Chapter 22: She Gave Him £5000.

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: She Gave Him ￡5000.

Flora was still looking at the message on her black iPhone pro Max again and again.

Atlantic Holdings Ltd bought ￡800 million worth of shares in her company. ￡800 million. Just like that. No call. No meeting. No email asking, "Flora, can we buy?"

She loved the progress. Of course she loved it. For months ,her company has recorded slow progress, coupled with the unexpected final wish from her late husband. At least the company is alive again. She could breathe.

But in her heart, there was a small fear. A small question that would not go away.

Who does that?

Who sends ￡800 million without calling the owner? Who trusts a woman like that without even asking her if she wants to sell?

She touched her chest. Her heart was beating fast.Could this money be a trap from Andrew and co?.

She picked her phone and called Mr. Phillips.

Mr. Phillips is her accountant and head of operations in her investment company, London branch.

"Hello Madam ," Mr. Phillips said.

Flora did not smile. She looked serious.

She said. "I am very happy about this ￡800 million,God knows .But I am also a woman who thinks. Why will a company send such huge money without calling us? Without verifying? Without even asking me, ’Flora, are you the real owner?’ Don’t they fear fraud?"

"Madam, I was surprised too. I checked the transfer. It was clean. The money is from a registered company. Atlantic Holdings Ltd. But you are right. It is not normal. Normally they will call, they will do due diligence, they will visit."

Flora stood up and walked to the window. She looked outside at the garden. Lavender was moving with wind.

"Listen to me," she said, her voice low but strong. "I love this progress. I thank God for this progress. But I want to know who is behind that curtain. I want you to check this company very well. I want to know who owns it, where their office is located, what business do they do, and why they chose me.Go now and get back to me before evening. Even if I am sleeping, I will pick up."

Mr. Phillips answered. "Yes, Madam. I will check and get back to you immediately."

"Good," Flora said. "That’s all for now."

She ended the call .Flora sat down again. She held her head with so many thoughts. Is it a helper? Is it an enemy? Why Paris?

Just then, there was a soft knock on the front door.

It was Simon.

He wore his simple driver shirt, but he looked fresh. His hair was well combed. He held his small bag.

"Come in, Simon," Flora said.

Simon entered. He stood near the door, respectful as always.

"Madam," he said. "Sorry to disturb you. I want to tell you that I will be stepping out to the mall to get few things I need for my travel. I need to get some shirts and a small box."

Flora looked at him. For a moment, she forgot about the ￡800 million. She looked at Simon’s face.

She felt a sudden wave of emotion. Something soft. She did not want him to feel caged.

"Okay, Simon," she said. "No problem. You can go."

Then she opened her purse,brought out some pounds.

"Go with the Toyota Camry," she said. "Don’t take the small camry. Take the big one, it is more comfortable. And take this."

She gave him ￡5000.

Simon was shocked. "Madam, this is too much..."

Flora smiled. A real smile.

"Simon, listen," she said. "Use it to buy few scented candles for the house, then use the rest for your personal needs. Buy yourself good clothes for your travel.You need to look good. Don’t argue with me."

Simon collected the money with both hands. His hands were shaking . ￡5000. She trusted him with her Camry and even asked him to buy her candles — something very personal to a woman.

"Thank you, Madam," he said, his voice almost breaking. "Thank you very much. I will get the best candles. I will get the nice ones."

"Okay," Flora said. "Now go. Come back quick."

Simon nodded and left. He closed the door gently.

Flora watched him through the window. She saw him walk to the Camry, holding the ￡5000 tight, like a man holding a promise.

Immediately he drove out,she opened her novel app and continued last night’s story.

Simon drove gently,it was indeed a beautiful afternoon summer in the street of London.

The sun was yellow and soft, not harsh. It was sitting on top of the fine houses in Chelsea and Knightsbridge like a blessing. There was cool wind blowing from the park. He could smell flowers and fresh cut grass. People were outside. Some were sitting in cafes drinking tea while some were walking their dogs.

As he drove, he observed the car. Everything was still in place. There was no tear on the seat, and the AC worked perfectly.

Then he saw a tiny drawing of a man’s head, pasted beside the screen.

He looked at it and said, "This must be her husband. Cute man. Obviously, she has taste."

Another magazine beside him caught his attention. The front letters read, "FLOAC Company Celebrates 15 Years Anniversary."

He smiled.

"This is an old car," he said to himself. "A lot of memories live here."

He shifted his gaze back to the street and smiled.

"The car still looked brand new. Like she bought it yesterday from Toyota company. This is Flora. This is how Flora maintains her things. Very neat."

He remembered what Flora had told him on his first day as her driver, "If you drive my car, respect it. My car is not just an iron. It is a house on wheels."

He smiled again, a deeper smile this time.

He saw the red light and stopped, and his mind travelled..

"Despite Flora being strict, she is a kind soul. A very kind soul. Today she gave me ￡5000. Just like that. She said , Simon take the big Camry, it is more comfortable, and use this money to buy scented candles for the house and use the rest for your personal needs.’ Who does that for a driver? A strict woman will give ￡50 and then ask you to manage it. But she gave me ￡5000. That is kindness. She is a kind woman. Everyone in Midas Home knows.

The light turned green. He moved.

Just then, his phone rang. It was a sharp ring. He looked at the Bluetooth screen on the Camry. It was a private number. He knew who it was.

He pressed answer.

"Hello," Simon said, his voice now low and serious.

"Good day Sir, it’s me, Leo," the voice said. Leo is his Contact in Paris, handling Atlantic Holdings. "We have a situation."

"What is it?" Simon asked, still driving, eyes on the road.

"Floac company just sent an email. It came from the Head of Operations. They sent it to the general email. They are asking questions. They want to know where we are located in Paris. They want physical address, company registration, and why we bought ￡800 million worth of shares without calling the company first or verifying."

Simon’s chest tightened. He knew this would happen. Flora is smart. She would not just take ￡800 million and sleep. She would ask.

"Leo, listen to me carefully," Simon said. He made his voice firm. The kind driver voice was gone. Now it was billionaire voice.

"First, block every form of traces. Do you hear me? Block everything. Go to our IT team now. Remove my name from any public file connected to Atlantic Holdings. Remove my photo, my signature, my old charity link.."

He paused. He swallowed.

"Leo, if she finds out now, it will be a huge backlash,she will refund the money. I know Flora. She has pride. So block every trace. No link must remain."

"Yes, boss, I will block now," Leo said. "We will clean the domain registration and replace your name with nominee director. But what should we reply to the company’s email? They are waiting."

Simon thought as he turned into a fine street leading into Mayfair.

"Reply like this," Simon said. "Tell them Atlantic Holdings is a global firm that supports good investment companies globally. Tell them we invest based on data, not physical visits. Tell them we saw FLOAC Group performance, they have women-led, and strong foundation. So we decided to support. Say it is a way of supporting good investment companies globally, not to take over. Say we require no board seat, no control. Just investment. Make it sound like we do this for many companies in UK, Dubai, Singapore. Make it look normal."

"Okay, boss. I will send that now and block all traces immediately."

"Perfect," Simon said. And he ended the call.

He breathed out. His hands were shaking small on the steering wheel. He parked by the side for 30 seconds to calm himself.

"If she refunds that money out of pride, the company will bleed again,Andrew is waiting for this exact moment to strike,i cannot let that happen."

Then he drove to the Mayfair shopping Mall.

When he got to the Mall, the place was shining. Rich looking men and women going in and out through big glass doors. Security men were in fine suits.

He parked the Camry at a fine spot. He looked at the car again before he locked it.

"You are well maintained, my friend," he said to the car. "Like your owner."

He entered the mall. The AC inside was cold and fresh. Smells of perfume everywhere.

First, he went to the travel resort company upstairs. The company name is "Mayfair Luxury Travels". A beautiful woman sat there.

"Good afternoon, sir. How can we help you?" she said.

"Good afternoon," Simon said. "I want to book a first class flight to Paris. Tuesday morning. One way. Earliest."

The woman smiled. "First class? Okay."

She typed on her computer.

"We have Air France, 8:30 AM, first class, Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle. Private suite, full bed, lounge access. Very comfortable."

"Perfect," Simon said. "Book it. Window."

He brought out his private black card, the one with no limit. Not Flora’s ￡5000. He would never use Flora’s ￡5000 for flight. That money is holy. For candles and small personal needs as she said.

The woman swiped the card. "Done, sir. ￡4200. Your ticket is sent to your email. You can use our first class lounge on Tuesday before your flight."

"Thank you," Simon said.

He left there and headed to the Prada store in the mall.

As he walked, he was thinking, "I just booked a first class ticket to Paris, I will be traveling in two weeks but I am still Flora’s driver who she sent to buy scented candles with ￡5000, obviously the rich also cry. I love the feeling."

The neatly uniformed security guard, pushed open the door,saw him ,and smiled.

"Welcome to Prada, sir."

Simon smiled back. His afternoon was still beautiful, but his heart was full of secrets.

He had barely taken three steps, when he noticed a familiar face standing near the cashier. It was Andrew.