Chapter 239 - My Little Rosebud,

Feng Xuan didn't know what she was expecting. It was around an hour that they were in the car before they finally stopped.

"I thought it would be a storage unit," she said.

"This IS a storage unit," her father answered and pulled out keys. "But not an ordinary one. This is YOUR MOTHER'S."

Feng Xuan's head tilted up to get the whole enormous house in her vision. "Is this hers?"

"I bought it for her when she died." Feng Lizhao had successfully opened the door and they both stepped inside.

The house had a shape with lots of curves and arches. Patterns run all over the walls, the ceiling, and on the carpets covering parts of the marble floor. 

"Who's living here?"

"Nobody." He dropped the keys to the table nearest the door. "There are cleaners that go here twice a week."

"You gave her a house?!"

Feng Xuan's father looked guilty. 

"I thought Liu Lifen said it's a storage unit."

"Would I ever put your mother's things in a storage unit?" he asked and pointed to the stairs. 

While on the stairs, Feng Xuan could not help but feel nervous. It was not like she was going to meet her mom, she was just going to look at her things.

"I tried my best to channel whatever it is that your mom would want for the rest of the house." They arrived at the landing. "But in this room…" even her father sounded a little bit nervous. "I tried my best to recreate her small office in our home and put things the way she had left it."

Feng Xuan's eyes watered with tears that she blinked away as she held her breath to stop them from coming. "Okay," she answered. "I'm ready."

Feng Xuan thought she could handle it. But when the door was opened, she felt a tear escaped her eyes. It was exactly the same as her mother's office. The last time that she was there was before she went overseas.

Everything was on its rightful place that Feng Xuan could see her mother moving, her flowery dresses flowing as she moved, her long hair curled at the tips, and her long slim fingers fixing things on her desk. Her mother was not a fan of working regular hours but she tried her best to be involve as much as she can in the Yang businesses. 

"I'll let you have your moment."

Feng Xuan didn't have to look to know that her father was also on the verge of crying. He stepped away and went down, leaving Feng Xuan with her mother's things.

She almost didn't step in because she didn't want to ruin anything. She did slip off her shoes before she walked in. It was almost unbelievable. Feng Xuan suddenly wondered what her mother had been doing before she left the house when she found out that her daughter was actually training to kill people than going to gymnastics class. It was as if it was only dawning on her how quickly things changed.

One day, she was just going to her trainings and her mother would be at home waiting for her to be back. Then later that day, they were kidnapped and her mother had been killed. 

Her hands found the bookshelves lined with fashion and business magazines with women on the cover. The leather on her white reclining chair had started to yellow. The things on her desk were fixed and looked like it was just waiting for someone to tend to them again.

She crouched down and using a finger, opened a drawer. Her mother had always kept her most important things on the left side. Feng Xuan flicked on the unopened envelopes on the side, probably house bills and invitations dated years ago.

Her fingers flicked on the thick stack and was about to be done with it when she saw her name written on a paper. "What?" she whispered and her hands shook as she pulled it out of the stack. It was folded into three and her mother's thin and small handwriting was all over the page.

It was evidently a letter draft with some of the lines crossed and there were arrows pointing to a different phrase.

Feng Xuan dropped to the floor with a hand on her mouth. She began to read.

**

My little rosebud,

Happy 16th birthday! Can you imagine that? I feel so old! I cannot believe that you're almost an a.d.u.l.t. It wasn't that long ago when you used to follow me all over the house, but now you're at that age wherein all you want is to be left on your own!

You are growing up too fast and making life-changing decisions on your own. I know how much you love your daggers, but that does not mean you cannot also love kitchen knives. Ever since you had tried training you had loved it.

I know I may have been too hard on you especially with forcing you to take gymnastics lessons. All I want was for you to give a chance to the other things that you might possibly also like.

I want you to be safe. You cannot imagine the horror it brings me whenever I see you crying or when you're in pain. If you think you're the only one hurting, you are not. When you're hurt, I feel it a thousand times more.

If you chose to go in this path then, there isn't anything else I can do than to help you, stitch you up when you're wounded, stay at your bedside when you get too injured. 

You are slowly blossoming into a beautiful woman and you'd make a wonderful assassin, more than I care to admit. 

I want you to know that no matter what, I will always be with you.

Do me a favor and use this name if you choose to fight.

Mafia's Rose has a certain ring to it, doesn't it?