♬ ✥*

Serenity.

Demolition day was probably one of the most exciting days of my life.

Everything was officially starting, and the thrill that ran through my veins was so intense, I thought they were going to burst.

I'd already called my family to let them know of this marvellous news since the day everything was confirmed. So what happened when the renovation actually started, they drove down in-person to see the work in action. Needless to say, I was a tad embarrassed but brushed it off when I saw the mutual smiles on their faces that were identical to my own.

Keon showed up midday to double-check on how things were doing. It was all still fresh, but I was surprised to see that all of the walls were removed, the flooring was ripped out. The electrical was all exposed, some of it even removed entirely. The studio was almost unrecognisable to me; it was so bare — almost naked.

The fact that I knew it was going to turn from this caterpillar into a gorgeous butterfly warmed my heart.

Without thinking, I'd snapped a picture, and texted it to Harry. He didn't ask to see progress or anything, but I felt the need to share the moment with my investor.

He'd already invested more than just his money by now — and in my mind, we were slightly past the friendship level.

I wasn't entirely sure if we'd ever be more, but even if that didn't happen, I was content with what we had now.

Or that's what I let myself believe.

Harry didn't text me back that day, though, but sent me a reply Tuesday morning — but not through a message.

He didn't skip out on what I'd told him to find me when he arrived — because he did.

Mr CEO stepped out of his vehicle, this time exiting it without waiting for his driver to bother opening the door for him. I did wave a little hello to Archie from a distance when he saw me from a distance away.

When Harry stepped through the front doors, my focus being on him the entire time. His eyes searched around, not looking at the work that was taking place, but looking for me. The second our eyes met, a smile made its way on his face, and his emerald gems suddenly got brighter.

Another fitted grey suit adorned his body, polished black loafers, gaining some dust on them from the construction as he made his way towards me. His tie, of a lighter shade, was perfectly done up, striped with white — the same tone was his pocket square. Pretty chocolate brown hair styled like a crown, so regal and royal; and those same beautiful petal raspberry lips that spoke heart clenching words.

From the looks of it, it was clear to me that he'd stopped here before he planned on going to his office. He came to see me first, and the closer he got, the more I heard my heart pounding in my ears.

There was also one more thing that I noticed about him. Which was that to me, the world's weight was on his shoulders, but he only let them sag behind closed doors — no one else could sense that from his demeanour and appearance.

His strut towards me was as confident as could be, never faltering with the authority and power he carried. Everyone who was in the room quickly recognised who he was and stood as he passed them. Harry, on the other hand, did not give them a single glimpse of attention — as his emerald gems were locked on my sapphire ones.

"Hi, Essie," he greeted softly.

He desperately needed to stop making my heart turn soft and the butterflies in my tummy flutter.

"Hi, Tiger," I replied in the same tone. "You look happy."

"I am." He smiled, just light enough so that his dimples began to deepen. "I'm here with you, aren't I?"

This man is going to be the death of me.

I like him so much, it's starting to hurt.

Who are you kidding yourself, Serenity? It's clear as day he likes you, but we can't do anything about it.

Investor and partner — that's all.

"Tell that to the Harry Styles who was there when we first met." I laughed.

"Touché," he said, biting his lip nervously. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"It's okay," I softly replied, watching his expression relax from my assurance.

It was evident that the way he first treated me was still on his mind, and he wanted to clear his conscience — it was kind of adorable.

Then, I went on and asked why he didn't reply to my text but mentioned that he was asleep on the flight back, which was a rarity for him. Apparently, he could never sleep on flights, claiming that he also had endless work that needed to be done, but this time was entirely different.

I was happy for him.

Every time I saw Harry before, there were dark circles under his eyes, and I knew that he didn't get enough shuteye. Sometimes I wondered how many hours he truly got per night — that's if he got any at all.

"So you wanted to give me something?" he asked, bringing up what I'd mentioned over the phone.

"Yeah. Actually, there's a couple of things. Item two is waiting for you at your office." I grinned, and he raised a brow.

"And item one?" he questioned, with curiosity. I noticed his eyes scan down to my hands, trying to see if I was holding onto something, but I wasn't.

Without another word, I took another step closer and wrapped my arms around him just like I'd done last week. This time, I held on tighter, and immediately got the same sensation as he didn't hesitate to return the hug.

"You deserve the world, Harry," I whispered in our embrace.

His face was buried in the crook of my neck, feeling the warmth of his breath against me. It wasn't just that, though. The tingling sensation sparked through me as his stubble pricked me slightly, along with the softest brush of lips touched my bare skin — and I'd thought that it was nothing but a dream. I heard the way his inhales were heavier as if he were trying his hardest to take in my scent to never forget it — I knew because I was doing the exact same. A musky vanilla aroma that was now permanently tattooed in my memory.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, neither one of us making any effort to move.

Eventually, and slowly, he released me. It was suddenly then that I felt a strong sense of missing someone — even though he was standing right in front of me. I desperately wished I could take him in my arms again.

However, before we parted entirely, I leaned forward and kissed his other cheek whilst letting my lips linger on his skin for a short while. Pulling back, I held a smile, watching carefully as his eyes were fluttering open — just as they'd done the last time. 

"I love symmetry," I said simply.

"Thank you, Serenity," he spoke tenderly. His eyes were gazing at me with such adoration it was making my heart burst and it rose a blush onto my face.

"You're welcome, Harry."

Yeah, I was definitely, and ultimately screwed because of him.

Removing his focus off me, he looked around, seeing that the studio down to its studs, as the work was taking place. Then he glanced over at one man in particular who was drenched in sweat and about to take his shirt off. His plan, however, changed as soon as Harry gave him a glare that I thought would send the poor man to his grave.

But when he turned back around to face me, it was almost as if that expression had never just happened. "Everything looks great here, by the way. It's going to turn out amazing."

"It better. If it's not, I'm blaming you," I teased.

"Hey, you chose this architecture firm, not me," he pointed out with a small chuckle.

"True, but sometimes I like blaming things on other people for the heck of it," I paused, "I mean, not always, but sometimes."

"You're quite something, Essie."

"As are you, Tiger," I replied in the same way. "By the way, you didn't tell me what the other thing you were going to say on the phone. What was it?"

"Maybe some other time," he said, and I could tell by the tone of his voice he didn't want to talk about anything personal now.

"Fine."

"You're not putting up a fight?" He seemed truly surprised, and I decided to change my response to him or make him think I was overly curious. I mean, I was, but it wasn't the time for that.

"Of course, not. I don't want my tiger to show up to work all riled up."

Wait, what? My? Serenity, you've officially lost your mi—

"You rile it up just by knowing you," he whispered, almost to himself — but I heard him. "But I do have to get to the office."

"So soon?" I tilted my head, feeling disappointed by his news. I knew he would have to leave eventually, but it still put a pang in my heart.

"It's eight-thirty."

"In that case, Mr CEO is very late." I laughed, trying to push my saddened emotions away. "You sleep in?"

"For the first time since I've been to school when I was a kid, yes. I did sleep in. Jet lag's a bitch."

"You should've tried some chamomile tea before you slept." I grinned.

"Linda didn't shown up this morning or make a call. She'd normally do something like that. I should fire her."

Say who now?

"Linda?"

"My housekeeper," he stated simply.

Oh.

"Right." I nodded once, then tilted my head, looking him square in the eye. "Will you fire her?"

"Probably not."

"You really do need to stop throwing that phrase around." I chuckled at his truthful answer, but his demeanour changed. His expression hardened, and he stood tall, seeming clearly offended by my comment.

"Are you telling me what to do, Miss Hayes?" he asked, his tone cold with a harsh glare.

Teasing still seemed new to him. He had to get used to it if he was going to be around me more often.

"Not at all, Mr Styles." I smirked and watched his eyes narrow at me. He tried to keep a firm expression towards me but failed when his lips cracked into a small smile. He shook his head and bit his bottom lip.

"Unbelievable," he muttered.

"So, as we were saying, you're going to be late, and I have things to do."

"You're kicking me out?"

"Hey, you're the one who said you had to leave for work. You can stick around if you want to. I have some research to do."

"Research?"

"Yeah, some guy came by a few days ago saying he wanted to buy my studio. Actually, it was the day you and I talked after we hung up. Anyway, it was like he was out of his mind. This place is not for sale. River and I told him off, though."

"River?" he said, and I swear I heard him mutter, "Fucking again?"

"Yes, we were here together. Dancing."

"Did he hurt you again?" He took a protective step forward, but I waved him off in assurance.

"No, Harry. He didn't."

"I don't like where his hands were on you the last time I saw you two dancing."

"Hands on me? Where?"

"On your — um — sort of — really close your um — fuck," he mumbled, then gave up with trying to explain the obvious.

His words hit me hard. He didn't just see me fall, he was watching us dance the entire time. I wasn't sure if that would be considered as creepy, curious, jealous, or protective.

"Need I remind you, I'm a dancer."

"So?" A perfect brow raised on his gorgeous face. The annoyance in his expression was simply priceless.

I couldn't help but lightly chuckle at his single word. "You have issues, Harry."

"I don't have issues."

"Right, keep telling yourself that. Riv and I, we're best friends, nothing more."

"Doesn't look like that to me with how he touches you," he said, grimacing as he recalled memories that were clearly unpleasant for him.

It was cute.

"Harry, just stop talking." I raised my hand to halt him from saying anything further. "Anyway, I need to continue doing my research. You know, figure out who this guy is, and find a new place so Riv and I can rehearse."

"I thought the dancing would've stopped."

"No. He has his audition coming up soon, and I'm dancing with him for it. It's coming up soon so we have to perfect the routine."

"I don't like that id—"

"You really need a day to just chill. My goodness, you're always so stressed and tense."

"I'm fine."

"That's what you said when you puked your guts out in your office," I pointed out, with a smirk on my face.

That didn't make him happy.

"You need to just relax, Harry. Everyone needs to do that."

"Not me."

"Oh, right. I forgot. You're Mr CEO, a multimillionaire who can't have a day off because he's too busy being superman of the business world." I laughed, catching some attention from the men, who quickly went back to work.

"You're not amusing me," he huffed.

"Do you have a cape?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"I should get you a pair of tights and a shirt that says —"

"Serenity, I mean this in the nicest possible way, shut up."

"Well, someone's grouchy this morning. You didn't have your coffee yet, did you?"

"No."

"That explains why you're Mr Grumpy Pants. Don't neglect that coffee, Mr Styles. We wouldn't want another false promise to fire someone else, now, would we?" Another chuckle escaped my mouth, as my tongue grazed along the corner of my lips in enjoyment. 

"Infuriating, I swear." His tone was ruthless as he shook his head in fury. 

If he wasn't amused, I definitely was.

"Ta-ta, Mr Styles."

"So you really are kicking me out?" he questioned while quirking a brow, and I only grinned at him. "Fine. In that case, Miss Hayes, your relief is only temporary."

A smirk quickly appearing, that smug and cocky demeanour presenting itself once more. He was using my own words against me.

"Is it?" I bit the corner of my mouths, looking at him with the same expression.

"I guess time will only tell." He shrugged his shoulders lightly, watching as the tip of his tongue poked out to graze the corner of his lips.

That was surely not innocent, but feisty, undoubtedly so.

"I suppose so," I agreed, sending him a mischievous smile.

Just as he turned around to leave, he raised his hand, called my name, and faced me again. This time, his brows were furrowed, and his lips were sucked in. He rose his focus from the ground to meet my gazed, puzzled at his newfound expression.

"Do you mind emailing me who this person is? I can figure it out for you."

"I can figure it out on my own."

"I have a right to know, Serenity. We're partners in this business, remember?"

"You know, I feel like both of us keep pulling out that card. Apparently, it's a great one to use," I joked. "I'll email it to you in a bit."

"Before you do your dancing," he firmly spoke.

"Yes, Mr Styles. Any other requests?" I replied in a soft angelic tone, enjoying seeing how the blood was boiling in his veins.

"No."

"Goodbye, then, Harry."

"Bye," he mumbled, looking at the ground, and back up again at me. "Have a nice day, Essie."

"You too, Tiger." I smiled, and he did the same, then turned around to walk back to the front doors.

A smile on Harry Styles was absolutely precious. The way his dimples dug deep into his cheeks, and how his emerald eyes lit up, putting all rare gems to no worth, as they sparkled to an infinite view.

And then his jealously, it was something to enjoy and amuse myself with. Especially when I saw him snap at a few of the workers to focus on their job, and not use their free time to goggle gorgeous women.

At that moment in time, I was the only female in the room, since the other few in the crew were outside grabbing more materials.

Harry, there's no doubt you'll be the emotional death of me.

My feelings rapidly switched between excited and nervous; and those were regarding the gift I got him, and finding out whoever that man was. I just hoped everything would be revealed soon.

So I put matters in my own hand and did what I needed to do.

♬ ✥*

Harry.

When I got to the company, Iris was waiting for me in the lobby. She told me everything that was on my schedule on the way up to my office. Usually, I would've never asked her to do that, but there was a shit ton of things to be done, and I needed to make sure she knew everything on the lists.

"Mr Styles, you also had a delivery today," she informed, just as we stepped foot onto my floor, then stood by her desk.

"What is it?" I asked, even though I already knew something was waiting for me — from Essie.

"I put it on your desk."

"Alright," I said, playing it cool. I didn't want to see over enthused to know what it was. Knowing Serenity, it could be absolutely anything. "Reply to those last emails, then get me the Tanaka Group proposal on my desk. I want to take another look at it, then give Phillip a call. I need to take his opinion on it."

"Emails, proposal, and call your lawyer. Anything else?"

"A double espresso. I have a splitting headache. Fucking drills and machines in the morning do not help," I spoke, rubbing my right temple, then made my way to my office.

"Okay," she replied, "And oh, one more thing, Mr Styles."

Letting out a rough groan and a deep sigh, I turned around to find my personal assistant with a sly smile on her face.

"I really like your new floral cologne. It smells really nice."

She knew. Bloody fucking hell.

It was bad enough when I just told her to add the letter 'E' with Serenity's number to my urgent call list. I already had to answer her question about why the letter and the nickname slipped. I was so far deep into my attraction towards that woman that I was starting to lose sense of where to stop talking about my personal life.

I was thankful that it was just my PA — and well, Archie.

He ended up pestering me about Serenity after I spent the night at her place when she took care of me. That man would not get the hint that I didn't want to bring up the subject, so I finally gave in.

His words were warm and kind. He knew bits about my previous relationship and wanted me to actually be happy this time. Archie firmly believed that Serenity was good for me — and I already figured that part out.

That's beside the fact she constantly pissed me off.

But that wasn't just the problem. I knew that there was no doubt about it that I liked Essie. There, however, was one that I knew I had to stay away from — love.

Sure I trusted her, but there was no chance my wall preventing my heart to fully give in to whatever that emotion was anymore. It was not going to fucking happen.

Hearts are just meant to break; I knew that I was putting myself in a pit of fire, and I was eventually going to get burned.

So I had to prevent that from happening. The issue was, I knew what I needed to do to make sure that I never did — I just didn't know exactly when. 

As for right now, I just had to continue with my temporary happiness.

"Don't push it, Iris. I can still fire you."

"You wouldn't dream of it, Mr Styles."

"You sound like her more and more every day."

"We're friends now. Her ways have rubbed off on me since we met," she said with a grin.

"Oh, I can tell. Now, get back to work," I firmly spoke, and watched as she saluted me still holding that same expression.

Fuck.

Immediately, I continued my path to my original destination towards my personal sanctuary. It was an emotionally draining refuge, but a place that I was, nonetheless, comfortable in. Except there was one place that I wished I could be again — sleeping next to Serenity.

The moment I closed the office doors behind me, I was immediately greeted with the sweetest of aromas. My eyes closed as I took the scent in — so familiar, so fragrant, and so beautiful.

As I walked closer to my desk, I saw the delivered item placed, clear as day, on the top of it. I couldn't believe my eyes as I observed the delicate gift. Once I reached it, I couldn't help but run my fingers ever-so-gently along the surface of the velvety petals.

The petals of pink and yellow Dutch tulips.

A soft pastel Tuscan Sun yellow near the sepal of the flower and gradients into a pink champagne closer to the tips of the petals. So exquisitely dainty, yet fragile that need the most exceptional care in the world. Pear green stems, holding up the head with mighty strength. Precious and treasurable to admire both the beauty of its appearance and to cherish the fragrant scent.

And this tulip bouquet, it was an absolutely magnificent masterpiece.

But other than the stunning selection, the colour choice wasn't mistaken; I knew what Essie was getting at — and that made my heart beat faster than a sprinter going for gold at the Olympics.

There was something that nobody knew about me; a secret that no other soul was aware of — I went to a school for floral design. It was a short course, but I wanted to do it for myself. Flowers were a part of my soul, and I absolutely loved them.

I was a firm believer that there everyone had some sort of a preferred flower — or just something that they always found them to be pretty. It didn't matter if they didn't know what the name was, whether they were wildflowers, roses, begonias, peonies, baby's breath, or any beautiful blossom.

Me, though, I knew everything there was about flowers. The types, best temperature and ways to grow them, the colours, meanings, and how to arrange them.

Linda and Archie knew that I had a small botanical garden just on the roof of my penthouse. Flowers of all sorts were there and were being taken care of; however, not by me. I couldn't even remember since I last entered it — or hell, just simply been on the roof.

For them, though, I made sure they signed a contract to never tell anyone about it. No one else entered my apartment except for them, and I needed to make sure that even just mentioning it was a rule breaker. It sounded crazy to say that I could sue them for breaching a contract about saying I had a botanical garden, but it was personal, and I didn't care — it was part of my vulnerability.

So, the hybrid in the hues that Serenity gifted to me was carefully and thoughtfully chosen.

Yellow tulips: those represented happiness and hope. In the past, Victorias believed that they meant that sunshine exists in a person's smile.

Pink tulips: those represented care, attachment, and a liking towards someone. They were the perfect gift for family, friends, or one they were highly fond of.

Essie didn't just care about me, she also liked me.

It seemed like it was the only way she could tell me — but only through action.

Tulips filled the city at this time of year, but I refused to go out, take a stroll and admire them. They were my only personal source of happiness, and somehow, it's as if I genuinely stopped wanting that to want that for myself.

The green plants in my company were for environmental purposes only and not for myself.

But Essie, she was trying to put joy and colour back in my world of black and white. It was the first item in my possession that was colourful — and rosy pink, my favourite hue.

Serenity was pulling me closer to her without her ever knowing. My heart was so fucking attached to her that I saw her in everything I did — even in my dreams. She was so addicting and mesmerising — and that was just her persona. I didn't know much more than what she'd already told me; that, of course, is minus the little Google search I did about her zodiac.

As for her favourite flower, I was still trying to figure it out. I had the most definite feeling of a specific kind, but I wasn't planning on saying anything until I was sure.

Walking around to the other side of my desk, I unbuttoned my suit jacket and took a seat in my chair. This seat was probably one of the smuggest of things that I owned — other than part of my actual character. It made me feel influential with the decisions I made with absolute authority. The block on the edge of my working surface was engraved with my name and the title I carried — CEO.

Reaching across the top, I adjusted the vase slightly, moving it so that it was in the perfect spot. It was then that I noticed a card that was taped on the glass. Just as I'd sent Serenity a personalized note for her, she sent one as well.

Tiger,

Just a little something to brighten up your day.

Serenity Hayes (aka Essie)
Owner of Starlight Studio

P.S. I had to sign my note like you do with your fancy CEO position. Needed to make myself feel special somehow.

I sighed at her post-script. Oh, Serenity, you have no idea how special you really are.

A smile tugged at my lips as I read her small letter to me. It'd been years since I'd ever received something like this. So without thinking twice, I folded the paper and tucked it safely in my wallet.

Fuck, I was going to keep that forever.

Letting out a soft chuckle to myself and decided to get to work. Just as I was logging into my computer, Iris knocked on the door and brought me my coffee. It was exactly what I needed. She left without a word, but I could see the smirk on her face as she placed the drink on my desk.

I immediately checked my calendar, and my electronic mail quickly next. The amount was infinite, and I flagged a few, sending them to Iris for her to reply to. As I was about to click on a particular message, I received the expected email I was waiting for.

Serenity Marie Hayes — Requested Information — 9:43am — 28/04/2020

Mr Styles,

You requested the name of the man who wanted to purchase the studio. He only left a business card with his contact information. Here it is:

Taro Tanaka
Tanaka Group.

If I find out more information, I'll let you know.

Take care,
Serenity Hayes

My eyes froze at the name, my lips parted, and my heart stopped beating for a split second.

There was no fucking way that this was happening. How did my PI miss this? Tanaka Group was supposed to not do any form of infringement on other businesses — or so it was publicly known. Not a fucking chance would I go into business with them after this.

Questions after questions started to swiftly roamed make their way into my mind: did Felix know anything about this? Did my PI actually know this information and keep it from me? Was that the reason behind this secrecy? Why the fuck were they checking out the businesses I was investing in? Was it just Serenity's studio?

Serenity.

Whatever the case or reason was, I needed to protect her. I wasn't going to let a single person fuck with her or her business. It was not going to fucking happen.

Without a second thought, I replied to her email. I needed to make sure she stopped beforehand. I knew that it was a long shot, but I had to try and get her to listen to me.

RE: Requested Information — 9:46am — 28/04/2020

Essie,

Don't worry about the man, Taro, and focus on your studio. I know who this person is, and I will take care of it.

Harry Styles
CEO of Urban Corp.

P.S. Don't be stubborn and do as I say. Understood?

P.P.S. Thank you for the tulips. They're beautiful. x

I pressed send and waited patiently for her to reply, which I had a feeling wouldn't take too long — and I was right.

Serenity Marie Hayes — RE: Requested Information — 9:50am — 28/04/2020

Harry,

Fine.

Essie

P.S. You're very welcome, Tiger. I'm glad you liked them. Thought it's about time you had a little colour in your life, pretty one's too. 

P.P.S. That doesn't mean I already haven't figured it out. Tell him to back off, or I'll do it myself.

P.P.P.S. Google is wonderful. You should use it sometime.

Well fuck. That just made things a lot more complicated.

Before I could think twice, the fuming sensation had already crawled up my spine, I reached for the phone on my desk. With zero patience or time for manners, I demanded Iris to connect me to someone.

To put it simply: I was fucking pissed.

...

A/N:

Oh look, a cliffhanger...ish. 

But kay, aren't my babies Essie and Harry super cute. My heart bursts for them. 

And like, Harry also took a botanical course, I AM SOFT. 

And Serenity told H about Taro...which she also knows information. What is it, though? And who did Harry call? What are your thoughts?

What else did you think about the chapter? Tell me, tell me!

Please press on that little star on the chapter, I mean, it only takes a millisecond. They're nice gifts and make me (and Essie) happy.

Kissy, stay beautiful, and always TPWK my beautiful tulips 🌷

S x