The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 131

2:00 AM, Cresthaven time.

5:00 PM, Oslo time.

After an agonizing eleven-hour flight, the massive Boeing 777 touched down smoothly on the runway at Oslo Gardermoen Airport.

Annelise trailed her small black suitcase behind her, stepping through the airport's automatic glass doors.

A rush of crisp, immaculate air immediately hit her face.

November in Scandinavia meant deep autumn, and the air carried a uniquely crisp, sweet chill.

She took a deep breath. The icy air rushed into her lungs, as if the purest snowmelt was washing away all the filth, oppression, and grievance she had accumulated over the past four years.

It was the first time in her twenty-nine years of life that she had stepped foot in Europe, and the first time she had ever truly understood the meaning of the word "freedom."

Stopping by the exit, she pulled the white envelope Elias had given her from her pocket.

Following the first contact number scribbled on it, she dialed Alyssa, an expat real estate agent.

The phone barely rang once before it was picked up.

"Hello? Hi, is this Ms. Sargent?"

A warm, cheerful woman's voice came through the line, her friendly tone instantly putting Annelise at ease.

"I'm Alyssa, Elias's friend. He told me everything—welcome to Oslo!"

Elias had clearly made arrangements in advance.

The heavy anxiety weighing on Annelise's chest lifted slightly.

Annelise listened quietly, offering no interruptions.

When she heard that the rent was paid for three months, her first instinct was to decline, but she swallowed the words before they could leave her lips.

She knew this was Elias's way of paying off the blood debt the Lehman family owed her.

She had no reason, nor any right, to refuse it.

After Alyssa left, a profound silence fell over the apartment.

Annelise didn't rush to get some rest. The first thing she did was open the small suitcase that had been with her for four years.

There wasn't much inside. A few simple changes of clothes, a toiletry bag, and a collection of Tagore's poetry—her late mother's favorite book.