Page 2 of Flowers Near Me

Gritting her teeth, Persephone kept her tone cool. “I know.”

Her mom made a low, disapproving hum over the line. “Hades’ team would’ve shared the same results with him by now and you know how vindictive he can be. Remember when he patented those product scanners before our contractors could?”

How could she forget? He stole a product out from under the noses of its inventors. Patent law was his weapon of choice and he wielded it without mercy. Thankfully, Persephone had instructed theFlowers Near Me’s developer to submit the necessary patent paperwork ages ago.

“He could shut down our delivery app with a claim that it violates some law he wrote,” her mom warned.

Chin lifted, Persephone replied, “I’d like to see him try considering his app is pretty similar to ours.”

Not for long, though.With the addition of theFlowers Near Meapp, she’d gain new tools that would give Demeter’s Bounty the upper hand in their profits race with Underworld Unlimited.

Demeter laughed but with a stern voice added, “I mean it. He plays by his own rules.”

Her throat went tight. Now the sweat forming on her brow wasn’t from the evening heat. “Don’t worry. Bye, Mom.”

“I love you, my clever girl.”

Soft yellowsand oranges reflected off the white marble facade of the restaurant. Shoulders back, Persephone held her head high and entered through the bronze revolving doors. Chilled air greeted her, and she pulled her hair out of the bun, letting it fall past her shoulders. Walking toward the hostess stand, she glanced at the large, ornate clock on the wall.

With her mom’s warning tobe carefulfresh in her mind, she scanned the lobby. Could Hades have spies here? Hades wanted this app almost as much as she did, but he wasn’t the one with an in-person dinner meeting, even if his dark, towering building was right across the street. Was he bold enough to disrupt her meeting with the developer, Eurydice?If he had nothing better to do, he would.She silently prayed to the Fates he wouldn’t dare. She needed this more than he did.

A raven-haired hostess greeted her with a tender smile. Backlit by warm candlelight glowing from the tables and minimalist chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, the server looked like a siren in front of a glittering oasis in a sea of black.

“Good evening. Thank you for dining with us, Miss Ioulo.”

Persephone stared for a moment before answering. “Hi… yes, thanks. Reservation for two.”

It had only been a month ago when her mom revealed to all of Olympus that her dedicated operational executive was, in fact, her youngest daughter. Nepotism be damned, Persephone had earned her leadership role when coworkers all thought she was a nobody, and she was glad she didn’t have to hide who she was anymore. But she mourned her former anonymity when out in public.

“Please follow me. Your guest is already here.” A different but still beautiful server guided her past black-clothed tables set with dark gold cutlery and vases filled with gardenias.

On her left, a curved bar ran the length of the dining room. At the opposite wall, floor-to-ceiling windows boasted an enormous view of the picturesque metropolis. The server gestured towards a secluded corner booth where a young woman sat.

“Thank you,” said Persephone as she gave a slight dip of her chin.

With an outstretched hand, Persephone approached the woman she recognized from their video calls. “Hi, so nice to meet you in person, Eurydice.”

“Yes, it is. Thank you, Persephone. This means a lot.” A wide-eyed Eurydice stood and shook Persephone’s hand with the firmness of a seasoned professional and not of a recent grad. A smile spread across Persephone’s face at Eurydice’s cheery grin, easing the anxiety in her gut. They settled in their seats and a server set sparkling water on the table before taking their drink orders.

A giddiness fluttered inside Persephone.Eurydice is going to sign with me.She was certain of it by the way Eurydice’s cheeks pinched in barely restrained joy.

Persephone sat tall. “Let’s talk business first, then we can enjoy our meals.” She set her phone in her bag, intent on giving Eurydice her undivided attention. “I sent you an updated contract. Have you read it?”

Nodding, Eurydice pulled out a tablet from her purse. “I did. Thank you for making those changes.”

Thank me?This app promised to be huge and the fact it came with enviable intellectual property any distributor would want made it irresistible.

The waiter returned with their drinks and took their food orders, and they quickly got back to their discussion of the timeline for launch. Persephone was ready to release it as soon as possible, where Eurydice wanted a longer testing period so that there were no bugs.

It was important to Persephone that Eurydice understood and was content with the terms of the acquisition. They’d be working together for the next year and as much as the gods claimed thatbusiness wasn’t personal, Persephone found that it most definitely was.

By the time Eurydice’s blackened grouper and Persephone’s braised butternut squash arrived, they had all but signed the deal.

“Are you certain you want me to be the spokesperson?” asked Persephone. It was a last-minute addition Eurydice had requested, and Persephone worried the young developer was concerned with stroking Persephone’s ego. The gods may have liked that type of worship, but Persephone didn’t. “Because Aphrodite would be a much better fit?—”

“No. It has to be you.” Clipped and firm. Eurydice’s immediate reply caught Persephone off guard. She hadn’t expected her to be so adamant. It should’ve made her pause—why her, when Aphrodite would be a natural fit? But she shook off the thought. The deal was nearly sealed. That’s what mattered.

Flowers Near Meopened up the flower market to the masses. All you had to do was snap a photo of the flowers you were selling, share your location, and name your price. Any user could go on and search for available flowers in their area. The seller set a meeting location to meet the buyer and it was done.

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