MainNovelGrace's legs instantly bumped into Ethan's. If it weren't for her palm instinctively bracing against his knee, she probably would've fallen right into him.
Grace looked up and met his calm eyes, which seemed to hide deeper thoughts. Her wrist was suddenly grasped, and the skin-to-skin contact felt scalding hot.
"The flowers. Don't forget," he reminded.
"Y-Yes, sir." His gaze lingered on her face for over ten seconds before he turned the wheelchair around and simply left. He seemed more pleased about receiving the flowers than he had been about that two-million-dollar brooch. Grace remained seated in a daze, still feeling the strength of his grip on her wrist. The remaining warmth felt like vines growing up her skin, wrapping around her, and dragging her deeper into something she couldn't escape. She looked down at her wrist and absent-mindedly rubbed it.
Meanwhile, Ethan exited the building with a black car already waiting for him outside. Julian sat inside and personally lowered the car window, resting his head on one hand. "Christmas at Henderson Residence must be lively, eh? Are all the others coming back too?" Although Andrew Henderson, Jordan Henderson's eldest son, had been ruined by a cheating scandal, there were still the second son, Donald Henderson, and the third son, Bart Henderson-Dylan Henderson's father. None of them was easy to deal with.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOn top of that, there were plenty of shady relatives in the background. The Henderson family never had a peaceful Christmas- was inevitable.
Ethan stared out the window, seemingly not listening.
Julian took a deep breath. "There are also those people overseas. They're keeping an eye on your injury. You should try your best to stay low." But right as he said that, Ethan closed his eyes and said softly, "Stop giving her a hard time." For once, Julian was rendered speechless. He pressed his lips together for a while, then cracked his knuckles with a few audible pops.
"Me? When have I ever troubled her?" Julian retorted.
"You won't be doing it in the future either," Ethan added.
Julian raised a hand to massage his temples and leaned back.
"I didn't mean to. But that stunt you pulled at the gala? You threw the entire Dryville into chaos. Do you know how many people are watching her now? Sometimes, I really don't get what's going on in your head." Putting Grace at the center of a storm like that—what exactly was he trying to do? Ethan lifted his gaze and just then, saw Grace walking out of the building.
Julian was still waiting for a reply when he noticed Ethan staring in that direction, the look in his eyes clearly softening.
Julian sighed and told the driver, "Drive." Only then did the car slowly pull away.
After exiting the building, Grace drove to a flower shop, but they only had yellow magnolias. The vibrant red kind she was looking for was hard to find.
She tried three shops in a row and still cup empty. Feeling defeated, she called Sebastian, hoping he'd know if any wild magnolias were growing in the suburbs around Druville.
Sebastian was still at her place, sorting through a mountain of documents. With Christmas approaching, the backlog had grown enormous.
"Ms. Lamber, there are many varieties of magnolias. Which one are you looking for?" Grace thought carefully, recalling the unique appearance of the one from last time. "A vivid, bright red one."
"Ah, then you must mean the red magnolia. It's not easy to find. A few years ago, I went on a business trip with your father and saw sin a manor on the outskirts.
"You may not know this, but red magnolia trees are monopolized from the source. The largest fresh e flower markets are down south, but the best red magnolia varieties have all been bought up by a mysterious owner.
"It's said that the best red magnolia from across the country has been transplanted into a single manom ve outside the city. No one knows who owns it. I'll send you the address. Why don't you go and try your luck there?" Sebastian didn't ask why she suddenly needed magnolia blossoms. He simply sent her the address.
Coincidentally, that manor was only a few miles from where Ed lived.
But Ed's residence was already extremely remote. Who in their right mind would grow magnolia blossoms out in a place like that? Still, Grace had no choice but to go and try her luck.
She had already lost credibility with Ethan-she couldn't afford to break her promise with him again.
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