ALINA’S POV

    “You have a delivery, ma’am.” Mia said, walking into my office alongside some of my workers, each holding a bouquet of flowers in their hands.

    “Drop it over there.” She instructed them.

    They did as they were told and quietly left.

    “Who is it from?” I asked as my gaze drifted to the dozen bouquets of red roses now sitting prettily on the sofa in my office.

    “It’s from Master ckwood.” She said, telling me what I already knew.

    It had been a week since he left for his business trip, and he had been sending me flowers and gifts ever since. But I hadn’t heard a word from him. !--

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    And yes, I had sent him tons of messages, and every single one had been read. Yet, no reply.

    I was really upset with him.

    I’d reached out to Ace too, but whenever I asked to speak with Lucian, he’d say Lucian was busy, in a meeting, or sleeping. There was always an excuse.

    The fact that Lucian didn’t have the decency to text me back, at the very least is what pissed me off the most.

    “Throw them out. I don’t want them.” I told Mia, returning my attention to the sketch I was working on, as I tried to mask the sting in my chest.

    Mia sighed softly but started to gather the flowers to do as I instructed. Then I paused, reconsidering.

    “You know what? Never mind. Just look for a vase and decorate the front desk with them.” I told her instead.

    Yes, I was mad at Lucian, but I wasn’t going to let the beautiful flowers suffer for it.

    “Okay, ma’am.” Mia smiled gently, grabbing what she could before leaving the room.

    Secondster, the same workers who had brought in the flowers came back in and carried out the rest, leaving silently.

    I grabbed my phone, with trembling fingers as I decided to text Lucian again.

    ‘Why do you keep sending me gifts, yet you can’t call me back or reply to my texts?’

    I held my phone, stared at the screen, waiting… hoping for a reply. But nothing came.

    You know what? Suit yourself.’

    I fired off another message, then angrily dropped the phone onto the desk. The thud that followed echoed louder than it

    should have.

    Almost immediately, the phone rang.

    Heart leaping, I quickly snatched it up and answered without checking the caller ID.

    “Finally.” I said eagerly, my breath catching in my throat.

    “Well, you seem happy to hear from me.” Talia’s voice came through the line.

    “Oh. It’s you.” I sighed, my excitement instantly deting.

    “Now you sound disappointed,” she noted with mock offense. “What’s wrong, baby? Boo hasn’t reached out yet?”

    “He hasn’t.” I confessed, my voice tinged with hurt. “His gifts and flowers are the only thing letting me know he’s still alive. Even Ace isn’t saying anything, and Jordan is tight-lipped too.” I couldn’t hide the worry and disappointment in my tone even if I tried.

    “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably tied up with something, and that’s why he hasn’t reached out.” Talia tried to lighten the mood, her voice gentle.

    “He could at least text.” I muttered as bitterness crept into my tone.

    “Ma’am.” Mia entered the office again, but I held up a finger, signaling her to wait.

    “I’m sure there’s a genuine reason for that.” Talia reasoned. “But anyway, I’ve got news that’ll brighten your day!” Her voice perked up with excitement as she tried to change the topic.

    a

    “What is it?” I asked, not bothering to mask

    my

    disinterest.

    “Oh wow, I can feel the excitement from over here.” Talia said sarcastically.

    “I’m sorry, Tally,” I apologized. “I’m just not in a great mood right now.”

    “I get it.” Her tone softened in understanding. “Anyway, there’s a reunion happening this evening at The Ivory Room, and a lot of our college friends will be there.” She was trying to sound cheerful again.

    The Ivory Room, a high-end bar sh restaurant. It was here in Virn Square, though not exactly close to my store.

    “Oh.”I said tly.

    “Come on, Barbie Doll. It’ll be fun. I cane over to your store and we can go together from there.” She pushed.

    “I don’t know, Talia. If everybody is going to be there like you said, then-”

    “Adrian won’t be there, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She said quickly.

    “How sure are you?” I asked.

    “Pretty sure, I asked the organizer who and who will be there.”She responded in all certainty.

    It wasn’t just about Adrian, though. I hated half the people that would be there, most of them had been loyal followers of Adrian and Seraphina in college. A couple of them had even bullied me, poked fun at me, especially when I was still pathetically running after Adrian, begging for his love.

    “I’ll think about it, Talia,” I told her. “But don’t hold your breath. I’m really not feeling up to it.”

    “Alright, baby. We’ve got a couple of hours until then, enough time for you to change your mind. I’ll understand if you don’t want to go, though. Anyway, I’ve gotta run now. Talk to youter, baby.”

    “Talk to youter.” I said before ending the call.

    “What were you saying, Mia?” I turned my attention back to her.

    The investor is here.” She informed me, making me frown.

    “Am I scheduled to see him today?” I asked, genuinely confused.

    “Yes, ma’am.” She replied.

    “Why didn’t you tell me?”

    “I did, ma’am. In fact, it’s been in your calendar for some days now.” She said, showing me her iPad.

    “Oh,” I muttered, realization hitting. I’d been so distractedtely that I wouldn’t be surprised if I hadn’t paid attention when she mentioned.

    “Is there no way we can reschedule?” I asked, tone filled with hope.

    “I am afraid not ma’am, we’ve already rescheduled twice, ma’am.” She reminded me gently.

    “Fine.” I sighed. “Send him in.”

    “You sure?” She asked, noticing my reluctance.

    “I don’t exactly have a choice now, do I?” I said dryly.

    “No, ma’am.” She gave a small smile, which I returned with a half-hearted re. “I’ll just go let him in.” She said quickly, jabbing her thumb toward the door and making her escape.

    A few secondster, she walked back in with someone trailing behind her.

    The moment I saw who it was, a blitz of emotions washed over me, anger, annoyance, shock, confusion.

    My heart skipped a beat, and my fingers curled tightly into the arms of the chair.

    “What the hell are you doing here, Louis?”