Chapter 2 Flowers

• Giovanni stood by the door, arms crossed, his lips still curved into a faint smile. The men around the table exchanged glances, clearly confused.
• "Who was that girl?" one of the men asked, still eyeing the door where Lily had disappeared.
• Giovanni chuckled softly. “Just a flower delivery girl. An interesting one, at that.”
• Another man raised an eyebrow. "She walked in like she didn’t even know what was happening here. You think it was some kind of act?"
• At first, Giovanni had thought the same. It wasn’t unheard of for someone to send an innocent-looking girl as a distraction or to gather information. He’d seen it before—a clever way to get into places people shouldn’t be. But the moment Lily had started fumbling with her words, holding up that bouquet as if it could shield her. He knew she was innocent. There had been no fear in her eye, and that made her more curious than dangerous. It was almost laughable.
• “No,” Giovanni said, his voice low and thoughtful. “She has no idea who I am.”
• The room fell into silence again as the men processed this. “She really didn’t know?” one of them asked, incredulous.
• “She thought she was delivering flowers to some regular guy. Poor thing probably thinks this is all a big misunderstanding.”
• One of the men smirked. “Well, she wasn’t wrong about that.”
• "So who sent those flowers ?"
• Giovanni read the card attached to it.
• "My mother. It's my birthday today."
• The men exchanged glances.
• "Well, happy birthday, boss," Luca, his right hand man, said.
• Giovanni nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thank you, Luca. Let's proceed with the meeting."
• Giovanni returned to his seat, and as the meeting resumed, Giovanni’s mind kept drifting back to Lily’s wide, innocent eyes. He had never seen eyes like that before; they were the colour of the ocean. Maybe that’s why he found her presence so amusing.
• But what if—just what if—he saw her again?
• The thought made him smile.
• ******************************
• Lily hummed softly to herself as she worked, the scent of roses filling the cosy little flower shop. The sun streamed through the large windows, casting a golden glow over the colourful blooms. She was in the middle of arranging a particularly tricky bouquet, trying to get the roses just right, when she felt a prickle at the back of her neck—like someone was watching her.
• She shrugged off the feeling and continued, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. Her messy bun, held together by a pencil she had shoved in there an hour ago, wasn’t doing much to keep her hair in place. She stepped back to admire her craftsmanship when the bell above the door chimed.
• “Welcome!” Lily said, turning to greet the customer. Her smile froze when she saw who had just walked in. It was him—the guy from last week. Tall, dark, and wearing an expensive suit that looked out of place. Giovanni stood there like he owned the place. Maybe he thought he did.
• He looked around the shop, then back at her, and a slow smile spread across his face. “You work here?” His voice was smooth, like silk draped over a knife.
• Lily blinked, taken aback by his question. “Uh, yes? I mean, obviously?” She gestured to the flowers around her, half-wondering if he was confused about where he had walked into. “Can I help you with something? A bouquet, maybe?”
• Giovanni’s gaze didn’t leave her as he stepped closer. “I need flowers. A bouquet.” His eyes flicked to the roses she’d been working on. “Something special.”
• Lily raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly suspicious. He had the air of someone who didn’t buy flowers often—or ever.
• “Well, we’ve got lots of ready-made bouquets.” She pointed to the display behind her, a colourful array of perfectly crafted arrangements. “Do you see anything you like?”
• He scanned the room with a lazy glance and then shook his head. “No.”
• Lily blinks again. “No?”
• “No,” Giovanni repeated, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly unimpressed by the selection. “I want something custom.”
• “Custom?” Lily echoed, trying not to sound too annoyed. Custom meant more work, and she had hoped for a quiet afternoon.
• “Yes,” Giovanni said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He leant forward slightly, his gaze holding hers. “What are your favourite flowers?”
• Lily stared at him. What did it matter what her favourite flowers were? She was just the florist here. “Um, I like daisies,” she said.
• Giovanni nodded, satisfied. “Then make a bouquet with those. Daisies.”
• Lily's eyebrows shot up. “Wait, you want me to make a bouquet with my favourite flowers?”
• “Exactly,” Giovanni replied, flashing a smile that made Lily’s stomach do a weird little flip. He was handsome, sure, but also irritating. What kind of person comes in asking for flowers based on the florist’s preferences?
• She tried to keep her cool, though her tone betrayed a bit of her irritation. “Right. Daisies, then. Got it.”
• Giovanni leant against the counter, watching her closely as she began assembling the bouquet. His eyes never left her, and it was unsettling in a weird way. Lily couldn’t help but feel like she was being examined, like he was trying to figure her out through the arrangement of flowers. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she finished, tying it up with a neat ribbon.
• "Should I throw in some lilies as well ?" She asked randomly.
• "Sure, I love lilies." Giovanni replied, still staring at her.
• "There you go," Lily said, presenting the bouquet to him. “Your custom bouquet. Full of colourful daisies.”
• Giovanni didn’t even glance at the bouquet. Instead, he smiled again, slow and infuriatingly charming. “Beautiful.”
• Lily narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t even look at it.”
• He finally glanced at the bouquet—barely—then slid a credit card across the counter. “I don’t need to. I trust your judgement.”
• Lily huffed but took the card, ringing up the purchase. When she handed him the receipt, Giovanni slipped a few bills into the tip jar, far more than necessary, and gave her another smile.
• “Until next time,” he said smoothly, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
• Lily watched him walk out, shaking her head. “Weird,” she muttered to herself.
• Luca watched as his boss walked out of the shop carrying a bouquet; he never thought he would see this day in his life. Giovanni is carrying a bouquet of flowers.
• "Whats with the flowers?" He asked as Giovanni sat in the car.
• Giovanni threw the bouquet towards Luca and said, "Send it to my mother."