Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

Connor returned home and, not finding Flora in the living room, turned to Henrik, who was lounging on the couch. "Hey, have you seen Flora?" "She's in her room, probably catching some Z's," Henrik replied.

Flora had gone upstairs over two hours ago and hadn't come down since. She'd mentioned feeling tired earlier, so Henrik figured she was just napping. "I'll go check on her," Connor said as he headed upstairs, careful not to make any noise when he opened the door, thinking Flora might be asleep.

The curtains were drawn, making the room dim. Connor tiptoed inside, only to see Flora sitting on the bed with her back to him.

So, she wasn't asleep after all.

He moved closer with a few larger strides. "Did you wake up, or have you been up the whole time?" Connor set down the bags he was carrying on a small table. "I got you the lavender shortbread you wanted. You didn't respond when I asked if you wanted anything else, so I picked up a few more snacks I think you'll like. They're really good-come on, give them a try."

Despite his words, Flora stayed silent. Connor frowned. "Flora?"

Something was definitely off.

Usually, she'd be the first to greet him when he got back.NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

He went over and crouched in front of her. Her gaze was distant, not even looking at him.

"Are you upset with me? Is it because I got back late? I had some stuff to deal with today, it wasn't intentional. And I wasn't bothered about last night."

"Did Kruz do something to upset you? Or was it someone else? Just say the word, and I'll sort them out for you."

He asked patiently, but Flora kept quiet. Her silence made him anxious.

He grabbed her hand, noticing how cold it was. "Flora!"

"What's wrong? Can you tell me, please?" He'd never seen her look so lost, and it twisted his heart with worry, though he kept his voice calm. Flora still didn't speak.

But it seemed like she was slowly coming back to reality, her eyes starting to focus.

Connor stood up, realizing asking more questions wouldn't help. Flora wasn't going to talk.

He'd figure it out himself.

He glanced at the laptop on the desk. It wasn't shut down; it seemed to have just run out of battery.

Henrik had said Flora was fine before she went up to her room, so whatever happened, it had to be recent. Someone must've sent her something upsetting. Connor reached for the laptop, but Flora grabbed his hand as soon as he touched it.

"Let go." Her reaction only confirmed his suspicions.

Flora stared at him stubbornly, refusing to release her grip.

"What's going on? Either you tell me, or I'll find out myself." Connor's expression hardened.

Flora kept staring.

After a moment, Connor pulled his hand free.

He grabbed a charger for the laptop and sat down on the floor, not caring how it looked.

Once the laptop powered up, he dove into the email. The system showed a file from someone named Crimson had been sent to Flora but was already deleted. Great.

Irritation flared up in Connor, and he called Moss.

"Get Crimson over here, now!"

He was determined to find out what Crimson had said to Flora to upset her like this.

"Huh?" Moss sounded confused on the other end, wondering why there was suddenly a need to bring in Crimson.