Tessa was thinking hard and suddenly started to process everything that had happened in the last 2-3 days, including what they had just discussed.She frowned and asked, “Al, you were confused. Then why did you kiss me?”Albert stopped pacing and looked at her, “What are you talking about?”“In the parking lot today. You were angry and confused, so why did you kiss me?”“You have some nerve to ask.”“Of course! You said they got you all confused, and you weren’t sure, then why kiss me out of nowhere and confuse me as well.”“Honey, you kissed me back.”“Because I was not going through all this nonsense in my head.”“I don’t know, okay? I saw you standing there and suddenly wanted to kiss you. Then I remembered you hate PDA, so I only held your hand and hugged you. I could not help myself when you kissed me on the cheek. Besides, I waited a few seconds for you to react if you didn't want to. You did not push me away.”“I think we should stop thinking about this too much. How about we t
Time flew by, and the year was about to end.Things were looking great for the two couples.Tessa and Albert were doing great.They figured it was okay for their relationship to be based on friendship and develop slowly instead of comparing it with that of others who just clicked from the word go.They were friends first, and no matter what happened, they would remain friends.Knowing this strengthened the bond as it took away all the unwanted pressure.Rosaline and William were doing great. Despite living in different cities for two months.They had bought a rundown apartment on the top floor with rights to develop on the roof.It was located halfway between the Dayne family mansion and CARE, which made Rosaline’s life easier.They had been working on renovating it for the previous two months. The renovations were almost complete.William tore it down rather unceremoniously, and they both designed it, including adding a studio apartment on top. They turned the rundown apartment into
It was another new year since Rosaline had returned.The three couples were excited.As usual, AR Group gave two weeks off with additional incentives for the support staff who would still work during the time.They decided to ditch their families this year and celebrate together on a much-needed vacation.However, a few of them happened to be broke, and thus they shelved their plans for an exuberant vacation abroad.Asteria wasn’t aware of the concept - of being broke - so Felix spent quite a time explaining it to her while Rosaline and Albert helped.Tessa - the wealthy heiress, and William - the young master of the Brown family and boss of the AR Group, were never broke.Besides, William’s family had been putting money on his card for the past fifteen years, which he had yet to touch. He did not even know what the amount was.They settled for holidaying in T city in Rosaline’s villa.The five people chipped in to pay for everything else since the villa was Rosaline’s.They overruled
As soon as the three couples arrived in S city, Tessa pulled Rosaline and Asteria and took a cab directly to her apartment.The three boys were left disgruntled but couldn’t do anything about it. Tessa had given Rosaline the time to enjoy her engagement with her fiance, but they needed to talk.The girls were in no hurry to start chatting.They freshened up, ordered a lot of food, opened a bottle of wine, and made themselves comfortable in the living room. “Babe, Spill!” Tessa started. Asteria was once again astonished by the way they communicated.“I woke up as usual in his arms. He tried to steal a kiss as usual, but no kissing with bad breaths, so I dodged by covering my mouth with my palm. He kissed the ring, and I realized I was wearing one. Then he said, ‘Good morning, fiance.’ And that’s it.”Rosaline explained, bliss evident on her glowing face and shining eyes.“That’s it! No grand proposal, no asking the question, just like that.” Tessa was frustrated. “We have been livi
William decided to host a grand birthday party for Rosaline in Apex city.They planned to announce their engagement and introduce their families formally.The three pairs flew to Apex city a day before her birthday.The two Danyne families, two Brown families, and all the kids, including Tina, Tessa, Albert, Felix, Asteria, Jack, and Leena, came together in a private room in Tipsy Topsy.Elisa’s mother - Eliyana - was also in Apex city at the time and was in attendance.Once everyone had arrived, William proposed a toast to his fiance, wishing her a happy 25th birthday.There were lots of hugs and congratulations and gift-giving.She cut the cake, and they all had a lovely dinner.However, everything went downhill as Eliyana recognized Asteria as the granddaughter of her cousin Serena.She inquired about the girl and confirmed that she was Serena’s granddaughter and Isabella’s daughter.Asteria, however, was more psyched seeing Anabella Brown as the resemblance between Anabella and he
William and Rosaline lay in their bed in the AR mansion, lost in their thoughts. William turned around and brought her face to face as he asked, “What are you thinking?”Rosaline held his hand and confessed, “I am scared.”William brought her closer and kissed her lightly.“Don’t be. I meant what I said in the parking lot. We will get married and grow old together.”Rosaline asked doubtfully, “What if we are cousins four times removed?”William stared at her eyes and said, “Then we won’t have kids. We will get tested and see if there are any risks to us having kids. If there are, we won't have kids. Nothing else changes. I love you. I won’t stay away from you no matter what.”Rosaline nodded, but a shadow of doubt lingered in the back of her mind. William could sense her emotions, so he kissed her lightly. It took her a bit longer than usual, but she kissed him back eventually.William knew that was the trick with her.As long as he persisted, she would give in.With that thought in
Amidst all the chaos and uncertainty, a piece of good news came.Maddox and Ellaria were expecting twins.They had been trying for a child for a year already, but there had been some minor complications.They were taking medications, following a specific diet plan, and doing other recommended things.Finally, they got double the happiness - twins.They had planned to have only one baby, and having twins was a lucky stroke.Maddox planned to get a vasectomy after the kids were born to avoid further surprises. They had grouped once again for a simple celebration. Rosaline was over the moon with the prospect of being an aunt.“I will be the cool-fun-aunt your kids come to when they run off from home.” She announced loudly, making everyone laugh.Maddox patted her on the head. “Alright. Remember your words.”Elaria feigned annoyance, “Hey, what kind of father are you?”Rosaline stuck her tongue at her, “Thank you, brother. Good job.”Elaria was incensed at her words.“Are you kidding me
The bickering continued until Eliyana passed out.They quickly drove her to the hospital, and everything was fine.She had merely fainted due to high blood pressure.The matter remained in a stalemate. There was another issue to consider.The kids bore the name of the family that raised them. Each family wanted them to take the correct family name. But at the same time, they did not want the child they raised to change their family name.That matter also stood still as no one got the hang of how to deal with the situation.In a few days, however, everyone left for their respective workplace.The Scotts also moved back to Z city after inviting everyone over.Isabella treated the Daynes and Browns quite well despite not getting along with Eliana.She had accepted the fact that William was a Scott. And that made Rosaline their daughter-in-law.She liked the girl.She had that stubborn will that the Scott family matriarch should have.Moreover, she also knew her a little, as both Danial
William lay on the bed with Rosaline in his arms and little Parth in his crib on the side. “Lexi?” William whispered. “Hmm?” Rosaline hummed in his neck. “Falling in love with you is the greatest achievement of my life. Thank you, darling. I never knew I could be so happy that my heart feels like it’ll overflow.” William said emotionally. “Don’t steal my line. That’s how I feel. With you by my side, I feel invincible.” Rosaline murmured. “I love you so much.” He said hoarsely. “I know. I would argue I love you more, but we both know that’s not true.” Rosaline giggled, peppering kisses on his neck. “Don’t do that!” William sighed. She teased, “Do what?” “Our son is here. We can’t do anything, so don’t provoke me. Besides, you have not healed yet.” William answered. “Teasing you is no fun. You have better control than me.” Rosaline complained. “You should be happy about that. I want you more than you want me.” William teased. “I have noticed our desire for sex and food follow
Everyone had gathered at the AR mansion early as Asteria was to bring Rosaline and William’s baby.Tessa jumped first and ran to the door.She could not snatch the baby from Asteria’s arm, and Asteria would not give him away.They argued as they reached Rosaline’s side.The silent baby finally made a cooing noise as he leaped at Rosaline.“You heartless brat, I have been looking after you for two days, and you did not even speak to me once,” Asteria exclaimed, making everyone laugh.She had become much more cheerful in Apex city. She was unrestrained and happy.Everyone was waiting to hold the baby.Leena whistled and said, “Don’t crowd around him. Give him some breathing space. Rosy will introduce everyone to him.”They all grumbled and sat down.Jack had to grab Tessa and Albert by the collar and make them sit.Meanwhile, the baby rested his head on Rosaline’s shoulders but kept facing outside.“Don’t be mad at Mamma. Mamma was busy. Look, Mamma brought Dada home.” Rosaline convince
Danial, Isabella, Rosaline, and William went to the Scott family mansion.They had identified and reported the spies to the authorities.Someone had screened the entire mansion for hidden bugs.They enjoyed a lively dinner. It was the most peaceful meal in over five months. They shared what was going on and celebrated the reunion.They had planned to fly to Apex city the next day.They had given a week off to everyone in both companies except the support staff. It was to gear everyone up for the drastic changes that were to happen in Scott Group and to set the pace they would pick up at AR Group. Finally, William and Rosaline were alone in their bedroom.He hugged her close as soon as they locked the door.“You worked so hard,” William sounded sad.“It was the only time I had gotten physically involved. I only worked from the sidelines and helped the rescued people. It was emotionally draining to see so much suffering.”“But I tried my best to channel it into helping others, spreadin
Rosaline tried to soothe her.“Forget those vile creatures. That phase in your life is over. It’ll never go away, but it’s only a past now.”“The baby is innocent. It’s 29 weeks old now. Already fully formed.”“That gives you three options - you can keep the baby.”“You can abort it.”“Or you can wait a few more weeks. After the 34th week, we can do a c-section. The baby will be kept in a NICU until it is ready to be taken away.”“It’ll have a very high chance of survival after 34 weeks. You need at least six weeks for your physical injuries to heal anyway. You will be in the hospital regardless.”“And even if you want to abort, you’ll have to wait two weeks before your other injuries are healed enough for the procedure to be safe for your body.”“You can sleep on it and make a choice.”The girl looked at her and asked, “If I give birth, what will happen to the child?”Rosaline answered, “Depends on what you want. You can leave it in CARE if you don’t want to raise it. I promise the c
Rosaline broke the silence before the reporters could ask anything.“This little girl needed 30 stitches to heal the wound caused by rape. I had qualms about signing the consent form to terminate the pregnancy, which she called a monster. It would have undoubtedly torn her already vulnerable body apart.”The host silenced the reporters and played another clip.It showed a hospital bed and a young woman with a big pregnant belly. Her face was blurred, but she looked young.A police officer took her statement while a nurse and Rosaline stayed in the room.“Miss , let me confirm the details as you have mentioned previously. You met Peter a year ago in a cafe. He asked you out, you refused, he started to harass you, and then you filed a complaint against him.”“We found the complaint in the FIR box in the police station of south branch-9, which is close to your house. You and your parents met with an accident five days after you had filed an FIR.”The girl trembled, and Rosaline hel
Rosaline asked.“Whose permission do we need to terminate any possible pregnancy? They are too young to consent to anything, and god knows when we will find their families.”She slumped down and leaned on the wall as she sighed.“On top of everything, I don’t want them to have to carry a pregnancy to term. Under a proper environment, there is a chance they might heal and have a life, a family, and a future ahead. Let’s protect that.”“Thank you, Chief!”“Can we also get permission for the girls to choose if they want to return to their homes or stay in CARE?”“I suspect one of the girls got sold by her family. The others were in unwanted, improvised conditions. Only the 13-year-old seems to come from a loving family. If they don’t have a healing environment at home, let them stay in CARE. When they are better, they can move out anytime they want.”“Thank you, Chief. I will get the documents from you and prepare them after I get checked at the hospital.”“Don’t worry! I won’t mess with
A reporter asked a question that was not related to the case.“Miss Dayne, there are rumors that all the rescued rape victims get forced to have an abortion before being admitted to CARE. Could you shed some light on the matter?”The host replied, “Please keep the questions limited to the case.”Rosaline smiled at the host and answered, “That is not true. But I think I should be able to answer more clearly if your question was specific.”The reporter was stunned but soon asked, “Is it true that you have signed the consent form for abortion for the rape victims who were underage?”“Yes, that is true.”The reporter sneered, “In that case, it is true.”Rosaline countered, “I think you should get your facts straight and understand the nuances while discussing a sensitive topic.”“I have signed a consent form to terminate the pregnancy caused by six months of continuous rape of an 8-year-old who was in no way capable of sustaining a pregnancy on her physically undeveloped body that needed
Chief Green continued after the reporters quieted down.“After an in-depth investigation, we uncovered some evidence which indicated Mr. Jackson Senior’s involvement in the accident of Mr. Andrew Scott’s pregnant wife.”“Mr. Jackson Junior’s involvement in missing funds and misappropriation of money and resources within Scott Group subsidiaries came to light. We also found evidence of him bribing many staff members of Scott Group.”“Ultimately, there was evidence of their involvement in child trafficking. It linked both cases together.”“Furthermore, Mr. Jackson Senior was the leading investigator of the case of Mrs. Andrew. He was also the senior leader overseeing the capture of the suspect - Peter.”“However, there was no motive linking them, and their accounts were clean. And the evidence was not enough.”“So, we had to dig deeper, and we uncovered Mr. Jackson’s sister, who had wanted to marry into the Scott family, had gone missing and was presumed dead two years before Mrs. Andre
“You bitch, you called the cops,” Michael said venomously, spittle spraying from his mouth.“Someone is indeed helping you from the inside. No wonder we failed three times.” Rosaline said calmly.“Hahaha, you are smart. No wonder you found all my hideouts. Too bad you can’t catch me, though.” He sneered.“For what you did to those little girls, I will make sure you get caught, even if it’s the last thing I do,” Rosaline vowed.“Those little cunts were so tight. I am getting hard just thinking of them. The youngest one, how old was that bitch again? Ah! 8, 7 when I bought her. She was one feisty bitch, so much like you. When I shoved myself inside her, she begged until she passed out. One day, I will make sure you do the same. I won’t kill you today. I am going to fuck you bloody first. And, you won’t be able to do anything because you can’t touch me.”Michael punched her on the stomach, spat on her face, and left.Rosaline took a minute before she managed to stand.She took off her ea