I give Dom a quick smile, but it fades as I swiftly walk around the counter and grab his collar pulling him into my face.
“What the…!” I don’t let him finish that sentence as I shout in his face “You moron!”
"How could you do this!" I shout, shaking him roughly by his collar. "What did I do?" he manages to ask, struggling to break free.
“Show me your phone!” I yell.
“Alright! Alright!” he breathes as he shoves his hand in the front pocket of his jeans and hands me his phone. I free him from my grip and snatch the phone. I know I’m being harsh on him, but I’m mad right now.
I swipe up on the screen to unlock Dom's phone with one hand while swiping mine with the other.
“Where did you save Lizzie’s number?” I glare at him. “I…uh since she dictated her number I saved it in my notes and then forwarded it to you” he shrugs.
There is only one likely explanation, either Dom noted down the wrong number or I messaged the incorrect one.
After I match the numbers I throw a deadly glare at him.
“You pinhead,” I murmur. He leans back, aware of the fact that this time I would choke him to death.
“You…forwarded me the wrong number,” I say, giving his phone back. He is even scared to take it back.
As he should.
He’s speechless. I mean why not? He is the one at fault and not me.
“I…I’m sorry,” he says with a hint of guilt in his voice. “Now don’t kick me out of the job because of that,” he mutters as he slowly leans forward.
I blink a few times before I say “But that doesn’t mean that I’m not mad at you.” and then walk over to the counter.
I sigh as I take a seat and lean back in my chair.
“Emy, I’m truly sorry…I didn’t mean to—No, no just…just leave it,” I interrupt, staring up at the ceiling.
“You must have prepared so much for her,” Dom says. “All of your hard work got wasted because of me,” he continued.
“No, it didn’t,” I glance at him. He raises an eyebrow confusingly.
I shake my head.
“It’s complicated.”
“Oo…” Dom mouths.
I prefer not to talk to him about this at the moment. Like, what will he think? I allowed two men, who were actually part of the mafia, into my home for dinner just because I accidentally messaged one of them?
It would have become super awkward if I had sent them back.
Besides, they were really nice to me.
“Anyway,” I start as I open the register and look for the pending orders. The hotel order….
“Dom,” I say, without making eye contact with him. “You have to drop the order of Lilies and Roses by 9 am at the Double Tree Hotel,” I finally glance at him.
He nods as if he remembers this order.
“But first you have to pick those flower boxes from the salesman?” I stare at him to make sure he can deliver the flowers on time. “I have got this,” he smirks as he gets up from his seat and heads towards the exit door.
That’s what I like the most about Dom. He’s never late for pick-ups and deliveries. Always punctual.
I look down at my registry again and search for the other pending orders. I want to finish these all today only so that tomorrow I can hang out with Lizzie and have some fun with her.
Even though she told me that she would visit my floral shop, I don’t want her to just sit here and get tiresome while I’m busy with customers and their orders.
Anyway, for a while I receive some orders through calls. I give them the exact dates their orders would arrive and hang up. Some customers even complimented me about my shop and how they would love to pay a visit here.
Sometimes I feel so glad that I chose this as my career.
**********
It’s so scorching today.
I grab the cool water bottle from my counter and I flinch as the door of my floral shop slams open.
What the heck?
Two muscular men, appearing highly trained, stride in with heavy weapons slung over their shoulders. Both are dressed in matching black T-shirts and pants. Their expressions are stern.
I stand up from my chair and slowly try to approach them.
Lord, they look scary as hell.
They both position themselves beside the door and when one of them opens it, he enters.
Zack.
His eyes scan the whole shop before it lands on him.
He smiles.
What. In. The. World. Is. He. Doing. Here?
“Pardon me, blossom. I didn’t mean to freak you out with my unexpected visit,” he says it while approaching me.
He called me a what?
“No…it’s fine,” I swallow hard.
I seriously thought he might have forgotten about me.
Come on…he is the mafia man and…he can have as many girls as he wants. I don’t even think I’ll believe him if he says he doesn’t have a girlfriend.
Because ain’t no way.
Wait a second…
Why the hell do I even think that he came for me? Of course, he’s here to buy something from my shop.
“Your shop is well maintained,” he looks around.
I nod and lift myself on my toes as I notice a limo outside my door.
Zack notices my actions and looks over his shoulder.
“What is it?” he asks, glancing towards me. His expression is calm.
“Uhh…Where is your friend whom you brought with you last night?” I ask.
“Keith?”
“Yeah, Keith.”
Zack shrugs and says, “I assigned him a task, so he's occupied with it.”
I nod.
“So, would you like to have some drink?” I ask.
“Thanks, but I would prefer to take a look around your shop,” he grins.
I purse my lips before I say, “Okay.”
Zack sits on the stool, pulling it closer to my bed. His face is looking calm for the first time in a while. But that doesn’t mean that deep down he isn’t stressing himself out. At least, that’s what I think.He rests his hands on the bed, and I move mine on his.“Does it hurt, right now?” he asks, looking at me. “Your stomach?”I shake my head. “I’m fine—” I pause and slightly lean forward.“What?” he shrugs.“Your eyes…Zack, don’t tell me. You were… crying?” I ask, sounding distraught as I notice the redness in his eyes, which normally happens due to crying.“What? No! It’s just…” he chuckles as he rubs his eyes. “Something got in my eyes.”“Oh, yeah?” I raise a brow.“Well, then, your hospital stays will not be more than three days, I guess.”“Don’t change the topic,” I frown at him.On our way to the hospital, Doctor Richard told me that I would only stay in the hospital for a few days. After that, I can come for therapy from home.“Listen to me, Zack, if you stay like this, then
Whispering and mumbling echo in the air as Richard escorts me and Emily through the hospital hallway. Thankfully, the place isn’t as crowded as I expected it to be. The hospital looks pretty clean, but the chemical smell still stinks.When I look around, Richard stops at a door and opens it. I and Emily follow him inside as he holds the door open for us.It looks like a staff room. Doctors are sitting at the large oval-shaped table, which is covered with documents and files. Some of them seem to be working on certain cases, while some are flipping through files and sipping their coffee.“If the whole staff is here, then who is treating the patients?” I ask, raising a brow.“This staff is only arranged for Emily,” Richard answers, glancing in my direction.“Oh,” Emily mutters, sounding surprised.I’m glad that Richard did precisely what I told him to do.“All of them are senior and highly skilled doctors,” Richard says as he gestures toward them.“If so, then I guess I should expect a
Doctor Richard adjusts his glasses as he observes my face and eyes.“Hmm…,” he leans back in his chair. “So, it’s lymphoma?”I nod in agreement.“As far as I remember, you were diagnosed with cancer a few days ago?” he looks into my eyes.“Yes,” I mutter.“Well, then…,” he continues in a calm voice. “There is a possibility that you could survive.”“Really? What are the chances?” I ask.“Uh… Seventy percent?” he shrugs.Before I can open my mouth, Zack slams his palm on the table, making me and the doctor flinch simultaneously.“Hundred percent! That’s what I want to hear!” he says through his teeth.“Zack!” I hiss at him, keeping my hand over my chest.“No, it’s fine,” the doctor assures as he leans forward. “She will be alright, Zack. But for that, she needs to be admitted to my hospital. Just in case you didn’t know, I own a hospital now.”Zack and I share the expression as we look at each other. Unreadable.“But first, tell me one thing,” he leans back in his chair, rubbing his jaw
“Do I sound like I care about him right now?” I speak through my phone, which is squeezed between my shoulder and ear, while I flip the pancake with a spatula, using one hand and holding the pan with the other. “And what do you think I told you to look after?”“I know, I’m just saying be careful,” Keith mutters. “You have Emily with you, Zack.”I hum.I can’t tell if it was bad news or good news when Keith called me to let me know that he couldn’t find out if Fernando informed Marcellus about Emily. However, after all the overthinking I did over the past few days before we even arrived in the UK, I think he will not.Many cowardly mafias are reluctant to utter a word against me, and Fernando is one of them. I have already wiped out the men who were after Emily from the face of the earth, and I assume that should be enough for Fernando to watch his step, or else he will share the same fate as theirs.“Where is she, by the way?” Keith asks out of curiosity.“Dressing up,” I tell him.“O
I was planning to go after Fernando after I was done with Noah and his other men. However, when Emily told me about her condition, I went numb, my chest ached but I refused to let pain be visible on my face. Her words sliced through my heart like a sharp blade and at that moment it felt like nothing else mattered but her.Even now, I’m only drawn to her. I can’t think of anything else but the ways that can recover her from the sickness she is enduring.I slightly turn my head and look at sleepy Emily. Her head rests on my shoulder, and her hands clutch my arm gently. Of course, she was tired, it took us fourteen hours to reach here. We landed an hour ago, and now we are travelling in the car to the apartment I booked for both of us.It’s 11 pm already.If I had wanted to, I would have taken her to my mansion, which I own in the UK, but since my guards take care of that place, she probably wouldn’t like it.But whatever, my duty is to make her feel comfy whenever I take her somewhere.
“Emily?”I hum in sleep.“Emily, wake up,” someone says softly and I feel the warmth of someone’s skin against mine. Someone cupping my face and pushing back the loose strands of my hair.I know who it is.I open my eyes slowly and my gaze meets Zack’s hazel eyes. He’s sitting next to me on the bed. I don’t remember when I fell asleep. It’s interesting how I didn’t have a stomachache again last night.“Wake up,” he mutters as his eyes soften. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips.“Hey,”“Now, get up. And pack your necessary accessories,” he says and slips down from the bed. “However, I don’t think you will need to because I have made arrangements, already.”“What?” I narrow my brows. I stretch my arms as I rise and straighten my back. “But why?”“We are going to the UK,” he says as he buttons up his white shirt while looking into the dressing mirror. “Come on now.”“Oh,” I mutter. “So, you want to spend all your time with me until I’m no longer alive?"He pauses and stares at my refl