Chapter 24: Gold in a Pot
"Ashley, dear!" Liza set aside the small thing she had been holding, smiling from ear to ear.
"Hi, Auntie!" Ashley approached the counter happily. "How are you?"
Seeing her smile like that, Liza couldn’t help but chuckle. Ashley had such an infectious smile and such a light air around her.
The man standing beside Liza smiled as his wife shot him a knowing look, as if quietly telling him, See what I an?
"I thought you wouldn’t make it," Liza said before reaching for the man beside her. "Anyway, this is my husband I told you about."
Ashley blinked innocently as she looked at the man beside Liza. Her mouth fell open as her gaze darted between them.
"Auntie, are the two of you vampires?" she blurted out. "How co both of you look so young?"
Liza and her husband burst into laughter.
"Oh, dear," Liza remarked, while her husband added, "Now I understand why my wife wouldn’t stop talking about the young lady she t yesterday. Nice to et you, Miss Ashley."
Ashley smiled. "Just call
Ashley, Uncle...?"
"Tommy."
"Uncle Tommy and Auntie Liza," Ashley said brightly, her cheeks slightly pink from the heat after distributing her supplies earlier. "Oh, right! I brought a small gift for Auntie Liza."
Ashley raised the small pot she had brought with her, earning a satisfied smile from the couple.
"I told you you didn’t have to," Liza remarked as she accepted the pot, not bothering to check its contents yet as she kept her attention on Ashley. "And dear, have you eaten? Your Uncle Tommy and I are about to have lunch."
"Oh..."
"Why don’t you join us, hmm?" Liza suggested as she studied Ashley’s expression.
When Ashley’s smile brightened, and she nodded eagerly, Liza’s heart eased.
With that, Liza walked to the door and flipped the sign from [Open] to [Closed].
With Ashley and Tommy’s help, they set up a small table just inside the flower shop, surrounded by beautiful flowers and peacefulness.
"Wow..." Ashley’s eyes twinkled, her stomach grumbling as the aroma reached her nose.
She instinctively clutched her stomach, looking a little awkward.
"Heh. I didn’t eat breakfast."
"Hahaha!" Liza chuckled as she placed the last dish on the table and sat down. "It’s a good thing I prepared plenty."
"It’s been a while since my wife cooked," Tommy laughed heartily. "So I should thank you, Ashley, for coming today—haha!"
That earned him a light pinch on the side from his wife.
Ashley giggled at the couple, unable to stop smiling at how adorable they were. Even though they looked younger than their age, there were still small signs that they were older than they appeared. But one thing was certain—this couple was kind and humble.
But she didn’t notice the pot I gave her, Ashley thought, glancing at the pot they had left behind the counter. Oh well. I’m sure Auntie Liza will be very happy once she finally checks it.
"Co on, let’s eat now," Liza urged gently.
Ashley and Tommy nodded.
But before Ashley could take her first bite, she glanced outside a little too long.
"Is everything okay, dear?" Liza’s voice pulled her back.
Ashley smiled faintly. "Yes, Auntie. It’s just that... I have company with . And although they had breakfast, they haven’t had lunch."
"Oh...?" Tommy raised his brows. "Why don’t you invite your friends over?"
"Heh. They’re not my friends. They’re the bodyguards my husband hired for ," she explained.
Both Tommy and Liza furrowed their brows.
Seeing their reaction, Ashley realized that sounded strange for normal people. She wasn’t the daughter of a president or anything like that.
She chuckled.
"My husband loves
very much and pampers
a lot," she explained in a more acceptable way. "But he worries about
because I get deceived easily. So he has n accompany
wherever I go."
"Oh..." Liza nodded in understanding before glancing at her husband. Leaning closer to him, she teased, "He sounds like you."
Tommy burst out laughing as he slapped the table. Liza then turned back to Ashley and nodded warmly.
"Sohow, I understand your husband," she said. "Even I would want to protect soone as precious as you."
Ashley’s cheeks flushed pink as she smiled at the couple. She was glad they accepted that explanation, even though it wasn’t the whole truth.
"I’ll call your friends over," Tommy said, already rising to his feet. "Eat, ladies. I’ll get the guys."
"Mhm," Liza humd before suddenly perking up. "Oh, wait—I should prepare them a table and so food as well. It’s a good thing I cooked extra."
"Thanks, Auntie~!" Ashley stood up as well. "Please let
help you. You’re already feeding us."
Pleased by Ashley’s enthusiasm, Liza nodded and let her help set up another table.
Not long after, Tommy returned with the guards.
Before Red and his team knew it, they were seated around a folding table near Ashley and the couple, with a ho-cooked al placed in front of them.
They exchanged confused looks before shifting their attention to the other table. Unlike them, the trio was already eating and chatting happily as if they were a family of three.
"This is a first," one of them muttered, clearly not expecting Ashley to call them in and feed them lunch.
They had been certain they would either fast or eat the ergency biscuits they always carried.
But since they were already here, they gladly ate the surprisingly delicious food.
*****
After the al, Ashley stayed for a while with Liza and Tommy. Since she had co not only to eat but also to ask for Liza’s expertise about her ruined garden, she soon got busy discussing plants with them.
Tommy also showed interest in helping restore Ashley’s garden.
Three hours later, Ashley finally bade them farewell, promising she would visit again the next day.
Liza stood behind the counter, staring toward the flower shop entrance as Ashley left. She smiled softly to herself.
"You like her that much, huh?" Tommy’s voice pulled her back as he stopped beside the counter. "Well, such a lovely young lady—I understand."
"She’s adorable," Liza said, leaning her arms on the counter. "I don’t know why, but she just feels so precious to ."
A flicker of sadness appeared in her eyes as she thought of the daughter she had lost long ago. She sighed heavily before looking up at her husband with a wry smile.
Tommy sighed as well when he saw the longing in her eyes. He walked closer and gently held her hand.
"Should we invite her to our restaurant?" he asked. "You’ll be staying in the hotel for the ti being, anyway. She’s staying there too, isn’t she? How about I stay there tonight? Let’s grab dinner with her."
"You like her just as much as I do, don’t you?" she teased.
"My wife likes her, so of course I do too."
"Liar." Liza clicked her tongue and poked his side. "Most of the people I like are the ones you’re suspicious of."
"Hahaha!" he laughed. "You got !"
"Don’t you have a eting in a few hours?" Liza asked, checking the ti. "You should go now. If I rember correctly, it’s this afternoon. You can’t be late."
Tommy’s smile faded slightly as he rembered the eting.
"Tommy," Liza said gently, noticing the shift in his mood. "Do not pick a fight, do you understand? Guests are guests no matter who they are."
"I’m not picking a fight with anyone," he replied with a reassuring smile. "That eting isn’t that important. It’s just a eting with a young hot-blooded demon."
Tommy clicked his tongue. "But don’t worry about that."
The couple continued chatting for a while until a new custor arrived. They quickly handled the transaction before Tommy finally said goodbye to his wife and left for his eting.
Now alone, Liza considered closing the shop early when her eyes fell on the pot Ashley had brought.
"Right," she muttered. "I was so happy to have her around that I forgot to check the gift she brought ."
Liza picked up the pot, already smiling at the cute container Ashley had chosen. But when she looked inside, it contained only soil.
"Hmm?"
Liza pinched a bit of the soil between her fingers. Her smile slowly faded as she rubbed it gently and examined it more closely.
"This is..."
Shock slowly spread across her face. The pot was filled with soil from a volcanic basin where rare flowers thrived.
As an expert herself, she imdiately recognized its value.
In her eyes, this was gold in a pot.
"How... how did she get her hands on this?"
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