Chapter 4 - The Language of Blooms
As the weeks bled into the second month, Noel’s progress became undeniable. She began to eat regular meals again, her cheeks regaining their healthy color. She still hadn't spoken a word, but she had developed a complex language of gestures and flower meanings that Sadi had taught her.
If Noel was feeling anxious, she would hand Corbin a sprig of lavender (for devotion and calmness). If she was happy, she would leave a bright yellow marigold on his desk (for joy and warmth). Corbin, a man who had spent his entire life communicating in threats, cold negotiations, and ultimatums, found himself memorizing a botanical dictionary just so he could understand his five-year-old daughter.
One evening, after Noel had fallen asleep, Sadi walked down the grand staircase to find Corbin waiting for her at the door. Instead of his usual imposing posture, he was leaning against the doorframe, holding a small, beautifully wrapped box.
"What's this?" Sadi asked, stopping a few feet away.
"A gift," Corbin said, extending it to her. "For your help with Noel."
Sadi sighed, crossing her arms. "Mr. Valleti, I told you—"
"It isn't money," Corbin interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. "Open it."
Reluctantly, Sadi took the box and pulled the silk ribbon. Inside rested a small, antique silver pocket watch, its casing intricately engraved with a pattern of wild roses and vines. It was beautiful, elegant, and clearly very old.
"It belonged to my grandmother," Corbin said, looking out the window into the dark gardens. "She used to tell me that time is the only thing wealth can't buy back. You have given your time to my daughter when I couldn't give her mine. It isn't payment, Sadi. It’s gratitude."
Sadi looked from the watch to Corbin. It was the first time he had used her first name without a title. Her heart gave a strange, unexpected flutter. "It's beautiful, Corbin. Thank you."
He nodded, a rare, genuine smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
But the warmth of the moment was instantly shattered. Finch walked into the foyer, his face grim, holding a ringing burner phone.
"Corbin," Finch said, his voice tight. "We have a problem. The driver we assigned to Sadi's afternoon route... he just missed his check-in. His car was found empty two blocks from the flower shop."
The air in the room instantly turned violent. Corbin’s posture shifted in a fraction of a second, the grateful father vanishing, replaced entirely by the lethal predator. He grabbed Sadi by the arm, pulling her behind him as his eyes swept the dark windows of the foyer.
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"Lock down the house," Corbin roared to the guards stationed at the door. "Bring Noel down to the safe room now!"
Before the guards could move, the heavy glass windows of the living room shattered inward in a spray of deadly shards. The roaring sound of automatic gunfire echoed through the fortress.
