“Sophia,” Mark admonished softly. “You aren’t supposed to come in here.”
But the little girl paid no attention to her father. She was only two years old. All her attention was fixated on Nikolay, who stood stoically beside me.
Sophia took a step closer toward him and stopped right in front of him. I looked up to see his jaw twitch at how hard he was grinding his teeth.
He moved his eyes down to the small girl in front of him and I saw him swallow hard. Sophia raised her arms and said, “Up.”
When Nikolay didn’t move, Sophia lost her smile and she demanded again, “Up. Up.”
Mark rose to his feet. “I’m sorry, Boss.” He looked embarrassed. But just when he was about to move toward Sophia, Nikolay bent down and pulled the girl into his arms.
“What the fuck?” Viktor muttered beside me, voicing what I’d been thinking.
Sophia giggled. “Hi,” she said.
Nikolay didn’t answer, instead he glowered at the girl in his arms. But Sophia didn’t seem affected by his glare.
Instead she turned her attention to his scars, and her hand moved to cup his cheek, her tiny palm right over his scars.
“Shit,” Mark muttered.
But instead of Nikolay erupting in anger at the girl’s touch, he stayed still, tense, and completely silent.
“Boo…hurts?” Sophia asked.
I heard a gasp and turned to see Bree, Mark’s wife, standing at the doorway, her eyes wide.
But I quickly turned my attention back to Nikolay and Sophia.
When he didn’t answer, Sophia repeated her question again.
“She is asking if it hurts,” Bree translated. Nikolay swallowed hard and then he shook his head.
“No. Not anymore,” he said.
“Good. No hurt,” she replied with a smile, and then started to twist around in his arms, clearly wanting to be let down.
Nikolay set her down and then she was running to her mother, who gave us a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. I was busy and she ran before I could stop.”
“It’s okay,” I said. I got up and Viktor followed. “I will see you next month,” I told Mark.
“Sure, Boss. I will keep you updated.”
Nikolay was still visibly shaken by what had just happened. Fuck, even I was. That took us all by surprise.
We were almost out of the door when something caught my attention. Stopping, I glanced at it. Flowers. They were different from what Maddie had given Ayla but they still reminded me of her.
“Nice flowers,” I said dryly, trying to appear disinterested.
Bree smiled. “Thank you. Mark gave them to me for our anniversary.”
Nodding, I looked away from the flowers and walked out, followed by Viktor and Nikolay.
As Viktor drove us back to the estate, all I could think about was the flowers. And the beautiful smile on Ayla’s face when she was looking at them.
Flowers. Ayla’s smile. And Maddie’s words.
Sighing, I asked out loud, “Where do you get flowers?”
“What?” Viktor asked, confused.
“Where do you buy flowers?” I asked again.
“Flowers? What the fuck do you want to do with flowers?” He glanced back at me in the rear view mirror before moving his gaze back to the road.
“Nikolay,” I said, my voice hard.
“Yes, Boss.” He nodded and took out his phone. I saw him typing something and after a few minutes, he passed me the phone.
“I already dialed the number,” he said.
Placing the phone to my ear, I waited for someone to pick up.
“Hello, Starbright Floral Design. How can I help you?” a woman said.
“I want flowers,” I said abruptly. I heard Viktor chuckle from the front seat and I glared at the back of his head.
“Okay?” I waited, but she didn’t say anything else.
“I said, I want flowers.”
“Yes. I heard you, sir. But what type of flowers?”
“Any flowers,” I muttered impatiently.
“Any flowers? But, sir—”
“Just give me the best flowers you have,” I snapped.
“Okay. How many?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration, I leaned my head against the back of the seat. Why the fuck was ordering flowers so damn complicated?
“Twenty, thirty…” I growled into the phone.
“I need an exact number, sir.” The woman sounded impatient. That was an understatement of what I was feeling.
“Damn it, just give me thirty.”
“Okay. When do you want them del—”
“In an hour.”
“An hour? Sir, we can’t do it in an hour—”
“I said, I want it in an hour.”
“Just give me a minute.” I heard her talking in the background and then she was back. “Okay, sir. Give me your address.” I quickly rattled off the address and then hung up, throwing the phone on the seat next to me.
“So, flowers?” Viktor asked.
“Not now!” I growled in warning before closing my eyes.
When the car lurched to a complete stop, there was a van outside the gate. The words Starbright Floral Design were written boldly across the side of the van.
“Nice timing,” I said when the driver stepped out of the van. He had a large bouquet of pink and white flowers in his hands.
Walking toward him, he nodded in greetings. “Sir, were you the one who ordered the flowers?”
“Yes,” I replied sharply.
“Here you go. You need to sign here.” He pushed a paper in my hand. After signing, he handed me the bouquet. The very big bouquet.
I looked down at it curiously. “Did I really order this much?”
I heard Viktor cough beside me. “If I remember correctly, you ordered thirty. That looks like thirty to me.” Glaring at him, I realized that I asked that question out loud.
I flipped him the finger and nodded at the guard to open the gates.
I didn’t care if it was five or thirty, as long as Ayla loved them. That was all that mattered.
Chapter 39
Ayla
I was lying in bed completely lost in the book that I was reading, when my door opened without a knock. Sitting up with a start, I dropped the book. It fell on my mattress soundlessly while my heart was beating loudly against my rib-cage.
Maddie walked inside, her face bright and in her hands was a large bouquet of pink and white flowers. “Alessio got you flowers!”
Again?
My eyes went wide as she got closer and I was able to take a better look at the flowers. Holding my hand out, my heart danced with excitement. Maddie gave me the flowers and I gasped.
They were so beautiful. Even more beautiful than the flowers he gave me before. And it was such a large bouquet.
Pulling it to my chest, I smiled up at Maddie. “What are they called?”
“Peonies. They are beautiful, aren’t they?”
I nodded, completely speechless. They were breathtaking. And the mixture of colors made the bouquet even more gorgeous.
I couldn’t help it. I was smiling hard and then a small giggle escaped my lips. “I can’t believe he got me flowers again,” I whispered.
My heart was going wild in my chest and my stomach was filled with butterflies. Holding the flowers close to my chest, I sighed in contentment.
As I held the flowers, all I wanted was to see Alessio. I wished he was the one who gave them to me. I wished he was here, so I could thank him.