The Strange Groom's Cursed Bride-Chapter 80: Aster & Thorns

The car glided through the city like a shadow with purpose. Alice sat in the front, her hands still lightly gripping the steering wheel. It felt awkward, unnecessary even, but the sheer futuristic sleekness of the self-driving EV made her feel too "Northern," too out of place to fully relinquish control. She couldn’t quite believe she was this free. Or at least, "Hades-approved" free. She hadn’t expected this much when she first asked him to let her move in.

She and Suzy talked, Alice keeping her account of the morning’s meeting conveniently "chill." But once she casually mentioned they had asked her to run in the upcoming event, Suzy completely lost it.

"That crazy witch! Who does she think she is?!" Suzy’s voice, usually a playful banter, turned sharp, laced with genuine indignation. Her eyes flashed with an intensity Alice hadn’t seen before.

Alice was a bit startled by the outburst.

"You don’t have to do it. I’m sure she just wanted to awaken past trauma after your disgraceful race during Law school."

A beat of silence. Alice slowly turned her head towards Suzy, a single eyebrow raised. "Disgraceful?" she repeated quietly, her voice flat, barely above a whisper. The word hung in the air, a new, unsettling piece of information. Disgraceful? What the hell did that mean?

At this rate, it seemed Priscilla had only told her things about Aurora that were either completely irrelevant or, worse, completely wrong. Or simply put, Priscilla knew nothing about Aurora.

That would be a big problem.

Suzy, oblivious to the bomb she’d just dropped, waved a dismissive hand. "Come on, you really can never forget how you fell to your face in front of the entire school. Oh wait... now that I think about it... it was Hardy who helped you out of there, wasn’t he?"

Alice’s facade cracked.

"Hardy? Cresswell?" The question slipped out before Alice could stop it.

Okay... this was all getting complicated. Too complicated.

To cover uo, she mumbled, "Uhm... well... that."

Suzy was staring at her, a suspicious glint in her eyes.

Alice kept her gaze rigidly ahead, even though it was unnecessary; the car perfectly swerved when needed, slowed down and even turned on its lights with flawless precision. But she still held on to the wheel like a lifeline.

Hardy. Aurora.

Those two... how deeply did they really go? The fragments of information, the snippets of gossip. It was all forming a picture she couldn’t quite grasp, a puzzle she didn’t want to solve.

Thankfully, the car slowed to a graceful stop outside an immaculately designed building. It was all polished glass and blooming hedges, with climbing vines dancing up the frame like art. A hanging sign in elegant gold cursive read:

Aster & Thorns: Florals for the Discerning Heart

"A flower shop?" Alice asked out loud, completely stunned, her voice cracking slightly with disbelief.

Suzy leaned over her, peering out the window, her eyebrows shooting up. "We drove all the way here... for flowers?" There was a hint of genuine confusion in her tone.

"I just... chose the suggested location," Alice mumbled, feeling suddenly exposed. The car’s GPS had offered it, a single, intriguing recommendation.

"What do you mean suggested location? You mean last driven location? By Hades?"

Alice "..."

Suzy’s head tilted, a slow dawning realization spreading across her face. "Wait... don’t tell me he did."

Alice had no answer. Her mind raced. Hades had no place in a place like this. She wouldn’t say she knew him, but she knew he wasn’t the type to get himself or others flowers. He hadn’t gotten his wife, aka her, any flowers. Ever.

Unless...

Was he cheating?

Was this a front for some lover?

Her head filled with every dramatic telenovela she’d ever seen. Did he have a mistress? Or was this the store of his mistress? It didn’t help that she could see a slender, young woman through the glass window, tending to a flower pot with delicate grace.

Suzy, meanwhile, was already halfway out the car, popping a stick of gum into her mouth with a loud snap. "Well, no point just sitting here. Let’s snoop with class. But if there’s a mistress in there, we fight without class."

What? Fight? Wait...

Alice exited the car, feeling utterly out of place.

Both of them, in their casual attire, looked nothing like the phantom luxury vehicle they had just stepped out of.

The store looked... beautiful. And expensive. Alice was sure she wouldn’t be able to afford a single flower vase in there with her personal money. Even if she could, she wouldn’t buy it. First, she wasn’t into flowers. Second, it would be too expensive and a waste of money.

Suzy got inside before her. She looked like a determined woman on a mission.

Alice followed, cautiously bracing herself for anything. The smell of everything good, fresh earth, dew-kissed petals, subtle notes of jasmine and rose, engulfed them.

The space was like stepping into an enchanted greenhouse. Cascading vines, freshly cut bouquets, and delicate arrangements sat in perfect, artistic harmony. It smelled as pretty as it looked.

Alice walked in cautiously, her guard still up.

The woman at the counter, the same young lady she’d seen through the window, said hello to them, but when she peered closely at Alice’s face, she gasped, her eyes widening.

"Mrs. Wildfire! Oh, we didn’t expect you so soon!"

Alice blinked and turned to Suzy, wondering whether she was the Wildfire being addressed and maybe the lady had said "Miss" not "Mrs."

But Suzy was looking at her. And so was the lady, her smile radiating genuine warmth.

Alice raised a questioning brow. "What?"

The manager, a poised, middle-aged woman with stylish gray hair and elegant glasses, hurried around the counter, beaming like she’d just seen royalty. Her smile was so sincere it felt almost disarming.

"Please, come in. Everything’s been finalized, we just finished the custom signage yesterday. The garden is yours too, but we haven’t unlocked it yet. We didn’t think you’d come today!"

Alice was completely lost. Her brain felt like it was buffering.

"Wait..." she said, putting a hand up, motioning for calm. "Come for w-what?" Alice asked, completely dazed. "What... are you talking about?"

Suzy also looked genuinely confused, her gaze moving between all of them.

The manager paused, a confused smile lingering on her lips, as if Alice’s question was the most delightful riddle. "To see your flower shop, ma’am. Your husband said he wanted you to have all your favorite blooms. When he couldn’t pick just one, he bought the whole shop and put it in your name."

Alice nearly fainted. The blood drained from her face.

Suzy choked on her gum, a loud, sputtering gasp. "He w-what?!"

The manager, seemingly unfazed by their shock, walked over to a glass case on the wall and pulled out a rolled scroll tied with a silk ribbon. "Here’s the certificate. Transferred and signed under Aurora Malay-Wildfire. He asked us to take care of it until you find it."

Alice took it with trembling hands. Her name. Well, not her name. But Aurora. On official documents. A legitimate transfer of ownership. A whole flower shop. With a stamp she believed was Hades’s on the other end of the document.

Hades had—no. He couldn’t have— ƒreewebɳovel.com

"This... has to be a joke," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper. Her mind reeled with the sheer absurdity, the terrifying extravagance, of it all.

"Wow!" Suzy breathed, her eyes sparkling, entirely convinced. "I didn’t know he was that romantic."

Alice could still not think straight. Her head spun with questions, none of them making sense.

"Can I... come back later?" she asked the manager, needing desperately to escape this floral-scented, bewildering reality.

The manager and the young lady looked at each other, then the manager nodded, taking in Alice’s confused, almost panicked state. "Of course, Mrs. Wildfire. It’s always here for you."

"Thank you," Alice said, returning the scroll to her before she turned abruptly and practically ran out of the flower shop.

Suzy followed her quickly, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and burgeoning curiosity.

Alice was out. She looked up, sideways, down, paced a small circle on the polished pavement. Her mind was a whirlwind of disbelief.

"Are you that overwhelmed?" Suzy asked her, a hint of concern now mixed with her excitement.

Alice looked at her.

Overwhelmed?

OVERWHELMED?!

HADES JUST BOUGHT A FLOWER SHOP IN AURORA’S NAME!

Why?

Why would he do that?

Also, wasn’t he the one threatening her with twenty million? A flower shop, especially one this lavish, would cost far more than that. She wasn’t into real estate, but she could tell that was expensive. This wasn’t just a gift; it was an entire asset.

What was his plan?

Had he let her come here on purpose?

"Okay... I know you want to spiral about something. But I am hungry. So maybe we just go to that place while you gather your thoughts?" Suzy asked, ever practical, pointing at the brightly lit restaurant sign on the top floor of the adjacent building.

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