Chapter 31:
Daphne woke up early the next day. She took her bath and put on her maid uniform. When she exited her room, Damian was about to leave his room as well. Their eyes met. She beamed and bowed to him as a greeting. He shut his eyes, walking away. Daphne made her way to the kitchen to help Alfred to prepare breakfast.
"Miss Daphne, you don't need to help," Alfred said to her.
"It's okay," she replied.
She served what Alfred had prepared on the plate. Bruce came into the dining room. He caught sight of her in her maid uniform. Damian came down a few minutes after his father. He was wearing a suit and a tie that Daphne had prepared.
"Daphne, go and change your clothes," Bruce said to her.
"You're going to make us late to work..." Damian muttered.
Daphne sighed. She went back to her room. Her choice of clothing that day was a suit with a pair of slacks instead of a skirt. She tied her hair into a tight ponytail. She put on the heels that Bruce had bought for her. She went back to the dining room. Damian was done with his breakfast. Bruce decided to wait for Daphne. She took a toast and swallowed it in an instant. The man shook his head at her behaviour. She flashed a sheepish grin before following him to the car. Damian was inside, taking a quick nap. They reached the office. Faye greeted Damian happily. Daphne and Bruce went ahead.
"Hey," Damian called for the orange haired girl.
"Hmm?" she turned back to him.
He handed her his briefcase. Taking it from his hand, she walked away. Damian turned to Faye who was blinking at him, trying to act cute.
"So have you eaten?" she asked him.
"I have work to do," Damian replied, going up to the elevator.
Faye groaned as her attempt to flirt with Damian failed. She stomped back to her office. Damian got to his office when Daphne was busy answering a phone call. She ignored him entirely because she was too occupied with the person on the phone. Damian kept on staring at her. Once she hung up, she looked at him with a smile.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, I'm good. Where's our drug storeroom?"
Daphne went up to him. He studied her figure again. She went up to his computer and clicked on something. She started her explanation on the storeroom. Damian listened, eyes fixed on hers. She tried to avoid his gaze but it was a little bit hard. She felt uneasy with him, piercing his gaze at her. After she was done, she quickly went back to her desk. Her cheeks were heating up out of embarrassment. Her mobile phone rang. She picked it up, trying to get Damian out of her mind.
"Daphne? Are you busy today?" Dahlia asked.
"Not really... What's wrong?" Daphne replied.
"Let's have dinner together," her sister said.
"Okay, I'll inform Mr. Wayne," the girl replied.
She hung up after that. Daphne continued her work. She didn't realize that Damian was watching her. He suddenly appeared beside her, surprising the girl. Damian inched his face closer to her, making the girl uneasy. She looked away but his gaze was on her eyes. Their lips were a breath away and their noses were about to touch.
"Uhh… M-Master Damian?" she muttered.
Damian backed away, realizing what he was doing. He exited his office to go to the toilet. Daphne blushed furiously, touching her lips. Meanwhile, Damian was punching the walls, angry at himself for making such a move. He wanted to scream but no voice came out.
What has gotten into me? She will always think of me as her master, nothing more!
Dahlia picked her sister up in the evening. Damian stared at the person inside the car. She winked at him and laughed. The boy found it weird that Daphne's sister would do that. Daphne got in, ignoring the boy. Dahlia called for Bruce.
"Mr. Wayne, can I take him as well?" she asked.
Bruce smiled and nodded. "Why not?"
Damian walked away before Daphne could call for him. The girl looked at her hands sadly, sighing. Dahlia drove away. Her little sister looked out through the window.
"So, still thinking of sticking around with him?" she suddenly asked.
Daphne, stunned by her question, was flustered. "I don't know. He doesn't seem to care about me," she sighed again.
"You can come live with me," Dahlia offered.
Shaking her head, she said, "No. For some reason...I think Master Bruce would still need me. Besides, Master Dick always visits as he promised me."
"Of course. After all, he is your brother on paper," her sister replied, smiling.
Daphne Aldrin Grayson was the girl's new name as requested by Delphinium in her will. She wanted Dick to hide her but the little sister decided to stay with Bruce even after all the persuasion Dick tried. She wanted to be Bruce's maid and work under him as her dead sister had requested. Now that Damian came back, she had a stronger excuse to stay...and to walk away.
"I don't really like him..." Dahlia remarked.
"I know, most people don't anyway. I'm still confused..." Daphne replied.
"Do you like him?" her sister asked, concerned.
Daphne bit her lower lip. She didn't reply. Dahlia smiled at her reaction. The girl sighed again. She thought of Damian. Most of the things that come out of his mouth, the way he treats her and how he sees her...everything hurts. She didn't know why she stayed. Damian challenged her to become stronger, but that was all. She cared for him as a maid to a master, nothing more.
Why should I stay when he treats me so?
They arrived at the restaurant that Dahlia had booked for the two. They didn't notice that Arnold was spying on them. Arnold knew about Dahlia a year ago when Daphne accidentally mentioned her in a conversation. He started his research then and found out that Dahlia is the eldest sister. She had lived a harsh life which was why she sent Delphinium and Daphne to live with foster parents. Arnold watched as the two sisters sat down. He could not disagree about Dahlia being an adult version of Daphne. If they were the same age, they were practically twins!
"I've ordered your favourite but you can order anything else," her sister said.
Daphne nodded, reading the menu. "I think I'll have a shortcake for desert..."
Dahlia smiled and said, "You really love shortcakes."
"The ones you make are the best!" her younger sister exclaimed.
They ate their food. Daphne talked about her new assigned work. Dahlia knew everything but she was interested to know the story from her sister's point of view.
Damian sneaked into Daphne's room after dinner. He wasn't looking for anything in particular. He saw her kukris decorating the wall near her window. He saw her Phoenix uniform in a display there so he assumed she is still Phoenix. He sat on her bed, staring at her maid uniform which she laid there. He suddenly remembered the first time they met. He was a jerk and a brat.
"I wonder what you thought of me back then..." he muttered.
He remembered the time he suddenly cut her arm with his sword and the time she cried to stop him from following Talon. Daphne's smiling face appeared in his mind a few times. He laid down beside the maid uniform and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Daphne came back right before her bed time. She was shocked to find a sleeping Damian on her bed, clutching onto her maid uniform. She giggled at how childish he was. She changed into her nightdress in the bathroom. Then, she went to sleep in the guest room.
"Where are you going?" Bruce asked when he saw her passed by.
"Going to sleep in the guest room. Master Damian fell asleep on my bed," Daphne explained.
"What was he doing in your room?" the man asked.
Shrugging, the girl replied, "I have no idea..."
Bruce told her to sleep in Damian's room instead. She obliged without a second thought. She entered his room. Everything was in place. His sword was hung on the wall. She noticed something shining on his bed. It was the ring she had left for him, now as a locket with a chain.
"Was he wearing this today...?" she muttered to herself.
"I was…" a voice answered, startling her.
She turned around to see Damian, leaning against the wall beside his room door. He furrowed his brows at her, making her nervous. Damian stepped closer and she backed away. She suddenly fell onto the bed. Damian hovered over her. His eyes were fixed on hers. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Damian was good at keeping his cool even though he knew what he was doing. Daphne was frightened by his sudden boldness. She didn't like this side of her Master Damian. With all her strength, she pushed him away. He fell onto the floor. She ran out when she had the chance to. Damian sat up, groaning.
Why did I do that?!
Daphne was crying in her bed. She was scared. What Damian was about to do...or at least what she thought he was about to, sent shivers down her spine. She was trembling. She forced herself to sleep.
The next day, Daphne woke up late. Bruce had gone ahead to the office and had told Damian to go with Daphne once she has awakened. She decided to take the day off because she was still traumatized by last night. Damian acted calm and went off to the office.
"What happened, Miss?" Alfred asked out of concern.
"Master Damian did something weird last night. He tried to...you know..." she muttered before biting her lips to hold in the tears.
"Now, now...it just means he loves you..." Alfred remarked.
"Does he? He was about to...do something despicable..." Daphne cried.
Alfred hugged her. She kept on crying, confused about Damian's feelings and her own. She was tired when her cries subsided. She decided to take a nap. As she was about to head to her room, she bumped into someone. It was Dick. She brightened up when she saw him. He patted her head lovingly. They decided to talk in her room. Alfred made them some snacks.
"How did you know I'm at home?" she asked.
"Bruce told me," Dick replied, kissing her forehead, "What happened?"
The scene from last night flashed into her mind. She shook her and lied that she was not feeling well. Dick raised a brow, unconvinced. He sighed and gave in to what she had said. He didn't want to pressure her into telling the truth.
Daphne avoided Damian for one whole week. He ignored her as well. He didn't know what to say after that. He knew that he had hurt her feelings.
"Master Damian..." she called so suddenly one day.
"What?" he asked, turning his head to her.
She handed him a small box. "Happy Valentine's Day..." she muttered before walking away.
Damian opened the box to find a wing shaped chocolate cake with vanilla whipped cream. He stared confusedly at the gift. Daphne went to do the laundry. Alfred saw what he was holding and smiled.
"She made that last night, Master Damian," he said, surprising the boy.
He turned to Alfred and asked, "Really?"
Nodding once, the butler replied, "Yes. She was really fired up to give it to you…for some reason."
Damian shook his head and meandered away. Alfred chuckled at his reaction. When she was busy hanging the laundries, Damian came by. She acted cool and calm. Damian grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. Their lips met. The girl widened her eyes. He pulled away after that. Daphne touched her lips, blushing madly.
"That's how I saved you from the demons," was what he said.
He walked away after that. Daphne fell to her knees, freezing on the spot.