“No,” Laurinda said, a little smile tugging at her lips. There was no way she was going to admit she had a thing for his looks.
Adolphus kept his eyes on her, catching the mischievous sparkle in hers. He let out a low laugh, leaned down, and kissed her—soft and deep, a gentle punishment for her pretending. He wrapped her up in his arms, holding her close.
Adolphus didn’t need to drive Laurinda to Cabinda. He was quick about it—packed his bags, finished dinner, and Laurinda drove him to the airport.
There were no dramatic goodbyes. Laurinda just kept telling him to be careful and come back soon.
After the plane took off, Laurinda stood outside the terminal and watched the sky until Arrow brought over the scarf she’d left in the car, wrapping it around her neck. “Laurinda, it’s late. Adolphus’s flight is gone. Let’s head home.”
Laurinda nodded. She tore her eyes from the sky and walked with Arrow toward the parking lot. They drove back to the estate.
Time slipped by and soon a month had passed. One afternoon, Laurinda stepped out of her study and saw Josh, the house manager, sorting through a stack of flower catalogs. She walked over to him.
“Laurinda, come see. The nursery sent over these catalogs. Didn’t you want to plant some flowers around the estate? See if anything catches your eye.”
She took the catalog and flipped through the pages, eyes settling on a few different lilies. “Let’s put some lilies in that empty space out back. The rest, I’ll leave up to you.”
Laurinda kept skimming the catalog. There were other flowers she liked, but they just didn’t feel right for the estate.
Josh seemed to get it. Aside from the lilies, nothing else stood out to her. He made a mental note to reach out to a few more nurseries.
“Alright, lilies in the backyard. For the front flowerbeds, how about jasmine? I know you love the smell.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace