Chapter 1: A Deal With Thorns
The bell above the shop door jingled, breaking the peaceful silence of the small flower shop. Lunara barely looked up from the tulip arrangement she was working on. Customers weren't exactly frequent these days, and she wasn't expecting anyone special too.
"Welcome," she called out absently, trimming a stubborn stem.
The sound of heavy footsteps and the distinct click of polished shoes caught her attention. She glanced up, and her eyes landed on a man who seemed completely out of place in her humble shop.
He wore a sharp, tailored suit that probably cost more than she made in a year, and his slicked-back hair framed a face that screamed power. Behind him stood another man in a plain blazer, holding a tablet and folders, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
The suited man surveyed the shop with an air of mild disdain before his sharp gaze settled on Lunara. His lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"You must be Lilith Hayes'... child," the man said, his tone laced with something she couldn't quite place.
Lunara frowned, stepping around the counter. "And who are you?"
The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head, studying her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. Then, after a few moments, he scoffed in amusement, "I was thinking of proposing a deal... but I didn't expect her kid to be a boy."
Lunara froze, her eyes narrowing. She instinctively glanced down at herself, baggy jeans, a loose sweatshirt, short-cropped hair that barely reached her ears. Sure, she looked a bit rough around the edges, but a boy?