Page 13 of Flowers Near Me

“Don’t you know? I thought you signed the new agreement?”

Lightheaded, Persephone gripped Hermes’ arm. “What new agreement? Is my mom here?”

“No.” Hermes gulped. “Has anyone from the office talked to you?” He looked as sick as she felt, his tawny complexion grayer than its normal, warm hue.

Shaking her head, Persephone begged, “Please tell me what’s going on.”

“You might want to sit down,” he began. But the unmistakable sound of a determined god approaching from down the hallway made Persephone and him stop in their tracks.

A shadow loomed beside them. Then, a deep voice said, “Go on, Hermes. I’m eager to hear your explanation.”

Hermes’ throat bobbed before he shot her a sympathetic look then fled into the kitchen.Some help he was.She could hardly blame him.

With the fiercest scowl she could muster, she straightened her back and leveled her eyes at Hades’ self-satisfied face. She was Demeter’s daughter and wouldn’t tremble before anyone. Especially not him.

“Hades.”

His smug expression turned sinister as he smiled at her, displaying brilliant white teeth. “Good morning, Persephone. It’s nice to see you again so soon.”

The last thing she needed was to exchange pleasantries with him. “Where’s my mom?”

“She’s not here, but I have her on the phone.” Hades reached into his pocket and pulled out his device. One tap on the screen then he said in a cold voice, “Demeter, I’ve got Persephone.”

Her voice sure and strong, she asked, “Mom?”

“Persephone, listen carefully. You’re bound to a six-month contract with Underworld Unlimited as the spokesperson forFlowers Near Me. Hades will fill you in on the rest of the details.”

“No, I’ve signednothingwith them. I signed with Eurydice, an independent developer.” She glanced at Hades, and he raised his brows in return.

In a flat tone, her mom replied, “Hades owns the patent for the technology used in the app. Any contract signed thereafter becomes his.”

Persephone blinked. No. That wasn’t possible. It wasn’t how this worked. She knew contracts—she’d studied them, obsessed over them, ensured every clause protected her.

She glowered at Hades. He grinned back at her. He thought he’d won, but there was no way he could’ve pulled off something like this.

Persephone’s voice was strained as she said, “No, Eurydice owns the patent, not him. I made sure of it.”

“Not anymore. She sold the patent to him.”

This was the first bit of good news she’d had all day. “Then the contract she signed with me is void if she didn’t own the tech at the time of signing.”

She heard her mom clear her throat. “Normally it would be void, but you forgot to include a key clause in your contract. Had you consulted with me first, we wouldn’t have made this mistake. But alas, you didn’t and the contract you drew up didn’t include any dissolution clause in case of an existing patent. Eurydice is still part-owner and any contract she enters must be reviewed by the patent’s co-owner, Hades. It’s his to decide now.”

“That can’t be right. The legal team reviewed it and accounted for existing IP.”

Demeter’s audible huff sounded. “No. IP law isn’t some magical catchall that protects you from patents, Sephy. You should’ve talked to me first. I’d never make this mistake. And unfortunately, Hades caught your misstep.”

Persephone’s heartbeat pounded in her head. If it was up to him, then maybe she could convince him to dissolve it? Why would he ever work with her? There was no way heactuallywanted her to be the spokesperson now that he owned all rights to the app.

The bite of shame sunk its teeth into her and she stared at the floor. How could she look at the rival who’d bested her? It didn’t matter that he was a god. She should’ve known better.Mom would’ve known better.She’d never be president of Demeter’s Bounty now.

Interrupting her thoughts, her mom added, “Hades is offering you a six-month employment term to avoid binding you to a lengthy non-compete. I suggest you take it. Don’t make a fuss and don’t involve my team.”

The strong tone of her mom’s final statements left no question. There was nothing her mom could do right now to reverse it. That didn’t mean Persephone gave up hope that she’d get out of it. Demeter just needed more time, and Persephone needed to play nice long enough for things to get sorted.

Hades held up one finger to Persephone. “Demeter, is there anything else you want to say to Persephone before you hang up?”

Persephone’s mouth dropped open and her brows pinched as she stared back at Hades and held her breath. Hades’ word may be law in Olympus, but he had no right to keep her from speaking to her mom.

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