As the car came to a stop at Palm Bay, ra was the first to hop out, ready to lend him a hand. But Dn jerked his hand back, as if she''d shocked him.


    ra rolled her eyes. Just a bit ago, when he was all woozy from the heat, he''d been perfectly happy to hold her hand. Now that he was clear-headed, he seemed to be over it.


    She stepped back, letting the Palm Bay staff take over.


    Dn got out of the car with their help, still clutching a sprig of cherry blossom. ra''s heart softened a little. Oh well, she thought, at least he and Z have the same taste.


    "Mr. Dn, I''m heading back now. Don''t forget to take your meds and take care of yourself."


    "Yeah."


    He was already being wheeled inside, not even ncing back. ra wasn''t keen on sticking around to see his mood, so she made her way out.


    Getting a cab from here was a pain.


    Luckily, a car from Palm Bay pulled up soon, offering her a ride home. She dly epted; it was snowing, and the holidays were just around the corner.


    *


    Inside, Dn, unusually chipper, called out to Aiden, "Grab me a vase."


    Aiden, knowing exactly who''d sent the flower, quickly found one. But when Dn ced the cherry blossom in it, he frowned and took it out again.


    "Find a nicer one."


    After cycling through at least a dozen vases, Dn still wasn''t satisfied, his mood shifting from cheerful to grumpy.


    Aiden quickly made some calls, requesting some high-end vases to be sent over.


    Twenty minutester, a vase from a renowned sculptor arrived, one that had sold for millions at an auction.


    It was a rare find, destined to increase in value.


    Dn inspected the vase, his frown disappearing as he ced the cherry blossom inside.


    "eptable," he muttered, taking the vase with him to the elevator.


    Aiden wiped his brow, wondering why a million-dor vase was merely "eptable" for a wild cherry blossom.


    Plus, the CEO had put aside a ton of work just to y house with ra.


    Dn ced the vase by his bed on the second floor, so it would be the first thing he saw each morning.


    But then he remembered, flowers wilt. That thought wiped the smile off his face.


    Aiden, who''d followed him up, suggested, "We could use advanced preservation techniques, make it an evesting bloom."


    Dn nodded, adding, "Not that it really matters to me."


    Aiden resisted the urge to roll his eyes, already arranging it on his phone.


    When ra got home, she was too wiped out to even lift a finger.


    Her whole day had been about looking after Dn.


    It dawned on her that she hadn''t gained anything from the trip. But Dn wouldn''t


    lie to her, right? Surely, he hadn''t gone through all this just to pick a cherry blossom.


    Feeling a mix of irritation and confusion, she grabbed her phone and texted Dn.


    [Mr. Dn, did you take your medicine?]


    [Yes.]


    So aloof.


    She got even more annoyed, not really sure why.


    She wanted to ask if he was messing with her, but seriously, why would the CEO


    of Ferguson Corporation pull a stunt like that?