Chapter 46: LydiaJayden left the penthouse without even notifying Camilia. He decided not to wake her up since she was deep asleep.

    His Sabre engine roared hard before dashing into the street as he headed straight to the DEA station, somewhere not quite far from the penthouse.

    While he drove, he kept wondering how that had happened.

    "Cocaine? What the hell..." Jayden cursed, his eyes filled with dark glints.

    When he arrived at the DEA station, he quickly went in after introducing himself to the security men outside. One of them led him into Questioning Room 17, exactly where Melinda was.

    There were two DEA officers in different uniforms sitting across from her when he got in.

    One had the badge labeled "Head Questioning Officer," and the other was the "Head of Patrol."

    Jayden blinked the moment he was spotted and walked in, his eyes stern, his appearance bold like he never felt he was in trouble.

    That was really a way to prove a point of innocence, right?

    "Mr. Jayden Cole, right?" the Questioning Officer asked, extending a hand for a shake.

    Jayden didn’t back away, as he accepted the handshake at once. "Yes, it’s me."

    "All right, Mr. Cole. Let’s go straight to the point," the Head of Patrol began. "You are accused of using cocaine and some other addictive substances, which are practically rare and unnamed, in your coffee drinks. How do you answer these charges?" he asked, his eyes striking against Jayden’s, who surprisingly remained calm.

    Melinda had been in a panic before he got here, but noticing the boldness and calmness from her boss since he arrived, she didn’t even know when it spread into her, as she suddenly grew calm and collected.

    "Well, officers. I say that is a false accusation," Jayden replied, folding his arms.

    "Really? We got three different reports from three different people. They brought their cups, and they were all tested and confirmed. How do you defend that?" the Questioning Officer asked, his face as serious as hell.

    "Well, I’ve got proof. And... and... we can even show you the source..." Jayden smiled at that.

    "The golden flower she showed us isn’t proof enough. Firstly, we have to know where you got them from, and secondly, we have to confirm if it was actually the flowers being used. Without that done, you are fully guilty," the Questioning Officer added.

    "No problem. I understand," Jayden smiled. "Where do we start?"

    "We start by finding where you get the flower from. It’s actually a rare one, we can attest to that, but still, we have to do our job," the Head of Patrol said.

    Jayden nodded. "Like I said, I understand."

    While the officers went to get ready to follow Jayden on the trip to the countryside, Jayden turned to Melinda, who now slightly had a bright look on her face.

    "Hey, I hope they didn’t treat you badly?" he asked, grinning.

    Melinda nodded. "No, boss."

    Jayden nodded to that and looked away.

    Soon, they stepped out of the station and began the trip.

    Melinda joined Jayden in his Sabre—a moment she had never experienced before—and he could notice she was pretty excited about it. The officers followed closely in their mini DEA car, since it was Jayden leading the way.

    The trip took almost an hour, but they were finally there, in Old Texas. Jayden led them straight to a cottage, as he could remember after the system directed him there the other time.

    He happened not to have forgotten any route that led there. He was even planning to visit again to get more of the Amber Bloom until this happened, and thanks to that, it had made it easy.

    The cottage was home to a greatly aged woman who lived alone. Jayden didn’t know her age, but she was likely to be in her early eighties.

    Despite her age, this woman—Lydia—still planted and took care of her flower farm. Sometimes she had farmers work for her, but she had clearly stated that she loved planting herself and would continue doing it until the end of her days...

    That was the story of how his first meeting with her went, and he had admired her passion a lot.

    When they reached the cottage, Jayden and the others walked in after signaling their arrival. She was a free person and would simply accept one’s presence in her abode.

    "Mama Lydia. It’s me, Jayden. The boy who came for some flowers two weeks ago," Jayden spoke, his voice loud and smooth.

    "Jayden? Oh... ohh," it took her a moment to remember, but she fortunately did.

    "Jayden, you... came to get more of them?" she said as her voice broke.

    Sweet qualities of an old woman.

    "Uhm, not really... ahem... actually," Jayden gave the officers a short glance and turned back to her.

    "I was accused of using something else for the drinks, so we have to confirm it. These two men here want to see the Amber Bloom garden and fetch some to make some investigations," Jayden stated, his tone soft.

    Lydia flinched a bit after hearing that, but she didn’t make any complaint.

    "It’s all right. I’ll show you the way to the garden," she stood up, with a bit of struggle, and led them there.

    The Amber Bloom farm was a bit distant from the house. Lydia had clearly stated that it was the flower she cherished most, and she was probably the only florist who had the flower in the entire state—or even country.

    "People don’t cherish the golden flower, thinking that it has no use apart from mere decorations, but only the people in this village know its worth. I... I have been planting it all my life, and it was mostly the hard labor workers that bought it from me due to the energy and strength it gives," Lydia said.

    The Head of Patrol spared Jayden a glance after hearing that, and Jayden only smiled in response, placing his hands in his pockets.

    "Here. You can have any amount you want, but I have to tell you something," she turned to one of the officers. "Jayden... he would never do something illegal. I felt his kind of heart since the day he came here."

    The Questioning Officer hesitated before nodding.

    Soon, the officers grabbed some portions themselves, and then they headed back to the cottage.

    "What’s next?" Jayden asked them.

    "Now we’d watch your barista make a coffee drink and add the flower to see the effects. If we feel the same way others felt, then you would be confirmed innocent," the Head of Patrol said with a tone of reassurance.

    "Got it," Jayden muttered with a nod.

    Before they left, Jayden asked to meet Lydia for a talk. This woman was literally helping Monarch Café grow, and not only Jayden had to show gratitude... Melinda needed to as well.

    And after that...

    "How about we take you to the city to live a better life? We can hire good florists to take care of the gardens and farms," Jayden offered with a persuasive tone.

    "Uh, no. No no no, Jayden. I want to stay here. This was where my husband and I lived throughout our married life before he died. I will lose memory of him if I leave," Lydia said, a soft smile crossing her wrinkled cheeks.

    "My flowers too... I want to keep planting and touching them five times a day. The flowers are my joy," she added.

    Jayden felt hit by the rejection at once, and he really wanted to respect her choice. If she didn’t want to leave the village, then he knew another way to show gratitude to her. Sear?h the N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Jayden turned to Melinda.

    "I have a small job for you," he said.

    "Yes, sir," Melinda nodded.

    "I want you to find a maid for her. I might get busy later on, so I’ll be transferring two hundred thousand dollars for you to give her..."

    Since Lydia didn’t have a bank...

    Jayden wanted her to live a good life in these stages, because surely, no one knows when she would be leaving the world.

    She was a great addition to the success of Monarch Café and deserved every bit of it.

    Melinda nodded to him, keeping that in mind.

    She was also in full approval of the gift Jayden was offering and was now even glad that the proof of their innocence was clear... She had been in charge of the mixings when making the drinks, so she knew every ingredient added to them.

    With a sigh of relief, she followed her boss to the car with a newfound energy and mood.

    ...

    "Jayden, wait."

    Jayden was suddenly called back by Lydia as they walked, and he didn’t hesitate to rush back, ignoring the dark looks from the DEA officers.

    Jayden approached her with concern, thinking she had something important to tell him.

    And then, the woman went silent for a moment, staring at his dark-blue eyes before finally saying a word.

    "When she comes back, forgive her..."

    "Please."

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    [A/N: Who do you guys think Lydia was referring to? Good guesses! Dive into the comments.]