Chapter 54

Christiana’s POV.

“Daniel?” I asked, my voice tinged with confusion. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled, that disarming, confident smile he always wore, and held up the bag of food. “I figured you might’ve been working yourself into exhaustion and probably skipped dinner.”

I blinked, momentarily stunned. He was right–I hadn’t eaten, not properly at least. But still, I wasn’t expecting this.

“You… didn’t have to,” I replied, stepping aside so he could come in. “I’m fine. Really.”

“You say that all the time, but we both know it’s not true,” Daniel said, walking into the room like he belonged there. He set the bag down on the small dining table and began unpacking containers of food. The scent of freshly cooked meals filled the room, and I realized just how hungry I actually was.

I crossed my arms, watching him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble. 1 could’ve ordered room service if I needed to.”

Daniel waved his hand dismissively, flashing me a teasing grin. “Room service doesn’t care if you’ve eaten or not. I do.”

I opened my mouth to protest but stopped. He wasn’t wrong, and I was too tired to argue. Instead, I watched him as he set out the food–some kind of pasta dish, salad, and a few sides. It all looked delicious, and my stomach growled in response.

“See? Even your stomach agrees with me,” he teased, pulling out a chair and gesturing for me to sit.

Reluctantly, I sat down, still a little stunned by his unexpected visit. “You didn’t have to worry about me, Daniel,” I said softly, though the smell of the food was making it hard to concentrate on anything else.

“I don’t mind,” he replied, sitting down across from me. His eyes softened as he looked at me, the concern evident in his gaze, “You’ve been through a lot, Christiana. It’s okay to let someone take care of you for once.”

wasn’t used to this–someone caring so openly, Alex had never been this way. Not

table and handed me a fork, his

a moment before digging into the food. The first bite of the pasta melted in my mouth, the rich flavors bringing a sense of warmth I hadn’t felt all day. I didn’t

with quiet amusement as I continued eating. “Told you,”

no choice,” I replied between bites.

said softly. “But you

made me pause. I glanced up at him, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. He was always like this–calm, steady, and so sure of himself. It was hard not to

just for the

reaching over to gently brush a strand of hair from my face. “You don’t have to thank me for caring

looked away, focusing on the food in front of me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling

suddenly, picking up a forkful of salad and holding it out to me. “You need more than

by his playful tone.

sure you can,” he replied, his grin widening. “But

eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corners of my lips. “Fine,” I said,

854 AM

Chapter 34

from his fork. The salad was fresh

chuckled softly. “See?

putting my fork down.

gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath

the way he said it, a softness that made my heart race. Before I could say anything else, he leaned in even closer, his face just inches from mine. My pulse quickened, and

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