Different Flowers, Same Man

On my birthday, Wes insisted on buying me flowers. Knowing his family struggled financially, I deliberately picked a modest $15 bouquet. That very same afternoon, a massive delivery of red roses arrived for my roommate, filling nearly half our room. When she picked up her phone to express her thanks, a man’s voice filtered softly through the speaker. "I am glad you like them." The tone was lazy and warm, ending on a slightly upturned, husky trail. The entire dorm erupted into teasing squeals, but I froze in place. That voice belonged to Wes. 1 At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. However, I had always been hyper-sensitive to sound. Wes had a distinct timbre, especially the subtle, rising pitch at the end of his sentences. Leah hung up the phone and offered a casual explanation to the room. "The flowers were from my fiancé." A sudden hush fell over the room. Leah had been chasing the star athlete from the neighboring department for over three years. Where had a fiancé suddenly materialized from? Leah shrugged nonchalantly. "It is an arranged marriage between our families. He is handsome and wealthy enough, but neither of us wanted to settle down with just one person before getting hitched. So, we made a deal: until the wedding, we each play the field." She plucked a single stem from the bouquet, her tone breezy. "He took on a new girlfriend earlier this year. We agreed that whatever he buys for her, he has to compensate me with a version worth a hundred times the price." In the lower right corner of the flower wrapper, a price tag remained partially unpeeled. $1,500. Leah flicked the tag with her manicured fingernail, letting out a sharp scoff. "Tsk. Imagine giving a girl a paltry $15 bouquet. That poor girl must be completely brainless, suffering alongside a wealthy heir pretending to be broke, actually believing she found true love." Her voice held no pity, only cruel amusement. With those words, her gaze drifted toward the stems in my arms. "Audrey, you got flowers too, didn't you? The petals do not look very fresh, though. How much were they?" Not a dollar more, not a dollar less. They were exactly fifteen dollars. 2 In truth, those were not the flowers I had originally chosen. Earlier that day, as I passed a local florist, a gorgeous arrangement in the display window caught my eye. Soft strawberry almond spray roses paired with delicate white violets, fluffy and light, like a cloud dipped in sunset glow. I fell in love with them at first sight. The clerk informed me the bouquet cost $60. Wes had taken my hand, looking into my eyes with a tender smile. "Audrey, it is your birthday. If you love them, let us get them. I still have a bit of cash left." He hesitated briefly before adding in a soft voice, "Though, after buying these, I might have to live on instant noodles for the next month. But do not worry about me. Your happiness matters more than anything." I knew how difficult his life supposedly was. His mother had passed away early, and his father was buried under gambling debts. Nearly every cent Wes earned went toward clearing those loans. We had met during our senior internships. He arrived later than I did, frequently approaching me with questions about work. As the days went by, those questions turned into a quiet, earnest pursuit. He was exactly my type, modest yet brimming with quiet ambition. So, I accepted his confession. I thought we were two kindred spirits, working tirelessly to build a life together in a cold, massive city. How could I ever bear to let him eat instant noodles for a month? So, as much as I adored those strawberry almond roses, I pulled Wes away from the shop. We stood at a late-night street stall, bargaining for a long time before settling on a simple bouquet of cheap alstroemeria. When he paid, Wes looked deeply moved. The warm streetlamp cast a soft glow across his features. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, his voice thick with emotion. "Audrey, you suffer so much just by being with me. I promise I will work hard to give you everything you deserve." At the time, I threw my arms around him, my heart overflowing with sweetness. I had no idea that while holding me in his arms, he was quietly placing an order for another girl, paying a hundred times the price. Nor did I know that his surname belonged to the Kensington family, the prominent dynasty behind the very conglomerate where I was interning. 3 I did not linger in the dorm. My internship location was far from campus, requiring a two-hour commute each way. To save time, Wes and I had rented a modest apartment near the office. By the time I carried my files back to the apartment, it was already nine at night. The mouth-watering aroma of home-cooked food rushed out to meet me as I opened the door. A small cake sat in the center of the dining table. Wes emerged from the kitchen carrying two hot dishes, offering me a bright smile. "You came back right on time. The food is freshly cooked, just waiting for you." I had always been an avoidant personality type. On the subway ride over, I had envisioned confronting Wes, demanding to know why he lied, screaming at him through tears before walking away for good. Yet, seeing him fussing around the apartment for my sake, I felt only an overwhelming sense of numbness. Why would a billionaire heir squeeze into a tiny, cramped rental, meticulously acting the part of a destitute soul? The candles were lit, and a party hat was placed on my head. I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and made a silent wish. When I opened my eyes, Wes was staring intently at his phone. The pale light of the screen illuminated his face, catching a subtle, lingering smile at the corner of his lips. Moments later, my phone vibrated with a notification from the dorm group chat. Leah had posted a screenshot of a bank transfer for $2,500. She wrote: My fiancé just sent me more money. This time, it is to cover the cake he bought for that girl. Honestly, he is celebrating someone else's birthday and still remembers me. Isn't he worried his little girlfriend will get jealous? Below her message, my other roommates flooded the chat with praise, calling her the absolute queen of the relationship. My eyes remained fixed on the profile picture in the screenshot. It was a shot of a man's back on a beach, his white shirt billowing in the sea breeze. I was the one who had taken that photo for Wes. "What are you staring at so intently?" Wes reached over, lightly smudging a dab of cream onto my forehead. His eyes darkened as he leaned closer, his voice dropping into a raspy whisper. "Audrey, let us move to the bedroom, alright?" We had been together for six months. We held hands and kissed, but we had never taken that final step. I was afraid of pain, and he had never forced me, always holding me tightly through the night while quietly enduring his own restraint. Tonight, I had originally intended to give myself to him completely. After buying the flowers, I had even stopped by a convenience store to buy a box of ultra-thin protection. It was sitting right on the entryway table. However, the thought that Wes was Leah's fiancé made my stomach turn with violent revulsion. I pushed him away, turned around, and began packing my belongings. Coincidentally, our monthly lease expired tomorrow. "I am moving back to the dorms. I will not be renewing the lease." He froze slightly. "Why the sudden decision to move back? Audrey, if you are unhappy, can you tell me why?" I ignored him, continuing to fold my clothes into my suitcase. Raised as a spoiled heir accustomed to being catered to, his patience quickly ran thin. "Audrey, your mood has been off ever since you got home tonight. I spent the entire evening cooking, and you have not taken a single bite. Is this all because I did not buy you that $60 bouquet? When did you become so materialistic, throwing a tantrum just because you did not get a present?" How fascinating that in an economic downturn, opting out of a sixty-dollar purchase could get someone labeled as materialistic. I raised my head and met his gaze dead-on. "Wes, is there anything you are keeping from me?" He went still for a second, then shook his head smoothly. "No. Nothing at all." 4 I did not rip off the mask right then and there. Kensington Corp belonged to his family, and it was the top firm in my field nationwide. I had worked as an intern for six months, fighting fiercely for a full-time offer. My team lead had quietly assured me that my evaluations were stellar, and my spot was practically guaranteed. Yet on the day the final hiring list was posted, I searched from top to bottom three separate times, unable to find my name anywhere. I walked into my team lead's office to ask for an explanation. With a conflicted expression, she pulled me into a private breakroom and lowered her voice. "Audrey, did you happen to offend someone higher up?" I looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" "Your name was originally on the approved list. Yesterday, a high-level executive made a personal call and had your name crossed off directly." Stepping out of the breakroom, I saw Wes sitting at his intern desk. Naturally, his name was not on the list either. A wealthy heir interning was merely a casual game to pass the time. He offered me a paper cup of warm tea, speaking in a soothing, gentle tone. "Audrey, it is alright. There are plenty of great companies out there, you do not have to stay at Kensington. Take your time searching. With your talent, you will shine anywhere." My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was the dorm group chat again. Leah had directly tagged me. @Audrey, Kensington posted their full-time offers today, right? Did you make the cut? My fiancé's girlfriend was interning there too. I do not know if you know her, but she definitely did not get the job. I told my fiancé before that outside flings are fine for fun, but no outside woman steps foot into the family firm. It was set in stone, but my fiancé wiped her name out with a single word. Isn't he obedient? My fingers tightened around my phone until my knuckles turned stark white. Wes knew how desperately I wanted this job. He knew how many nights I had slept on the office sofa just to refine project proposals. He knew my grandmother was waiting in our rural hometown for me to secure a stable job so I could bring her to the city for medical care. Yet with a single casual sentence, he erased half a year of my relentless effort. Then he turned around, put on a mask of complete innocence, and stood in front of me offering tender consolation. The hot tea in my paper cup steamed softly, scalding my fingertips with a sharp sting. Unable to contain it any longer, I grabbed the hot cup and splashed the liquid straight into his face. "Wes, are you out of your mind?!" The entire open-plan office fell so silent that only the hum of the air conditioner remained. Wes stood stunned for two seconds. He pulled out a tissue, wiped the tea from his skin, and forced down his rising temper as he looked at me. "Audrey, I know you are upset about the job, but you need to maintain your professional composure in public. Once we get home, you can throw whatever tantrum you want. You can hit me or yell at me. Let me take you out for dinner tonight, alright? Please stop being angry." His tone remained impossibly gentle, as though he were not the very person orchestrating my downfall behind my back. Since I was not getting the job anyway, there was no need to maintain any professional courtesy in this building. I scooped up a heavy stack of printed project files from the desk and slammed them hard against his chest. "We are broken up." Without another word, I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out. Wes’s voice chased after me, heavy with suppressed anger. "Audrey, are you really going to hold a grudge forever just because I did not buy those strawberry almond roses? Throwing this kind of temper at me... with such fragile emotional control, it is no wonder the company did not keep you! You need to reflect on your own issues!" Stepping out of the corporate tower, torrential rain was pouring from the sky. The path toward the subway station was already flooded with deep water. In the past, whenever it rained along this road, Wes would crouch down and lift me onto his back. Audrey loves wearing white sneakers, I cannot let Audrey's shoes get dirty. Back then, I would wrap one arm tightly around his neck, holding an umbrella high over both our heads with the other, chatting happily about our future. Now, heavy raindrops slammed into the murky puddles, shattering the water into countless tiny ripples. I rolled up my pant legs and stepped straight into the freezing water. Rain washed over my face, cool and damp. I tilted my head toward the gray sky, letting out a long, slow breath. My grandmother had always taught me that one must know when to hold on, and when to let go. A breakup was nothing to despair over. Cutting one's losses in time was all that mattered. Everything would be fine. 5 I moved back into the dormitory. Leah owned a private apartment near campus, but upon hearing I had returned, she moved back into the dorm as well. Suddenly, she became exceedingly chatty. "My fiancé has been in a terrible mood lately. That girl suddenly broke up with him out of nowhere. My fiancé was just playing around, but getting abruptly dumped while he was still entertained threw him for a loop. Since he is my man, he came to vent to me, so I just had to bear with it." Right as she finished speaking, Leah’s phone rang. A weary male voice echoed through the room, the ending tone trailing upward with a subtle rise. "I am planning a vacation to Europe. Is there anything you want me to bring back?" Leah did not answer immediately, letting out a light chuckle instead. "Why the sudden trip to Europe? Done trying to coax your little girlfriend back?" "If she wants to throw a fit, let her. Once her emotions settle down in a few weeks, I will go back and calm her down." Leah toyed with the luxury watch on her wrist, casting a deliberate glance in my direction. "Aren't you afraid that by the time you come back, she will be completely done with you?" "No. She loves me very much." Through the speaker, the man's tone sounded impossibly certain. "She takes relationships very seriously, unlike you. If you do not tell me what you want, I will just pick something out for you randomly." After the call ended, Leah strolled over to my desk. Crossing her arms, she looked down at me with a sweet, mocking smile. "Audrey, my fiancé is heading to Europe. Is there anything you want? I can have him pick it up for you." Before I could answer, she let out a sigh. "Ah, forget it. My fiancé is quite lazy. He never bothers with other people's requests, he only brings things back for me." No matter how detached I tried to be, I could clearly hear the boastful provocation in her words. The feud between Leah and me had taken root long ago. During our freshman year, both of us entered a national entrepreneurship competition. She claimed to have hired top industry mentors, boasting that her entry would easily secure first place. When the results were posted, my name sat at the top for first prize, while she took second. From that day on, her eyes held a constant layer of hostility whenever she looked at me. Later, when I was voted the face of the campus autumn fashion showcase, her resentment only deepened. However, since she rarely stayed on campus back then, our paths seldom crossed, and I simply let things slide. Listening to her sharp taunts now, I raised my eyes to meet hers. "Your fiancé certainly treats you well. It is just a pity that despite being so good to you, he was still on his knees elsewhere, begging another girl to stay." Leah’s face turned pale. "What nonsense are you talking about?" "Didn't you say he had a girlfriend? Between a couple, kissing and holding each other is completely normal, isn't it? What, you can't even stomach that, yet you still want to play the dignified wife?" A dull thud echoed behind me as a luxury watch was slammed onto the desk. Wealthy people certainly had money to burn, throwing around a six-figure timepiece the moment they lost their temper. Yet her anger evaporated just as quickly. By evening, she returned to the dorm in high spirits, eager to share her news with the room. "Guess who I just ran into outside the library? Elyes! He was standing right under the streetlight waiting for the shuttle, tall, broad-shouldered, with impossibly long legs. I stared for so long I could barely move my feet. I am definitely going to win him over." Elyes was the guy Leah had been pursuing since freshman year, the one she remained utterly obsessed with. Our roommates crowded around her to look at the stealthy photo she had taken. Meanwhile, I sat at my desk, tapping open a message on my phone screen. It was from Elyes. Audrey, I heard you moved back to the dorms. Are you free to grab dinner sometime? I was not particularly close with Elyes. Back when I worked a part-time job at the campus dining hall, he used to frequent my station. Unlike the typical dining staff whose hands shook while serving, I always served generous portions of meat. Over time, we exchanged contact information, and he would casually message me about daily menu updates. Once I started my internship and began dating Wes, our communication naturally faded away. Until today, when he suddenly sent this message out of the blue. After a moment of thought, I politely declined. Sorry, I am quite busy sending out resumes lately. Elyes did not push further, simply replying: No rush. Whenever you are free for a meal, just let me know. The following days passed without incident. I shuttled between various corporate interviews across the city. Wes never reached out to me once. The last message in our chat history was from several days ago: Audrey, I know losing the offer was hard on you. I am giving you space to vent. I never replied. I assumed we would never cross paths again. Until one afternoon, when an urgent call arrived from my hometown. It was our neighbor. "Audrey, I passed by your yard today and saw your grandmother collapsed on the ground! I couldn't wake her up no matter what I tried! I called an ambulance to take her to the county hospital, can you come back right away?" I booked an overnight train ticket and rushed back home immediately. The doctor diagnosed her with an aortic dissection, stating that emergency surgery was required right away. The cost was roughly twenty thousand dollars, and a deposit had to be paid before the procedure. My grandmother was a simple melon farmer with virtually no savings. Even combining my work-study funds, I was nowhere near twenty thousand dollars. Pride means nothing when a human life is on the line. So, sitting in the cold hospital hallway, I dialed Wes’s number. I wanted to borrow the money from him. After a long wait, the call finally went through. His voice sounded lazy, tinged with a faint, amused smile. "Finally cooled off? You are finally willing to call me?" I kept my voice low. "Wes, I need to borrow some money from you. Twenty thousand dollars. My grandmother is severely ill..." Before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off abruptly. "Audrey, are you joking with me? You know my family situation, where would I ever get that kind of money? I just started a new part-time job and I am on the clock right now. My coworkers are calling me, I have to go." In the background, someone was indeed shouting for him, mentioning that the private yacht was about to set sail and telling him to hurry aboard. He offered a brief reply and hung up the phone. He blocked every word I had left to say. I tried dialing his number again. At first, the line was busy, and then his phone was switched off entirely. At that exact moment, the dorm group chat popped up with a new image. Leah had shared a photo of an exquisite emerald bracelet. Is it pretty? My fiancé won it for me at an auction. Imperial green jade, a rare royal collection piece valued at eight hundred thousand dollars. In the photo, the emerald gleamed with a deep, translucent luster, as clear as moonlight caught in ice. I sat alone on a bench in the hospital corridor, the sharp, sterile stench of disinfectant filling my lungs. In this world, people live in vastly different realities. Someone could spend eight hundred thousand dollars without blinking an eye, while someone else was driven to utter desperation over twenty thousand. I looked through the glass window at my grandmother lying motionless on the hospital bed. I remembered telling her not long ago that I had found a man who loved me deeply, that we were going to work hard together toward a bright future, and that I would bring him home to meet her after graduation. It turned out my eyes had been completely blind. Just as I pulled out my phone to search for alternative ways to raise the funds, a tall figure appeared at the far end of the corridor. It was Elyes. Usually immaculately groomed, he looked noticeably windblown and travel-weary. "My academic advisor mentioned there was an emergency at your home, so I took the liberty of coming down," he said softly. "Is there anything I can do to help? Whether you need funds or assistance, just say the word."