Chapter Three

Elaine.

I was shaking as I scolded myself for being so stupid. I thought that coming to steal here would earn me so much money and I'd be out of this life for good, but things didn’t seem to be going at my favor. Maybe if I hadn’t been caught, things would’ve been better. I would’ve contacted old colleagues and made a great deal. But then, the guilt still stabbed my chest in ways that I didn’t like to admit. If only I hadn’t involved myself. If only I just found another job. It wasn’t my fault! If I delay any longer my sister could lose her life and that was something I wasn’t even labeling as a possibility.

I could hear the guards make fun of me and say how much I’ve ruined my life by messing with “the boss”. Who the heck was this guy anyway? In the files Phoebe brought, it stated that the boss was a woman but the man intimidating me was proving that point wrong.

I removed my face from my palms, where it was buried, before looking at the door. He had been gone for a while and I got anxious the more I waited. In the past, I had never gotten caught and this was a whole new experience for me. The thought of going to prison almost made me nauseous and what made me feel worse was explaining it all to Audrey.

The door opened and my heart skipped a beat. I sat up straight and let out a heavy sigh as I prepared to strike a deal or something with this man.

“You can leave,” he said to the guards and they exchanged looks before leaving. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at me closely. “You look like you want to tell me something.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll never repeat this so, please don’t call the cops on me. I was desperate. My sister needs help and I wanted fast cash.”

“For someone who seems so concerned about her sister, you’re not a good example, are you? Does your sister even know what you do?”

I pressed my lips in anger and embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything, please.”

He hesitated. “What’s your name? Your real name?”

“Elaine. Elaine Jones.”

“Age?”

I hesitated, wondering where the sudden questioning came from. “T-twenty-six.”

He nodded. “Is stealing your job? Do you work with someone?”

“No. I own a small flower shop and I don’t work with a team when I do such.”

“Do you do these stunts regularly?”

“No.”

He walked closer to me and leaned down, his right hand resting on the arm of my chair. “Since you’re a dealer, let’s make a deal.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lets say I believe the whole story about how you want to save your sister. Wouldn’t it be better to have money afterwards as well?”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Yes or no?”

I hesitated but met his eyes. “Yes.”

“Marry me.”

“What!?” I exclaimed in shock and mild annoyance. “I’m not going to give you my body.”

He rolled his eyes after my outburst and said, “I don’t want your body. At least, not in a sexual way. I want a marriage.”

“Isn’t this plot twist too much? I’m so confused.”

“I’m having my own troubles and you need money. Marry me to sort my troubles and I’ll give you cash to sort yours.”

“You want to buy me?”

He hummed. “Think of it as a job. After all, it’s a marriage of convenience.”

“No. I’m not interested in your offer.”

“Is that so?” He stood up straight and removed a card from a pocket inside his jacket before handing it to me. “Call me when you change your mind.”

I reluctantly received it and put it in the pocket of my white shirt without reading it. This man was definitely crazy and I was sure that a marriage to some rich psycho was not the answer.

I was released an hour after the party was done and when I arrived at the parking lot, I discovered that Phoebe left without me. I thought of walking to the nearest bus stop but it was a distance away and it wasn’t safe for a woman to be wandering about passed midnight. Begrudgingly, I pulled out my phone and called a taxi. As I waited, I kept thinking of how much cash I was going to waste on this.

After arriving home, I paid the driver and made my way inside the flower shop. Since this place was quite big, I sort of cut it in half. The front was a beautiful workplace while the back was a small home. It was cramped but it was better than sleeping on the street. If things had gone well, I would've been celebrating and making plans for all the money I would make. I was frustrated that everything was ruined because of me. The threatening tears stung my eyes but I held them back.

My phone vibrated and I removed it from my pocket before looking at the text that arrived.

“What took you so long? I was waiting forever,” it read and I glared at my screen as though David could feel how angry I was.

“I did what you wanted,” I texted back, “now let’s go our separate ways and never speak again.”

After I sent it, I blocked his number and threw the phone on the bed. I noticed that the card was on my bed and figured that it might have fallen off when I got my phone. I picked it up and gave it a read.

“Zachery Dobre,” I read aloud and began to read his contact details and place of work. He really was the CEO, huh?

I put the card down and began to undress. The whole day was hectic and I was too sweaty for comfort. Zack’s offer kept going through my mind and I came to the conclusion that it was a ‘marry me or get arrested’ kind of deal. Sitting down on my bed, I got my phone and googled him. There wasn’t any bad or scandalous news about him but media could be silenced every now and then so I was skeptical. Giving my head a shake, I decided that this was an issue for another day and pulled on a towel before making my way to the bathroom.

~

It was a warm day today and business was doing better than usual. I felt like my trip to that party scored me some admirers. I was happy but anxious. Was this some kind of plot by Zack? Was he trying to show me how well my job could go before sending me to prison?

I gave myself a mental slap and grumbled, “Get a grip.”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” a woman, standing in front of the counter, greeted. “I’d like some sunflowers, please.”

“Sure. How much do you need?”

“I want to plant some in my backyard. I repainted my house and I feel like a yellow background would look great.”

I nodded. “That sounds like a great idea but I wouldn’t recommend sunflowers because of our climate. Marigolds and coreopsis are great flowers that are low maintenance. You can add cosmos or zinnias for a lovely mix of colors,” I explained and offered to show her the flowers.

My shop has never been this busy and it felt great that my new beginning was doing well. If only Audrey was here to see this, she would’ve been so excited. I stretched to lessen the ache in my back from all the bending and looked around at the empty spaces in the flowerbeds and where flowerpots were.

It was time to close up and after attending to the last customer, I turned the sign on the door around to show that the shop was closed. I began to clean up and neatly put things in order. Locking the door, I went to the back and laid on my bed before letting out a relieved sigh.

I got my phone and noticing that I had mail, I began to browse my emails. Most of them concerned the shop and one was from Mr. Fisher. I froze when a noticed one from the hospital and felt hesitant to read it. It felt like every time I found a reason to be happy, something was determined to snatch it away from me. I already had an idea of what it said and maybe rationality wasn’t the best route out.

I grabbed Zack’s card from the top of my drawer and called him. As soon as he picked up, I asked, “Is the deal still on?”

“You sure took your damn time. It’s been two weeks,” he said after a moment of silence.

I sighed. “I’ll marry you.”

He chuckled. “Of course, you will. Be at my office tomorrow before noon and look your best.”

“Before that, send ten thousand dollars to my account right now.”

“You don’t hesitate. I dislike women like you.”

Ignoring the sting of his words, I replied, “You’re the one who wants to marry me, Mr. Dobre.”

“Its done. Send your bank information,” with that he hang up and I did as he said.

Shortly, a message came and he did as I said, except he doubled the amount. It was as if he was saying, “You think ten thousand is too much for me? Jokes on you.”