“Rose, you weren’t aware of this but your mother was related to the Anderson family before she died.”William said. “Roseline, your father is right. Your mother is my cousin and we on;y heard about your arrival in the country so we came to meet your father.” Julian suddenly spoke. “Are you saying that my mother had a relative that I wasn't aware of? Why didn’t you tell me about them before, father?” Rose asked, giving William a questioning look. William was caught off guard when he heard her question because he didn’t know how to reply back to her, not when she had that expression on her face. Seeing that her husband was in a tight position, Beatrice decided to come to his rescue and help. “Rose, please don’t blame your father. He just didn’t tell you all this because he thought you shouldn’t know about thi yet. He was only doing what is best for you.” She said and William quickly nodded his head. “Is that so? I know you care for me but that doesn’t mean you have to decide whethe
Rose raised her brow in amazement because this was the very first time she was witnessing Karen look this scary. The only expression she has seen on Karen’s face was a sweet motherly expression and Rose knew that Karen wanted to dote on her but it was because she had chosen not to live with them. “Mrs. anderson, i don’t understand why you see-” “Enough of this nonsense, Beatrice Gray. you are not the one to decide for Rose. let the child decide for herself if she wants to go with us or not.” Karen didn’t let Beatrice finish speaking before she cut her off. “Mrs. Anderson, I think you are misunderstanding what Beatrice is saying. She is not deciding for Rose. Besides, Rose is also her daughter and she knows what Rose would like or not.” William tried to defend Beatrice. “Father, it’s okay. I will make my decision myself and Ihave decided to go with them to meet my mother’s uncle.” Rose suddenly intervened, making everyone turn to look at her. “What?” William was completely surpri
“My dear, this would be your room. I have everything prepared for you but if you don't like anything there, let me know so that I can have it changed for you." Karen said as she stood in front of the room door she had paid her attention into decorating for Rose during the week. It was one the reason they didn't visit the Gray mansion earlier because she wanted everything to be perfect before they bring Rose. Rose smiled when she noticed the nervousness in Karen's eyes that she was trying to hide. “Thank you for taking care of me, Aunty. I'm sure you already did a good job with the room so don't worry about anything because I will like it no matter how it looks." She told Karen who blinked her eyes in surprise. “Oh dear, aren't you so sweet? You can tell that I'm nervous that you might not like what I did.” Karen let out a sigh of relief as she smiled back at Rose. She unconsciously reached out her hand and caressed Rose cheek gently. ‘You really left an image of you Ruby and sh
“Haha, I like you’re very honest. Anyways, I heard that you are around so I came to say hi to you. Aren’t I a good house host?” Leo replied, making Rose roll her eyes at him. She was only to spend the weekend here but she had to keep up with this guy. “Thank you. And you are indeed a good house host but Aunty is very much better than you.” Rose said with a bored expression on her face. “Now that you have greeted me, I will close the door.” She added and without waiting for Leo's response she closed the door and went back to lay on the bed. Leo chuckled at the closed door and was about to walk away when he heard a voice from behind him. “Leo, what are you doing here?” Leo froze when he heard the familiar serious voice of his older brother behind him. He turned around and smiled at Nicholas who had a frown on his face with a file in his hand. “Brother, what are you doing here?” Leo asked. “I asked you a question first. Don’t ask question with question, Leo Anderson.” Nicholas r
After dinner, Rose returned to her room but remembering she had something to say to Julian, she stepped out of her room and luckily she saw a maid walking by so she asked her to take her to Julian study room. Julian was busy working on some unfinished paperwork in his office when there was a knock on his door. “Come in." He gave his permission thinking that it was one of his sons. The door pushed open and Rose slowly walked into the office and closed the door behind her. “What can I do for you, Nicholas?" Julian asked, his head buried in the file he was going through. “Uncle Julian?" She called, making Julian raise his head up when he heard a different voice from what he expected. “Rose? I didn't know that it was you." He said, surprised to see Rose in his office. “Is there any problem?" Julian asked. “No, I just came here to discuss something with you. I apologize if I'm interrupting your work." Rose said, glancing at the pile of work in front of Julian. “Don't worry, child.
Julian's mood couldn't help but brighten when he saw her smile. "You are very welcome, Rose. Whatever you need, let me know. I will always try to help you out." Julian replied " I understand. That is all I came to see you for, so I will take my leave so that you can get back to work.” Rose nodded and stood up from her seat and walked towards the door. Just as she was about to open the door, Julian suddenly called her. “Rose, just remember that you are part of this family so never hesitate to tell us your problem." He told her, making the corner of Rose's lip to raise up. “I will keep that in mind, Uncle." She told him before walking out of the study room. ………. The next day, Rose followed the Anderson family to the Anderson family house. Only Nicholas didn't come along with them because he claimed he had something to do. When they arrived at the family house, as expected, Anne quickly snatched Rose away from Karen who was already getting used to Rose. Seeing that Rose was pretty
"Think properly? Then you must have been playing games like this for a very long time.” Nicholas remarked. “Nope, I only downloaded this game the second day I came back to California.” Rose replied and closed the game after she completed the level and earned her reward. Nicholas raised his brow at her. She only started playing a game as hard as that one just a few weeks ago. ‘How talented she is. She is even better than most of the professional QA tester employees I have at the company.’ He thought. “About what you asked me to do for you, I'm still working on it." He said, making Rose turn to look at him. She knew what he was talking about and it was the secret investigation she asked him to do about Beatrice for her. Of course, she didn't expect to get any result so soon because it might take a little while for him to figure out anything related to Beatrice. She was the only one that knew that Beatrice was the person behind her mother's accident apart from her mother being p
The next day, Rose had the mindset that it would be a good day at school today. However, fate had other plans for her and her entire peaceful mood was completely ruined that morning. When Rose arrived in the classroom, there were already a lot of students in the room which she felt was very unusual. Upon seeing Rose strut into the classroom, everyone showed a surprised expression. Rose noticed their stares but didn’t care about them. She walked straight to her seat and planned to ask Kehlani what was wrong with everyone. However, she raised her brow when she saw that there were a lot of things that were on her desk. And the things that originally belonged to her had disappeared. Rose brow knitted together as she looked around and finally saw that her belongings were scattered in the trash basket that was placed at the back of the classroom. All of a sudden, the mood of the classroom turned frozen. Rose's eyes fell on Kehlani. “Kel, what happened here?" She asked. “I
However, amidst their yelling, Karen wasn’t done. “Let's not pretend you’re here because you care about my Rose. I don't care much about high society but I have enough information to know that you and Beatrice are never friends and you just proved me right. You saw a chance to use my Rose to humiliate Beatrice in public. But the truth is—Beatrice doesn’t even see you as a rival. You’re not a threat to her. You’re just a footnote.” That did it. Even though Karen didn't like Beatrice, she had to use her as a weapon to damage Margret. And it was true in some ways, Beatrice never saw Margaret as a rival and that was why she left her off. Beatrice is more cunning and has better things to do than Margret. On the other hand, Margaret’s face turned red, her voice rising. “You arrogant little—! Who the hell do you think you are to speak to me like that?!” “I’m someone you should’ve never insulted,” Karen replied coolly. “Especially not in front of witnesses.” “You're such a bitch! You even
Karen returned with graceful steps, wiping her hands with a silk handkerchief as she approached the table—only to stop mid-step at the sight before her. Three women, overdressed and oozing fake charm, surrounded Rose, who looked irritated and uncomfortable. Karen’s expression hardened immediately. “Is there a problem here?” Karen asked smoothly as she walked up to the table, though her voice was laced with sharpness. Margaret immediately changed her facial expression as she turned without even bothering to look properly. “Oh, relax. We’re just having a friendly chat. Nothing that concerns—” She paused, eyes scanning Karen lazily. Then scoffed. “Oh. You’re the lady that was with her earlier?” Margaret blinked, her voice condescending. “How… quaint. Let me guess—you’re her assistant or... manager?” Rose blinked, trying not to laugh. It was obvious now that these women were actually dumb. Even if Karen is not well known amongst the high socialist thanks to the fact that she lives t
From across the room, Margaret Pezz had been watching like a hawk. Dressed in an ivory designer set and dripping in gold jewelry, Margaret whispered something to her friends, eyes gleaming. With Karen out of the way, it was time to make her move. She strutted over, her heels clicking arrogantly against the marble. Two overdressed women followed her like loyal shadows. “Roseline, darling!” Margaret said with feigned delight, placing a hand on the back of Rose’s chair as if they were long-lost friends. “I couldn’t believe it was you! You look absolutely radiant in person.” Rose looked up slowly from the food menu she was still checking out, expression unreadable. “Do I know you?” Margaret laughed, her voice grating. “Oh, we haven’t officially met. I’m Margaret Pezz—a very close friend of Beatrice, your stepmother.” The moment she said Beatrice’s name, Rose’s expression soured. Margaret noticed and quickly backtracked, playing both sides. “But honestly dear, I never liked the way
The morning sunlight streamed through the large windows of the Anderson estate, bathing the grand dining hall in a warm glow. Rose sat at the breakfast table, quietly sipping her tea as Anne and Karen conversed about an upcoming events. "You should get some fresh air today," Anne suggested, eyeing Rose over her cup of coffee. Karen nodded in agreement. "Actually, I was thinking of taking her out. Just a small outing—maybe some shopping, a café stop. What do you think, Rose?" Rose blinked, caught off guard. "Shopping?" "Yes," Karen said with a small smile. "You could use a few new things, and a change of scenery might be nice." Rose hesitated. She wasn’t exactly the type to enjoy aimless shopping trips at the moment, but the way Anne and Karen were looking at her told her this was more than just a casual suggestion. It was their way of trying to spend time with her. And truthfully, a part of her was beginning to appreciate the warmth they offered. "Alright," she finally agreed.
Later that evening, Rose wandered through the grand hallways of the Anderson estate, her footsteps light against the polished floors. She wasn’t sure what had compelled her to leave the comfort of her room, but something about the quiet atmosphere of the night made her restless. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of her grandfather's study. Hesitating for only a moment, she knocked lightly. "Come in," came the deep, commanding voice from inside. Rose pushed the door open and stepped inside, finding Frank seated at a massive mahogany desk, a glass of whiskey beside him. The dim lighting cast long shadows across the shelves lined with books and relics of the past. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked, not looking up as he finished scribbling on a document. "Something like that," Rose admitted, stepping closer. Frank gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit." She did, expecting the usual quiet company they sometimes shared. But instead of returning to his work, Frank pulled o
The next day, Rose sat in the sunroom with Anne, sipping tea while flipping through an old book she had pulled from the family’s extensive library. The warm golden light streamed through the glass walls, casting soft shadows across the polished floor. Anne, ever the poised and graceful matriarch, studied her granddaughter with sharp yet affectionate eyes. "Are you comfortable, dear?" Rose glanced up from her book. "Yes, Grandmother. More comfortable than I expected to be." A rare, approving smile graced Anne's lips. "Good. You should feel at home here." Before Rose could respond, Karen entered the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor. "Ah, perfect. You're both here," she said, taking a seat across from Rose. Anne arched her brow. "You sound suspiciously excited. What are you up to, my dear?" Karen smirked, “Yes, I'm excited, mother because I have some nice news for Rose.” she said then turned to Rose. "I had a little chat with Headmistress Moore this morning. She ag
Dinner continued with casual conversation, and despite how formal the Anderson household could seem, the atmosphere wasn’t tense. After finishing her meal, Rose excused herself, but before she could leave, Leo grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?" Rose gave him a pointed look. "To see Grandfather." Leo blinked in surprise but quickly masked it. He let go of her wrist and shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just don’t stay up too late." Rose shook her head and walked off. However, she didn't head straight to meet Frank, she made a quick stop at the kitchen. Frank’s study was dimly lit, the faint scent of aged paper and cedarwood clinging to the air. He sat behind his desk, flipping through a thick folder of documents. A soft knock echoed through the room. “Come in,” Frank’s voice called out, calm but firm. The door opened and Rose stepped inside, carrying a polished tray with a single porcelain teacup. She closed the door behind her with a quiet click. Frank looked up and paused, ey
“What’s going on here?” Rose’s voice was calm but firm as she stepped forward, her sharp gaze sweeping over the tension-filled scene. She had spotted the standoff the moment she entered the stall. Sandra turned to her, arms crossed. “Oh, perfect timing. This girl thinks staring at a snack means she owns it.” The girl scoffed when she heard Sandra’s explanation. “And this girl thinks she can just take whatever she wants.” The vendor, seeing Rose enter the conversation, looked relieved. “Miss, maybe you can help settle this?” Rose exhaled, her gaze flickering between them before settling on the other girl with calm finality. “If you really wanted it, you should have asked the vendor to hold it for you. Since you didn’t, I don’t see why this is even an argument.” The girl frowned, seemingly unprepared for someone to shut down the situation with pure logic instead of fueling the fight. One of her friends stepped up, opening her mouth to say something, but Rose’s voice cut through th
After finishing their meal, the group began heading back to their private room when Sandra suddenly stopped. “You guys go ahead. Kehlani and I need to grab something real quick.” Kaleb raised a brow at her. “What is it?” “A snack I saw earlier,” Sandra replied, waving him off. “It won’t take long.” Austin sighed but didn’t argue. “Fine, just don’t get into trouble.” Leo glanced at Rose, but before he could say anything, she spoke first. “I’ll catch up with you. I want to check something at the next stall too.” Leo narrowed his eyes but didn’t question her, since he knew she wouldn’t tell him what it was. “Are you sure you don't want me to come along? The last thing I need is you getting lost.” He asked which earned him a glare from Rose. “I will be fine without you. And I will also catch up with both Sandra and Kehlani, ” She replied. Seeing that she wouldn’t let him go with her, he finally relented. “Don’t take too long.” With that, the three boys walked off, leaving the girl