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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.
