Chapter 15 Hello, Neighbor!
Alicia couldn't believe her bad luck.
Yesterday, she had rejected Damian's invitation to the wine auction on Friday night at the Times Hotel, only to learn today that her boss, Mr. Rhett, had scheduled an office party at the same place on the very same night. She had to wonder if Damian had somehow orchestrated the coincidence.
She typed out a message to Damian, asking if he had anything to do with the party, but quickly deleted it. Regardless of his involvement, she knew she would have to attend the event.
Suddenly, she caught a whiff of lavender in the air and looked up, expecting to see Damian standing in front of her. Instead, it was Emma, the building receptionist, holding a huge bouquet of lavender.
"Alicia, your present has arrived!" Emma announced a mischievous smile on her face.
Alicia was stunned. "For me? Who sent it?"
"The florist said it was a mysterious gentleman," Emma replied, sounding jealous.
Alicia placed the bouquet on her desk and read the card, which read: "For my talented and beautiful designer - Alicia. From Mr. D.H."
Nadia couldn't contain her excitement. "Oh my gosh, Allie, your mate is so romantic! And fresh lavender in February? They must be flying in from the southern hemisphere! Having a billionaire mate is such a complete relief from not getting the luxury of romance."
Alicia was flattered. This was the first time a man had sent her flowers, and they were her favorite lavender. But she couldn't understand why Damian was sending her flowers after she had told him she couldn't be with him.
\[Like them? Congrats on your promotion.\]
Damian's message came in, just after Alicia received the flowers.
\[Thanks. But I don't need them. Besides, I'm at work.\] Alicia replied and wondered how Damian could know she was promoted to Mid-Level Designer.
\[Then throw them in the trash! Tell me what flowers you like.\] Damian asked.
\[I like lavender. I just can't accept your flowers! My husband will give me more and better lavender than you!\] Alicia tried to be assertive in her husband's name. Maybe this would anger Damian but right now she had no other choice.
\[I see.\] Damian replied and never sent another message.
The office was filled with the calming scent of lavender, thanks to the large handful that Damian had sent earlier. The fragrance helped to relax Alicia's co-workers, who had been on edge since Alpha Rhett's warning the previous night. They were afraid to spend time with Alicia, fearing that they would suffer the same fate as Lilith if they angered or bullied her. Cassie, in particular, was apprehensive, but Rhett did not punish her.
However, after watching Gamma Nadia interact with Alicia, the other designers began to see that she was just as gentle and friendly as before. Even the feared King of Rogues sent a bouquet of flowers to his mate, indicating that Damian was not as frightening as they had imagined.
"Hey, Allie, could you take a look at my sculpture design?" Cassie broke the silence and initiated a conversation with Alicia.
"Alicia, would you like some black tea?"
"The lavender smells so good, I'm totally relaxed."
Alicia sensed that her colleagues had reverted to their previous behavior, and she suspected that the lavender that Damian had sent was the reason. She looked at the bouquet that occupied half of her workstation and thought that Damian always seemed to be there for her when she needed him. If she had met him before getting married, she would have been the happiest shifter in North America.
As the workday came to a close, Nadia asked Alicia, "How are you going to transport all these flowers back?"
"Nadia, Cassie, do you like lavender? Take some with you if you do," Alicia offered to her colleagues who had not yet left the office.
"Are you kidding? Those are flowers from Alpha Damian. I'll be dead if I take them!" Nadia exclaimed as if Alicia had offered her a bomb.
"Yeah, I don't want to end up on the King of Rogues' blacklist," Cassie added.
"Seriously, Allie," Nadia joked, patting Alicia's back, "if you want to celebrate your promotion, maybe you can buy us a cup of coffee instead of sending death flowers."
Finally, Alicia hailed a cab back to her apartment, carrying a couple of thousand fresh lavender sprigs in her arms. The scent of lavender filled the air, growing heavier as she neared her door. She moved the lavender in her arms that blocked her view and discovered dried lavender flowers, fresh lavender bouquets, and even lavender potted plants piled up from the elevator door to her apartment door.
"What the hell is going on here?" Alicia gaped at the lavender surrounding her. She liked the smell of lavender, but the mix of so many different kinds of lavender almost made her dizzy. Could Damian be behind this?
Setting down the lavender bouquet in her hand, she pulled out her phone and dialed Damian's number. Just as she was about to hit the call button, Damian's name appeared on her screen.
"Hey, beauty, like the surprise I got for you?" Damian's voice came through the phone.
"Are you crazy? This is the Golden Moon Pack's apartment building!" Alicia exclaimed, her heart pounding wildly as she glanced nervously at the CCTV outside her apartment. She felt like a burglar, worried about being caught.
"I know, but don't worry. The CCTV is hacked now, thanks to a cool hacker I know. Although, I did teach him most of his skills," Damian boasted, showing off his computer expertise.
"You're a crazy bastard!" Alicia snapped, angry at Damian's recklessness, before opening the door to her apartment.
"Oh! I feel kind of bad because I bought all the lavender in the whole of LA only to have you call me a crazy bastard," Damian sighed, sounding deliberately disappointed.
"You could have stopped at any time! You're wasting your money! Why don't you use that money to do something worthwhile?" Alicia turned and looked at the mountain of lavender piled up in the hallway and in front of her apartment, trying to imagine just how much Damian had spent.
"Oh, that's right! I did do something more worthwhile today, and that is I have an even bigger surprise for you. It's on the way!" Damian said, his excitement palpable.
"What?" Alicia's stomach dropped as she heard the elevator doors open. "If you ever have someone send me lavender again, I swear I will never ever speak to you!" Alicia hung up the phone and prepared to close the door to her apartment.
"Hey! Don't close the door!" Damian's voice echoed from both the hallway and the phone line.
Just as Alicia was about to shut the door, a well-built hand reached into her doorway, causing her to almost drop her phone.
"Mr. Howard? What are you doing here? Elevators don't carry non-residents." Alicia's eyes widened in surprise at the tall man, who was almost a foot taller than her.
"I forgot to tell you that I moved into the apartment above yours. As of today, I'm also a resident of this building. How's that for a surprise?" Mr. Howard grinned, revealing a row of perfect teeth.
"What?" Alicia wasn't sure if she was living a nightmare.
"Hello, neighbor!" Damian greeted Alicia with a grin, now taking on the identity of her new neighbor.