo's gaze was hard but it didn't seem to be cruel. "Then the next time someone tries to destroy you," he stepped closer, "you'll let them."
Danielle finally turned toward the door. "I'm not weak," she said under her breath.
"Then prove it."
She opened the door, hesitated, and looked back at him — her eyes shined not with tears but with a burning desire to prove how wrong Theo was about her. "You really think you can fix me?"
"I don't want to fix you. I just want you to see that you're not broken the way you want to be."
Danielle stayed like a secret ghost in the corner. Then she walked out, closing the door hardly behind her.
Theo stayed where he was, the side of his face was still stinging from her slap. He didn't touch it to make it feel better.
He was a bodyguard, not her boyfriend: Theo shouldn't even care about Danielle's feelings, but here he was…locked in her teenage drama as the main lead.
But that made him smile...
"She's learning," he muttered under his breath.
Then, quieter: "Good."