Flower City's Twelve Beauties

...

The April sun was bright and clear, its warm radiance tempting a cheerful and pleasant mood.

Yet, those who visited the cemetery to pay their respects could hardly manage to feel settled. Some people wore gloomy expressions, while others struggled to hold back their tears.

However, some people appeared to be grieving on the outside, but were laughing inwardly.

Take Mandy Qamar, for instance. Every time she visited to honor the memory of her husband, who had been dead for three years, she always felt especially cheerful.

Typically, a woman's prime starts to decline after twenty-five. But Mandy was an exception. With affluent living conditions and an array of top-grade beauty products, her skin still remained smooth and tender as a girl's. Yet, compared to a girl's naivety, she radiated the sweetness and temptation of a ripe peach.

Even in such an atmosphere, men who came to pay their respects couldn't tear their gazes away from her. A tall, slender woman with noble yet unpretentious dressing, who appeared alluring and charming, her face carrying a cold, slight sorrow, could anything be more enticing to a man?

Especially those who considered themselves achieved – the successful men in their thirties and forties. Although they were more adept at concealing their true thoughts than younger men, they couldn't resist casting glances at her, each of them strategizing on how to make contact with her, behind their relatives' backs.

It was evident that this woman would not be easy to win over. She was no longer an ignorant teenage girl who could be easily fooled. More importantly, their discerning eyes could make out her understated and humble demeanor yet exorbitantly luxurious attire. The seemingly inconspicuous ladies' watch on her smooth wrist alone was worth a Mercedes-Benz.

The more unapproachable she appeared, the more they perceived her to be a conquest worth pursuing. Indeed, the graves here were very expensive and only the rich or noble could afford them.

Of course, their prime reason for thinking they could win her over was because they had seen the words on the headstone: In the memory of late Mr..., clearly, she was a widow. A beautiful, mature, elegant widow was a divine blessing that any man would find hard to resist.

Looking at the luxurious gravestone, Mandy Qamar's beautiful face wore a touch of melancholy. But in her heart, she was all smiles. Three years had passed since that awful old man died. Seeing the gravestone made her feel an utterly liberating sense of freedom and delight every time. Yet, her many years of experience had taught her the art of patience and modesty.

Humorously enough, as she continued to laugh inwardly, Mandy once again felt the urge to cry. After all that she had done, and at such great costs, she wondered whether what she had obtained – her status and wealth – was worth it?

After a long while, just as she had completed the customary rituals, free from reproach, and was ready to leave in a tranquil mood, she was unexpectedly caught by the sight of a male figure in front of a tombstone not far away.

A look of both surprise and joy instantly spread across her face after a brief moment of pause.

It's not that the man in the gray coat caught her eye. She, who had gone through great hardships and trials to reach today, has long since stopped judging people by their appearances.

However, when her glance unintentionally swept over him, her heart suddenly trembled. Those distant memories buried deep within her, too painful to even touch, surged out like a tidal wave. The innocence, shyness, and sweetness and bitterness of secretly watching someone from the shadows that had been lost forever instantly dominated all her thoughts, causing her well-controlled expression to show subtle changes.

It was Yves King! Mandy Qamar could never have dreamed that she would have the chance to see him again in this lifetime. She overheard from the few remaining old classmates she occasionally kept in touch with that Yves had joined the military after graduating from high school and rarely contacted his old classmates. Then, five years ago, after his mother, a teacher, died in a car accident and he finished dealing with the funeral, he disappeared. Even the few old classmates he occasionally called lost contact with him. It seemed as if he had disappeared from the world without leaving a trace.

If it weren't for the only graduation photo with Yves that she had kept all these years reminding her, she might have doubted if she had such a classmate, and whether Yves was the prince charming she imagined when she was naive.

Subconsciously, she took a step forward, and the name Yves King almost slipped out of her mouth. However, a moment of embarrassment inside her restrained her from moving further. She backtracked a few steps, looking at his side profile from afar, just as she did in high school. Her interlaced hands were trembling, losing all color.

The woman under the tombstone must be his mother, right? Mandy thought and felt a tinge of sadness for him. But his face seemed calm, devoid of any sadness. He looked quite different, and maybe no one would recognize him on the street now. But she was not just anyone. Thanks to her exceptional observation skills and the memories engraved in her heart, she recognized him in an unintentional glance.

"I am no longer that innocent girl. I am Mandy Qamar. I am a billionaire, I have boundless self-confidence, I..." It was a long time since Mandy had experienced such a chaotic, uncontrollable confusion. She kept telling herself to boost her confidence, just to muster the courage to greet him calmly.

"But what will he think if he knows what I have been through all these years? With his proud character, he will certainly despise me. But no, it's not my fault, if it weren't for..." Whether she was mercilessly fighting over the inheritance with the children of that old man, forcefully pushing for a merger of his assets, eliminating other shareholders, or sweeping all the obstacles on her way in the business world, Mandy always acted indifferently and ruthlessly. But now, she feared that he would know about the evil things she had done. Unshed tears blurred her vision as she keep telling herself, it wasn't my fault, I did it for survival...for my mother's survival...

Suddenly, Mandy felt a shudder pass through her, as if he had turned his calm and firm face towards her. His gaze was flat and tranquil. But her intuition told her that she seemed to be marked by a cruel predator, ready to tear her to pieces at slightest movement.

"What...what's happening?" Never before had Mandy felt so insignificant and vulnerable. She felt an invisible force choking her, rendering her unable to breathe. Her hands and feet weakened, quivering as if she was drained of all strength. Am I dying? Profound fear surged in her heart. Mandy's eyes were fixated on his face. Her tear-filled eyes were beseeching, bewildered, and yet there was seemingly a sense of liberation.

"Huh?"

Just when Mandy was panicking, feeling overwhelmed, a slightly husky, perplexed voice sounded.

In an instant, the choking sensation vanished. As Mandy straightened herself and looked at Yves again, she saw nothing but the empty landscape before the gravestone. Only the white lily lying peacefully there kept her from doubting if it was just an illusion.

"Yves King!" Eventually, Mandy's pale lips whispered his name quietly. She didn't shout his name, nor did she search for him. But tears, they finally welled up in her eyes and rolled down uncontrollably.