Chapter 201: Chapter 202: The First Flowers
MEI CHEN’S POV - CHINATOWN APARTMENT
Mei was preparing dinner.....stir-fried vegetables and steamed fish, Aria’s favorites.....when the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on her apron and went to answer it, expecting perhaps a neighbor or a delivery for the wrong apartment.
Instead, she found a young man in a uniform holding the most stunning bouquet of flowers she’d ever seen.
White lilies. Dozens of them. Arranged with baby’s breath and elegant greenery in a crystal vase that probably cost more than Mei’s monthly rent.
"Delivery for Mei Chen," the young man said with a professional smile.
"I....there must be some mistake," Mei stammered. "I didn’t order any flowers."
"No mistake, ma’am. Says right here: Mei Chen, this address." He held out a tablet for her to sign. "Someone sent them to you. Lucky lady....these are expensive."
Mei signed with shaking hands, more out of confusion than anything else, and accepted the heavy vase. The flowers were beautiful....absolutely stunning....but something about them made her deeply uneasy.
"Wait," she called as the delivery man started to walk away. "Who sent them? Is there a card?"
"No card, ma’am. Just says ’anonymous sender’ on the order form. Happens sometimes with surprise gifts." He shrugged and headed for the elevator.
Mei closed the door and carried the flowers to her small dining table, her heart pounding inexplicably. Anonymous flowers. Expensive flowers. White lilies.
Her favorite flowers.
How would anyone know that?
She pulled out her phone and called Aria, who answered on the second ring.
"Mama? Is everything okay?"
"I’m fine, baby. I just....did you send me flowers?"
"Flowers?" Aria sounded confused. "No, why would I send you flowers? Is it your birthday?" She laughed. "Wait, no, your birthday isn’t for three months. What’s going on?"
"Someone sent me a bouquet. A very expensive one. White lilies. But there’s no card, and the delivery person said it was from an anonymous sender."
There was a pause. "That’s... odd. Maybe it’s from one of your friends? Or someone at the garment factory?"
"No one at the factory knows where I live. And my friends don’t have money for flowers like these, Aria. These are the kind of flowers rich people send."
Another pause, longer this time. "Maybe it’s Damien? Being thoughtful?"
Mei considered this. Damien had certainly been generous with her....paying for her medical treatments, ensuring she had everything she needed. But sending anonymous flowers to her apartment seemed out of character. If Damien sent flowers, he would want credit for the gesture.
"I don’t think so," Mei said slowly. "This feels... different."
"Different how?"
Mei couldn’t quite articulate it. Just a feeling in her gut, an uneasiness that she couldn’t shake. "I don’t know. Maybe I’m being paranoid. They’re just flowers."
"If you’re worried, you could call building security. See if they have footage of who arranged the delivery."
"You’re right. I’m probably overreacting." Mei forced herself to laugh. "Beautiful flowers arrive at my door, and instead of enjoying them, I’m treating it like a crime. Maybe I’ve been watching too many suspense dramas."
"Mama, if something feels off to you, trust that instinct. You want me to come over? I can leave the hospital...."
"No, no. You’re working. I’m fine, really. Just surprised." Mei looked at the flowers again, trying to shake the feeling of dread they inspired. "I should let you get back to your patients."
"Okay, but call me if anything else weird happens. Promise?"
"I promise, baby. Love you."
"Love you too, Mama."
After ending the call, Mei stood looking at the flowers for a long moment. They were beautiful. Objectively, undeniably beautiful. The kind of flowers she would have loved receiving under any other circumstances.
But something about them felt wrong.
She almost threw them away. Almost took the whole vase and set it in the hallway for someone else to enjoy.
But that felt wasteful. Paranoid. They were just flowers.
So she left them on the table and returned to cooking dinner, trying to ignore the way they seemed to dominate the small apartment with their presence.
******
THREE DAYS LATER
The doorbell rang again at almost the same time.....6:30 PM, just as Mei was starting dinner preparations.
This time, a different delivery person stood there with another bouquet. Red roses this time, equally stunning, equally expensive-looking, arranged in another crystal vase.
"Mei Chen?" the woman asked.
"Yes, but I didn’t...."
"Delivery for you, ma’am. Just need a signature."
Mei signed numbly and accepted the flowers. Again, no card. Again, listed as from an anonymous sender.
This time, she called building security immediately.
"Hello, Ms. Chen," the security guard answered. "How can I help you?"
"I’ve been receiving flower deliveries. Two now. Both anonymous. I was wondering if you had any security footage that might show who’s ordering them?"
"Let me check our records." She heard typing in the background. "The deliveries came from two different florists....Premier Blooms on the first one, and Elegant Arrangements on the second. Both high-end shops. Both were ordered online and paid for with a credit card, but the name on the order is listed as ’Anonymous Gift Service.’"
"So there’s no way to trace who sent them?"
"Not easily. These anonymous gift services are specifically designed to protect the sender’s identity. They act as a middleman between the sender and the florist." The guard paused. "Is this a problem, Ms. Chen? Should we be concerned about your safety?"
Mei hesitated. What could she say? That expensive flowers made her nervous? That she had a bad feeling she couldn’t explain?
"No, I suppose not. Thank you for checking."
After ending the call, Mei stared at the two bouquets now occupying her dining table. White lilies and red roses. Her two favorite flowers.
Someone knew that. Someone knew what flowers she loved and was sending them to her apartment without any explanation.
This time, she called Aria again.
"Mama? What’s wrong?" Aria must have heard something in her voice.
"I got more flowers. Red roses this time. Also anonymous."
"What? Mama, that’s not normal. Someone doesn’t send two expensive bouquets anonymously without a reason." Aria’s voice was tight with concern. "I’m coming over. I’ll leave now...."
"Aria, you’re at work....."
"I don’t care. This is creeping me out, and I know it’s creeping you out too. I’ll be there in thirty minutes."
True to her word, Aria arrived twenty-eight minutes later, letting herself in with her key. Damien was with her....he must have insisted on coming once he heard what was happening.
Both of them stared at the two bouquets dominating Mei’s small dining table.
"These are..." Aria moved closer, examining the flowers. "These are really expensive, Mama. This isn’t someone just being nice. This is someone making a statement."
"What kind of statement?" Mei asked, though part of her was afraid she already knew the answer.
Damien was examining the vases with a critical eye. "These are Baccarat crystal. About eight hundred dollars each. The flower arrangements themselves are probably another three to four hundred. Someone spent over two thousand dollars to send you these flowers."
"But who?" Aria demanded. "Who would do this?"
