Chapter 17: Let's Plant Flowers

 

Back at the mansion, Harper retrieved the phones from the driver (who had been frantically calling them for an hour).

She handed Sebastian his phone, then sat down on the sofa. Suddenly, she grabbed his wheelchair and pulled it toward her. Whoosh. Sebastian gripped the armrests, nearly flying out of his seat.

"Boss," Harper said seriously, already reaching down to remove his battery. "Why do you want to go to that engagement party? It's obviously a trap. A 'Hongmen Banquet'!"

Sebastian watched her deftly remove the battery and place his legs on her lap for a massage. He sighed. At least she was consistent.

"I know it's a trap," Sebastian said calmly. "Everyone is watching me. They want to know if the 'Cripple King' can stand again."

"So..." Harper massaged his calf. "You're going there to act weak? To throw a smoke bomb?"

Sebastian looked at her with appreciation. "Exactly. If they think I'm broken forever, they will relax. And when they relax, they make mistakes."

"Smart," Harper nodded. "As expected of my boss."

"You're smart too," Sebastian asked suddenly. "Why are you a caretaker? With your degree, you could be a project manager."

Harper shrugged. "I applied for the Planning Department at Sterling Corp. But HR said I wasn't qualified and transferred me to the domestic staff pool. Then Liam picked me."

Sebastian frowned. HR transferred a university graduate to be a maid? That wasn't normal procedure. Someone in HR was either incompetent or malicious. He made a mental note to investigate this later.

"But I like this job better," Harper grinned, oblivious to his dark thoughts. "Good pay, free food, and a handsome boss to look at. Win-win!"

Sebastian’s frown relaxed. "As long as you're happy."

---

[Project: Garden Revival]

After two days of chaotic outings (theme parks and dine-and-dashes), they decided to stay home.

Harper, however, couldn't sit still. She went to the flower market early in the morning and came back with a truckload of plants.

She had noticed a fenced-off area in the garden that was completely barren. Just dirt and weeds. It looked sad. Like the rest of the house before she arrived.

"Boss! Can I plant stuff here?" "Sure."

So, Project Garden Revival began.

The sun was bright. Harper wore a straw hat, denim overalls, and bright yellow gloves. She looked like a professional farmer... if farmers were tiny and cute.

She dug holes, humming a tune. Sebastian sat under a large umbrella nearby, sipping flower tea and reading documents. But his eyes kept drifting to the girl playing in the dirt.

"Water break!" Harper marched over, wiping sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

Sebastian wordlessly handed her a glass of cold tea. Then, he took out his handkerchief and gently dabbed a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

Harper froze. She looked at him. His expression was focused, gentle. "You have dirt on your face," he said softly.

"Oh. Thanks," Harper blushed, quickly drinking the tea to hide her face.

"So," Harper pointed at the dirt patch. "I'm planting jasmine and roses. Jasmine smells good, and roses are pretty. Later, we can put a bigger table there. You can work outside, and when your eyes are tired, you look at the flowers."

"And over there," she pointed to a corner. "We can put a BBQ grill!"

"And maybe a pond for koi fish in the future!"

She rambled on about her vision. A dead patch of land was becoming a paradise in her words.

Sebastian listened, a small smile playing on his lips. "It sounds wonderful."

"Right?" Harper’s eyes sparkled. "Don't you think a garden like that will make you happy?"

Sebastian looked at her dimples. "Yes. It already does."

Harper beamed. "Okay! Back to work! I need to bury these roses before they get thirsty!"

She jumped back into the flowerbed.

Sebastian watched her for a while. Then, he signaled a bodyguard to bring the hose. He rolled his wheelchair over.

"Boss?" Harper looked up from a hole.

"I'm helping," Sebastian said, holding the hose nozzle. "Tell me when."

"Okay! I'll pack the soil, you spray!"

Harper patted the last rose bush into place. She jumped over the small fence. "Ready! Fire!"

Sebastian turned the nozzle. Water sprayed out in a fine mist, glistening in the sunlight like diamonds. It fell over the green leaves and the dark earth.

"Wow!" Harper shouted. "Look! A rainbow!"

Through the mist, a small, perfect rainbow appeared, arching over the new garden.

"Don't move!" Harper scrambled for her camera.

Click!

The photo developed slowly. It showed Sebastian in his white shirt, holding the hose, surrounded by the mist and the rainbow. He wasn't looking at the camera; he was looking at the flowers with a soft, peaceful expression. The red brick of the villa was behind him, warm and inviting.

"It's beautiful," Harper showed him the photo. "This is my best work yet. No lines, no police, just flowers."

Sebastian looked at the photo. "Every time has been good," he said quietly. "But yes, this is nice."

Harper grinned. She ran around snapping more photos. Click. Click. Click.

Sebastian watched her. His sterile, white, empty life was being filled. With noise. With flowers. With color. And with her.

Later that evening, when he went to the kitchen, he saw the refrigerator door. It was no longer just stainless steel. It was covered in photos. Him on the horse. Him in the mist. The two of them making funny faces (Harper had forced him).

It looked like a home. And for the first time, he didn't feel the urge to tear them down.