⚘ ' Mili ' that was what written in cursive on the small wrapped up box which a maid delivered to Miliani this morning. ' If you don't come downstairs wearing it, I'll come upstairs for you - D ' If this small note was not attached to it, Miliani would have returned it already. Even though she could not understand why Daniel would want to give her something, her fear of him was so profound that she dared not to defy him. Miliani clutched the small roll paper in her hand while entering her room with the box on her other hand. Emilia had already begun preparing herself for the evening ahead. Emilia batted her eyes with utter annoyance towards Miliani. If letting Miliani stay inside her bedroom was not enough, Miliani even managed to get on her elder sister Rose's good side, on top of that Emilia came to know that their birthday also coincided on the same fucking day. She had enough reasons already to hate this unwanted girl but crashing her special day was something totall
. Rosalia never wanted to try something so daring. Rose gave it a thousand thoughts at least. After that fateful night, she discussed everything with Miliani and demanded to know about the explanations behind her intuitions. The only person bearing the reason for harming Rose is no other than Kate. Daniel is like the shadow of Kevin, even if the shadow faltered Daniel never would. That much Rose knew. But stating Kevin would bring no help, she was certain. If Kevin digs into this matter, a bunch of random maids would pay the price of their lives nothing else, he would never suspect his sister. Rose desperately hoped her suspicions were wrong, though she feared they weren't. Rose never wanted to think of Kate harbouring such malice towards her. In between these thoughts, Rose somehow despised herself for becoming like this, being drawn into these webs of deceit and immorality. Her heart skipped a beat as she brought the uncapped poison bottle near the plate but she kept her face
⚘ Miliani's heart filled with delight. In the past days when she was in the Romanos shelter, she used to fear being eighteen. She knew something horrible was going to happen to her whenever she would turn eighteen. From what the other maids told her about that surrogacy and stuff, she was fortified to her core. But now she is in a different place far away from those evil minded people, life is really unpredictable, she appraised. She drifted off into her own thoughts when one of Emilia's friends accidentally spilled some mocktail on her dress staining the white cloth in deep blue. She mouthed a 'sorry' before casually passing by. Miliani quickly reached for the stairs, it was her only decent outfit, she urgently needed to clean it up. Just as she reached for the doorknob, a firm hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, slamming her lithe body against the hard wall. Daniel's icy blue eyes bore into her terrified ones, there was no one except for them in the passage. "W
She felt like the closest I would ever get to salvation Yet I wanted to pull her into the depths of my darkness ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kevin was raging through his bones, rage coursing through his veins settling every muscle on fire. Kevin's irate presence filled their room with palpable menace. Rosalia all worried and pale could read his anger weighing down her heavy heart. The sight of abortion pills hidden in Rosalia's medicine box ignited a storm of frustration inside him, a mix of betrayal and helplessness that he could not contain and swept everything within his reach off the surface in an attempt to pacify his anger. Rose, her eyes were filled with trepidation yet fixed on him. Beneath all her fear, there lay a deep, twisted dependence and an unspoken yearning for assurance and safety. Despite everything, Kevin was the only person who cared about her pregnancy more than herself and that seemed to be closing in on her. Exhausted and desperate, Rose felt her legs move before he
Rose was not as paranoid as she had been before. She was resting against the bedframe leisurely reading a magazine after having dinner while Kevin entered the room post workout. For the past few days, Rose gave it a thought about how she should put the issue of Kate in front of Kevin. If not directly still somehow she wanted to convince him of something being wrong. But when Kevin emerged out of the bathroom, his trousers were hanging loosely around his waist revealing the chiselled perfection of his lower abs. He casually rubbed his wet hair with the towel letting the droplets of water trace the sharp lines of his jaw and the sculpted muscles of his chest. The seductive scent of his cologne mixed with the freshness of his shower created an intoxicating aroma that braced the air around Rose. As he walked past the bed, Rose could not help but stare, her eyes devouring the view, her mouth opened and closed like a little goldfish out of the water. Lately, her every emotion fe
•It was concerning, the image on the mirror showing the little baby bump was genuinely concerning for Rose. From what she knew, she was not supposed to have a baby bump just at the beginning of her second trimester. While pulling up the side chains of her dress, Rose was studying her body. She was getting ready for her first ever ultrasound scheduled by the doctor. "Don't worry, maybe you are going to have twins," Agatha said softly reading the worry written all over Rose's face. "Yes. It's quite likely. The second pregnancy in this family is always twins," Maria added from nearby while her hands were busy collecting the breakfast plates. That was not incorrect. Kate and Daniel are also twins. Does that mean I am also having twins! Rose was so scared and confused, not having an idea how to feel. The thought of twins was overwhelming. Rose just wished for a moment of clarity, a sign that everything will be okay. Rosalia felt anxious all the way to the hospital while Kevin br
"See, even the lady can suggest better alternatives than you guys," utter annoyance was evident on Kevin's face as he slammed the last file onto the table, he was running short on his temper but did not shout those words like he usually does, thanks to the quieting presence of his wife, Rosalia. Today’s conference was supposed to focus on innovative strategies for generating new business ideas. But presentation after presentation had failed to spark even a flicker of intrigue, whereas Rose suggested, why don't they try on ethical diamond jewellery? They could focus on sourcing conflict-free diamonds and using eco-friendly materials for the designs and even create custom high-end pieces that tell a story about the origin of each diamond, making every piece unique and special. People would love knowing that their beautiful jewellery also supports good causes and the environment. Even though that's out the Knight's current priority deals but what Rose suggested was commendable, consi
• • •After Kevin finished a few remaining paper works and delivered them to John, both Rose and Kevin descended from Kevin's home office to the hall area. Rose had invited a special guest to dinner today, Susan, a very close friend of hers from high school. She could have invited her at any time of the day but she intentionally chose the dinner time on the weekend where every family member would be present. But that was exactly what Rose hoped for. Susan, currently pursuing a master's in clinical psychology at Stanford, is always praised for her brilliance in the field. Rose was desperate to do something with Kate's deceit that's why she sought help from her friend, Susan. Rose involved herself in a small chatter with Susan before the dinner, and then at the dining table, Rose strategically seated Susan next to Kate, hoping her keen insight would expose Kate's true nature before it was too late. The others in the family will see the truth through Susan's professional eye or
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