Chapter 1

THE BEGINNING 

Fiona watched as the sunrise tainted the glass windows of her floral shop making them look like they were made from different shades of bright colours. Each reflection that caught her attention further deepened her thoughts and made her wonder when it was all going to end. When was she going to be finally free from her pain and struggles? When would she wake up and not have to worry about food or keeping her family's legacy running? It wasn't just about the beauty of the sun rays on her window pane, it was its warmth. There was something about the sun that made her feel like she wasn't alone, like she had company, like she had someone listening to her deep thoughts without having to say them out loud. She had been by herself for a long time and desperately needed someone who could hear the deepest thoughts of her heart and know what she needed just by hearing her heartbeat. She had been alone for the past ten years after she lost her parents to a car accident. Her only brother Fabian, left the family two years before her parents died to get a better life and she hadn't heard from him since then. He wasn't even around for their funeral and he had never called home since he left. Her parents never gave up hope on trying to find him before they died, but it seemed as if Fabian didn't want to be found.

Fiona never blamed him for leaving because she could understand his needs as a man and his desire to make something out of his life. Her parents tried all they could and did their best to make ends meet while they were both alive but it didn't seem like much. They could never afford what they wanted and they lived in an old house which Fiona inherited up until their death. The only thing she so much admired from her parents was their love for each other. Even though it was hard, they both found ways to keep their home happy by making the most of the little they had. They were brave and faced everything life threw at them with so much courage until the very end. Their love and determination made Fiona decide to keep the floral shop open for as long as she could. The shop was the only connection she had to her family and she had intentions on honouring her parents legacy. Her parents started the floral shop because of her mother's love for flowers. She had studied botany at the University of Alabama and had always wanted to make a difference with her passion. Fiona loved flowers too but she always wanted to pursue a different passion which was acting. Her family's mountain of problems and the need to make ends meet killed her dreams and she had to settle for running the floral shop.

She was doing a good job of keeping her family's name and business until a new floral shop, Daisy's delight opened up just opposite her stall. She knew at that point that she had even bigger problems than putting food on her table. The shop was owned by Media mogul and billionaire's son, Damien Cook. The Cook family were known for their extravagant lifestyle and excessive spending. They were always in the news for one reason or the other. If Anabella Cook, Damien's sister wasn't causing some havoc in the fashion industry, her father was busy acquiring more properties or worse lavishing his money on his numerous mistresses. The main highlight of the news however was usually on Damien Cook. He was tall with broad shoulders, a beard and most importantly he always wore a mean smile and gave off a very proud look. He was handsome no doubt and would be every woman's dream but Fiona never liked him because he didn't seem to her like a man who had a heart and who was kind. She always told herself that she would marry a man that was kind like her father and had a heart full of warmth and love. Damien Cook was the very opposite of these qualities. She was more disturbed when she learnt that he was the owner of the business that had opened up just opposite hers. Damien Cook wasn't just a callous romantic, he was also ruthless in his business dealings. 

At first, she thought that her customers would be loyal to her since they had known her parents for a long time but she was wrong. Within three months of their opening, sales at her shop had reduced drastically and she found herself struggling to keep the place open. She was defaulting on her taxes and couldn't even get the money she needed to keep restocking the shop with fresh flowers. To make things worse, Daisy's delight had introduced exotic breeds of flowers that weren't available locally and the residents were intrigued by these new breeds. Everyone wanted to get their flowers at Daisy's delight and she found herself struggling to stay afloat. Mr Keel, her father's long time friend, seemed to be the only one that came often to get flowers for his sick wife. She had been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Mrs Keel was as passionate about flowers as her mother was and they both graduated from the same college but different majors. In fact she always joked about becoming a florist in her next life. The Keel family and hers were very close. She always thought of Mr Keel as someone she could run to for help whenever she needed it. He was like a father to her. His laughter and constant encouragement made the loss of her parents bearable.Despite having a sick wife and his own children to tend to, Mr Keel made it a point of duty to check in on her and sometimes even buy her food for the day. It was on one of his visits to the shop that he noticed her fumbling over the cash register. He was always one to know when others desperately needed help and he wasn't going to leave without offering her solace. " Child, what is the problem?"He asked her, obviously wondering why she was so distraught. Fiona dropped to the chair behind the counter, burying her face into her hands." I may have to close the shop soon, I am not making enough sales to keep this place open". She was almost moved to tears at this point. Her teary eyes made Mr Keel drop his bouquet of flowers on the counter and take his hands in hers. His hands were a bit coarse to touch due to the wrinkles on his skin from old age but its texture didn't elude his hands of warmth and love.

"I understand what keeping this place open means to you. I mean you practically grew up seeing your parents struggle to keep this place open but honey there must be something we can do". Mr Keel's eyes were fixated on her at this point. Fiona let go of his hands and began to pace behind the counter. "I've done all I can. The banks won't even give me a loan based on my financial history. I don't want to lose this place" Fiona was already sobbing at this point. " Don't give up yet, something might just come up. I'll ask around and see what we can do. I would have loved to help but my wife's medical bills are draining our resources right now. I'm sorry child. I know how much this means to you" Mr Keel's expression showed that he really cared about what she was going through but there was nothing that he could do. " Thank you so much, Edgard. It means a lot to me" Fiona only called Mr Keel by his first name when she needed a friend and was desperately in need of encouragement.

He simply acknowledged her appreciation with a smile and a nod, then he squeezed her hands to reassure her of his support. She smiled back at him in response, wiping away the trickles of tears that had found their way to her cheeks and upper lip. Mr Keel picked up his bouquet of flowers and turned to leave, opening the door a little too hard that the bells rang much louder than they usually did when one opened them. Fiona chuckled at his gesture and turned to arrange the flowers that were scattered on the display glass behind her. She was lost in her chore when the sound of the door bell echoed in her ears. It was really loud because the person had pushed the door so hard that it sounded like the door would come off its hinges. She dropped the flowers and turned to give the customer a piece of her mind but she froze in her tracks at the figure that stood before her. If the image before her was a dream maybe she needed to wake up. It was too real however to call it a dream, his presence stole the atmosphere in the room and she knew that it wasn't in her head, he was right there standing before her.