Chapter 249: Your mom’s garden
Anna and I spent the rest of the morning working on the proposal, listing the advantages a partnership could bring and identifying companies that might be suitable candidates.
When it was time for the meeting with the rest of the team, we gathered our documents and headed to the conference room.
By the time we arrived, everyone was already seated.
"Good afternoon, everyone," I greeted as I took my place at the front of the room.
"Good afternoon, Director Alicia," they replied in unison.
"As you all know, we’ve been discussing the possibility of pursuing partnerships to support the growth of our new clothing brand."
Several people nodded.
"And now, with the difficulties our farmers are facing, we have an even stronger reason to consider outside cooperation."
"Does that mean it’s already been approved?" someone asked.
I shook my head.
"Not yet. The shareholders will review the proposal during next week’s meeting. Our job is to make sure we present something worth considering."
"What’s the next step?" another team member asked.
Anna opened a file in front of her.
"We need to identify potential partners and determine how such a partnership can benefit Whitmore Industries without compromising our independence."
The discussion continued for hours as everyone reviewed possible companies, market opportunities, and examples of successful partnerships in similar industries.
By the time the meeting ended, I was utterly exhausted.
Aunt Veronica, Anna, and I returned to the mansion together that evening.
The moment I stepped inside, I dropped onto the couch and let out a long groan.
Anna did exactly the same.
Aunt Veronica looked at us and laughed.
"The two of you are really something else."
She shook her head and started toward the stairs.
"Aunt, this is exhausting, you know," Anna complained dramatically.
Aunt Veronica only laughed harder before disappearing upstairs.
A moment later, Anna sat up.
"Wait."
She looked around.
"Why aren’t Aimy and Mum here?"
Only then did I notice how quiet the mansion was.
Usually, when we returned home, we’d find Aimy running around somewhere while Aunt Margaret supervised the staff in the kitchen.
Today, neither of them was inside.
I turned to one of the maids.
"Where are Aunt Margaret and Aimy?"
"They’re in the garden, ma’am."
I nodded immediately.
Of course.
How could I forget how much Aimy loved the garden?
I stood and headed toward the backyard.
The garden was bathed in the warm glow of the evening sun. Colorful flowers lined the stone paths, and the air carried a light floral scent mixed with the fresh breeze from the sea. It was one of the most peaceful corners of the mansion.
The sight that greeted me made me smile.
Aunt Margaret and Aimy were walking among the flower beds, carefully picking lilies together.
As if sensing my presence, Aimy suddenly turned around.
The moment she spotted me, her entire face lit up.
"Mummy!"
She immediately ran toward me.
I bent down and scooped her into my arms.
"I’m back, baby."
Aimy proudly held up a flower.
"Grandma Margaret said I can pick flowers."
"Really?" I asked, glancing at the lily in her hand.
"And what do you have there?"
Aimy’s eyes sparkled.
"Grandma Margaret said it’s a lily."
The way she pronounced it in her little toddler voice made me laugh.
"Alicia, you’re back early today," Aunt Margaret said as she approached us with a smile.
"Yes, Aunt. We finished work earlier than expected."
"That’s good."
She studied my face.
"You look tired."
I laughed softly.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Very."
She nodded.
"Leave Aimy with us and go freshen up. You can join us afterward."
"Alright. Thank you, Aunt."
I looked down at Aimy.
"Can you pick some more flowers for me while I get changed?"
She nodded eagerly.
"I can do that!"
I kissed her forehead before setting her back on the ground.
Then I returned to the mansion.
Anna was no longer in the living room, so I assumed she had gone upstairs to freshen up as well.
After a quick shower, I changed into a comfortable T-shirt and sweatpants before heading back outside.
When I returned to the garden, Anna had already joined them.
The two women were sitting beneath the small wooden shade, enjoying tea while Aimy sat nearby, carefully arranging flowers into a messy little bouquet that only she seemed to understand.
The sight alone was enough to wash away some of the exhaustion from the day.
I walked toward them and Aunt Margaret noticed me first.
"Alicia, come here."
She motioned toward the chair beside her. Anna was already seated on her other side.
I walked over and sat down.
Aunt Margaret immediately leaned forward and poured me a cup of tea.
"Here. Have some refreshing tea."
I accepted it and took a sip.
The warmth spread through my body almost instantly.
"Thank you," I murmured.
My gaze drifted toward Aimy.
She was completely focused on the little bouquet in her hands, carefully arranging the flowers as if she were working on something extremely important.
Her tiny brows were furrowed in concentration.
I couldn’t help smiling.
She looked peaceful.
Completely free of worries.
And it wasn’t just her.
Over the past two years, I had gradually gotten used to this simple life.
A life surrounded by people who loved us and valued us.
Two years ago, if someone had told me I would someday be sitting in a peaceful garden with my family, watching my daughter play among flowers, I would have laughed.
Back then, I couldn’t even imagine a future.
I remembered Grandma holding my hand in the emergency room and apologizing for not telling me sooner about my mother’s relatives.
At the time, I had been too overwhelmed to think clearly.
I didn’t know what to expect.
I didn’t know if they would accept me.
I didn’t even know if I would find them.
Two years ago, I had almost lost interest in life.
I wasn’t even sure my baby would survive.
Yet somehow, here we were.
Safe.
Happy.
Together.
Even so, beneath all the peace and calmness, a small fear still remained.
A fear that one day the life I left behind would find us and destroy whatever we had built.
A bitter smile touched my lips.
He could only find us if he looked, right?
Maybe leaving had been the best thing for him too.
Maybe by now he had moved on.
Maybe he had finally let go of the guilt, responsibility, or whatever it was he once mistook for love.
"Your mother loved flowers too."
Aunt Margaret’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned slightly.
She was looking at Aimy as well.
She must have noticed me staring.
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
Then she added something that completely caught me off guard.
"Especially lilies."
I blinked.
No one had ever mentioned that before during the two years I had spent here.
"Really?"
The word came out almost as a whisper.
Aunt Margaret nodded.
"Your uncle and I have been together since high school."
A nostalgic smile appeared on her face.
"That’s how I became friends with both your mother and Aunt Veronica."
She looked around the garden.
"We used to spend our weekends here tending to your mother’s little garden."
Her gaze grew distant.
"We enjoyed it so much that even after she got married and left Rosewood Town, we couldn’t stop taking care of it."
A soft laugh escaped her.
Then her smile became gentler.
"Before she left, she made me promise that I would look after them."
Her eyes drifted toward the lilies swaying softly in the evening breeze.
"And I’ve been keeping that promise ever since."
