Chapter 122 - The Sunflower Garden

Emerson led his three curious guests into an elevator and pressed the button for the rooftop.

"Remember how you were amazed by what we had in this casino?" Emerson asked as he looked at Halia.

Halia nodded her head.

"Well, I'm about to show you a lot more," he smiled.

Soon, the elevator arrived on the rooftop and the doors slid open. Halia glanced outside and her mouth opened wide in awe.

Big yellow sunflowers danced in the night breeze as bright fairy lights strung across the rooftop, lighting it up magically. "A sunflower garden?" Halia gasped in surprise. "Who came up with this idea?" she asked with a laugh.

"I visited the airport in Singapore a few years ago and was inspired by their sunflower garden, so I decided to grow one myself," Emerson explained. "Not all guests that come to the casino are here to gamble. Some are simply here on vacation. So, I decided to create a place for them to relax and take some photos. This place is quite popular during the day, but not many people come up here at night."

Halia walked around and started sniffing the flowers. 

At that moment, Amelie dragged Jackson over to look at the flowers too.

"These remind me of the countryside in France," she smiled as she held onto Jackson's hand. Jackson nodded inattentively while his gaze focused elsewhere. Amelie noticed the man was distracted so she turned to the direction that he was looking and realized he was looking at Halia.

Amelie had to admit, even as a woman, she found Halia attractive. The white lace dress on her body was elegant and her contrasting black hair swayed enticingly with her every move, like a hand hypnotically waving one closer. But, Jackson was her boyfriend, and he had to remember that.

"Don't forget, you were the one that asked me to be your girlfriend," she whispered beside the man's ear, snapping him out of his daze.

Jackson immediately drew his attention back to the woman and looked into her eyes. She was right, he couldn't get distracted.

After she confirmed that Jackson was back in the right state of mind, Amelie excused herself and went to the bathroom. It was her first time in Macau, so her stomach was still adjusting to the new environment and it didn't feel too well.

Being the gentleman that he was, Emerson decided to show Amelie where the bathroom was. After all, it was a fair walk from the sunflower garden. 

Amelie glanced at Jackson before she left, and Jackson reassured her that he would be OK.

But, as soon as Emerson and Amelie disappeared from sight, Jackson felt a light tap on his shoulder.

Jackson turned around and his eyes met Halia's. She had been waiting all night to get him alone and her opportunity finally came.

"You remember me, don't you?" she asked the same question she asked earlier.

"You haven't given me an answer yet," she frowned.

Jackson glanced at the woman's lips as they pouted slightly. She was as adorable as ever.

"Emerson said we met as kids, right?" Jackson smiled. "I think, even if I still had my memory, I wouldn't be able to remember someone from so long ago."

Halia glared at the man with frustration. She had to provoke a reaction that he couldn't deny.

At that moment, a shiny pendant swung in front of Jackson's eyes. Halia had lifted her wrist to show him the bracelet she was wearing. "What do you think about this bracelet? Do you like it?" she suddenly asked.

Jackson glanced at the bracelet indifferently and replied, "It doesn't look like anything special."

Halia laughed and tapped the heart pendant gently. "It may look simple, but there's a secret to it," she whispered mysteriously.

Jackson's gaze softened. Was this woman telling a fairytale to a child?

"What kind of secret?" he asked, playing along.

Halia turned the heart pendant around to reveal the dots and dashes on the back.

"Do you know what this is?" Halia asked.

Jackson looked at the pattern and shook his head.

"It's Morse code," Halia said as she looked into the man's eyes, trying to look for a reaction. But, the man did not react.

"J&H," she said. 

Jackson stared at the woman for a moment and began to laugh. "That's quite unique, why are you telling me this?"

"J&H stands for 'Jackson & Halia'. You gave me this bracelet," she revealed.

Jackson held back his smile as he looked at the bracelet. She finally discovered the code.

Of course, he knew that Halia knew Morse code and would eventually figure out the message on the bracelet. After all, he deliberately made it for her to discover. But, for her safety, he needed to lie to her a little longer.

"I don't know what you're talking about, nor do I remember anything about you," Jackson replied.

Halia sighed and took a step closer to the man. "Look at me closely. Do you remember me now?" she asked. 

Jackson shook his head stubbornly.

But...Halia didn't believe him for a second. She was certain this man was lying; the Macadamia nut already betrayed him.

So, she hooked her arms around his neck and leaned in. "What about now?" she asked seductively.

Jackson froze. If he said no, he didn't know what Halia would do next. But, he couldn't say yes either.

"Is that a no?" Halia asked as she rubbed her nose against his nose.

Jackson felt Halia's warm breaths as she spoke and he smelled the strawberry on her lips from the dessert she ate earlier. She was teasing him, and it was working. If she moved in any closer, he would not be able to resist. Why was this woman so cheeky?

Fortunately for him, he heard some footsteps approaching at that moment and the sound of two familiar voices.

Emerson and Amelia were returning.

Halia also heard the voices, so she quickly backed away as Emerson turned to welcome the two back. But, from the angle he was standing, Halia noticed his ears were slightly red. Halia felt butterflies in her stomach. Was he blushing?