. . . But the person at the door was not whom she assumed. It was Aaron peeping from the side of the wall but not entering the room. Why would he! He was angry.. how can he just show up inside the bedroom just because he wants to! Rose gestured for the little boy to come inside. Even though he was strongly determined not to respond to his Rose, he could not resist and after a minute of tapping his foot on the ground and thinking, he finally gave in. He was grumpy. "What's up, little man?" Rose pulled him near. "I will not talk to you." Furiously he said. "I thought you loved me." Seemed like the 5-year-old was the person most unhappy about her departure. "You were gone. You didn't show up on my birthday. I was waiting for you, Rose." Almost crying he nagged. It was his fifth birthday, and he wanted nothing more than his Rose's presence. While blowing out the candle he made a wish to see her soon. "I was stuck somewhere, baby. I missed the flight." Rose draped he
. .Emilia was not serious, she just wanted to prank Rose a little and see her reaction. Emilia knew Daniel was out of town for some days, but she was just hoping if he has arrived already. For her, he is just a eye candy, she can not help staring at. "Are you out of your mind? You must not even think about it." Rose could not stop herself from shouting. There was no one besides them at the breakfast table except for Kate. Rose did not mind her presence. "Why not?" Emilia cross questioned curiously. "No way in hell Emi. They are not good people. And Daniel is terrible. You should stop thinking about anything related to these Knights. Do a part-time job and find yourself a good apartment away from here. I'll help you in every way possible." Rose held her hand and tried to make her understand. "See, you worked because I was a minor and we had no money. Things are way much different now. We are good. So you don't need to worry. Okay?" Emilia sees no point in her sister's dem
.Tristian Romano is the Knight's distant related maternal cousin. They maintain to arrange strictly business related conferences if necessary for the sake and peace of both families and for maintaining the trade chains undisturbed in each other's area. The twist of the relationship lies in the fact that officially they are business allies, relatives, and have a treaty sealed since the marriage of Kevin's father and mother who was no other than the daughter of Domenico Romano, the founder member of the Romanos empire. But unofficially they are the strongest rivals. Every family involved in this business knows the Romanos stabbed the Knights in the back, partnered with the German Mafia, and executed Kevin's parents. But until or unless there's no evidence proving it in front of the whole world, they can't break the treaty, they can't attack their so called blood related partners. Otherwise, it may change the equilibrium of the mafias forever and end with a devastating loss on either si
"KEVIN!" Rose did not know how long it had been since she last took his name, nor did she care at that horrific moment. "Please stop it." "Leave me alone. Please. Please!" She shouted. She was trying her best to free her hand from his strong grip. In the dimly lit hallway of their mansion, Kevin's grip on Rosalia's arm tightened as he forcefully dragged her towards the basement door. Rosalia's protests fell on deaf ears as she struggled against his iron grasp, her voice pleading for his mercy. "Kevin, please, let me go!" she cried, her words tinged with desperation. Even though she did not know what was Kevin up to but the basement area is the particular place which Rosalia really detests in this mansion. His vile intentions have already done the worst to her. His anger-written aura was enough for Rosalia to assume her near future. "I didn't do anything wrong! Please, listen to me!" But Kevin's expression remained impassive, his eyes cold and unyielding as he reache
As Kevin approached the basement door, the air was heavy with tension, anticipation mingled with dread. With a click, he unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing the dimly lit room within. But as he stepped inside, his heart felt heavy at the sight before him. Rosalia stood motionless resting her body against the hard wall, her eyes vacant and distant, staring blankly ahead. The bloodstains that littered the floor seemed to have seeped into her very soul, leaving her numb and detached from reality. "Rosalia?" Kevin's voice was barely a whisper as he approached her cautiously, his heart aching at the sight of her brokenness but it was exactly what he wanted. When he took her back to this mansion, he has let her get away with every disappointment she brought to his life. He just wanted a single thing but she had to rebel against it. Kevin brought her to the bedroom and left quietly after instructing the maids to take care of her. She dismissed the maids as soon as he left.
. . . Emilia's excitement faded as she looked at the box. "You know better, I guess", Emilia mumbled in a hesitant voice, looking anywhere but her sister. "Emi," Rose pressed, her tone being more insistent. "No. It's nothing....It's just in case, you know" Emilia replied in a faltering voice earning a look of disapproval from her sister. Emilia never imagined this would turn out this way. Even though she felt a little ashamed, she found nothing wrong in having some birth control pills. "Some maids were earnestly searching for the pills throughout my room. When they found the box, they took it. After some time Kevin summoned me and asked a few questions." Feeling the need to let Rose know, She further added. Rose sighed deeply, frustration for self mingling with concern for her younger one. Rose came here to confirm whether the pills really belonged to Emilia or if her sister was also being framed just like her. Getting her required answers, Rose took a step back. She w
. . . Emilia stood nervously outside the balcony, her fingers clutching the thick platinum neck chain she just found on the aisle outside Daniel's room. Its cold metal was warming in her grasp. Both Kevin and Daniel have their rooms on the same floor but on different wings. Emilia would often linger around this floor driven by the chance to satisfy her eyes with the stunning visuals and physique of Daniel. It's the rarest of rare times that she is able to catch a glimpse of his captivating presence. Though it brought storms in her raving heart, it seemed that Daniel had never noticed her. Not that it mattered to her - being her sister's room on the same floor provided her with the best excuse if he ever noticed. She ran her thumb over the backside of the chain where Daniel's name was beautifully calligraphed in elegant scripts. Emilia has observed this personalised chain always dangling around Daniel's veiny, sensual neck, as a symbol of his strength and allure. The thought of
You used to work for the Romanos?" Rose asked with a hint of sympathy. "I was sold to them. I was ordered to work as a maid until I turn eighteen," Miliani answered. It brought no surprise to Rose, she herself was going to be a pawn of her father's dirty trade. "And what after that?" Rose asked sincerely. "I am not sure .. maybe they wanted to make me a surrogate for their family" Miliani hesitantly answered. At least she knew what was in store for her in the Romano's family but here, she was completely oblivious of the Knight's intentions with her. Before leaving the Romanos mansion, a fellow house help had confided in her that the Knights had killed her brother and captured her father. She expected a similar fate awaited her at the hands of the Knights but the uncertainty of what lay ahead only deepened her terror. She could not decipher their intentions and the unknown was far more terrifying than any certainty. Rose sighed. Having no words to say. This revelation stirred
Kevin’s world tilted on its axis. He had suspected betrayal, but hearing it from Kate’s own lips was a dagger to the heart. Tristian’s small, evil laughter echoed in the room, a sound devoid of any humanity. He wanted to take advantage of Kevin's most vulnerable moment and Kate served in his favour well. Kevin’s heart pounded with a fierce mixture of fear, rage, and a desperate determination. The day’s harrowing events had driven him to the edge, and the sight of Tristian in his home, holding his family hostage like the Romanos did in the past and his own sister shaping all these behind his back pushed him over. He wanted to reach out and throttle Tristian, to make him pay for every ounce of pain he and his family had inflicted on Kevin and his family. But with Kate standing between them, the path to vengeance was blocked. For the first time ever in his life, Kevin felt his fingers shaking on the trigger. "Kate, you know, you don’t have to do this," Kevin implored, his voice raw w
• • • Rose had just given birth to their twins under the most harrowing circumstances and now, the ominous sound of a gunshot shattered the fragile peace that had barely settled over their mind and home. Kevin was all alert on his senses standing in the hallways, his intuition battling with unpredictability and determination that something was terribly wrong for sure. He glanced back toward the bedroom where Rose and their newborns were resting, safe for now. The decision gnawed at him, should he stay and protect his family or investigate the threat that lurked within their mansion, their safe boundary? Being unable to put the damn network into any work, he frustratedly threw his phone off and after a moment of agonizing hesitation, he resolved to ensure the safety of his loved ones by confronting the danger head-on. Kevin hurried downstairs to his study on the first floor. He opened a concealed drawer, revealing a sleek, black handgun. The cold metal felt reassuring in his
• • • Rose was not due in a month but the sudden panic attack induced her labour. All the while, Kevin stayed by Rose's side, not leaving her even for a second and urging her constantly to breathe through the contractions. "You are doing great, baby. Just keep breathing for me," He hushed softly near her ear. Rose tried to focus on Kevin's voice, but the shooting pain was overwhelming. Each contraction felt like a wave crashing over her, leaving her gasping for breath. She clenched Kevin's hand, barely holding onto her consciousness. "It hurts...," she cried out of sheer helplessness, tears were streaming down her cheeks, strands of hair sticking onto her face, "...so much." "You can, Rose," Kevin said firmly, though his own heart was breaking to see her in such excruciating agony. "You're going to be the strongest mother I know. Just keep breathing, okay? We're going to get through this," he tried to coo her, boosting her courage. Maria and Agatha worked quickly,
A thousand thorns were pierced on her belly at once, that's what it felt like for Rose when she could not stop herself from dropping onto her bare knees. Rose swept on the floor on her side with a cry of agony at the gruesome sight of her kitten's lifeless body, the blood scrawled word BITCH got washed away painting her forearms with the fresh warm blood of her feline baby. Relentless waves of panic tied a burning knot inside her stomach forcing her to curl into a small ball. All the muscles of her distressed body contracted altogether. Rose shot her eyes closed, haphazardly gasping for some air and just as she was about to collapse, a sharp, searing pain shot through her abdomen causing her to shriek with all her might due to the spasm. Rose sensed the popping feeling of water gushing down her inner thighs. Miliani, rushing back with a glass of milk, screamed, calling Rose in alarm, watching her lathering on the floor. Dropping the glass out of instinct, she sprinted to Rose
"What do you mean?" Rose questioned back. "Rose, I desperately wanted to meet you cause I had one very important piece of information to share which I am bearing with myself for the past six years. I can never confess this to anyone in this family except you and trust me, you need to know it," he truthfully said as it never really mattered to him in the past but since the day he got to know about Rose being attached to this family, he was searching for an opportunity to deliver this crucial information to her. Rose looked at him with querying eyes and unwavering focus. "Kevin was initially against our relationship but not after all the drama Kate put him through. And that day, it was not my plan to escape; escaping was never really necessary for us, to be honest. It was Kate, she tricked me into pulling that desperate act. That rainy night, we were having a deadly argument, and she was driving the car at a high speed when that unfortunate incident occurred. I had no other way o
• • • "Mili?" Rose softly called. Miliani was seated behind Rose tenderly messaging Rose's head with a light hair oil. "Hmm?" She answered carefully working with her fingers, aiding to Rose's relaxation. The final stages of the pregnancy are indeed very difficult to bear. Rose's feet have swollen, she finds it hard to straighten her back properly due to the heaviness of her belly, her breaths have become shortened, she often feels painful cramps in her lower back, also the excessive tiredness consuming her body does not help either. But whenever Miliani messages her scalp and then, reads Rose some of her favourite books, Rose finds it quite relieving. "How about you finish your school, get that degree and enrol for some college?" Observing Miliani's keen interest in studies Rosalia suggested. Also, deep down, Rose does not want her to serve as a maid in this mansion forever. Rose had suggested Mili to drop working as a maid at the Knight's mansion but the young girl
"I've something to say," she said hesitantly looking down, "Do you know Curtis is Caspian .. he was - he was there in Italy wi-" "I know," Kevin answered making her cease. As he might not be fond of her talking about another man for long, Rose did not speak anymore but she, being dubious, could not look into his eyes. She was unaware of what he might be thinking about her. "But I trust you," Kevin lifted her chin gently, his eyes locking onto hers with a genuine smile on his face that made her chest tighten. Rose's heart swelled up with his reaction but she felt bad knowing the lengths he was going through for his sister's recovery, all while being completely unknown to the absolutely opposite reality. But she was very determined that moment to disclose everything to him as the weight of his trust felt heavier on her shoulders than she ever presumed. Rose slipped her hands into the side pocket of her dress and pulled out a mini button sized camera. "There's something import
I would suggest you take a look at the chapter named 'Stress reliever' to understand this chapter better. • • • "Curtis!" Kate blurted out; she was flabbergasted at the sight, like he was the last person on earth she ever imagined she would confront again. It did not go unobserved by Kevin that Kate smoothly recognised her ex, the father of her son, Curtis. Kevin proudly smiled to himself as he took one big step towards her recovery. As the doctor instructed, something or someone deeply attached to her past might serve her against the current trauma. That's why he brought Curtis to help her recover sooner. "Caspian" Rose mumbled against her overly shocked breath. Why Kate is calling Caspian as 'Curtis' ... Does that mean Caspian and Curtis are the same person? Rose felt overwhelmed. She did not dare to call out Caspian loudly in front of everyone. Caspian and Rose both never shared their past with each other during the quite brief time they spent together in Italy. But R
The pain must be part of the cure ~ • • • Kevin, nestled in Rose's warmth, knelt before her and murmured the lines in urgency, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything, Rosalia." Today he felt the most deficient of all time. There is no such pain as painful as being unable to save the love of your life. Rose's serene features drunk with moonlight, her soft inquisitive eyes searching for something in his face did not allow him to make her aware of today's dreadful event. For the first time in his life, he actually felt so vulnerable that he could not bring himself to judder her peace with the bitter truth of what was about to happen to her. Such huge stress would not be any good for her at this stage of pregnancy, she was due in less than nine weeks. Whereas Rose was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, torn between whether to reveal Kate's deception to Kevin or keep it hidden. She had waited so long, endured so much, and tried so hard and now, just when Kate seemed ready to co