Chapter 271: Secret Suitor

The janitor, though not conventionally beautiful, had been young once and understood the complexities of romance. She automatically assumed the bouquet was from an unwanted suitor. Why else would Ellis ask to have them thrown away?

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Ellis said with a grateful smile.

Afterward, she returned to the executive office via the elevator. Ellis didn’t bother considering whether the janitor’s interpretation of “taking care of the flowers” aligned with her directive to “throw them away.” Out of sight, out of mind—good enough for her.

But who sent the flowers, shrouded in such secrecy?

Meanwhile, at the Hudson Group on the other side of Stonebridge, Easton completed his urgent tasks and took a moment to browse the web, reviewing some theoretical knowledge. His browser history was littered with titles like “How to Remarry After Regretting a Divorce,” “Tips on Chasing Girls,” and “Secrets to Winning Back Your Ex-Wife.”

That morning, Sophia had called him back, and he’d jotted down the key points.

Between him and Ellis, mere talk of remarriage wouldn't suffice; he needed to demonstrate his sincerity about starting over and to eliminate any lingering resentment from their divorce. He decided to act as if they had never been married or divorced; he would court Ellis anew and win her over.

Unbeknownst to Ellis, Easton had been scheming behind her back. For days, she’d received anonymous flowers, fueling her paranoia and suspicions of foul play. Who had so much free time every day? With their identity undisclosed, what were they up to? Now, she even had a routine for handling these flowers!

When the delivery person called, she asked them to leave the flowers at the front desk and had the janitor dispose of them, without showing her face or touching the flowers—just in case they contained something harmful. Until one day, Tom invited her out.

Tom was a client of the Tate Group; regardless of her true desire to go, she owed him the courtesy of accepting his invitation.

Little did she know, Tom had arranged for her to meet her would-be match… well, not really; she and Edric hadn’t successfully gone through a blind date, so he wasn’t technically her match, right?

Considering her relationship with Tom, Ellis didn’t want to create a scene, pretending Emma hadn’t set her up with Edric, and politely nodded in response to his greeting.

She thought that would be the end of it, but then Edric asked, “Did you like the flowers I’ve been sending these past few days, Ms. Harper?”

Taken aback, she was shocked to discover Edric was the sender. She hadn’t even considered that he might be the one behind the flowers, and she was momentarily unsure how to respond.

“You must like them; I see you’ve accepted them.”

Edric blinked his eyes, inherently captivating, especially under the dim lighting—though without a spark of flirtation. Ellis wasn’t swayed by Edric’s blinking; her mind was busy building a beautiful castle of thoughts. “So, it was you who sent the flowers!”

“Yes,” Edric nodded with a smile.

Ellis squinted slightly and scrutinized him from head to toe. No doubt, Edric was handsome, but he couldn’t hide a certain sleaziness.

She had already refused Emma’s matchmaking attempt and made it clear to Edric. Didn’t he get the hint? Oh Lord, couldn’t I just meet a normal guy!

“I’m sorry! Since you didn’t tell me and there was no card, I didn’t know who they were from, so I just threw them away,” she confessed.

“You threw them away?” Edric’s face stiffened for a few seconds, but he quickly regained his composure. “That was my oversight; I forgot to include a card.”

Having once been Easton’s wife and enjoyed endless wealth, a few bouquets weren’t enough to impress Ellis; he wasn’t foolish enough to think so. Sending Ellis flowers was merely a pretext for conversation, a way to initiate contact.

Ellis responded with silence, not engaging with Edric’s excuse. She didn’t believe his “forgetfulness”; it was clear he was deliberately being mysterious.

Their conversation was quiet, inaudible to those nearby. As the host, Tom wanted to harshly criticize Edric but found herself at a loss and unwilling to embarrass him publicly. Where was Edric’s self-awareness?

Being divorced, having been shortchanged in marriage, one’s trust in men almost inevitably plummets; any consideration of remarriage would be extremely cautious. With Edric’s notorious reputation and flirtatious nature, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he wasn’t suitable. Ellis would certainly not end up with him!

Seeing Edric getting too close to Ellis, Tom grabbed Edric’s arm, pulled him aside, and jokingly said, “I need to have a word with Ms. Harper in private; since you’re a man, please step aside.”