"Is that so? It seems I have to replace Daisy's aide with another one before he gets Daisy in trouble. I thought he is quiet and steady; that's why I assigned him to Daisy. It turns out he's a gossipy guy. My mistake." The commander smiled, shaking his head. Daisy was so quiet and distant a girl; he gave Mark to her because he thought he was a reserved man. But to his surprise, Mark turned out to be quite lively.
"Just replace him! It scares me to see him poking around like that. What if I say something inappropriate by accident and he uses it to cause problems?" Kevin invited himself in and seated in front of the tea table. Daisy poured a small cup of tea for him; he reached for it and took a small sip. 'That's really good!' Kevin thought while enjoying the refreshing taste.
"Don't bother. Mark's fine. I'm used to him anyway, after all these years. Now, never mind him. Just drink your tea. It tastes so good." Daisy cut in with a small smile. She didn't mind dropping the mask and smiling in front of them, maybe it's because she had already treated them as her family. That was why she always felt relaxed around them.
The two men stopped talking about replacing Mark; after all, they were only joking. None of them really wanted to see him go. He was a smart soldier, and they knew Mark was loyal to Daisy, which made him outshine most of the other candidates. Besides, they got along with him.
Time seemed to pass slowly. Daisy returned to her office and resumed her work after having tea with the commander and Kevin. She was too focused on her work. She looked up and realized it was later than she thought. She checked her watch and frowned, 'What's Edward doing? Why didn't he call me? He's usually concerned when I'm out this late.' What about those sweet words he whispered into her ear? Was he just saying it?
Daisy smiled weakly. 'You're getting greedy, Daisy!' she thought to herself. At first, she only wished that she could stay by his side and love him, no matter how he felt about her. As time went by, she started to long for his love; if only he could fall in love with her! He didn't have to think about her every day; maybe just save her a spot in his heart. And when he finally did, she wanted to be his one and only; she became quite sentimental, fearing that someday she would suddenly wake up and find out it was just a dream, Edward was still indifferent and distant, and she was still helplessly in love and far away from him.
Daisy absently cleared up her desk and took out her phone to check again. Biting her lip with mixed feelings, she stood up after a short while and left the office with her briefcase. Though the night breeze was cool, it was still stuffy in early fall. Small beads of sweat formed on Daisy's forehead as soon as she walked out of the building.
"Colonel, are you done with your report?" Mark walked up to Daisy the moment he saw her emerge from the office door. Her tired and weary look bruised his heart.
"Not yet. It's getting late; I'll finish it up tomorrow. Let's go." She thought of what the commander had told her earlier this afternoon. His words put her under a lot of pressure. Deep down, she didn't want to fail the man she respected; however, she was really tired of competing for more ranks and titles. But she would still finish the report with enthusiasm, because no matter what happened, she loved what she did, just as much as she loved Edward with all her heart. It would be impossible for her to stop loving him or her career.
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