Page 1 of Flowers Near Me

CHAPTER ONE

THE SHADOW OF DEMETER

PERSEPHONE

T onight, Persephone would close the deal of her career. Better yet, she’d do it before Hades could get his slimy hands on it. The contract just needed one more signature, and then all of Olympus would know she was more than her mom’s shadow.

The clack of Persephone’s heels echoed in the glass atrium of Demeter’s Bounty HQ, keeping in time with her racing heart.

“Good night, Ms. Ioulo!” a spry intern called from the front desk, balancing a laptop in one arm and a compostable coffee cup in the other.

“Enjoy your weekend. Don’t stay too late.” Persephone gave a quick nod and smile.

The intern beamed, her eyes wide as she waved.

Pulling her phone from her skirt pocket, Persephone opened the reports her assistant had forwarded minutes before. With her eyes glued to her phone, she used her shoulder to push the main revolving door open and took a deep breath of the evening’s humid air.

Grocery delivery sales outperformed competitors AGAIN, read the email. Her heart soared and a smile bloomed on her face. She stowed her phone into her bag and nearly collided with a man carrying two overflowing cloth grocery bags bearing the wheat emblem of her mom’s company.

She quickly sidestepped to avoid knocking over his things and muttered a brief apology, but didn’t miss the way the man’s face lit in recognition. He replied, “Oh, it’s my fault entirely, Ms. Ioulo. Sorry about that.”

Persephone continued down the city sidewalk, weaving through a sea of fellow mortals. It would’ve been nice if she could magically teleport to her meeting like her mother, Demeter. Blessed with only fledgling magic, Persephone had to arrive on foot.

One shrill ring sounded from her vegan leather bag—a daughter of Demeter could never own animal skin—and she answered without missing a step.

“Hi, Mom. I’ve got five minutes.”

“Sephy, I tried to catch you before you left the office. Where are you?”

Persephone’s chest tightened, but she straightened her spine. “I’m headed to a dinner meeting.”

“With?” her mom prompted with a tinge of interest in her melodic inflection.

It’d been a challenge to keep the app acquisition a secret from Demeter, but she wasn’t about to slip up now. “It’s a surprise. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Although Persephone had negotiated deals for Demeter’s Bounty before, this was the first one she’d worked alone and without her mom’s knowledge. Market research, risk analyses, and even fighting off interested investors—she’d handled it all and was closing in on the final step of acquiring a flower marketplace app named Flowers Near Me.

“Fine,” her mom said, but the flat reply belied Demeter’s annoyance. “Did you read this quarter’s report?”

A smile burst onto Persephone’s face as she stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. “I did.”

“Another record quarter. All thanks to the grocery deliveries.” The sound of a cork popping echoed through the receiver.

Persephone pictured her mom standing in the office—her silk ensemble free of wrinkles—with a champagne flute in one hand and phone in the other. Her mom’s golden, waist-length hair would be twisted into an effortless bun by this time of the day, framing her symmetrical face. Delicate strands accentuating verdant green eyes. It was a cruel act of the Fates to give Persephone the dimmed versions of her mom’s best features.

“The grocery delivery app is really paying off then?” Persephone joined the crowd crossing the street.

“Better than expected. This is huge.” Pride coated her mom’s words.

It was huge.

Hades may have owned the largest online marketplace—Underworld Unlimited—but now only Demeter’s Bounty grocery chain grew, sold, and delivered food. A necessity even for the gods, her mom would say.

Persephone enjoyed helping her mom build the Demeter’s Bounty empire, but she was eager to make moves of her own. The secret app acquisition she was moments away from making gave her a real chance to earn the respect of the gods and goddesses of Olympus.

Soon she’d become president of Demeter’s Bounty. Her mom would always be CEO, but overseeing daily business decisions under Demeter was Persephone’s ultimate goal. After that, she could pursue a partner and start a family.

Persephone’s grin grew larger until her mom continued. “Don’t let this win cloud your judgment. We can’t let our guard down even when things are going well.”

Gritting her teeth, Persephone kept her tone cool. “I know.”

Her mom made a low, disapproving hum over the line. “Hades’ team would’ve shared the same results with him by now and you know how vindictive he can be. Remember when he patented those product scanners before our contractors could?”

How could she forget? He stole a product out from under the noses of its inventors. Patent law was his weapon of choice and he wielded it without mercy. Thankfully, Persephone had instructed the Flowers Near Me ’s developer to submit the necessary patent paperwork ages ago.

“He could shut down our delivery app with a claim that it violates some law he wrote,” her mom warned.

Chin lifted, Persephone replied, “I’d like to see him try considering his app is pretty similar to ours.”

Not for long, though. With the addition of the Flowers Near Me app, she’d gain new tools that would give Demeter’s Bounty the upper hand in their profits race with Underworld Unlimited.

Demeter laughed but with a stern voice added, “I mean it. He plays by his own rules.”

Her throat went tight. Now the sweat forming on her brow wasn’t from the evening heat. “Don’t worry. Bye, Mom.”

“I love you, my clever girl.”

Soft yellows and oranges reflected off the white marble facade of the restaurant. Shoulders back, Persephone held her head high and entered through the bronze revolving doors. Chilled air greeted her, and she pulled her hair out of the bun, letting it fall past her shoulders. Walking toward the hostess stand, she glanced at the large, ornate clock on the wall.

With her mom’s warning to be careful fresh in her mind, she scanned the lobby. Could Hades have spies here? Hades wanted this app almost as much as she did, but he wasn’t the one with an in-person dinner meeting, even if his dark, towering building was right across the street. Was he bold enough to disrupt her meeting with the developer, Eurydice? If he had nothing better to do, he would. She silently prayed to the Fates he wouldn’t dare. She needed this more than he did.

A raven-haired hostess greeted her with a tender smile. Backlit by warm candlelight glowing from the tables and minimalist chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, the server looked like a siren in front of a glittering oasis in a sea of black.

“Good evening. Thank you for dining with us, Miss Ioulo.”

Persephone stared for a moment before answering. “Hi… yes, thanks. Reservation for two.”

It had only been a month ago when her mom revealed to all of Olympus that her dedicated operational executive was, in fact, her youngest daughter. Nepotism be damned, Persephone had earned her leadership role when coworkers all thought she was a nobody, and she was glad she didn’t have to hide who she was anymore. But she mourned her former anonymity when out in public.

“Please follow me. Your guest is already here.” A different but still beautiful server guided her past black-clothed tables set with dark gold cutlery and vases filled with gardenias.

On her left, a curved bar ran the length of the dining room. At the opposite wall, floor-to-ceiling windows boasted an enormous view of the picturesque metropolis. The server gestured towards a secluded corner booth where a young woman sat.

“Thank you,” said Persephone as she gave a slight dip of her chin.

With an outstretched hand, Persephone approached the woman she recognized from their video calls. “Hi, so nice to meet you in person, Eurydice.”

“Yes, it is. Thank you, Persephone. This means a lot.” A wide-eyed Eurydice stood and shook Persephone’s hand with the firmness of a seasoned professional and not of a recent grad. A smile spread across Persephone’s face at Eurydice’s cheery grin, easing the anxiety in her gut. They settled in their seats and a server set sparkling water on the table before taking their drink orders.

A giddiness fluttered inside Persephone. Eurydice is going to sign with me. She was certain of it by the way Eurydice’s cheeks pinched in barely restrained joy.

Persephone sat tall. “Let’s talk business first, then we can enjoy our meals.” She set her phone in her bag, intent on giving Eurydice her undivided attention. “I sent you an updated contract. Have you read it?”

Nodding, Eurydice pulled out a tablet from her purse. “I did. Thank you for making those changes.”

Thank me? This app promised to be huge and the fact it came with enviable intellectual property any distributor would want made it irresistible.

The waiter returned with their drinks and took their food orders, and they quickly got back to their discussion of the timeline for launch. Persephone was ready to release it as soon as possible, where Eurydice wanted a longer testing period so that there were no bugs.

It was important to Persephone that Eurydice understood and was content with the terms of the acquisition. They’d be working together for the next year and as much as the gods claimed that business wasn’t personal , Persephone found that it most definitely was.

By the time Eurydice’s blackened grouper and Persephone’s braised butternut squash arrived, they had all but signed the deal.

“Are you certain you want me to be the spokesperson?” asked Persephone. It was a last-minute addition Eurydice had requested, and Persephone worried the young developer was concerned with stroking Persephone’s ego. The gods may have liked that type of worship, but Persephone didn’t. “Because Aphrodite would be a much better fit?—”

“No. It has to be you.” Clipped and firm. Eurydice’s immediate reply caught Persephone off guard. She hadn’t expected her to be so adamant. It should’ve made her pause—why her, when Aphrodite would be a natural fit? But she shook off the thought. The deal was nearly sealed. That’s what mattered.

Flowers Near Me opened up the flower market to the masses. All you had to do was snap a photo of the flowers you were selling, share your location, and name your price. Any user could go on and search for available flowers in their area. The seller set a meeting location to meet the buyer and it was done.

Such a simple app for the users but monumental for Demeter’s Bounty because of one glorious piece of tech: dynamic tracking of users’ location data . It was an absolute gold mine and her pickaxe was diamond sharp.

Persephone put a hand over her heart. “Well, I’m honored to promote the app. I know it’s precious to you and its success is a top priority for me.”

Eurydice nodded as she pulled up the contract on her tablet’s screen, Persephone’s signature already inked and dated at the bottom. Holding her breath, Persephone watched Eurydice drag her finger to sign.

“You turned around the changes quickly,” remarked Eurydice. She smiled, but kept her eyes averted from Persephone’s.

If either party backed out now, Eurydice would have to wait a year before she could shop for buyers and Persephone would be back to square one. And for as big as Olympus was, news traveled fast, and rumors of bad business traveled even faster.

As they ate their meals, they discussed their shared love of gardening. Working with someone with a common interest had Persephone imagining how fun it’d be to show each other their latest planting triumphs. What a sweet idea for Eurydice to turn her hobby into a business.

“I’m so glad I got to you first before someone else tried to snatch you up.” Persephone gave a light laugh, but Eurydice shifted in her seat as she looked at her phone.

Persephone cocked her head. “Are you alright?”

“I’m so sorry, but could you excuse me for a minute? My dad keeps calling and sent a cryptic text.”

“Of course.”

Eurydice sighed audibly. “Thank you.” Standing up, she pressed her phone’s screen, then brought it to her ear. “Hey, is everything…” Eurydice’s voice faded into the buzz of the crowded restaurant as she walked off.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room plummeted, the scent of leather and cedar curling through the air. Beside her, a deep voice murmured, rich with wicked amusement, “Persephone. Caught at last.”

As she turned to the god standing next to her, Persephone’s gaze jumped from a tapered waist, up past broad shoulders covered by a tailored suit jacket, and landed on a stubbled jawline and gray eyes. Her eyes narrowed on the enemy she’d avoided meeting in person for years.

Hades.