Page 14 of Flowers Near Me
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE KING’S GAMBIT
HADES
O ver two weeks had passed since Persephone had moved into his apartment. Seeing her in the office every day confirmed just how right everything was now that she was here. Even when she wasn’t trying to be helpful, she had a way of naturally improving his employees’ moods by lending a hand wherever it was needed. A few days before, he’d caught her negotiating with a marketing vendor who’d given one of his event planners a hard time. Persephone had the vendor eating out of the palm of her hand by the end of the meeting.
His chest still fluttered every night, knowing she was just in the next room. He’d started adding more plants to his space after seeing how they thrived under her care. Even cut flowers seemed to bloom in her presence, as if rooted in a sunlit field.
Lying in bed with a book in his lap and thoughts of her consuming his mind, Hades watched the flames dance along the wick of a jasmine candle. He’d moved enough belongings into the guest room closest to hers to make it look like his own—clothes, shoes, books, and toiletries. If the captivating goddess ever wandered in, there’d be no reason for her to suspect the room was anything but a proper bedroom, furnished with heated stone floors, rich woven rugs, and the dark velvet furniture Charon had chosen.
They had settled into a routine of morning coffee and shared dinners, but it wasn’t enough. Soon, once the marketing proposal was approved, she’d spend all day on the video set, and he’d lose those precious, fleeting moments with her. He’d even asked Charon to align as many of his commitments with Persephone’s studio sessions as possible, but it barely freed up any extra time.
Every morning, he rushed back to the apartment after checking in with Charon, lingering in the hallway by Persephone’s open door while she was at the gym. The guest room smelled of vanilla and jasmine—like her.
Earlier that day in his home office, Hecate asked, “You’ve already burned through the candle?” She quirked her brow with a sly smirk.
“It was barely a tea light.”
“And enchanted. I gave it a seventy-two-hour burn time. Did you burn it for three days straight?”
“No.”
Hecate crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame, her brow quirking even higher than Hades thought possible.
Hades said, “I had to extinguish the flame when I moved it back and forth from here to the cookie cave.”
“ Cookie cave ?”
“Helena’s name for my apartment. We had cookies the first time she visited and every time since. You’ve met Persephone’s niece, yes?”
Hecate cocked her head to the side. “Does Demeter know her granddaughter visits you?”
Hades’ chair creaked as he rested his back on it. Demeter would have future grandchildren living at his apartment if he got what he wanted.
“Of course. I told her as we gabbed over cocktails.”
Hecate rolled her eyes, then sunk onto the settee by the glass wall displaying an underground waterfall trickling over layers of rock. “Have you heard from her since the acquisition?”
Thank the Fates, he hadn’t, but it wasn’t cause for celebration. Demeter might not have the same power he did in Olympus, but that didn’t mean she was any less formidable. Up until recently, she employed the one person he’d ever wanted by his side.
“Not yet. She fought hard in our negotiations and now she’s licking her wounds.” He traced two fingers along the mouse pad of his computer and scrolled through his email.
Hecate clucked her tongue. “Don’t be careless. Demeter loves Persephone more than you and I could ever imagine.”
Hades frowned. The admonishment sat like rotten food in his gut. He didn’t have a mother’s love for Persephone but the unrelenting need to be with her felt primal.
Turning to look at Hecate, he quipped, “You’re friends with her. Put in a good word for me.”
Shaking her head, making her long hair swish, she said, “No, I have my own worries. You stole her daughter, Hades. There’s no coming back from that. Even if you two were amicable before, it’d be a serious problem.”
Hades released a long sigh. Of course, Hecate disliked his method of getting Persephone to spend time with him. Buying Flowers Near Me right out from under Persephone in order to get her into a contract with him wasn’t a traditional way of dating, but he had to be creative. Besides, Demeter and he had been adversaries in the distribution space for decades, and it wasn’t like he could approach Persephone in the open with her guard dog looming.
Strangely, he suspected Demeter’s anger stemmed from disappointment in Persephone. When he’d met with Demeter and her team, he learned she knew little about Persephone’s true interest in Flowers Near Me . Demeter grew quieter as negotiations carried on and that was unlike the formidable goddess of the harvest he knew.
“Have you heard from her recently?” Hades asked.
“No, and I think that ought to give you pause.” Hecate’s dark brow quirked again.
Hades’ eyes narrowed. The worst scenario bubbled to the surface in a rolling boil. “You think she’s working with my brothers?”
One shoulder shrugged. “Or something worse.”
He grimaced but remained silent.
Hecate left shortly after their conversation, but the shadow she cast lingered.
He fired off a message to Charon.
Hades
Find out who Demeter’s been talking to.
Returning to his computer screen, he opened a document on his desktop labeled “Marriage License.” The words washed over him, but his chest tightened at the blank line next to his signature. Underneath in black text read: “Persephone Ioulo” and he tried to imagine the swirls of her signature decorating that line.
Charon’s reply lit his phone.
Charon
Will do.
Hades
Good. Hecate thinks Demeter’s on the move.
Marrying Persephone would devastate Demeter, but that wasn’t why he wanted to. This six-month contract was a temporary fix until he could convince her to love him. If she left him at the end of it, he’d be the one gutted. Desperate for whatever foothold he could gain with her, he was using the contract to give himself time to show his interest. And his interest had become longing quicker than Cerberus could devour Helena’s cookie crumbs from the floor.
It only took one chance sighting of Persephone, accompanying Demeter to lunch, for his obsession to bloom. Fates, he’d bought the restaurant Narcisi outright because it was the first place he saw her. The goddess sat tall at the table, with the most beautiful smirk and smart green eyes. Where Demeter exuded arrogance throwing annoyed looks at who he assumed were Demeter’s Bounty middle management, Persephone emanated power. Her understated confidence entranced him and after this short time together, there was no way he’d let her go.
Deep in his being, he knew they’d be together—the Fates had promised him as much. But given the duplicity of the Fates and the fact that Persephone’s continued professionalism proved her immunity to his charms, he had no clue how to make it happen. Women typically adored him. So why wouldn’t this siren start flirting back? It was maddening.
Inside his Underworld Unlimited office, Hades listened to Charon rattle off team reports as they each ate their salad and talked between bites.
“Legal took issue with marketing’s phrasing and now they’re reworking the ads. There are concerns regarding the app’s use of users’ locations when setting up meeting spots,” explained Charon.
“How much more time?”
“Four weeks,” Charon replied in a strained tone. “They know it’ll push the release date as well. They can’t record anything with Persephone until they finish the scripts.”
Hades glanced at Charon, then nodded. “Push the gala back one month.”
“Will do. But it’ll fall after the end of Persephone’s current contract. Do you think she’d agree to a new one?” Charon put a small bite of salmon in her mouth.
“I’ll check with her. Keep the invite list the same.”
Charon finished a few more bites of salad, then asked, “Have you told her you want to marry her?”
How could he? “It’s still too soon.”
Charon nodded. What he’d give to be as unbothered as her about the situation.
Hades grabbed his phone. “What’s my day like tomorrow?”
“Well, it was packed with meetings for Flowers Near Me , but seeing that things are delayed…” Charon scooted her chair towards the laptop she’d set on the other side of Hades’ desk. “Your day is mostly free.”
Hades was no longer hungry. This meant he’d have more time to spend with his little goddess.
“Book a tee time at Artemis’ manor tomorrow afternoon for Persephone and me.”
“Of course.” Charon typed on her keyboard. Was that a smile lighting her face? “Weather should be perfect. Do you want me to reach out to any reporters?”
Hades stood up and paced by the windows near his desk. “No, keep this a secret. Don’t tell Persephone either. I want to surprise her.”
“Alright…” Charon’s voice trailed off. She was focused on her laptop, but the cheery glint coloring her cheek was unmistakable. Charon must’ve enjoyed booking these dates. “You’re set for tomorrow.”
“Excellent. And setup an annual contribution to Mount Olympus Academy.” He sat back down at his desk.
“The school Persephone’s niece attends?” Charon cocked her brow with a slanted smile.
Hades nodded.
More clicks sounded from Charon’s keyboard. “How much?”
Sucking in a slow breath, Hades considered for a moment. “See if their development office has a capital campaign that needs funding.”
“Will do,” Charon hummed as her fingers flew.
“Charon,” he said as he waited for her to look up from the computer. “Do you think Persephone could be happy here?”
She played with the charm hanging on the long necklace she wore every day. “I do, sir. I doubt she thinks that possible at the moment, but once she realizes she’s got the whole Underworld empire at her disposal, she may relax enough to build a life with you. Can’t blame her for not trusting any of us. I know I wouldn’t if I were her.”
He put his pointer finger on his lips then asked, “If you were me, how would you convince her to let her guard down?”
Charon’s eyes lifted thoughtfully towards the ceiling before landing back on Hades. “She’s an executive like you. She trusts power and opportunity. Show her that you want to give her both but be vulnerable about it. You staked her reputation on this project, so show her what’s at stake for you.”
He considered Charon’s words. Persephone had no idea, but he’d staked his whole empire on her success. But it was too soon to admit that. “Should I tell her about the bargain I made with the Fates?”
Charon pinched the torch charm dangling on her necklace again. “I don’t know.”