"Hahaha! Young lady, whoever your man is, he’s a lucky man!"

The old vendor laughed heartily.

His skin was wrinkled, his back slightly hunched, and years of hard labor had long become part of his appearance. Yet he stood beside Ashley, laughing as they watched Khan load flowers into the trunk.

Ashley blushed.

She tried her best not to grin from ear to ear.

"Hehe. Right, Grandpa? He’s really lucky!" she declared proudly, earning a glance from Khan.

"I mean, men usually buy flowers for their partners. But for some reason, I don’t really see women buying flowers for their boyfriends or husbands. Aunt Liza is right."

Then again, Ashley’s social circle had always been practically nonexistent.

The closest thing she had to learning about love came from movies.

The old man laughed again and nodded enthusiastically.

"That’s true! That’s true!" He clapped his hands. "But young lady, aren’t you a little too young to be married?"

Ashley chuckled and scratched her cheek. "I’m not that young. I’m already twenty-three...or four."

The vendor happily chatted away, and she indulged him while Khan continued loading flowers into the trunk.

Khan glanced between the old vendor and his madam.

The two of them chatted as though they had known each other for years.

If someone saw Ashley right now, they would never imagine she was capable of waging a blood war.

If anything, anyone seeing her for the first time would simply think she was a kind young woman buying everything an old flower vendor was selling.

"Grandpa," Ashley hummed, tilting her head. "Isn’t that cart a little heavy to pull around?"

The vendor chuckled and waved dismissively.

"It is, but I’m used to it. It’s how I’ve survived all these years. I sell flowers wherever my cart takes me."

"Oh."

Ashley nodded and glanced at the now-empty cart that Khan wheeled back toward them.

She stared at it for a moment before turning back to the old man.

"Grandpa, do you have a phone number?"

"Huh?"

"You see, I’m a flower enthusiast!" she said with a bright smile. "I love flowers and plant a lot of them."

"Ah! Ah!"

The old man nodded enthusiastically before hurriedly reaching for his worn belt pouch.

He pulled out a small notepad and a pen before scribbling down his number.

"I don’t carry my phone around, but if you ever want flowers, just call or message me!" he said eagerly. "That way, you can pick exactly what you want, and I can prepare them beforehand!"

Ashley smiled softly and accepted the number.

She stayed a little longer, paid for the flowers, and eventually parted ways with the vendor.

As the car pulled away, she looked out the window and watched him smiling happily beside his empty cart.

Even so, she noticed Khan repeatedly glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

"What is it?" she finally asked. "Just say it."

Khan cleared his throat. "I was just thinking how nice that was, Madam."

"Nice?"

"Yes. Stopping to help an elderly man."

Ashley let out a shallow breath.

"Khan, I’m not that kind." She turned her attention back to the window. "I’m not someone who stops everything just because someone needs help."

After all, her entire life had taught her otherwise.

She had learned long ago that helping the wrong stranger could have consequences.

Scott had made sure she understood that lesson.

Once had been enough.

"I stopped because I wanted to buy Lucian flowers," she said honestly. "That’s the truth."

"I bought all of them because I felt bad for the vendor. What I’m saying is that helping him wasn’t my priority." She paused. "It just happened afterward."

Khan smiled. "Regardless, it was still nice of you, Madam."

Ashley glanced toward the driver’s seat and smiled.

She didn’t argue further.

Instead, she leaned back and enjoyed the peaceful ride home.

From what she knew, Liza and Tommy would be visiting their humble home later.

The opening of her business was only a few days away, so Ashley had been squeezing preparations into the gaps between her work at Black Dragon Corporation.

What she failed to consider, however, was that buying an entire flower cart came with responsibilities.

*****

A short while later, Ashley stood behind the car.

Her arms were crossed beneath her chest.

The trunk stood open.

Flowers overflowed from every corner.

"Wow," Betty blurted out.

She and Nolan stood beside Ashley while Khan waited nearby for instructions.

"Madam." Nolan cleared his throat. "Where exactly are we putting all of these?"

Ashley pursed her lips.

She opened her mouth to answer. Then closed it again.

"I... am still thinking about it."

After a moment, she shook her head.

"Never mind. I’ll plant some of them, make arrangements for my office, and probably Gustav’s office too."

She pointed thoughtfully. "A few vases can go to your house as well, Nolan."

Nolan blinked.

"Maybe the guys across the street could use some color in their place too." Ashley nodded to herself. "I’ll figure it out."

"Madam, your schedule is already packed," Betty sighed.

Nolan nodded. "Betty’s right. How about we handle the arrangements?"

Ashley blinked and looked between them.

Then Khan stepped forward and slightly raised his hand.

"I’ll help too."

The three of them turned toward him.

"I don’t know much about flower arrangements," Khan admitted, "but I can move the pots around and help speed things up."

Betty and Nolan smiled immediately. Then all three of them looked at Ashley.

If this had happened before, Ashley would’ve felt guilty for giving them extra work simply because she had impulsively bought an entire flower cart.

But these people were her people.

Something like this wasn’t a burden to them.

And right now, they were reminding her of that.

"Thank you." She nodded sincerely. "But before that..."

A mischievous smile appeared on her face. "I want to surprise Lucian."

The corners of their mouths stretched into wide smiles.

With everyone’s help, they decorated the trunk with flowers and balloons.

Half an hour later, Betty, Khan, Nolan, Red, Gin, Vodka, Tank, and the others stood across the road as Lucian arrived.

What were they doing?

Watching Ashley surprise her husband.

The trunk opened.

Flowers filled every inch of it.

"Tada!" Ashley spread her arms dramatically. "Surprise!"