Flora looked at the paper kept on the table and tried to progress what was actually happening.

"Boss asked you to sign this paper Madam."

Flora lifted her eyes from those papers to the man in black. He spoke like they were talking about a deal and nothing serious was happening.

"If you sign this paper, 50 million USD will be transferred into this bank account." The man in black handed her the passbook and credit card of that particular bank account.

Flora raised her brows in shock and looked at the things handed to her. Her doe-like eyes were large with amusement and a smile broke from her full lips.

"Are you sure Gun?"

She took those things from his hand and questioned him.

"I started the very way Boss asked me to, Madam."

Giving a pleasant innocent smile she sat on the couch and looked through the first page. It was the divorce paper. Without biting a bait Flamia signed that paper and flipped to next.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS, she read.

Summarising the terms and conditions she got to know that she needed to be hidden from both of their family and make it look like she ran away because she fell in love and blah blah...

Her living expenses will depend on the money given to her. All the blame for the divorce will be on her and if she gets caught, the consequences will be her responsible to handle.

HOLY HELL! She cursed internally.

GREAT PLAN TO SCREW ME.

"If I need to do this then I will be needing more 20 million! All total I will be needing 70 million USD.

"Sorry Madam, but the amount can't be changed without Boss's permission.", Gun stated apologetically.

"This is a two-party contract and I think I will be taking all of the risks. 70 million is less I can even ask for, I will be living without any contact with my family." Don't you think your Boss is a little weak in the field of making a two-party contract? Flora stated the latter part in her mind to not sound offended.

"I think I will need to hide for more than 5 years for society to forget about me. I may sound pathetic but I am used to luxury life and now I can't abandon my habit in a year or two."

Gun can't leave her request disgruntled. Her stating that 70 million was the bare minimum didn't flatter him. She was the granddaughter of a billionaire. His boss was 'just' the general manager of his own grandfather's company, although he was the grandson of a chairman, but there was also a contradiction, Flora's bank account had been seized by her family and therefore she got no other choice but to depend on his boss.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will report this error to the boss. Please excuse me."

Flora nodded her head in affirmation allowing Gun to leave.

After a while Gun returned and stated," Boss will be arriving soon. You are asked to wait in the library."

"Thank you.", giving her signature smile Flora headed upstairs. She softly touched the barrister of stairs while heading to the library room. She didn't know why but there was a little part of her that was a little sad to leave this house.

But the other part of her was more than happy. Finally, she will take a breath of freedom. She will no longer have to act elegant to fit in society. She no longer needed to consider her unsuccessful arranged marriage and act as a perfect wife. No longer need to follow the norms of being just a housewife and a mother.

She will be free and its taste hit lusciously in her gustatory buds.

With these thoughts, she reached the library and waited for him.

After waiting for half an hour she heard a click in the library door before a man appeared.

"Flora.", the deep manly voice filled the library room.

Flora lifted her head and looked at the man standing before her. His hair was in a messy state probably due to running his fingers through hair. He was a handsome man but after living with him for almost 3 years he became an eyesore in front of her eyes. Handsomeness can bring only attraction and that attraction never lasts forever.

He came and sat on the chair beside the table, while she sat on the twin bed.

She placed the file on the table and looked at him, for him to start the conversation.

Fortunately, he did," As for your request, I am sorry. At this moment I can't grant you more than 20 million USD. I still have expenses for myself and please learn to be grateful for what you have."

"Okay,", Flora typically answered. Short and clear. She was not the type of person to drag a conversation

and without any argument, she proceeded to leave the library.

If that's what you wanted to say, why the hell made me wait for half an hour?

With intrusive thoughts, she went to her room and started packing her stuff.

The chapter of this loveless marriage finally came to an end. After suffering three years of mental torment, God finally decided to open an eye to her suffering and she was grateful for that.

Meanwhile, in the library, Zems was in deep thought as he sat in the chair. This divorce will not only harm her but also him. He didn't know what consequences he face if the news got spread in the Miller family.

But being thrown away in the dirt was better than being tied, at least it was less suffocating. He was finally free from the suffocating bond of this loveless marriage.

His slumber thoughts were interrupted when the door knocked. "Young Master, the dinner is ready. Should I bring it up to you?"

"No, I will head downstairs. Thank you."

He didn't know how the time passed from evening to night. It was at that moment he realised that it was nine past thirty.

Heading downstairs he found Flamia already having her dinner.

He sat opposite the chair of hers and both didn't utter a single sound.

The silence enveloped the dining room and the only sound making the room look lively was the sound of the cutlery against the plate.

But eventually, the silence broke as Flamia spoke, "I will leave tonight."

Zems, who was slicing the meat stopped and looked at her. "Where did you plan to go?"

"It's a secret place and I don't wanna disclose it."

"You believe no one will find you in your secret place?"

"For a matter of fact, therefore it is called a secret place."

"I never thought you would eventually find a place to hide that too today itself."

"Mm."

Without biting the bait Flora headed upstairs and brought her luggage down.

"No one knows about our agreement except Gun. So keep this information confidential.", Zems spoke as he leaned against the barrister, and looked up at her. The yellow cast a lazy hue on his face. The blue lining below his eyes resulting from exhaustion looked neutral in the dim yellow light.

"I understand. But I will need someone to drop me."

"Where?"

"Tri-side road."

Zems looked at the clock and saw only three min left before the minute hand touched the '12' figure. It was late but too late and X City was anyways considered to be safe for girls.

"Let's go."

Flora glanced at him before landing her feet on the 1st floor. She walked towards the garage and had Zems following behind her.

*****

"Are you sure you will be safe accounting to the place you're leaving for?" Zems looked at her through the rear mirror as she sat at the back.

"I don't know.

"But I guess I will be safe."

"Guessing isn't equivalent to confirmation."

"We are divorced. Right?

She indirectly meant, I am no longer your wife, therefore you don't have any means to ask me about my well-being!

Zems eventually understood her behind-the-scenes words and spoke, "I haven't signed the divorce paper yet. I still need to put the act of not knowing about your runaway venture."

"Oh! I see.

"Good luck for tomorrow.", she was looking at the street light outside the window as she spoke.

"Thanks, will need to handle a lot of mess tomorrow."

She gave him a reassuring smile before the car came to a halt.

Outside, the sound of the cars rushing could be heard whereas inside it was quite peaceful. It was the moment when both of them just wanted to enjoy themselves.

But their enjoyment came to an end after no more cars were passing from the road.

Flora came out of the car and walked towards the driver's seat.

" Thanks for the ride, Mr. Miller." She acknowledged him and without waiting for his reply went to her 'secret' place direction.

******

Flora stood before the apartment door before knocking on it

'knock'

'knock'

'knock'

"Coming" a husky feminine voice came from inside.

The footsteps were audible from inside out and the sound came to a halt before the door opened.

The lady inside looked at Flora as if she resembled of alien.

"Hi", Flora greeted.

"What the hell are you doing here!?", without much greetings the lady inside directly jumped into the main topic.

"Well........"

Three years ago...

It was a beautiful spring day. The luxurious room was filled with the fragrance of Lavender. The room was as same color as lavender and lavender lights were hung from the top of the ceiling giving the room a genZ vibe.

Point to be noted that the girl owing the room was a lavender lover. The girl sat on the bed and worked on her iPad with her new project on Procreate.

She was designing a dress requested by her client.

Although it was almost unknown to people that the LAVENDER brand existed, Pinterest helped her brand get some recognition. Her family didn't know about her secret work, if they knew, she could guarantee that they would demotivate her to the extent that her passion would be crumpled. Therefore starting from zero was better than starting with cunning mosquitoes ready to suck blood at any moment.

She was pursuing her study in law which was considered the best job for her by her so-called family members, or precisely the best job to show off to the competitor of the business world.

The Adam family head was the grandfather of Flora, Sebastian Adam. More than family, he was the dictator of all. People feared him more than they loved him or respected him. Flora was no less.

She feared him the most and therefore was the least favorite grandchild. And to earn his favor she was raised to be perfect in every field by her family.

She eventually did everything but gained nothing in return. Neither his time nor his love.

Now, she hated him more than she feared him.

He finds fault in everything she does. Sometimes she feels like her birth to this family was a curse rather than a blessing.

Once a few years back, he lashed out his anger at her as breaking his least vase and mocked her for being the only murderer of the family.

'Least favourite', yeah!

A murderer because her mother took her last breath as she lost her life while giving birth to Flora. Instead of having sympathy for the girl who grew up without a mother, they picked on her and bullied her so much that she didn't feel like a need of this family.

She withered like a flower and hid behind the soil after decomposition. And she realized existence was the only reason for her to be alive.

She was never alive. She just existed.

But since she started her new business, she grew a little confident when people praised her products. A little praise is all that a person needs to gain confidence.

Back to the current state, a piece of light music was played in the background while Flora sat on the chair doing her work.

She stared at the croquis she had just drawn and looked satisfied.

Now that things left were the materials.

She was just lucky that no one was interested in checking other people's parcels. That was one of the rare pieces of privacy everyone got.

Clicked and done!!

Flora took a deep breath and stressed her hands to relieve some pressure from her body.

"Flora!", while stressing she heard her father's voice yelling from outside her door.

She quickly jumped out of the chair and rearranged the equipment and her law book to create a perfect display, of her studying rather than doing some other work.

She jumped towards the door before another knock could have been made.

"Yes Father, May I help you with something?"

Flora knew that her father never cared, (although she knew he cared.) about her even if a bulger enters her room and shoots her. He would care about his safety and will remain in his room until the drama is over. An eventual scared-cat!

"Your grandfather is holding a family gathering with the Miller family and you are cordially invited."

"Me?"

Her father took a breath before answering in a whisper, "Yes."

Both the father-daughter pair knew that Sebastian was so cruel that he would never invite Flora. The reason behind, he didn't want her to embarrass him.

'All I needed is your presence for my status, built with blood and sweat to drown in the ocean of shame. Today is the last event you will ever attend. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND.?'

These were the exact words Sebastian Adam, AKA the head of the family, spoke to her nine years ago. And this cruel statement was carved into her body with an iron carver. And the scars furnished by them were still fresh.

"Why would he?"

"Do you think your grandfather care to explain anything to us?", he questioned her, which answer was obvious, NO.

"Get ready, or else you know the consequences both of us will need to face."

 "Time?"

"Before 2 pm."

"Okay."

Flora closed the door behind and looked at the clock. It was twelve past thirty minutes.

'It's going to be a tough day', Flora let out a sigh as she thought about what her grandfather was up to.

She already took a bath in the morning but still took a short shower. Showering is the time when you get intrusive thoughts.

'What if that old monster is calling me to cut off ties between me and the Adams family?'

'What if he is hiring a hitman to kill in his house?'

'What if I again mess up in his Villa?'

There were many 'what ifs' she thought but none of them made sense.

Later when she was applying moisturizer another question popped up.

'Why is the Miller family invited?'

Flamia and her father reached the Cloud Villa sharply at 1:30 p.m.

After parking the car in the garage they both walked on the stoned paved road towards the Villa. Flora gazed at the different colours of tulips grown sideways to the road. The smell was exotic, which she can't describe.

She wore a pink top with puff shoulders having petal designs on them and a sky-blue skirt resting just below her knees. The dress illuminated her carefree personality. And her brunette hair was tied in a messy bun with a white bow on top.

Grazing at the flowers, she also saw some additional cars moving toward the parking lot. The question she wanted to ask earlier suddenly popped into her: "Why is the Miller family invited?"

"Your grandfather might have lost in gambling, or might be a friend meet, I don't know anything more than that." Her father tossed the answer into every possible event.

"But that doesn't explain why he invited me!"

"Might have grown some soft spots for you.", her father chuckled at his statement because there was no way it could be true.

Flora rubbed her hand in the anxiety about what that old man was up to," It was better when I was ignored by him. At least, it is better to be at home rather than challenging a monster."

"Flora.", her father stopped his steps, while he called her in a fatherly tone which he rarely used. Flora too stopped and turned to look at him.

"It's not like he will kill you or torture you till death. And if you go with that white ashen face of yours then surely he will bully you.", her father tried to calm her, knowing it to be an impossible task.

"You know what Dad, it's better to be buried 6 feet inside the ground than face this 6 feet old minacious monster."

Her father again chuckled.

They again started their pace and soon reached the front door. Two tall bodyguards with finely toned muscles were guarding the entrance and the butler was waiting at the front door to greet everyone.

"Second Master Adam and Ms. Adam, good afternoon.", the butler gave them a polite smile and gestured them inside.

Even with his professional skill he couldn't hide his suspicious gaze over Flora. The time when Sebastian insulted her, every maid and servant and the butler was ordered to never let her step foot in his Villa. He thought she would beg for his forgiveness but to his dismay, she was rather to be how the event turned on.

And for some unknown reason, he invited her to his Villa with his regard. And it seemed like everyone was informed that the least favourite or unfavoured grandchild of Sebastian was called upon to his Villa by the devil himself.

And everyone was more horrified than shocked. It did not need to be said as their expression spoke everything. Clean and clear.

When Flora took her first step inside the Villa, she became the spotlight. Not for a good reason but not bad either. The people inside were her uncles and cousins but they all acted like Flora was a foreign creature between them.

They were looking at her, as if errands of bad rumours were firing around the business circle related to her. But fortunately, that never happened in her life, as she was almost unknown to the business world. Being the least favorite grandchild, and being in a fight with her grandfather at the age of eleven, she was never invited to any of the events and was never recognized to be eligible for one.

Ignoring them all she walked further being greeted by the 'most' favourite grandchild of Sebastian, Dominic Adam.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Ian.", he greeted her father before turning to her," Hi, Flora"

"Hello, Dominic.", she greeted him while bowing her head.

"It's been a long time since I saw you.", Dominic raised both of his arms to hug her.

"Yeah, it seems so.", Flora withdrew from the hug and replied.

He was the only cousin who dared to call on his birthday every year. But that doesn't mean Flora attended all of them. It was only two years before when Sebastian went out for an important business, she attended his party.

"When are you getting married?", her father interrupted the brother-sister moment.

"You know, your grandfather will be over the moon when he will get the news of you liking someone."

"I am not quite ready yet.", Dominic replied with a firm tone as if he was out of his brotherly character.

"You know, I heard some rumours related from here and there."

Flora was astonished at her father's statement. Who hell dared to spread rumours about Sebastian's favourite grandchild?

"Yes? About what?"

"I heard from someone that you are...", her father dragged the last part.

"I am?"

"That you are GAY!!!!", her father intentionally raised his voice on the last part. Flora glared at him with her pensive emerald eyes.

She saw the way Dominic's jaw tightened before he replied, "Is it bad to become one?"

"No, it's not but knowing your grandfather, if you do that, you will surely find yourself in the same position as Flora."

'Dad's joke', both of them thought at the same time.

"Well, that was not funny.", Flora stated.

"Well, that was.", Dominic gave Flora a boring eye expression before bidding them goodbye to greet the other guest.

"What if he takes revenge?", Flora enquired.

"I insulted you, not him.", her father replied.

"What if he complains to the devil about your made-up rumour?"

"What to expect, we are screwed for sure, and speaking of the devil. Here comes your 6-foot-tall nightmare, AKA the devil."