Chapter 3: Betrayed

Melissa is trying to wake up her daughter Rosalia from her sleep, as it’s already morning. She is pissed at her daughter, who keeps annoying her with her sleep, as usual. Once she sleeps, there is no sign of her waking up. When she sleeps, she sleeps as if the world has ended and sleeping is the best thing for herself. “Dumb Rosa! Your phone has been buzzing for several minutes! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” She keeps yelling at her but gets no response from her. Her snores like a donkey making her sigh in disappointment. “You have to go to work, your highness!”

Finding herself with no choice, she splashes some drops of water on her face. Rosalia keeps struggling to open her eyes, which seems pretty difficult. But when reality hits her, those eyes are about to come out of the eye pit.

“Oh no, Mom! What to do? What to do?”

“I don’t know anything, but if you skip your breakfast today, I swear I’m going to kill you.”

“Why are you behaving like my stepmother?” “Shut up! Get ready quickly.” She runs to the washroom like a possessed girl, making her mother scoff. “Henry has called you; talk to him if you have time. It seems urgent.” “Okay, Mom.” A fast reply originates from her while entering the washroom.

She has completed her morning routine and is about to leave the house like a thief so that her mom doesn’t notice her, but she has failed. After getting noticed for her intention, her ear gets pulled by Melissa, which makes her sigh out of frustration. “You shouldn’t skip your breakfast. I don’t care if your job is going to last or not, but you have to take your breakfast.” “Mom, please.” “No more words.”

She pulls her to the table and shoves a little piece of her freshly made sandwich into her mouth. The savory mouthwatering taste of it getting melted inside her tongue makes her bound to keep munching it while arising the desire to have more to taste, but the shortage of time makes her sulk on herself. Now regression makes her think about how her irregular daily routine should have to be fixed soon. An early riser Rosalia would never have to sacrifice the delicious sandwich filled with the touch of her mother’s love. “Look, how much are you enjoying it?" Her mother says while fixing the little cramped portion of her pink T-shirt over her elbow area. “It’s so delicious, but you don’t know my boss; I have to listen to his one-hour rap lesson for being late.” “You deserve it.”

Rosalia darts an upsetting gaze toward her mother. As soon as her meal is finished, she gets energetic, but a sense of breathlessness overcomes her, and she braces herself for the suffocating ordeal that awaits her as she sets out for the first shift of her day. She carefully climbs inside her car, which starts up and gets ready to drive to Andrew Restaurant, where she spends her days laboriously working at her part-time job. She takes a deep breath, braces herself for the difficulties ahead, and then steps out into the world, prepared for whatever the day may hold.

With her eyes still heavy, she enters the restaurant like a thief to overcome the dark gaze of her boss. Managing her young boss isn’t too difficult, but it’s also not too easy. If he finds she’s late today, she’s in for a lecture from him, and who knows how long that will go on for? Sudden footsteps originate from behind her, triggering fear inside her. When she turns to look back, he is already there.

“Damn, he is already here.” She mumbles, which is not audible to him. It’s true that danger often comes where it is feared. “Good morning, sir.” Flashing a fake smile and showing all of her teeth, she greets him.

“You are late today, Rosalia,” he says with his grumpy tone. The restaurant in which she is working belongs to John Andrew. He opened the restaurant two years ago, and since then she has been working there as a waitress. She doesn’t get late frequently, but when she does, he is here for his supervision. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

“Your sorry isn’t going to work this time.” Her head gets lowered in a perfect display of disappointment after listening to his response. “You know, I’m worldwide handsome.” You still come here late. I won’t tolerate this anymore.” Although it is predicted that he will say something like this, controlling her laughter gets difficult.

“I know, sir, and I’m extremely sorry.” “You are going to be punished today!” Upon hearing him, her eyes widen in surprise. “Please, sir, consider it for today. I promise I won’t get late again.” “I don’t think so. You are not a woman of word.” “Please, sir, I’ll never get late again.”

Her constant requests make him think something, keeping his hand on his chin. After some moments, his expressionless gaze is directed at her.

“Okay, repeat what I say.” “Sure, sir.” She shakes her head instantly. “Sir John Andrew, I always come late because I’m afraid of falling for your handsome face. You know you are worldwide handsome, and I’m not even your type, so I’m always afraid: what if I fall in love with you and you are not going to accept me even if I die? I’ll be sad forever; that’s why I’m late. I’m sorry, I won’t do that again.” Saying that Andrew indicates that she should repeat it after him.

“What!” She responds in shock. Everyone around him starts laughing as he speaks. “Shut up everyone and you, what is what?” He yells, making all of the employees silent.

“I’m going to die today; this punk is too much to tolerate! How pathetically he is insulting me!” Rosalia thinks internally while remaining silent as she processes the proposal that has just been given to her. Not thinking much about it, she repeats him.

“Sir John Andrew, I always come late because I’m afraid of falling for your handsome face. You know you are worldwide handsome, and I’m not even your type, so I’m always afraid: what if I fall in love with you and you are not going to accept me even if I die? I’ll be sad forever; that’s why I’m late. I’m sorry, I won’t do that again.” “Yah, girl! How dare you flirt with me? You know my age!” She keeps looking at him, dumbfounded. “I know I’m worldwide handsome, but you are not my type, and I hate it when people praise me. I don’t like to get praised at all!” His nagging makes her scoff. “This punk!” With a slight display of anger, she scoffs. “Did you say something?” Rosalia declines immediately, shaking her head. Now he tells her to repeat after him, “Sir John Andrew, as you are a worldwide handsome and kind man, please consider me today.” A sigh of disappointment gets released from her mouth, as she has no other choice. “Sir John Andrew, as you are a worldwide handsome and kind man, please consider me today.” “Oh, Rosalia, you are embarrassing me now. You know I don’t like it when people praise me. Okay, go to your work.” With a sigh of relief, she leaves him for her work. “What to do with my handsome face?” He shrugs and looks away while pressing his fingers on his temples. “Everybody falls for it.”

As the clock strikes 8 PM and her work schedule comes to an end, she begins to gather her belongings, preparing to leave. While glancing at her phone, she notices a missed call from Henry, which she was unable to answer earlier due to her busy schedule. Without hesitation, she immediately dials his number, eager to connect with him.

“Rosa, have you done already?” Henry’s pleasant voice floats over the phone and works as a healer for her tired mind.

“Yeah, why have you called me a thousand times?”

“Come out; I’m waiting for you.”

“Okay, wait, what?” All she can hear is Henry’s chuckle coming from the other end.

“What are you saying? Have you gone mad?” Promptly terminating the conversation, she exits the restaurant while stepping out onto the bustling street in an effort to find him. Spotting him standing under the cherry tree at a short distance, she sprints towards him.

She comes to a halt in front of him, panting heavily.

“Hey, calm down.” She confirms non-verbally with a nod. “Why didn’t you pick up my phone?” With his petulant tone, he questions her. “Sorry, sorry, I was so busy, but why are you here? Do you know how dangerous it is for you? What if that filthy mafia sees us together?” He says nothing in return but immediately hugs her, making her startled at his sudden action.

“Omo, what happened to my baby bear?” “Did that jerk disturb you?”

“No, surprisingly he didn’t. I hope he never comes up in front of me again, but if he does, I will lose my baby bear.” She speaks while releasing herself from the close embrace they have been sharing. “Stop caring about me that much. I’m not a child.” Henry exclaims, eliciting a chuckle from her. “You are my child forever. I have a few people in my life and don’t want to lose anyone of them.” A smile of contentment curves in the corner of his lips at the softness of her words. His gaze softened in no time after listening to her.

“When will you be free?”

“Maybe in some days.”

“Let’s go somewhere then.”

“Wow, seriously?”

“Yes, cutie.”

“But how come you are suggesting me for an outing?”

“Because my mind is going blank.”

“Definitely, I’ll go, but you have to leave now.” “No way, I’m going to drop you home, and don’t worry about me, I’m all okay.” “I wonder if you’ve gotten any superpowers. Aren’t you afraid of that mafia anymore?” She chooses to continue to persistently question him with a plethora of queries that never seem to cease. “I can go home alone; don’t worry. You should leave now.” With a gentle squeeze, her stroke on his chin places pressure on his chin while she softly gazes into his eyes with a hint of vulnerability. Henry’s instinct to protect her spring into action as a result, and he swiftly takes her by the hand and leads her to his car, his deeds speaking louder than words. Bewildered by the sudden shift in his demeanor, she finds herself at a loss for words as he takes her hand and leads her to his car. With his firm grip on the steering wheel, he begins driving without any hesitation, leaving her feeling both perplexed and intrigued at the same time. As she furrows her brow, trying to decipher the thoughts racing through his mind, she can’t help but wonder what has sparked this unexpected change in his attitude.

“Henry, did something happen?” She asks him to find out what’s going on, trying to have a close look at his side profile. “Did I do something wrong?” She asks again but gets no response from him as he is just busy driving his car. “Why are you upset? It seems you are worried about me.” At last, the strength of her questions makes him turn his gaze toward her. “No, I’m not worried.” Stroking her head affectionately, he tries to assure her, but she is not convinced at all.

“Here you are.” He stops the car in front of her house. “Now go home and take a perfect nap, my cute Rosa.” Both exchange a slight smile before her legs are stretched out of the car. “Okay, go home safely.” She says that before closing the door. They say goodbye to each other and leave.

All of the activities Henry and Rosalia have been doing in front of the Andrew Restaurant are getting scanned by Jacob from afar. Their conversation holds a special attraction, as his mind is racing to know what the topic can be that they are so eager to share. Their intimacy has thrown a knife that keeps penetrating his heart nonstop. However, an evil grin has spread across his lips, as he is planning something crazy.

“My enemy’s weakness, I should have known that earlier. I’m not going to leave you, Rosa, but spend some time with him because I’m planning something dirty now. Playing with both of you will surely give me much pleasure. I’ve warned you; now pay for it!”

Jacob has returned to Washington from Texas, but when he is passing by, he finds Rosalia in front of the restaurant. The unexpected appearance of her at the right time filled his heart and soul with joy. All he needed to see her face is to recharge himself, but it has been so difficult to see her. He loves her, but she hates him, and it’s not a normal relationship that he will be able to see her just because his heart craves her presence. Luckily, she has been in front of him without his effort, but in a moment, his heart has been shattered into pieces after noticing her with Henry. Their care for each other has awakened the beast inside him.

Being tired, broken, exhausted, and angrier, Jacob returns home. After returning home, he finds his cousin John Andrew sitting on the couch cross-legged, putting on a serious expression on his face. “Where were you?” “Why?” “This punk is never going to answer.” He closes his eyes in disappointment. “I have gotten a call from Jim Kelvin. He has canceled all his deals with us.” The perfectly shaped eyebrows of Jacob get knitted after listening to Andrew.

“How he has dared! Call him now!” “I’ve tried a lot to convince him, but he didn’t listen and told me not to contact him. “ How such a man as Jim can dare to cancel all the deals with Jacob, he can’t gather up his thoughts. “Such courage!” Not a single business partner of Jacob has dared to master this courage in his whole life. “It’s all your fault. You’re being irresponsible, Jacob. I don’t know what you’re doing these days, but you should be consistent with your work otherwise everything will go out of hand.” Jacob becomes furious at his brother. “Andrew, don’t try to correct me! I don’t do anything without reason!” He starts to shout at him, making him scoff. “Do whatever you want.” Andrew leaves Jacob alone for his room, as it’s already known to him that bargaining with him will just piss him off—nothing more. Jacob calls Jim Kelvin instantly. “So you dared to mess with me, little fish?” Jim’s voice is agitated after listening to him. “How dare you call me a little fish?” “How much you try to deny the fact, it’s the truth that you are my little fish.” “Jacob, I’m warning you!” “I’m asking you how you have dared to cancel the deals?” “Who the hell are you to ask me that? It’s my kingdom; I’ll do whatever I want.” His baseless words have darkened Jacob’s aura. “Wanna die?” Jim scoffs in disbelief after listening to his threat. “Who’ll kill me? You? A king without a throne! Listen, you’re nothing to me! I’m not afraid of a child like you!” Jim cuts the phone immediately, triggering Jacob at his utmost level. “I’ll kill you, Kelvin! You’ve just dared to insult me!” He breaks one of the vases by punching it, as he can’t control his anger, which causes blood to drip from his hand. Andrew runs to the living room after listening to the loud sound. His eyes widen upon finding that Jacob’s hand is bleeding. “JK! Why have you hurt yourself? Why are you behaving like a child? You are a grown man, so behave yourself.” He brings the first-aid box and starts to treat his wound. Jacob’s anger is dripping from his eyes in the form of tears, which surprises his brother, Andrew. Tears are dripping down from his eyes which makes him perceive something severe is hurting Jacob because since his mother left the country that’s when he last saw tears in his eyes. “I’m having a very bad time! I never felt that weak before! Every single being is trying to play with me!” “What are you saying, JK? Tell me what happened.” Jacob’s heart is aching so severely that he wants to pull it out of his ribcage. He can’t take the pain anymore. “I’m in love but the girl doesn’t feel the same way! She is hurting me! I don’t know why I can’t control my feelings for her! How much I try to hate her, but I can’t do this!” Andrew never saw him at this pathetic stage. Seeing him in this fragile situation, it’s easily comprehensible what’s going on in his mind. He is in love, but it’s just giving him pain. The wound he is going through has come to be seen clearly in his eyes. “Jk, who’s that girl? I should talk to her.” “No, let her live happily in those days because her bad luck is waving at her.” “Jacob, you love her; if you do anything bad to her, then you’ll suffer more than her.” He turns his gaze at Andrew while letting out a sad chuckle. “Let that happen but she should suffer like me; she should feel how horribly love gives pain.” “Calm down, my brother.” “I don’t know how I can do it, but let me punish that little Jim first! I’ll punish everyone who is trying to betray me!” His heart is heavy with the pangs of betrayals he has received today that are stinging his cousin Andrew as well. It’s been a long time since he saw Jacob being as helpless as he is today, and he can’t even do anything because it’s difficult to get his permission on his own except that his willingness doesn’t let him. Taking a sigh, he holds Jacob’s hand and looks at his dark, angry eyes. “No matter what, I’ll always support you, but for now, take a little rest.” Listening to him, he flashes him a smile full of agony while pointing to his heart. “Not until this one let me!”