Page 128 of Ruthless Contract
I’d promised to make that person suffer. It was time for me to keep that promise. I had to let go of my feelings for Juliet With Curves. She didn’t truly exist anyway. I had to stop thinking about Blossom Brook’s smile.
That shit had been a façade anyway. It was time for me to keep my promise to my cousin. It was time for me to avenge him. Fuck my heart. It could break. It could shatter. It could wither away and die.
I didn’t need it anymore. After this, I had no intention of loving again. I had no desire to give my heart to anyone else. I didn’t trust this fucked up heart of mine. So let it break as I broke her.
"You hurt someone I love," I whispered, my gaze never leaving the tulips. "Now it's time for me to destroy everything you love. And after I've destroyed all that you hold dear, then I'll destroy you, even if doing so destroys me too.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
BLOSSOM
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In four days, I would be leaving for the Alabama store. So, it made sense that everything seemed to go to hell right before it was time for me to leave. It started two days ago when an order was supposed to arrive, but hadn’t.
The week had started off well, with me trying to ensure every wedding was covered and had everything it needed to be successful and exactly what the bride wanted. I’d already prepared detailed notes for Dayana and Kelly.
That included notes on how to handle the Monique Rose wedding-planning sessions. We couldn’t refuse to work with her just because she was marrying a Cattaneo. Plus, that would look highly suspicious.
I’d also prepared things for my mom and had been visiting her each day. This week had been a hard one for her. She hadn’t recognized me during any of my visits, which made it even harder to leave.
She wasn’t doing well. And I hated going away at a time like this. But what choice did I have? I’d told the Petals caring for her that if she needed to see me while I was away, I’d video chat with her and come home if that didn’t calm her down.
I was already packed and ready to leave Biloxi for a while. I would be staying in one of Tracy’s Airbnbs while I was in Texas. I’d offered to pay her, but she refused to accept the money.Everything seemed to be going well until things began to unravel slowly.
Two days ago, I’d stood behind the register with my clipboard in hand, reviewing next week’s events one last time. Then I moved on to checking my orders that were supposed to arrive today.
I’d wanted to double-check behind Kelly to make sure everything had arrived. But when I checked the sheet, there was no delivery signature for one of our orders, meaning the order hadn’t arrived yet.
"These should've been here already,” I muttered, glancing toward the clock hanging on the wall.
The delivery window had come and gone. Maybe the truck was running behind. That happened sometimes. Still, something about it didn't sit right with me. I reached for the phone and dialed the supplier. After a few rings, a woman answered.
"Thank you for calling Evergreen Floral Supply. This is Melissa. How may I help you?"
"Hi, Melissa. This is Blossom Brooks with Blossoms and Vines in Biloxi, Mississippi. I'm calling about an order that was supposed to arrive this morning."
"Certainly. Can I get your order number?"
I read it from my clipboard. Then the sound of typing filled the line.
"I'm sorry," she said a moment later. "I'm not finding anything under that order number."
“Okay. Um. Can you search for an order under my name? Maybe I wrote the number down wrong.”
“One sec.” When she came on the line, she said, “I’m not seeing any orders for you or your shop.”
I frowned. "What do you mean you're not finding it?"
"I'm not seeing an order."
I looked back down at my clipboard. I knew I'd ordered those flowers. I wouldn’t have an order number if I hadn’t. Right? Or had I gotten an order number mixed up with another one? Surely not. Especially since she couldn’t find anything under my name.
"Um. I placed that order over a week ago."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but nothing came through on our end."
A knot formed in my stomach. Had I somehow forgotten to hit submit? No. Surely not. I had a fucking order number! Plus, I didn't make mistakes like that. Even so, I didn't want to argue with the woman.
