Daisy adjusted the heavy wooden basket on her hip, her worn canvas shoes pressing against the cold gravel outside the country club gates. The autumn wind bit through her thin sweater, but she couldn't stop. She needed to sell every last stem of lavender and rose before nightfall, or Martha wouldn't give her dinner. Across the driveway, a sleek black luxury sedan glided through the iron gates, its tinted windows gleaming under the streetlights.
Daisy: Fresh flowers! Beautiful roses for your evening, ma'am!
Inside the backseat of the luxury car, Victoria Sterling stared out the window, her mind miles away from the charity gala she was supposed to attend. But as the car slowed near the entrance, her eyes locked onto the young girl standing by the curb. Hanging from Daisy's neck, resting against her faded cotton shirt, was a polished silver heart-shaped locket. Victoria's breath hitched instantly in her throat, a sharp gasp breaking the silence of the vehicle.
Victoria: Driver! Stop the car! Stop it right now!
Driver: Mrs. Sterling? Is everything alright?
Victoria: Pull over to the curb immediately! Hurry!
The sedan lurched to a halt, the heavy door swinging open before the driver could even step out. Victoria rushed toward the young flower girl, her expensive silk dress brushing against the damp grass. Tears already welled in her eyes as she reached out, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she grabbed Daisy's cold fingers.
Victoria: Where did you get that necklace? Tell me where you got it!
Daisy: Ma'am? Please, you're scaring me!
Victoria: The locket on your neck! Who gave that to you?
Daisy: I don't know, ma'am! It was with me when I was found as a baby!
Victoria's hands shook violently as she reached into her designer handbag, pulling out a worn, yellowed envelope. Her bodyguard, Marcus, stepped out of the vehicle, his sharp eyes scanning the street as Victoria unfolded an old black-and-white photograph. She thrust the picture toward Daisy, her voice cracking with fifteen years of buried pain.
Victoria: Look at this photo! Look at the baby in this picture!
Marcus: Madam, stay calm. Look at the back of the pendant first. Open the pendant, ma'am.
Victoria reached out with trembling fingertips, her nail catching on the tiny silver latch. With a faint click, the heart-shaped locket popped open, revealing a tiny, perfectly preserved photograph tucked inside. Daisy stared down at the metal heart, her heart slamming against her ribs as her vision blurred with tears.