Chapter 23: The Meaning of Yellow Roses

A week later, Angeline spent most of her time at home alone. Bryan rarely came home and only changed his clothes there. He often worked late, and they never talked. Angeline wandered around the house and entered the well-kept backyard. But there were no flowers growing there. Only decorative grass and flowerless plants decorated the place. Bored, Angeline decided to do some gardening to pass the time. She looked at her phone and searched for a nearby flower shop. After half an hour of searching, Angeline found a suitable flower shop. She called John, who was in a meeting with Bryan and other executives, including Mrs. Rose. "Mrs. Angeline is calling," John whispered to Bryan. "Should I turn it off?" John asked when Bryan didn't answer the call. "That's up to you," Bryan replied coldly. The people in the meeting room looked at him in surprise. Even Mrs. Rose raised an eyebrow, surprised at how coldly Bryan treated his wife. "Okay, I'll turn it off," John said, ending Angeline's call. "Why didn't you answer her call? Ah, they must be busy working. But I can't wait for them to finish. Maybe I should send a message?" Angeline weighed her options and decided to send John a message. [John, can I plant some flowers?] John showed the message to Bryan, who again didn't react. "I'll tell her to make up her own mind," John concluded. "Turn your phone off if it's not important. Don't you know we're in a meeting?" Bryan said angrily, glaring at John. John complied after sending a quick reply to Angeline. "Yeah? He just responded like that? Are they... are they both avoiding me? Well, I'm just a puppet here. Okay, let's not dwell on it. Let's call the florist," Angeline said determinedly. Angeline didn't want to think about it. Her heart had been hurting and wounded since the incident in Taos. The growing feelings were forbidden and she tried her best to forget them. "Hello, Love Flowers Shop?" Angeline called the flower shop she had found. "Yes, how can we help you?" "Ah, I'd like to order some flowers to plant. What do I need to plant flowers?" "Are you just beginning to plant flowers?" "Yes, that's right. I want to plant colorful flowers. There's a huge garden here, but all I see is green. I... want to plant flowers that will bloom in every season." "Well then, may I know the name of the client?" "Angeline. I'll send you my address. Just bring everything and I'll pay for it here." "Alright, Mrs. Angeline, we will send someone over with all your orders. Thank you for contacting Love Flowers Shop." Angeline smiled happily as she could finally start her gardening project. Planting flowers seemed like a good choice. A short time later, a pickup truck stopped right in front of her house. The guard approached the vehicle and, after a brief conversation, allowed it to enter through the back gate. Angeline, who was relaxing on a bamboo swing in the backyard, was surprised to see the pickup truck enter her backyard. She greeted the man who stepped out of the vehicle with a welcoming smile. "I thought you'd be longer," Angeline said as she greeted the man. "Hello, I'm Nicolas Jackson. You can call me Nick," Nicolas replied, holding out his hand. He was a strikingly handsome young man, and Angeline couldn't help but stare at him as he flashed a charming smile. "Ah, I'm Angeline. You can call me by my name," Angeline replied as she shook Nicolas' hand. "Where shall I put the flowers?" Nicolas asked. Angeline looked around and pointed to the center of the garden. "I think over there would be nice, don't you?" Nicolas nodded and began to unload two bags of fertilizer and some other gardening tools. Angeline watched him casually. She noticed several flowers among his supplies. But her eyes fell on the red roses Nicolas had brought. "Why did you bring these roses?" Angeline asked, pointing to the red roses. "Oh, Milly said you wanted flowers that bloom all the time, and one of the beautiful flowers that bloom all the time is the rose," Nicolas explained. "But I don't like roses. They make me sad," Angeline murmured, feeling annoyed. "Why do roses make you sad?" Nicolas asked curiously. Angeline looked puzzled. There was no way she could tell this to someone she had just met. "Oh, it's nothing. How do we plant all these?" Angeline changed the subject. "First, we have to transfer all these flower seedlings into soil that's been enriched with fertilizer." "Oh, really? What's in the fertilizer?" Angeline went over to the two bags Nicolas had brought and was about to open one. "Wait!" Nicolas hurried over to Angeline, who was pulling open one of the bags of organic fertilizer. But Nicolas was a little too slow, and the fertilizer spilled out and covered Angeline. Nicolas was stunned by Angeline's actions. "OMG! Did I just open a bomb?" Angeline exclaimed, causing Nicolas to burst out laughing. How could Angeline look so sweet and innocent? She quickly wiped her face and hands with some water. She felt self-conscious because of the smell of the spilled organic fertilizer. "How could you do that?" Angeline asked. Angeline froze when she heard Nicolas call her by her nickname. She stared at Nicolas, who was now using a shovel to fertilize the soil. "Why... are you calling me Angel?" Angeline asked Nicolas. Nicolas stopped and looked at Angeline, who had moved behind him. "Is it not allowed? Your name is beautiful, as are you," Nicolas said, causing Angeline to feel nervous. "I've only met one person who called me that, just like my father. He used to call me that all the time." "Do I remind you of your father?" "Only a little, but it immediately reminded me of him. Oh... why am I crying?" Angeline wiped away her tears and suddenly felt a wave of sadness as she remembered her late father. She couldn't hold back her tears and continued to cry. "I'm sorry, I can't stop," Angeline apologized. Nicolas looked uncomfortable and went back to his car. He picked out a yellow rose and gave it to Angeline. "Do you know what a yellow rose means?" Nicolas asked. Angeline, still teary-eyed, looked at him in confusion. "A yellow rose symbolizes happy memories. You must miss your father very much. I thought this yellow rose might help ease your longing," Nicolas explained. Angeline accepted the yellow rose and looked at it thoughtfully. Her heart began to feel a sense of peace and she smiled faintly as she remembered her father who had passed away several years ago.