Chapter 11 - Flowers That Never Fade

Fiona’s POV.

The next few days feel like a beautiful dream.

Somehow Micah’s apartment is filled with all the things that I love. The fridge is stocked with my favorite food. The washroom is equipped with all the products I love to use. Even my room smells of my favorite vanilla-scented candles.

I don’t know how Micah even knows of these things and it baffles me as to why he filled his apartment with all of this stuff. Still, I can’t help but feel oddly touched and I can’t stop the spring in my step.

More good news comes my way when my best friend Antonia gets me a job at the company she works in. Ever since I was wrongly fired from my job as a perfume designer for my father’s company due to my father’s scandal, my fingers have itched to develop new scents again. Just the idea of finally going back to a perfume laboratory has me smiling wide.

The smile remains on my face when I walk into my new boss, Raulf's office on my first day, eager and nervous.

"Ah, you must be Fiona," Raulf greets me, extending his hand with a faint smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Raulf," I reply shaking his hand firmly. "I'm excited to be here."

Raulf gestures for me to take a seat across from him and I do so happily.

"Tell me, Fiona," Raulf says suddenly, his tone turning unexpectedly cold. "Do you know why I decided to hire you?"

I blink, caught off guard. "I assumed it was because of my qualifications and experience..."

Raulf chuckles, a self-satisfied smirk creeping onto his face. "That's part of it, of course. But the main reason? It's personal."

I frown, unsure of where he is going with this. "Personal?"

Raulf's tone turns spiteful. "Your father... he used to be quite influential in the industry, didn't he?"

He smirks when he sees me fidget at the mention of my father.

"Well," Raulf continues, his voice dripping with slight contempt, "my business, before it took off, relied heavily on partnerships with your father's company. We were small then, struggling, and had to run every decision after considering him. But then your father's empire crumbled, and here we are now."

I feel a cold pit form in my stomach as the realization hits me. "You hired me because of my father?"

Raulf's smile widens, filled with mockery. "Oh, not just that. You see, it's a bit of nostalgia for me, having the daughter of one of the biggest conglomerates now working under me. How the tables have turned, haven’t they? Now, every move you make will be done under my watch, and you will cater to us just like in the past we had to cater our moves to your father’s empire."

I am speechless, trying to process the revelation. This job offer, which had seemed like a fresh start, now feels tainted and manipulative.

Did Raulf really just hire me to satisfy his own vanity?

When I leave his office, my smile is gone and I feel my spirits deflate.

Slowly, I walk to the room where my cubicle is. However, the moment I enter, I feel my future colleagues staring at me. There is judgment in their eyes and they watch me come in with scorn. I lift a finger and nervously tuck a tendril of hair behind my ear.

I try to smile at the nearest person and introduce myself but before I can say a word, they scoff and turn their back to me. Shocked at the blatant disregard, I duck my head slightly and quickly make my way to the empty table.

“Oh so she is finally here,” an acidic voice breaks through the uncomfortable silence. I turn my head to see a familiar face shooting daggers at me.

It’s Gloria, a high school bully and a person who hated me and my popularity back in the day.

“How about I introduce our new colleague to you guys?” She spits out in a malicious tone. “Fiona and I go way back. She used to think really highly of herself, and wished to rule our school with her ‘beauty’ and her father’s status.”

I stare at Gloria in disturbed silence. We both know this is not the truth. I was always a shy person and I hated the limelight that my classmates put me in in the past. I never cared for social hierarchy like Gloria did and she knows it. Yet she was smearing my name with lies.

“Now, here she is, her family just went bankrupt and there is news of her being dumped by a Royal because she just wasn’t good enough. She got fired at her previous job too and now she is here to ruin our days.”

My cheeks turn pink at the insults and my eyes burn. I cannot believe the amount of hate she is so casually wielding against me.

“I have heard you were planning a wedding with some Royal, weren’t you Fiona?” She gives out a cruel laugh. “Have you even seen yourself? Did you really think yourself so important to be worthy of a royal? You are nothing but an ugly duckling trying to disguise as a princess. You. Are. Nothing.”

Her words pierce my skin and I watch as disgust litters the expressions of the rest of the colleagues. They look at me as if I am worse than the dirt under their shoe. They laugh at me and stare at me with hate.

My fingers slightly shake and I feel the room closing in on me.

Gloria’s eyes have narrowed with glee. She watches my face and smirks triumphantly. Her expression is that of a vulture out for blood. She opens her mouth in a sneer, ready to say more hurtful things to flay me. However, just when she is about to say something else, a voice cuts her off.

“Miss Fiona Richards? This has arrived for you.”

I slowly turn my face to look at the woman standing there. In her hand, is a gorgeous bouquet with flowers so beautiful you can’t look away.

Gasps litter the room as everyone takes in the flowers. I look around confused at the reaction.

“Oh my God, these flowers are from ‘Ivy’s Blooms’!”

A girl runs towards the woman and hovers over them. When she turns to look back at me, her expression has changed from contempt to awe.

“These flowers are infused with a certain kind of magic and they never die. They always stay fresh. Ivy’s Blooms only creates a handful of bouquets each year and only the elite of the elite folks are able to get their hands on this. Normal people can’t even walk in their shop!”

I slowly walk forward with a puzzled expression.

Who would send these to me? Who would go to such lengths for me? Maybe it is for some other Fiona?

Doubt clouds my mind as I gingerly take the bouquet from the woman and walk back to my desk. I feel the gazes of my colleagues as they try to peer at the flowers. Gloria is scowling as she looks at me with her hateful gaze.

“Didn’t you try to get a bouquet like this before, Gloria?” The same girl from earlier quips in a curious manner.

“I heard they refused you at the door. Looks like Fiona here isn’t wretched as you would like us all to believe, considering she is being courted by someone who actually got her these exotic flowers that even you couldn’t get your hands on!”

She mumbles with clear accusation in her tone and I watch as the rest of the colleagues look at Gloria with doubt in their eyes.

“Shut up, Sarah!” Gloria snaps and her face has gone completely red. She doesn’t wait for anyone to say anything else, before she stomps out of the room.

With shaking hands, I pick up the small gold embossed card that is tucked within the flowers.

The moment I open it, it is like all my fear, pain, doubts and sadness fall away.

A strange warmth envelopes my heart as I read the beautiful, cursive writing.

First days are always hard

But, not for you Mrs. Lancaster

If anyone tries to bring you down,

You prove them wrong by rising higher

Best of luck

There is something about the way the note is written, with such confidence and authority that there is no doubt who it is from. Underneath, it is signed off by familiar initials that make my heart swell.

ML.

Micah Lancaster.

My husband.

Suddenly, it doesn’t matter that Raulf hired me with an ulterior motive. It doesn’t matter that Gloria is trying to ruin my reputation before I can even build it.

None of these things matter.

All that matters is that this is an opportunity and I am going to seize it. I am not going to go away running and if these people try to bring me down, I am just going to have to rise higher.

With that, I squeeze the note closer to my chest and smile with a determination that I have not felt in a long while.