Chapter 25: Last night's rain

Morning came and Angeline screamed loudly when she saw her garden in ruins from last night's rain. The flowers she had planted looked withered and almost dead. Bryan heard the commotion and rushed outside to join Angeline. "What's going on? Is there a snake?" asked Bryan, startling some of the servants who were trying to find the supposed snake. "The flowers..." "What?" "My flowers... they're ruined," Angeline cried, falling to her knees. Bryan was taken aback by her words. "Flowers? Why?" "Can't you see for yourself? All my flowers are dead! Why did it have to rain?" "Good Lord! Angeline, are you yelling like that just because of dead flowers?" "Why not? My precious flowers... I worked so hard to plant them and now they're dead!" Angeline whimpered. The servants gradually left the scene, leaving their master and mistress to have their discussion. Bryan was irritated that Angeline was making such a fuss about last night's rain. "And why did you even bother to plant flowers? Why not just buy some and put them in pots? They wouldn't die if you kept them inside." Angeline glared at Bryan when she heard his words. She stood up and gave him an angry look. "What do you know about flowers? I just found my own way to keep busy. Besides, you allowed it. Why are you getting mad now?" "Who's getting mad? I'm just annoyed by your overreaction." "Overreacting is another word for getting angry! Why should I not have a strong reaction? You should have just ignored it and gone to work!" "I have the day off! And how can I not react when you're screaming like a snake is about to bite you!" "Me? Do you think I'm a mouse?" "Well, there might be a hungry python here!" "Why would there be a hungry python? Is this a forest or something?" "It could be!" "No way! Don't make unfounded claims!" "It is possible. There are snakes here. Don't you know that?" "Snakes... really? Are you serious?" Angeline got scared when Bryan mentioned the presence of real snakes. After their shouting and arguing, they fell silent. John, who had just arrived, shook his head as he watched the early morning argument between the couple. Bryan and John were talking over a cup of coffee while Angeline was busy trying to salvage her almost irreparable plants. "Why did it rain last night? And I can't even contact Nick," Angeline complained to herself, feeling confused. "Did he ask for this yesterday?" John asked, looking puzzled. "Yes, and I don't know why he chose gardening over other activities." "Chose gardening? What do you mean?" "Angeline said she was bored and wanted to spend her time gardening. But it seems like she's not only wasting her time, she's also wasting money and emotions. How could she plant flowers in the rainy season like this? And is the florist just taking advantage of her so that the flowers she planted won't survive a night of rain?" John looked at Bryan, who was ranting at length after several days of not talking much except about work. Bryan, who seemed distant, was obviously still worried about Angeline and cared deeply for her. John had been concerned that his boss didn't seem to care about his wife at all. However, it seemed that Bryan now understood why he had become distant from Angeline. "Isn't it nice to be able to rant like this?" John asked, causing Bryan to furrow his brow. "I thought you didn't care about Angeline. Why did you get rid of her roses?" "What do you know? I just got mad because she was wasting money needlessly. It would have been better if she'd gone shopping for clothes and other things instead of spending it on flowers that can suddenly die," Bryan justified. "Don't lie to yourself. I know Angeline means a lot to you. You must have fallen in love with her, right?" teased John. "Don't talk like that. Someone might misunderstand." "Misunderstand what? You're only in love with your own wife, not someone else's. Then why are you so careful?" "Our marriage is just a contract; she will leave after giving birth." "It's just an agreement on paper. Legally, you and Angeline are husband and wife. So why are you holding back? Isn't she the kind of woman you always wanted?" "What do you mean?" "A hardworking woman who isn't tempted by money for herself. See, like you said, if she were a gold-digger, she would have spent all your money on expensive clothes and branded bags. But everything she wears I bought for her. And she's spending money just to buy flowers? That's ridiculous." Bryan looked at Angeline, who was still busy in the garden, covered in mud as she struggled to replant her withered flowers. What John had said was true. Bryan had been in love with Angeline from the moment they first met. Bryan knew that Angeline had agreed to this arranged marriage to save her mother and sister, not to live a lavish lifestyle. Bryan had even given her an unlimited credit card, but Angeline never bought anything expensive. In truth, Bryan was deeply impressed by Angeline's choice of activities. She wasn't a lazy woman who spent her time shopping online in her room. Angeline, who seemed tough, hadn't changed a bit even when given a substantial amount of money. "Why is this so difficult? It was so easy yesterday when Nick was here. Ah, why is Nick so hard to reach? He said he would come today," Angeline complained, looking at her withered plants that refused to stand up. Bryan approached, dressed in gardening clothes and gloves. "Move over, do you know how to garden? Look at your face, it's covered in dirt," Bryan said curtly, then knelt down to replant the withered flowers properly. "Wow... can you garden?" Angeline asked in amazement. "Do you think I can't do something as simple as this? You just put them on the ground; you should plant their roots deeper. Then these flowers will be strong even after a day of rain," Bryan said proudly. "You are so arrogant. Teach me!" Bryan smiled sweetly and began to teach Angeline how to dig deeper into the soil. Mixing in some fertilizer and planting the flower roots deeper, then covering them. Angeline looked delighted as she managed to save her nearly dead flowers. Time passed quickly and John, who had been watching, decided to leave them alone. He let the couple have some time together to repair their once-estranged relationship. "Is that a yellow rose?" Bryan asked as they finished and took a break. "Yes, I planted it on purpose. Yellow roses, not red ones," Angeline said as if teasing. Bryan was silent and didn't ask any more. "Why did you leave then?" Bryan turned around in surprise at Angeline's question. He was silent for a while.