Too Late for Roses

So he had made those demands on purpose, just to watch me run in circles for him.

The thought almost made me laugh through my tears.

After I got home that day, I had even excitedly told Lucas that I had earned a lot of money.

When he bandaged my injured hands with such concern, was he calling me stupid in his heart again? Was he thinking I looked like a joke?

As I wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes, the agent arrived.

Seeing me standing at the door, he asked in confusion, "Ms. Bell, the landlord is inside. Why aren't you going in?"

I stared at him in shock, tears still in my eyes.

"Who did you say? The landlord? Lucas Hart?"

The agent looked even more confused.

"Yes. You didn't know? The entire Central Street belongs to Mr. Hart."

I looked at Lucas not far away, and the painful memory buried deep inside me surged up all at once.

After I helped Lucas repay his second debt, I spent a long time unable to make ends meet. I could not even pay the rent.

Four or five burly men crowded the entrance of the flower shop and forced me to pay.

They smashed every flower in the shop.

They even stepped on my cat, ignoring his cries as they pressed down harder.

That cat had been with me for twelve years. To me, he was no longer just a pet. He was family, as important as Lucas had been.

I sobbed and knelt on the floor, begging them to spare him.

In the three years I ran the shop, I had been forced for rent and protection money more times than I could count.

But I never told Lucas. I did not want to pressure him.

This time, I had been so afraid that I called him, crying so hard I could barely breathe.

I asked him, "Lucas, what should I do? Please save Milo. Save him..."

Lucas knew exactly how much that cat meant to me, yet after a long silence, he only said he was sorry.

I watched with my own eyes as those men trampled my cat to death.

I held him in my arms and felt him slowly grow cold and stiff.

Just like when my mother died in my arms, I was powerless.

Even then, I did not hate Lucas. I only hated my own uselessness.

But now, the truth lay before me.

The landlord who had forced me to pay rent was Lucas.

The person who could have saved Milo with one word was also Lucas.

But he did not save him, and Milo died.

I had to grit my teeth to keep a sob from escaping.

I ran out of the office building, hailed a cab, and told the driver to go to the airport.

In the car, my hands trembled as I called my father.

After twenty-seven years, the only person I could rely on now was the father I had once least wanted to acknowledge.

"Dad, can you come get me now? Please..."

At the same time, Lucas walked out of the office with Anne and his group of friends.

His head was lowered, his eyes fixed on the chat window between us.

For two whole days, I had not sent him a single message.

Irritated, he took out a cigarette, but when he remembered I disliked the smell of smoke on him, he put it away again.

One of his close friends slung an arm over his shoulder and looked at the dark screen with obvious amusement.

"What's wrong, Lucas? The girl can't pay this debt and doesn't want to play with you anymore?"

A flash of anger crossed Lucas's eyes. He shoved his friend's arm away.

"Who said that? Nora loves me so much. Maybe she's running around somewhere right now trying to scrape together money for me.

"Just wait. Once I leave her hanging for a few days, she'll definitely cough up the money."

As soon as he said that, the agent nearby heard my name and came over.

"Nora Bell? Mr. Hart, you know Ms. Bell? Perfect timing. She wants to sublet the flower shop, and I was worried you might not approve."

Lucas frowned. He vaguely felt that the uneasiness building inside him these past few days was about to find its answer.

He forced himself to stay calm and pretended to ask casually, "The flower shop is doing fine. Why would she sublet it?"

The agent smiled ingratiatingly, completely unaware of the weight of his words.

"Ms. Bell said she's tired of running the shop and is going home to get married."