Prologue – Hypnotized
1346 Words
Marina Flores’ POV
I smiled at my assistant, Camila, as I sold the last of the grab-n-go special bouquets I had made in the morning. A wave of satisfaction washed over me. Yes, I had done it! I had sold out more than granny ever did in a day! So far it was the best day of my life!
“Almost done for the day?” I nodded at Camila as I gave the finishing touches to our last order, ready to be delivered to the sprawling resort across the busy road in the picturesque town of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. It was the last task to do before I could go home!
“I’ll deliver them to the Bellefonte Comfort Suites right away! I wonder why they ordered so many red tulips?” exclaimed Camila Everman, my assistant.
She had been with the shop for almost a year now and had learned all the tricks of the trade from my granny, Daisy Flores. Without Camila, I couldn’t run the shop on my own, even for a day. I didn’t possess granny’s natural talent with flowers! She was a skilled florist while my passion was architecture!
After granny’s sudden demise two months back, I had to take over the reins of her shop, Happy Blossoms. Considering I had no experience as a florist, we did pretty well so far, but the sales figures today have been astounding.
“I have no idea. Is there anything special today?”
“Nothing! I think the new owner of the Bellefonte Comfort Suites is arriving tonight!”
“Oh!” I had no time for gossip and started attending to the online orders for the next day. I wasn’t as good as Granny, but I was giving my best to keep my granny’s dream alive. It made me feel close to her. After all, she was the only family I had.
I had never seen my parents or my grandfather. He died before I was born. Granny was the only constant in my life. Therefore, the news of her death shattered me. I returned to Bellefonte, discontinuing my studies in my final year. I had received a full scholarship to study architecture, but without my granny, I had to come home.
I know granny didn’t want me to return to Bellefonte. All my life she kept me away from home, first in a boarding school, and later at Pennsylvania State University. I wasn’t even allowed to visit her on holidays but sent away to her sister, Granny Rose’s, house in Gettysburg. Sometimes my granny joined us there but for a very short time! Those were the only interactions we had! It perplexed me, but I accepted her decision!
“I’ll get going, Marina.” I nodded at Camilla, who collected all the orders to load them to her pickup truck.
“Leave one. That’s for me. I’m taking it home with me.” Camila chuckled, leaving out the last one.
“Sure. They’ve turned out great. Do you know what they denote?” I smiled, knowing how much she was dying to spell it out. A year younger than me, Camila was a bundle of energy besides being my stress buster!
Just as expected, Camila didn’t wait for my reply. She clasped her hands and gave me an excited look. “They symbolize perfect, deep love. They evoke feelings of passion, love, and lust.”
“Thanks for the information. These don’t apply to me. I just love my creation. Now, get going! I’ll close the shop in half an hour!” Camila chuckled and left to do her job while I sat admiring my floral creation.
Camila’s words echoed in my head. Of course, I knew the symbolic meaning of those red blossoms, but they didn’t interest me. Therefore, even at twenty-one, I had no time for boyfriends or hook-ups. In college, everyone stayed away from me because of my mood fluctuations. They found me weird! Therefore, I had no best friends, and no roommates for the last three years. My granny and granny Rose were the only ones I was close to.
I watched Camila drive over to the resort and sighed. I had tried my best to match up to my granny’s standard. Running this shop, and paying off granny’s debts took up all my attention. It was heartbreaking to think that Granny never told me about her financial situation. She was struggling to make ends meet, yet brought me up with a smile on her face.
Tears pooled in my eyes at those memories. There were so many unanswered questions I wanted to ask her. Now, with her death, they would remain unanswered forever. Her death was a mystery to me since I had always seen her bubbling with energy. The doctor’s certificate mentioned the cause as the flu, yet I couldn’t accept the fact. Camilla was away at her aunt’s house in Bear Creek Village, a two-hour drive away. When she returned, Granny was no more. She informed me, but it was too late. I couldn’t meet her even once before her death!
Two back-to-back message alerts from Camila brought me out of my reverie. I sighed and picked up my phone to check.
The new owner is here. His right-hand man is so hot! He loves your flowers.–Camila.
Oh, my gosh! He wants to kiss the hands of the one who created them!–Camila.
I rolled my eyes at her melodrama! Now I was sure Camila was busy flirting with the hot guy! It meant she wouldn’t be back soon. Then, I couldn’t close the shop until she returned. So, I would reach home late again tonight.
I shuddered at the thought of driving through the dark secluded forested trail to my granny’s house on the edge of the town of Cherryville, almost twenty minutes away from here. It was more like a village than a town, surrounded by thick virgin forests. Yet it was the only place I could call my own.
I blinked the thoughts away and checked the online retail center for more orders. The phone kept buzzing, and I busied myself with the job at hand. Time ticked by, yet Camila didn’t return. The sound of a car made me look up to see a luxurious black Land Rover stop right in front of my humble shop. A uniformed chauffeur emerged and looked straight at me.
I waited for him to approach me. “I want that bouquet!” He pointed at the last of my red tulip arrangements.
“Sorry! That’s not up for sale. If you come over tomorrow, I’ll have one ready for you.” He frowned and went back to his car while I turned my gaze back to my laptop screen.
“Excuse me, miss! I’ll pay you double the price. I want that one right now!” I gaped at the man who had returned for the bouquet.
“No, it’s not for sale.” I wanted to place it before my granny’s photograph tonight. I wanted her to appreciate my first big day!
“I’ll pay you five times the price!” I hesitated, but the man glanced helplessly at his car and then turned to me.
“Ten times then?” My jaws dropped at his impossible offer.
“No. You can just pay the actual price. It’s $80.” He grinned and paid me and I handed him the bouquet he wanted. My eyes unconsciously wandered over to his car. Did he buy it for his wife or his employer?
Before I could look away, my gaze locked with his glowing golden eyes, staring straight at me from the Land Rover. Who was he? My heart stalled, and I drowned in his hypnotic gaze. I could feel all my senses pulse in unison, shaking me to the core. What was happening to me?
He rolled up the dark-tinted glass, and the car sped away, leaving me totally baffled. I knew I could never forget those eyes in this life!
- Writer
