The reality made Rose's nonchalance feel like a slap to Anastasia's face. She could not help the jealousy boiling in her as she stormed up to Rose, intending to slap the cavalier grin off the latter's face.Anastasia raised her hand, but as she brought it down in an arc, Rose seized her wrist.Rose had regained some strength after sleeping, and she did not hold back. Anastasia tried to pull away from her grip, but her struggles were to no avail. She glowered at Rose and commanded, "Let go of me!"Rose snorted. She would be a fool to let Anastasia go and earn herself a slap across the face. She maintained her vise-like grip on Anastasia's wrist even as the latter seethed."We're in Young Estate right now! If you don't let go, I'll scream.""Go ahead," Rose said, a cruel challenge flickering in her eyes. She didn't bother playing nice now that things had escalated to the point of near-violence. "Don't think I don't know that you tripped me outside the estate yesterday."She had
Jonathan was worried about Rose getting cold. She would have been touched by his concern if he hadn't called her "wifey", which reminded her that what they had was a deal on paper—a consequence of mistakes and happenstance.She could ignore that stinging fact if she were in Aquastead. But now that they were in Regalia, she had to admit Anastasia had given her a reality check."Don't call me 'wifey' so casually, Mr. Finch," Rose warned, her gaze distant and flickering with contempt.The smile on Jonathan's handsome face faltered slightly, but only for a moment. The corners of his lips were still tugged upward when he reached for Rose's hand. However, she drew back from him when his fingers grazed her hand. He heard her sneer the next second."You're making things hard for me, Mr. Finch. Don't you know where you are? It's not a good look for the head of the Finch family to be caught loitering outside Young Estate."Who knows what the media is capable of writing up if someone snapp
Jonathan's words, delivered in his lazy, roguish tone, made Rose stiffen. When she caught the wicked gleam in his eyes, she immediately knew what he meant to do.As his handsome face inched closer, she instinctively drew back. However, his hand, which cupped the back of her head, kept her from pulling away. She could feel his breath tickling her cheek, his mouth dangerously close to her neck.His teeth were about to graze her skin when she suddenly cried out, "You were clear! You made yourself very clear!"Jonathan stopped, but that did not mean he was pleased with her surrender. She hadn't so much as batted an eye when she said those cruel things to him He had to punish her to soothe his wounded soul and pride. "What did I say?" he whispered into the crook between her neck and shoulder. Rose's body tingled at his playful, devilish tone. When she did not answer immediately, he prompted in a velvety voice, "Hmm?"He was demanding a response. What did he say? Rose picked through Jo
Outside Young Estate, Yara lounged in the backseat of her luxurious car. After learning Jonathan's whereabouts from Bella that morning, she had eagerly made her way to Young Estate in hopes of catching him.She had no interest in attending a funeral, but she did not mind using it as an excuse to get close to Jonathan.Yara wore a long, black dress. She checked the makeup she had painstakingly applied. Having made sure she looked perfect, she put on her shades and stepped out of the car.She surveyed her surroundings and grew disappointed. She grumbled to Kate, "I can't believe the press didn't show up."She had expected to see reporters crowding outside Young Estate to get an exclusive on Oliver's funeral, seeing as the old man had been a titan in the industry. Had she known the press wouldn't be here, she would have contacted them and had them stationed outside in advance.Unfortunately, it was too late for Yara to pull such a stunt. She glared at Kate and said, "Forget it. Jus
Finley spotted Jonathan coming out of Young Estate and hurriedly handed him the phone. "Mr. Finch, Mrs. Finch Senior… Mrs. Finch Senior wants you to check your phone. She also said you must answer the call…"He gave Jonathan a look as if to say, "Save yourself."Jonathan fished out his phone. Sure enough, there were several missed calls from Finch Manor. He gave Finley a brief hum in response and took the phone from him. "Grandma—" No sooner had the word left his mouth did Eleanor's snort come from the other side. "Grandma, huh? Here I was thinking you'd forgotten about me.""As if," Jonathan said lightly. "What is it? Sorry, I missed your calls. I was at Mr. Young Senior's funeral."Eleanor's displeasure waned when she heard this. She said, "I see. I called to ask you to head to Rise Entertainment. The person in charge quit, and I need you to run things for a while."Rise Entertainment? The Finch Group had countless enterprises under its umbrella, and Rise Entertainment was o
Yara elegantly extended a hand toward Jonathan. She was an heiress who had made a name for herself in the entertainment industry, and she was revered by all. Even when she was abroad, she could walk into a room and steal everyone's attention with her charm and pretty face.There was no denying her beguiling wiles. Just one look at her and a man would find it difficult to tear his eyes away. She doubted Jonathan would be immune to her beauty.Yet, her confidence and arrogance did not help her foresee that Jonathan would leave her hanging. He did not take her hand or even offer a greeting in response.Yara decided to cut the man some slack. Perhaps he was so stunned by her beauty that he had forgotten how his body worked.She looked up slowly through her lashes, the seduction clear in her gaze. However, Jonathan met her bedroom eyes with storm-filled ones. She stiffened but chose to ignore the divot between his brows. A smile played on her lips as she stepped forward and said, "I
Jonathan might have stepped into Rose's line of vision, but she still heard the other woman's voice loud and clear. She had already seen the woman clinging onto Jonathan's frame like a sloth earlier, and it was an image that she would not soon forget. A self-deprecating smile suddenly curved on Rose's lips as she buried her bitter thoughts and headed forward.Elated to see Rose coming his way, Jonathan broke into a jog to meet her in the middle. He extended an arm, ready to embrace her the moment they were close enough. He could already smell the scent of burning candles on her. The distance between them was growing smaller with each step they took.However, Rose suddenly sidestepped him and marched right past him. Jonathan gaped at the air before him speechlessly. An intense roaring filled his head, and he felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him. He stood rooted in place. He wanted to move, but his legs felt like they had been weighed down by lead.Rose
"Yes, Mr. Finch," Finley said, not bothering to ask Jonathan to reconsider.By the time Yara caught up to Jonathan, he had already been ferried off in his car. She watched as the car vanished into the distance. She thought about asking Kate to bring the car around, but she wouldn't catch up to Jonathan in time.Yara stomped her foot in anger and turned to lash out at Kate. "Why can't you be a little more proactive? Didn't you see me trip and fall just now? I could have caught up to Jonathan if you'd helped me, but now I've missed my chance because of you! He even smiled at me just now!"Her face was twisted into a menacing grimace.Kate had hurried over to Yara. She flinched as the latter threw a fit, but she couldn't help her disbelief. She had seen what happened earlier. From a spectator's point of view, Jonathan hadn't seemed all that interested in Yara. The only person he cared about was the woman who had come out of Young Estate, and Kate was surprised that Yara hadn't not