Chapter 84 My Affairs
Selena's POV
This has nothing to do with that man downstairs.
I took a deep breath, calming my chaotic heartbeat, then turned around, grabbed my purse, and walked out of the office.
I didn't leave it behind again.
I walked back into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.
The elevator doors slowly opened.
Royce was still standing there, next to that Roman column, like a perfect sculpture.
Seeing me come out, he walked toward me.
This time, I didn't stop and wait for him. I walked straight ahead, heading outside the building, toward his black Bentley parked by the curb.
I heard his footsteps following me.
He didn't say anything.
I walked to the car, opened the passenger door myself, and got in.
He went around to the other side and got into the driver's seat.
The space inside the car was small, so small I could smell that familiar, cool woody scent on him, mixed with a faint coffee aroma.
He started the car.
I could feel his gaze linger for a second on the shawl on my shoulders.
I saw the corner of his mouth curve up very slightly.
The car drove all the way back to the estate.
The massive iron gates slowly opened, and the Bentley smoothly drove in, stopping in front of the main building.
I immediately unbuckled my seatbelt, ready to get out.
I didn't want to spend another second with him.
"Selena." He stopped me.
My hand on the door handle froze, but I didn't turn around.
"Tomorrow morning at nine, I'll come pick you up."
"I have a board meeting tomorrow."
"I know," he said. "After the meeting, I'll pick you up. To try on dresses."
"What dresses?" I frowned.
"We're visiting my grandmother this weekend. You can't wear a work suit." There was a hint of amusement in his voice, as if it were obvious. "I've already had Dior's chief designer send their latest haute couture collection to my club. You can take your time choosing."
I pulled the car door open, got out, and slammed it shut hard.
I walked toward the main building without looking back.
I could feel that his car didn't drive away immediately.
He just stayed there, watching me.
That gaze was like an invisible net, trapping me completely.
I quickened my pace, almost running, and went inside.
"Miss, you're back." Anna came up to me and took my purse and coat.
When she saw the shawl on my shoulders, surprise flashed in her eyes, but she didn't ask anything.
"Miss, dinner is ready."
"I'm not hungry," I said. "Bring me a black coffee to the study."
I needed to work.
I needed to use those cold numbers and complex terms to completely clear that man's shadow from my mind.
I stayed in the study until late at night.
Cup after cup of coffee, and my stomach started hurting again.
But I didn't care.
The pain kept me awake.
At two in the morning, I finally closed the last file.
Regarding the mess Robert left behind, I had a complete plan. Tomorrow, those old guys on the board would see a brand new Hart Group.
A Hart Group completely under my control.
I stood up and walked to the window.
Outside was pitch black, with only the occasional flashlight beam from the patrolling security guards cutting through the darkness.
I still couldn't sleep.
Everything that happened today replayed in my mind like a movie.
The hot air balloon, the sea of roses, that damn photo, and his words "be the love of my life."
I irritably ran my fingers through my hair.
I went downstairs, wanting to walk in the garden.
The night air was cool, carrying the fresh scent of earth and plants.
I walked along the stone path, wandering aimlessly.
When I passed the greenhouse used for cultivating new rose varieties, my steps stopped.
The lights weren't on in the greenhouse.
But by moonlight, I could see what looked like a figure inside.
This late at night, who would be there?
My first thought was security.
But I quickly dismissed that idea.
The security patrol route didn't include this area at all.
I lightened my steps and quietly approached the greenhouse.
I didn't go to the main entrance, but circled around to the side, where there was a row of small ventilation windows.
I crouched down, hiding behind a thick bush, and looked inside through the glass.
Inside the greenhouse, a man in work clothes was crouching with his back to me, doing something.
I recognized him.
He was one of the estate's gardeners, named Paul, usually in charge of the orchard area. He rarely came to the greenhouse.
What was he doing here?
Just then, he took out a small brown glass bottle from the toolbox beside him, poured some clear liquid, and carefully dripped it onto the roots of a rose.
I recognized that rose.
It was a new variety I'd bought at auction from Holland last week, an extremely rare black tulip rose. I'd named it "Dark Angel."
To cultivate it, I'd spent nearly seven figures.
What was he doing?
I took out my phone, switched to video mode, and aimed it at him.
After finishing, he stood up, carefully put away the brown bottle, then took out his phone, seemingly sending a message to someone.
A moment later, he put away his phone, looked around, then quickly walked out of the greenhouse.
I didn't move.
I waited until his figure completely disappeared into the night before standing up from behind the bushes.
I walked to the greenhouse door. It was locked from inside.
That wouldn't stop me.
I took a hairpin from my hair, straightened it, inserted it into the keyhole, and gently turned it.
Click—the lock opened.
I pushed the door open and went inside.
I walked to the soil where he'd dripped the liquid. The color was darker than the surrounding area.
I touched it with my finger and brought it to my nose.
It was ethephon.
A powerful plant ripening agent.
Just a tiny amount could make plants bloom rapidly in a very short time, and then completely wither and die even faster.
He wanted to destroy my roses.
No, not just my roses.
Ethephon spreads through soil and water. If the amount was large enough, the entire greenhouse, even all the rare plants in the entire estate, would die within a few days.
This was my life's work.
It was the only thing that truly belonged to me since I returned to the Hart family.
My hands clenched into fists.
Paul was just a gardener. He had no reason to do this.
Unless someone put him up to it.
Who?
Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated.
A new message popped up on the screen.