Chapter 58: Nobody Wants To Be My Enemy
[ROSE POV]
The address had brought her onto a street she barely knew, and she’d spent the last half minute checking her phone and looking up at building numbers.
The open-air café appeared around the next corner. It was small and unfussy, the kind of place where the tables sat open to the street and sunlight did most of the work.
Her eyes scanned through the restaurant for only a moment before she spotted him.
A man in the dark suit sat with his phone in one hand and the kind of stillness that suggested he’d already decided exactly how long this meeting was going to last.
She crossed to his table. "Mr. Lee?"
He looked up, gave her a quick once-over, and moved on. "Rose West?"
"Yes. I’m sorry I’m late."
He didn’t answer. Instead, he gestured toward the chair across from him. Rose sat. That seemed to be all the greeting she was getting.
"Portfolio."
She pulled it up on her phone and slid it across the table.
He scrolled quickly. Rose watched his thumb move through pieces she’d spent weeks on without so much as pausing.
Either he wasn’t impressed, or he knew exactly what he was looking for.
Then he stopped at one she’d almost left out; a layered piece in greys and rust that was far more hers than anything she’d made for a client.
He looked at her. "These are yours?"
"Yes."
He scrolled again, slower now. "Better than what they sent me."
Rose looked up. "What they sent you?"
"The samples VJ forwarded." He didn’t elaborate with anything unnecessary. "The work you have here is stronger."
Right. The samples she’d submitted through the platform were mostly commission work. The pieces she actually enjoyed making were a different story.
"Most of my work is client-directed," she said. "What I submit through the platform isn’t always what I’d choose to make."
"Fiverr?"
Rose frowned slightly. "That’s where you found me, isn’t it?"
"No."
That landed differently than she expected. Rose said nothing. She waited for him to explain.
"You were recommended by someone..." He paused, checked his phone, then continued. "Daniel Reed."
Rose’s hand went still. For a second, she wondered if she’d heard him correctly.
"I’m sorry... I’m a bit confused." She kept her gaze. "Daniel recommended me?"
"I believe I was cleat, Ms. West?" Mr. Lee replied with an uncaring expression.
Daniel had recommended her. But how had he even found her work? And why had he gone out of his way to recommend her?
No. Not here.
She had questions. More than she wanted to ask him in the middle of a business meeting.
"What does the commission involve?"
His tone remained flat as he explained the commission: an interior mural, specific dimensions, and enough room for her to make the final design her own.
That last part caught her attention. Most clients wanted something specific and then wanted it changed three times anyway.
Then he told her the fee.
"Two hundred thousand dollars."
Rose held his gaze.
She wasn’t sure what expression she was supposed to make to that, so she settled for none.
He took another sip of coffee before adding, "There’s an additional five thousand from Mr. Aruj if you accept. A goodwill gesture."
Rose blinked. An extra five thousand for accepting?
She looked at him again, just to make sure she’d heard correctly.
"Another five thousand?"
"If you accept."
"And if I don’t?"
He gathered his phone from the table. "Then I wasted my Sunday morning."
Rose almost smiled. He wasn’t kidding. The money was tempting. Daniel was complicated.
Damn it. Why did Daniel have to be involved?
She didn’t know what he was up to. Fine.
She also wasn’t going to walk away from two hundred grand just because she didn’t have the answer.
"I’ll take it."
"Good." He nodded once. "Then we’re in business."
He stood, told her VJ’s team would contact her about the contract and next steps, and that was it.
No congratulations. No unnecessary handshake. He was already moving before Rose had finished putting her phone away.
Rose stayed at the table for another moment, her phone still in her hand. She caught herself smiling as she left the café.
The meeting had been strangely quick for a commission worth two hundred grand. They had discussed the work, the payment, the deadline, and then it had been over.
The money should have been the thing occupying her mind.
Instead, one name kept getting in the way.
Daniel Reed.
She walked another block, then phone buzzed again. Rose glanced at the screen, expecting another message from the representative. Instead, a banking notification filled the screen.
Incoming transfer: $5,000.
She stopped walking.
Rose opened the app and checked the balance. The money was there.
She stared at the number for another second before a smile pulled at her mouth.
Five thousand dollars.
That could clear the bills she’d been pushing toward next month. Restock supplies without checking the total first. Maybe even replace a few things she’d been putting off because they weren’t technically necessary.
She could breathe a little easier.
Then, her phone buzzed. She stared at it;
Annika.
She tapped on it.
Annika: How did it go?
Rose smiled and typed as she walked.
Rose: I got the commission.
The reply came almost immediately.
Annika: I KNEW YOU WOULD. We’re definitely celebrating.
Rose laughed under her breath.
Rose: Tomorrow won’t work. Maya’s coming.
Annika: Fine. We’ll celebrate on another day. You still OWE me.
Rose smiled.
Rose: Okay, okay😂... deal.
She put her phone away. Maya was coming tomorrow. And somehow, lately, thinking about Maya had started bringing Adrian with her.
Adrian came to mind before she could stop him.
Rose shook her head lightly and continued walking before she could think about it any further.
***
By the time she reached her apartment, the excitement of the day had barely died down.
At least she’d managed to turn an unexpected meeting into something useful.
She changed out of the café clothes and into a black sports bra and loose blue shorts, finally letting herself relax on the edge of her bed.
Her phone was still in her hand.
Rose opened the banking app again. The excitement hadn’t quite worn off. Seeing the number sitting there still made her smile.
Then the smile faded as Daniel’s name returned.
Maybe he’d genuinely thought she was talented.
That was the simplest explanation. Rose decided to leave it there.
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
Fuck him. He doesn’t get to show up in my life and make everything complicated again.
Whatever Daniel wanted, she wasn’t going to let him pull her back into something she’d already moved away from.
Her eyes remained on the ceiling. Then another thought slipped in.
Adrian.
It had been a long day, and she hadn’t checked on him once.
They were boyfriend and girlfriend now. If Daniel was going to complicate her head this much, maybe talking to Adrian would help.
Maybe she should tell him about Daniel. She wasn’t sure what he’d think, but she didn’t want to keep it to herself either.
Her phone was already in her hand. She opened their chat.
Are you around?
She deleted it. She tried again.
Are you home? We need to talk.
Her phone buzzed a moment later.
Adrian: Yeah. What’s up?
She stared for a moment, sighed and typed the only version that didn’t sound like she was trying too hard.
Rose: I’m coming up.
Her thumb paused over the send button. Then she pressed it. The message delivered almost immediately.
Rose immediately regretted how direct it sounded. Before she could delete anything else, the read receipt appeared before she could change her mind.
Too late. There was no taking it back now.
She sighed, slipped her phone into her pocket and picked up the bag.
It’s just a conversation. I’m probably making too much of it.
She locked her apartment and headed upstairs.
A moment later, she stood outside apartment 206 with the small bag in her hand.
For a second, she considered turning around.
Instead, she raised her hand and knocked.