4 Vol. 1-03: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

"You totally drove through that stop sign!"

"I thought those were optional!"

"Stupid! Why are you our driver again?! Get back to school!"

Aunika hid a smile as Yuki and Sakura argued. She walked around to the back of the van, preparing to unload the flowers. They had made it in just a nick of time thanks to Sakura's driving—despite how reckless it seemed.

Yuki turned her back on Sakura, drifting away from him to help Aunika. Sakura huffed behind her. With his black hair and black eyes, most people thought he and Yuki were related.

That wasn't the case at all.

They just had the same—out of many—Asian DNA.

"We got here safe, didn't we?!" Sakura argued, unable to contain it. He wasn't a kid but Yuki always treated him like one. He was on his second year of college already for goodness' sake!

Yuki gave him the stink eye. Then, she whirled her head with her nose in the air. Now that she thought about it, she was the reason why they were almost late. Mother Nature called her to the bathroom for a number two and she couldn't hold it in.

But she wasn't bringing it up unless Sakura did.

"Why you—" Sakura paused. Never had he met a female that made his blood boil as much as Yuki. She was only 3 years older than him but she acted like it was 10.

Although Sakura was taller, Yuki stared him down. "I dare you to finish that sentence, Saku."

"Why you—" Sakura started to say. Then, he ran towards Aunika, pointing his finger at Yuki. "Aunika! Onee-san is bullying me!"

Yuki immediately appeared beside him and shoved his hand away. "Aunika, you know that's not true. I'm the sweetest person you met, right? You know I'd never do that."

Aunika sighed. She grabbed two bundles of flowers and dropped them in their arms. "I don't care who started it, kids. Get a move on. We have work to do or neither of you will get your pay."

They locked the vehicle and headed for the lobby. The crowd of reporters had left, leaving them with a clear path. The Whitlock Hotel lived up to its reputation. Look anywhere and the place seemed to glisten like newly polished diamonds.

Aunika led Yuki and Sakura towards the reception area—where they soon found out it was as far as they can go for their first visit in this luxurious hotel.

"Can you repeat that, ma'am?" The receptionist asked Aunika.

"It's for Miss Cece Carlisle's debutante party. Lobby 3?"

She nodded and typed on her computer under the counter. A frown formed on her lips. She looked up with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I think you have the wrong hotel. Lobby 3 is for a convention and there's no name similar to Miss Cece Carlisle. Maybe you should try calling them."

That ominous feeling dropped on Aunika's head like a waterfall. She placed her bundles of flowers on the reception counter and took out her smartphone, dialing the event planner.

"Auni, what is it?" Yuki bit her bottom lip.

Sakura alternated his attention between the two.

The call rang several times before it stopped. Aunika's breathing labored. Her heart raced inside her chest. It took all her strength not to let her hands shake uncontrollably.

"They're not answering," Aunika responded to Yuki, realizing she asked a question. After two more call attempts, the number became unreachable.

Yuki stared at Aunika's pale lips. That only meant bad news. "But didn't they say it was The Whitlock Hotel?!"

"That's what I distinctly remember, yes…" Aunika muttered. She scrolled through her contacts. There had to be someone. Then, her gaze snapped towards the receptionist. "Do you mind if I borrow your landline?"

"Go ahead."

While Aunika dialled for the house number, Yuki exasperated a sigh. She shook her head and looked around. Her gaze landed on Sakura.

He was silent, unsure of what to say.

"Hello?" Aunika spoke up. "May I speak with Mrs. Carlisle please?"

The two of them shifted their attention in her direction. Yuki dashed for it and hovered her ear near the receiver. She needed to hear this.

"I'm sorry, miss. Mrs. Carlisle is not home right now. Would you like to leave a message?"

"Can I have her mobile number? Or her daughter, Cece's?"

"I don't have permission to share that, miss. Please call again tomorrow. They'll be home late today."

"Please. We're from Sky Hana Flowers. I received a call earlier saying to deliver the flowers at the Whitlock Hotel for Ms. Cece's debutante—"

"The Whitlock Hotel? No, the venue is Willhelm Hotel."

Aunika felt the blood completely drain from her face. "Willhelm? That's on the other side of the city. I really need their numbers. Their planner won't pick up."

"I'm sorry, miss. I can't help you or I'll lose my job."

The line went dead. Aunika placed the handset back and thanked the receptionist. She turned to Yuki and Sakura. "We need to go—"

Suddenly her mobile started ringing.

A familiar name flashed on the screen.

Aunika gulped and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Mr. Davidson—" She began to say.

"AUNIKA!" He shouted , his gruff voice rougher than usual. "What is this I hear about a failed delivery?! Do you know how much those flowers cost?! They're among the most expensive ones in the market and it wasn't cheap to fly them all the way here in excellent condition!"

Aunika forced herself to calm down. "We're on the way to the venue right now. We're just running a little late."

"The client said you had an agreement to deliver on time! Not a minute later!" Mr. Davidson fired back. "They now want to cancel! They would have gone to the media if I hadn't complied. You know how influential their family is. You're lucky they aren't taking their deposit back!"

"Cancel?" Aunika's eyes fluttered. Something—Something wasn't right about this...

"I knew it! You're too young to run your own business! I want to pull out my investment. Every last cent! I don't care what you say! There's no changing my mind!"

"Wait, Mr. Davidson—"

Her voice only reached the dial tone.

Yuki gripped the flower bundle in her arms. "Was that Mr. Davidson? Did he…"

"He did." Aunika nodded, staring at her phone screen. "Odd how he knew about it. He never comes by the shop. No customer has his number supposedly… The client cancelled and he agreed to it. Where would they even find flowers in time?"

Aunika looked at Yuki and Sakura. Frown lines creased between her brows. Oh, there were other flower shops but none of them would have enough for a big order at the last minute.

None of the events add up.

At least, not by pure coincidence.

"You don't think he has anything to do with this, do you?" Sakura voiced out what was on their minds.

"We can't assume anything" was all Aunika said.

"Let's say he did though," Yuki picked up and continued the topic. "He'd also suffer a loss. Why would he go to all that trouble?"

"Not unless..." Aunika paused. Then, she shook her head, grabbing her flower bundles. "Let's not talk about it here. We should go."

"What's going on over there?" Cal asked a janitor, noticing the flowers by the reception counter. He heard yelling when he and his team walked in. The noise had gone down but he waited to hear more.

His icy blue eyes were trained on a slender back and a head of brown hair.

"They—We're not allowed to eavesdrop on guests, general manager," the janitor stuttered.

Cal glanced his way. "So if you overhear suspicious people talking about a bomb in the hotel, you'll pretend to be deaf?"

The janitor flinched. He cleared his throat and summarized the situation. "I—It seems they were given the wrong address for the flower delivery. The buyer won't be paying."

Cal regarded the group once again. Then, he focused on the flowers they carried. Their warm colors stood out and their refreshing scent filled the lobby. Their unique presence created a difference compared to the usual flowers they have around.

"Louis," Cal called out without averting his gaze.

"Yes, boss?"

"Buy all the flowers they have on hand and tell the help to put them in our executive rooms." Cal met his blue eyes once and resumed walking, passing by the reception.

Louis blocked his path. Cal could be impulsive but business decisions needed explanations. "I know you're being generous but why the executive rooms?"

"Don't you know what those flowers are?" Cal pointed towards flower bundles. "They're hard to grow in this country and they're in pristine condition. Not many shops can pull that off. Now, go negotiate a price. Dion, you go with him."

He walked around Louis with Hugo tagging along.

Louis and Dion exchanged looks.

But then Aunika and her group made their way towards the entrance. Louis ran up to them and skidded to stop. His arms were raised like an eagle, cutting them off.

"Excuse me!" He exclaimed.

Aunika hugged her flowers tighter.

"Hi, right. Let me start over." Louis softened his tone and pulled out a business card. "I'm Louis Dwayne. I'm an assistant for the general manager of the hotel."

"Oh!" Aunika blinked. "We apologize for the commotion. We're leaving now—"

"No, please. Stay."

"Well, that's a familiar line…" Dion snorted behind the group. He'll have to tease Louis about that one later.

"What I mean is… we couldn't help but overhear your predicament. And we'd like to buy your flowers. They're now for sale, I presume?" Louis flashed his best smile.

Yuki's face lit up. "Yes! They are! You can have as many as you want."

"Yuki!" Aunika warned her. The latter pressed her lips together. Aunika faced forward once again. "Mr. Dwayne—"

"Please call me, Louis."

"Mr. Louis."

Dion hid his laugh with a cough. He didn't know this woman but he liked her already.

"While we deeply appreciate the offer, Whitlock is a prestigious hotel. We're just a small flower shop downtown. I don't think we're appropriate for your image," Aunika said. An offer to display their flowers at the Whitlock Hotel?

It was an opportunity too good to pass.

But the risk was too big. Important figures reside in this hotel. If things took a sour turn, her business would suffer and she wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Not appropriate?" Louis scoffed, brushing off her words with a wave of his hand. "These flowers are hard to grow in the country, right? You had them imported and they're in brilliant condition. You went above and beyond despite being a small business. Not just anyone can pull that off."

Dion pinched the bridge of his nose.

If Louis could channel his talent at recycling speeches to recycling waste, he might be able to save the ocean and the fishes.