"NO.. leave me... leave me..."

"AHH...save me...please save..."

"Please don't kill me... I beg you"

"NO....."

Pellets of sweat accumulated around Grace's forehead after dreaming of that same nightmare that has been tormenting her for years. She faced the same ordeal again and again. But she can't get used to it.

Those incidents still flash in front of her eyes. It just does not harass her physically, but psychologically too.

If someone gives her one opportunity of getting a wish fulfilled, no doubt she would want to wipe out that horrific memory from her mind. Those remembrances were stubbornly engraved in her mind. She can't help but sigh over a fact that this nightmare is not the only one she has to deal with.

After recollecting her thoughts, she got off her bed, wore her slippers, and made her bed. Her room could be mistaken for a storage room with peeling wall paint, curtains with holes, a small table, and a chair placed in the room's corner.

Unexpectedly, she did not have any complaints regarding this matter as her foster family could have made her sleep on the freezing floor or could not have provided her with necessities to survive this world.

She slipped off her loose white morning dress, which revealed her freckled fair body.

After showering, she got dressed in a narrow high waisted skirt and ruffled blouse. She then wore her boots and a hat. It was 5:30 in the morning, and all members of the house usually stayed inside their rooms. Which makes her morning calm and peaceful, at least.

She quietly locked the door behind her and started walking towards her job place. She had been working in a flower shop owned by her best friend Jane since her school days and now she is graduated and continued to work until she finds a stable permanent job.

Jane and her parents were kind enough to let an inexperienced person like her work in their well-established business. The money she got from working there was enough to meet her daily expenses.

As soon as she reached the shop, Jane's mother greeted her at the doorstep.

"Good morning, Grace."

"Good morning. Aunt Ira, how are you doing?"

Grace asked Ira about her well-being as she was suffering from poor health and does not come to shop every day like she used to do before.

Ira replied to her with full energy, "ah... I'm fine and healthy and beautiful as before, but your friend and her father make me mad again and again."

"Why? What happened?" Although it was not a new thing, she knew exactly what mischief her best friend has done now? "

"She will tell you herself, I do not want to talk about it, it makes me boil with anger," Ira exclaimed as they both went inside the shop.

Grace quickly engaged herself by mopping the floor, dusting the shelves, and keeping flowers in their designated places.

After 2 hours, Jane came into the shop. She hid under the table as Grace continued doing her work. The moment Grace came near the table, Jane screamed at her.

"Boohoo..." Jane laughed out loudly as Grace screamed in horror. She looked at Jane with pure annoyance.

"I...SLAP...told...SLAP...you...SLAP...to not do it again...SLAP, why don't you listen to me?"

"Ow sorry... sorry I will not do it again... stop beating me," Jane said, acting as if she got hurt pretty badly.

"Now tell me why aunt Ira was mad at you? Don't tell me you let a guy into your room secret-" Grace got her answer when she saw her friend smiling brazenly.

'She will never listen to me'

After controlling her anger Grace tried to make her friend understand "Listen I already told you this before but I will repeat, this is dangerous" Jane made herself ready to hear all the lectures she is going to get today.

"You are letting those boys inside your room whom you met just 2 or 3 times, the worst thing is that you call them when you are alone"

"Grace-"

"This is dangerous,"

"Grace... listen to"

"This is appalling. You don't know what those boys may do to you,"

"Grace, don't you dare interrupt me-"

"Don't you know these activities of yours make your parents worry, it makes me worry? I don't know why you don't listen to us."

Jane suddenly put her hand on Grace's mouth to stop her, "Be silent ok, be silent. I understand, but why are you giving me a lecture when you are living in the most dreadful place, you could ever find."

Grace did not answer Jane and tried to avoid it, "it is not the time to talk about unnecessary matters." She always avoided talking about her foster family when in public because she believed that talking about those people always made her feel negative and thus ruin her day.

"Why are you not leaving those scoundrels who always hurt you, berate you? They use the money which they receive for taking care of you from the government., for their pleasures and needs."

"Sigh... jane, I have already explained to you why I am doing this."

"But you are suffering-" Jane stopped speaking when the doorbell rang and a man entered the shop. He was a tall, handsome man with shoulder-length blonde hair.

He wore a well-fitted white shirt accompanied by a fitted black vest and black leather ankle boots.

It was not common to see such a charming man in London. Both of the girls were staring at that man when Grace noticed his eyes. They were of deep icy blue colour. They were familiar.

'Can he be related-' Grace's train of thoughts came to a halt when that man started speaking.

"Hello, can I please get some flowers?"

"Oh... yes what flowers would you like to have," That man took a glance at the store.

"I wish to give them to a special one, can you please help me in choosing them? I know nothing about the science of flowers."

"Sure sir, please follow me." Jane watched that man as he followed grace to the flowers aisle.

'Do man like him exist in this world, his special one would be so lucky to have him '

"Sir, these orchids would be the perfect flowers for your loved one".

That man stared at those orchids. He had some kind of curiosity in his eyes. "Aren't the red roses considered as the symbol of love? Why orchids?"

Grace smiled at his question."Sure, we consider red roses as the symbol of love, but orchids represent the uniqueness of your loved one. It implies that your relationship is 'one of its kind'. I also expect my loved one to give me these same orchids."

That man took flowers from her and stared at them as if he was trying to convey something to those flowers.

He almost looked nervous.

Grace wondered what that man was thinking. Is he nervous about giving those flowers to his special one?

"Sir, don't be nervous. The person to whom you are gifting these flowers will surely be happy about them," That man gave her a sweet smile and thanked her.

There was a constant smile on his face that can unquestionably make girls fall for him.

"Is that all sir, or would you like to buy some other flowers?"

"No, that will be all, please pack them."

They went to the billing counter where Jane was sitting. She stood up as soon as she saw both of them coming towards the billing counter.

"Hope you had a pleasant experience, sir," Jane said to that man with a sweet voice. Grace quickly understood what her friend was up to.

"Yes, I had a pleasant experience, I gained some exciting knowledge while purchasing flowers," he took a long glance at Grace who was wrapping up the flowers in a bouquet.

Jane furrowed her brows as she saw that man staring at her friend. 'Why is he looking at my Grace like that'.

"Sir, here is your bouquet" Grace handed him the bouquet with a smile on her face. He paid the bill and was about to go when Jane stopped him-

"Excuse me, sir, if you don't mind, what is your name? It is okay sir if you don't want to -"

"Julian... Julian Villen" he said his name while looking at Grace.

"It is a pleasant name, sir," Grace said to him, indeed it was a name that suited him a lot.

"Thank you so much, it was nice to meet you"

"Same for us, it was nice having you at our store."

As soon as that man left, Jane quickly walked towards Grace.

"Oh, my god! He was such a handsome man, I doubt if I have ever seen a man like this," Grace chuckled at her friend's remarks. Indeed, he was a fine work of art.

"What was he lacking? Nothing. Looks, voice, body, fashion, he had everything. He looked rich. Was he a nobleman? He looked like one."

Grace had the same thoughts, they don't talk that much despite that, she could sense he was a respectable person. There was only one thing that seemed to bother her, his eyes.

Remembering those eyes made her uneasy suddenly again.