Chapter 204

My mind seemed frozen, and I felt dizzy as William knelt before me, waiting for my answer. But his proposal had me confused and frightened. There was no way I could give him an answer right now.

My mind was still trying to absorb the news that Victor chose me over Alex’s job at the Association.

Then William dropped the bomb on me that Alex and Benson had plotted to temporarily replace me with Olivia for some mysterious reason.

William had to be mistaken. Why would they do something like that?

There was no way I could think clearly enough to accept or reject his proposal. But I had to explain myself in a way that wouldn’t crush his feelings. Despite being a jock, William was a sweet, sensitive guy.

“Daisy, say something,” William pleaded as he looked into my eyes. “Did you understand everything I said?”

I wasn’t being coy. I had no answer for William. I expected a promposal, and I received a marriage proposal instead. Everything being thrown at me at once had me dazed.

William deserved an answer, but if he continued to press me right now, he wouldn’t like my response. I had to find the words to make him understand that I needed time to make this decision that would affect the rest of my life.

Running a hand over his soft, golden hair, I tried to give him a reassuring smile. The timing of his proposal was terrible, but he had spoken from his heart.

“William, I care about you too, but I can’t give you an answer now,” I said.

“Is it Victor?” he asked. “Would you rather be with him?”

“I … I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I'm still recovering emotionally from the Olivia debacle. Now you’ve told me my father and Benson, a good friend, lied and put me through a terrible ordeal for some unknown reason.”

“I guess it was bad timing to propose to you now.” William got to his feet and walked away from me. “I’m sorry. Just forget I asked.

I got up from the couch and went to him. “No …William, all I’m saying is I need time to think. First, I must know why Alex and Benson did what you say they did.”

It was hard for me to believe Alex was capable of sending me away on purpose. I must have looked doubtful for a moment.

“Daisy, I can prove what I told you about Alex and Benson,” he said. “I have the emails on my phone.” He brought up his email on his phone screen and let me read several from friends of Olivia’s family and her father’s business partner.

As I read them, my emotions changed from confusion and concern to hurt and anger.

“Why would they do this to me?” Tears welled in my eyes. “I must have an explanation. I need to know why they put me through an ordeal like that.”

He put his arms around me to try to comfort me. Instead of comfort, I felt more overwhelmed and restricted. I pushed away from him and backed up a few feet.

“William, I just resumed my life. Now, your news about Alex has me hurt …and I’m confused about several things,” I explained. “I’m not saying yes or no to you. I'm saying that I need time. I must confront Alex to discover why he would deceive me like he did.”

“He loves you, Daisy,” William said. “Alex must have had a good reason to do something he knew would hurt you.”

“I think you’re right about that,” I agreed. “But I need to know what his reason was and be able to process it in my mind before I feel at peace enough to plan my future.”

“I understand,” William said, but his disappointment showed in his eyes and the way his shoulders slumped.

William is a great guy, and I wanted to say yes to his proposal. But this wasn’t the time for me to make such a huge decision. There were many things to consider, like his life goals may not be compatible with mine.

“I meant it when I said I don’t want to be the leader of The United Association of Alphas,” William said. “Alex should pass the job to Victor as he planned.”

“I agree,” I said. “Victor has earned the position, but I have no control over Alex’s decisions.”

William nodded.

“I need to speak to Alex about the Olivia ruse before discussing my love life with him,” I said. “You need to understand that before I can make any other decisions, I must know the whole truth about what Alex did and reconcile it in my mind.”

I put a hand on his chest. “Please try to understand, William. I must clear these things from my mind before moving on with my life.”

“Victor’s choosing you over Alex’s job has to be part of your indecision,” William said as he turned away from me. “I’ve seen the two of you together. You have a lot of chemistry.”

I couldn’t deny it. I cared for Victor too. I was overjoyed when I heard he decided I mattered more to him than his dream job.

Yet, Victor hasn’t discussed it with me or mentioned our future besides accepting my impulsive prom invitation.

“Victor hasn’t discussed his decision with me.” I sighed, knowing I should tell William what I had done. “The only thing that happened after I found out about his decision was I gave him a hasty prom invitation.”

William was horrified. “You invited him to be your prom date?”

I had to make him understand. “Everyone at school that day was either receiving or making promposals. I was feeling left out. Later, when I heard Victor wanted me more than the job, it popped out of my mouth. I wasn’t thinking straight then either.”

There was more I wanted to say, but I stopped talking when I saw William’s mother standing in the doorway.

“Here you are, William,” she said. “I’ve been looking for you. Everyone is going home.”

William rolled his eyes. “I need to talk to Daisy about some important things. I have my car, and I’ll meet you and Dad at home later.”

“I overheard her turn you down,” Lily said as she glared at me.

I couldn’t believe her nerve to eavesdrop and then chastise me about something she heard. But Lily is a Luna, and I had to show her respect.

“Mother, I adore you, but this conversation is none of your business,” William insisted.

“It’s only …well, I thought you two were close,” Lily said more gently. “I was surprised to hear her say she invited Victor to the prom instead of you.”

Maybe she didn’t hear William propose and my plea for time to think. Lily could be difficult, but I cared what she thought of me. And if I did say yes to William’s proposal someday, she would be my mother-in-law.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” I said. “And I don’t know if Victor took it seriously.”

Lily took on a sly expression. “If he’s your fiancé, he took the invitation very seriously.”

She must have heard more than she was saying!

I gave William a panicked look, and he nodded slightly.

“Mom, there are some more things Daisy and I need to discuss,” William said. “For my sake, I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything you overheard to anyone.”

“I would never gossip about my own son,” she replied. “I’ll leave you two to finish your discussion, but don’t be in here too long by yourselves. That’s how gossip starts.”

Lily flashed us a smile and left the room.

“Sorry about her,” William said before he checked the hallway and closed the door. “What did Victor say when you asked him to the prom?”

“He said yes, but I don’t know if he meant it,” I replied.

Suddenly, the door to the hallway was flung open, and Victor entered the room. His expression was serious. He was annoyed and maybe a little angry. It made me wonder what he had heard us say.

“What are you talking about that has the two of you behind a closed door for this long?” he asked.