The story is available in Galatea app

Galatea is more detailed, and the interactive version. I will recommend you to give it a read.

This book is rough work, contains lots of grammatical mistakes and English is not my first language, so please bear with me.

"Macey where are you?" Macey was my one-year-old black Persian cat who was now sitting on top of my wardrobe staring down at me curiously.

"C'mon kitty, get down here and eat your food."

She meowed and jumped down into my arms as I headed towards the kitchen before serving her cat food to her so that I could get ready.

Living in Manhattan, New York wasn't easy for me. Even with a Bachelors's in Engineering, still I have managed to remain jobless but I was lucky enough to share an apartment with my childhood best friend, Emily Lockwood. Emily was somewhat of a legend is the only person to break down the walls of yours truly, Angela Carson.

Speaking of Emily, nowadays I often help her in her flower shop. Yup, a flower shop. I've been questioned on this since I have my degree in mechanics but thanks to my overprotective and extremely possessive brothers who don't believe I should be working after what happened with me in my previous company. I find this impossibility. I'm not surprised since they've never allowed me to work but then this incident had to happen to me.

Ever since our mom died when I was 15, they've kept me securely under their wings, pampering and spoiling me. Nowadays they pay my rent as well as give me a monthly allowance, much to my refusal. Since our father runs his own restaurant in Chicago they've gone into business with him since they finished school. They just couldn't leave him on his own after mom died. With Lucas being 26 and Danny being 25 they were old enough to take over from our father, Matthew Carson.

Living in Chicago all my life I needed a breath of fresh air, so when Em decided to move to the Big Apple, I joined her much to their disapproval. I needed my independence and since the only way to appease both them and myself, I agreed not to work as an employee and instead chose to work with Em in her flower shop. But that was a lie of course... I have started my job hunting and I am pretty sure I will get a job in no time.

Yes, someone could say this is a unique choice to make but I can ensure that I'll not be working with Em for the rest of my life. Yes, I do have priorities heck everyone has priorities in their lives and in order to be more independent I have decided to finally go against my family's absurd choice of wanting me not to work just for a silly incident.

The sound of my phone ringing snapped me out to reality and I checked my phone to see five missed calls from Emily. I inhaled a breath seeing her message asking me to be there by ten. I checked the time to find its already nine-thirty in the morning. So, not bothering to waste any more time I hurried myself to get ready and reach her before the time.

I threw on my white floral knee-length dress before slipping on my gladiators. I had enough time to quickly do a braid letting it fall to the side leaving no time for me to do my makeup. I took my phone and locked my apartment but not before checking on my cat. I saw her jumping onto my mattress and snuggling into the pillow sleeping as almost she touched the pillow. A small smile appeared on my face and I hurried to lock my apartment door before racing down the street to Emily's shop. Taking long strides, I tried to walk as quickly as I could to her shop. I saw George sitting with his black Labrador reading the newspaper on the bench. He was an old man who would come every day in the morning with his black Labrador for a walk and since I walk every day to Em's shop I meet him daily and I wave at him to which he replied by smiling and waving back at me while his dog barked swinging its tail happily seeing me.

Finally, I reached the shop and found her working on the counter probably on the shop's account. She was completely merged into her work which resulted in her not to feel my presence or that was what I thought so, I managed to sneak into The Blossom while Em was busy in her work. I let out a sigh of relief when I found myself inside the shop without her noticing me but the happiness didn't last long when I heard her speaking nonchalantly to me

"You are late," she said without sparing me a glance.

"I know and I'm sorry," I said sagging my shoulder with resignation at being caught.

She exhaled loudly and looked at me.

"Angie, how many times have I told you not to worry so much and just relax will you?" she asked throwing me a smile.

I gave her a simple smile as a reply.

Moving towards one of the shelves I heard Emily call out to me, "Angie will you arrange those white lilies?

They're on that shelf in the corner and if you need more the gardens full." I nodded as I began to arrange them.

As I reached out for the bunch I was stopped by an old, wrinkled hand wearing a Rolex that reached for the flowers at the same time as me. I looked at the owner of the hand and noticed a maybe mid-50-year-old man wearing a business suit with blonde hair and warm green eyes. He was still handsome for his age and even with his 6'2 height he still had this kind aura around him. As I retreated back I noticed the warm smile that sat on his face trying desperately to mask the depression in his eyes. The sadness that bore out of them made me want to console him and ask him the reason for his sadness.

"Excuse me, young lady, can I have those lilies? I really want them for someone special. I fear those are the last in the shop." His soft warm voice was tinged with kindness.

Shock overtook me for a moment as I realized he thought I was a customer. I smiled and cleared his misunderstanding about me being a customer before bringing them up. I then neatly bunched them together before tying some tissue paper and ribbon around it before handing it back to him.

He smiled widely at this before taking the flowers from me. As he was leaving he unexpectedly turned back to me and said, "Not only are you beautiful but also a kind-hearted soul that I hope to meet again soon."

With this, he smiled at me one last time before paying for the flowers and quickly nodding my say goodbye. He was gone leaving me completely and utterly confused.

"Who was he?" Em asked me curiously from the counter.

I just shrugged my shoulders in reply and headed out to the garden for more lilies with Emily following me.

"What was he saying?" she asked as I squatted down on my position and began to pluck the lilies and some white roses.

"I don't know. First, he was mistaken for me being a customer wanting the flowers but as I handed him the flowers he said I am kind and we will meet soon," I said and got up from my position with the flowers in my hand as I walked back into the shop.

"Strange man," I heard her laughing a little.

"But didn't you find his face a little familiar?" she asked and raising an eyebrow I turned around to face.

"Hmmm?"

"I don't know why but... oh will you please place them on there?" she pointed the bouquet of flowers near me which she wanted to be placed on the top shelf. I nodded and kept the bouquet on the top shelf.

"Sometimes I am really envious of your height," she muttered and I looked back at her chuckling at her statement.

"Really?" I laughed to which she only nodded.

"Ever thought of modeling career?" she asked and pursing my lips I shook my head no.

"Modeling is just not my forte," I went back to the counter and sat on the small chair while she stood before me rolling ribbons on the roses.

"Oh c'mon you have the height...looks, I'm positive you will be successful if you try in that field," she wiggled her eyebrows at me and I just shrugged my shoulders and gave her a lopsided grin.

"I have a job interview tomorrow," I grinned and she stopped her work and turned back towards me.

"Really?" all of a sudden she looked excited.

"Why are you excited all of a sudden? Are you really in a hurry to remove me from this current jo-"

"Oh shut up Angie. You know that's not the case. I am actually happy that you are finally moving on from that incident," she said and I nodded smiling at her.

"If it wasn't for that perverted of a boss, you would have been still working and perhaps you would've been somewhere else enjoying your life," she said as memories of my former boss came flooding back to my mind.

I was forced to place my resignation on his table because I was tired of the harassment I faced in his company. Even though he was married and had a kid, still he had his eyes on me and behaved corruptly and harassed me sexually at times like touching my lower half without my permission, sending me inappropriate text messages. Finally, I had it and decided to resign. But Emily being Emily, she informed about this to my family and even forwarded his perverted text messages to his wife.

It was then when my family decided that I don't need to work any longer. In fact, they wanted me to join them in our family business but I couldn't. I was keen on starting from the beginning so after that, I worked in a garage with my friend wanting to relieve myself from unemployment stress until Emily called me to her to Manhattan.

" What is the name of the company anyway?" she asked and that broke me out of my thinking state before I replied "It's Dox Aerospace,"

"Woah! That's a big one. Best of luck...I know you will get it through with your interview," she smiled and I smiled back at her.

"Thanks," I blinked my eyes at her a habit of mine which I do when I am extremely happy.

"And maybe you will find your prince charming there," she winked and that made me groan.

"Em please," I mumbled embarrassed. At the age of twenty-four, I was still single. It was only because of me being a tomboy in my school that none of the guys showed interest in me and then it was again me being a workaholic. I concentrated on my career and work more than the invitations from my opposite sex for which I believe I am still single.

"Want me to set you up on a blind date?" she wiggled her eyebrows to which I just rolled my eyes at her and got up from my seat when a customer walked in.

"Welcome ma'am," I greeted the middle-aged woman who just nodded and smiled in return.

"White roses please," she said and I nodded gesturing Emily to bring her some roses that she was already holding.

"Here you go," she handed over the small bouquet of white roses to the lady and the lady smiled in appreciation looking at the roses.

"They said the white rose is a fitting way to honor a friend or loved one in recognition of a new beginning or a farewell," I said and the woman nodded in agreement "It's for my daughter. She has a job interview today. It's for her luck," she said as she handed me the money.

"Have a good day," we both said in unison as the lady walked out of the shop with the flowers in her hand. Looking at the lady and her love for her daughter reminded me of my mother. I believe if she was alive, she would have been my strength and she would've definitely helped me to get back on my feet, unlike my brothers who have covered me with their wings in the name of protectiveness and tied down mine disabling me from flying. Sometimes it becomes hard for me not to think of how my life would've been if mom were here. I miss her.

"Here is a rose for your luck," Emily presented a white rose before me breaking me out of my thinking.

"I know and I believe in you. You will definitely get that job," she smiled and that made me smile as I took the rose from her and inhaled its smell. The sad emotions that were climbing up me a few minutes ago disappeared and were replaced with light and happy ones.

"You are the best," I opened my arms to hug her and chuckling at my actions she hugged me "I know that."