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Billionaire Gave His Gardener $8,000 as a Joke — A Year Later, He Couldn't Believe His Eyes

Billionaire Gave His Gardener $8,000 as a Joke — A Year Later, He Couldn't Believe His Eyes

Chapter 20

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The next thing he noticed made everything worse: near Elijah's feet sat one of the rare propagation containers he had brought earlier from the nursery for comparison purposes—a container holding a young white rose cutting.Richard's eyes narrowed. What was a rose cutting doing there? A dangerous assumption immediately formed. Downstairs, he grabbed his coat.Five minutes later, Elijah heard footsteps approaching through the rain: fast, angry, purposeful. He turned.Richard Whitmore stood several yards away. Cynthia Walker followed behind him, as did one of the security guards. The atmosphere changed instantly; Marcus felt it, too."What happened?" he whispered.Elijah didn't answer.Richard's face was hard—harder than Elijah had ever seen. "What exactly are you doing?"The question cut through the rain.Elijah straightened. "Clearing the drainage channel."Richard pointed toward the propagation container. "What's that?"Elijah followed his gaze. Understanding arrived immediately: not the situation, but the misunderstanding. "It's a cutting.""From where?""My nursery."Richard laughed once, coldly, disbelieving. "Amazing." The word sounded nothing like praise.Elijah remained calm. "Mr. Whitmore—""I gave you $8,000." The rain seemed quieter; suddenly, everyone heard the sentence. Marcus froze. Cynthia looked uncomfortable. Richard stepped closer. "And now I find you taking plant stock from my property?"Shock spread through the silence. Marcus immediately spoke up: "What?! That's not—"Elijah gently raised a hand; the teenager stopped.The old gardener looked at Richard: not angry, not defensive, simply hurt. Because this wasn't about the roses, it wasn't about the cutting; it was about what Richard believed of him after all these years. After every morning, every season, every storm—this was the conclusion he reached. That hurt more than the accusation itself."I didn't take anything."Richard folded his arms. "The timing is convenient."
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Billionaire Gave His Gardener $8,000 as a Joke — A Year Later, He Couldn't Believe His Eyes

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