"So you two are sisters? No wonder you share the same surname! If that's the case, would you be willing to stay here and witness your sister's creation?" the host asked, surprised.Kelly gnawed angrily at her cheek. Rose's grip around her arm tightened, making her grit out, "Of course I will!"The host nodded at Rose."Your mask, Ms. Rose … "Rose took her mask off, revealing her pale and fragile visage. Miles couldn't help but stand up, watching her in utter shock. No one noticed him when he did this, however.All of a sudden, a design sketch appeared on the screen onstage. It was drenched in blood, the bright color making everyone reel away."What … is this?""Why is there so much blood?"Rose turned to look at the screen and was left shocked. "What's going on?" A judge asked.Kelly immediately put on a worried act."How could you be so careless as to let your design get so dirtied, Rose? What if people think you're disrespecting the competition?"The judges instantly fr
But he was nowhere to be found in the audience. Still, Rose was certain this was the work of her star escort husband.Just then, someone applauded in the audience. As if awoken from some spell, the rest of the audience erupted into riotous claps, giving their approval to Rose's creation.Kelly never anticipated things to turn out like this. How could Rose have drawn up a design in such a short amount of time?She stared intently at the design, then, as if latching onto a bone to pick, said, "It is a beautiful necklace. Yet why does it seem to be more of a pair of rings?"As stunning as this necklace was, it wasn't derived from the design sketch itself. That meant it was bound to be disqualified!The judges all had a look of uncertainty on their faces now as they discussed amongst themselves.Rose turned back to the stage. She hadn't forgotten her purpose here today. She sneered, about to retort when Miles suddenly called out from the VIP seating area, his voice loud and clear."
Kelly was panicking inside under Miles' gaze. All of a sudden, a thought came to mind: if she admitted that she was Ms. Flora, she'd win this competition for sure!Kelly couldn't help but feel delighted, knowing that Jonathan was watching her right now from somewhere behind the scenes.She said humbly, "Yes. I didn't want to reveal my identity at first, but I forgot to leave out the signature in my sketch this time. By the time I thought about changing it, it was too late, so … "Kelly knew her lie wouldn't stand up to question one day, but by that time she would've already won Jonathan's heart over. So, she had nothing to fear!To her surprise, when she finished speaking, Rose chuckled lightly beside her. Kelly was about to ask her why she was laughing when Miles laughed as well. It was dripping in sarcasm and disdain. "Did you know, I happened to meet Ms. Flora in person a couple of days ago, right here in Aquastead? You're not who I met up with at all," Miles exclaimed.The c
The host received Jonathan's instruction. Without the slightest delay, he said, "It turns out that Rose is Ms. Flora. This flame symbol is her trademark, and it's identical. How could it appear in Ms. Kelly's work? The only explanation ..."He had barely uttered these words when another exceptionally pleasant voice chimed in."The only explanation isn't that Rose stole Kelly's design, but rather, Kelly stole her design ..."As the words trailed off, the owner of the voice had already taken the stage. Everyone gazed in astonishment at Ezra, who was dressed in an all-white suit. However, Ezra only had eyes for Rose. He strolled over to her while ignoring the others and purposefully bent slightly, his handsome face coming level with hers. His amorous eyes sparkled with a mischievous charm."Is that so, Rose?"Rose's breath caught as she was taken aback by his smile. Perhaps from this surprise, a sudden dizziness overcame her. Subconsciously, she took a step back, losing her balan
"Clearly, I was about to become the champion and gain immense fame; I could even catch Mr. Finch's attention. It's all because of you ... all because of you that everything has been ruined! You've ruined everything, so how about using this hand to make amends?"Kelly viciously grabbed Rose's injured left arm. "Without this hand, your talent and beauty won't matter anymore. Let's see how those men will protect you!"She exerted more pressure, causing Rose to tremble with pain. Blood oozed from the wound, and Rose tried to push her away. Nevertheless, she was too weak at that moment.Just as she was about to lose consciousness from the pain, Kelly was suddenly kicked away with great force."Ah!" she exclaimed.In the next moment, Rose found herself in familiar arms. In a daze, she saw her star escort husband's worried face. "Hubby," she subconsciously called out before slipping into unconsciousness.Kelly had initially intended to curse. However, when she saw the person in fron
An hour later, the auction was coming to an end. When Rose woke up, she overheard a conversation between the two nurses who were staying to look after her. "Oh my goodness, 500 million! The couple's rings sold for a staggering 500 million!""And the fire opal necklace, they were all bought by Mr. Finch ..."They were excited as they gossiped. They had overheard the commotion from the auction outside; there were at least three parties continuously bidding, creating an insane atmosphere."I wonder who the final lucky owner of that couple of rings will be ...""That's obvious, given how nervous Mr. Finch was for Ms. Shaffer just now ..."They exchanged glances while brimming with envy. However, upon seeing Rose had awakened, their expressions suddenly changed.The hospital director had warned them not to mention Jonathan in front of Rose. Furthermore, they couldn't reveal to her that he had saved her."Ms. Shaffer ..." one of the nurses said, looking concerned.Rose's mind was f
"So, why do you want to find him?" Jonathan asked, his voice laced with frustration.A chill emanated from him, sending shivers down Rose's spine. She didn't have time to ask him what was bothering him as she explained, "Of course, to retrieve the couple rings. I heard that the rings were auctioned, and I want to keep them for myself. I need to stop them from signing the contract."Jonathan scoffed and said, "It's just a pair of rings. What's the big deal?""How could it not be a big deal!" Rose's immediate instinct was to keep those rings. It wasn't because of her design, but rather the strange feeling she had developed when she saw the finished product.The host mentioned that someone had turned her design into a finished product. While she hadn't confirmed it, she was certain that the person was her star escort husband. She glanced at Jonathan.Their marriage had been nothing but a transaction, but she still wanted to keep something. With the one-month deadline approaching,
Chelsea was so scared that she immediately hung up the phone."What happened?" Jamie asked worriedly.Chelsea knew all too well what the gasping sounds from the call meant. She absolutely couldn't let Jamie know what Kelly was like in private.Hence, she lied to him, "I still can't reach her. What should we do? If something happens to Kelly, it's all because of Rose!"As she thought about how Rose had ruined Kelly's reputation and future, she grew increasingly resentful. She immediately started crying. Jamie's expression darkened. He had ordered the creation of a car accident and used the online trolls to suppress Rose's public image in an attempt to ruin her and prevent her from inheriting Celeste Jewels. However, Rose had unexpectedly won the championship and her reputation had skyrocketed."Rest assured, if something happens to Kelly, I'll make sure that Rose lives a fate worse than death," he said with full determination.Chelsea bit her lip as she thought about the gaspi
And there was also Miles… He was currently on vacation abroad, which was a time meant for relaxation. If Rose were to die, hearing the news would likely affect his vacation, right?He would definitely rush back for this.It would be a time of sorrow and a time to take on the responsibilities of Young Group once again.He wouldn't know that Harriette played a part in Rose's death. In truth, Harriette only held resentment toward Rose, and even if she were with the Young family, she wouldn't harm Miles.However, when Rose reached this conclusion, she felt particularly uneasy.But she didn't have enough time to figure out why she felt uncomfortable. She thought about Elijah, Clover, Yvonne, Emily…The people she thought about flashed through her mind one by one.…Outside the warehouse, Harriette, in a state of panic, ran out. Once she was in a more populated area, she resumed her act.The doctors and nurses who left the warehouse earlier were no longer there.Harriette was surpr
When Harriette saw the look on Rose's face, she felt stirred up with even more excitement.She was astonished, shocked, and even confused—all these emotions were present except for fear.This made Harriette feel very dissatisfied. Why wasn't Rose afraid?She wanted to instill fear in Rose and make her scared. She even wanted to watch her tremble all over, begging for mercy and pleading for her life…How could she be okay as though nothing was happening at all?In the current situation, Carl has control over Rose. There was no chance Rose would be able to leave the psychiatric facility's warehouse today.So, Harriette decided to stop pretending.She faced Rose, whose eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions. With a gentle smile, she said, "I owe it all to you, Rose!"She passed on Carl's message to Rose, doubling the irony."Harriette, you…" If Rose didn't understand by now, she had to really be clueless.After Rose connected everything together, it became increasingly
That strange feeling in the air today hadn't faded since it began. Rose had the strange urge to find out where it came from. What would the result be?She ignored Henrietta's frantic cries. Her gaze slid past her and fell on Carl. She asked once more, "What do you intend to do?""What do I intend to do?" Carl sneered and continued, "The Finches sent me here to a psychiatric facility."He then chuckled. "Do I look insane to you?"Rose was speechless.Yes, very much so.Carl's heart was filled with genuine hatred. Being sent to the psychiatric facility was Ezra's doing. Ezra clearly wanted him to experience what his mother, Nancy, had suffered back then. During his time here, they injected him with drugs. He knew exactly what those drugs were doing to his body. It was the knowledge that filled him with terror. This was exactly what Ezra wanted. He even felt that he was mentally ill now.Hatred flared in his eyes. "No, I'm not sick. I don't have a mental illness! I don't have a m
Henrietta turned and left after she spoke. But how could Rose feel at ease with letting her search for Carl alone? He was a dangerous person.She had witnessed how dangerous and crazy he was that night. Now that everything he had done was revealed, he had even less qualms. If he hurt Henrietta again… Once she thought of Miles, she immediately followed Henrietta. She tailed her and realized Henrietta was darting aimlessly through the corridors. She peered through the glass door of each room to check inside. Once she was sure the person inside wasn't Carl, she would move on to the next room.Was that how she planned to find him? She had to go through the facility even if she wanted to see Carl. She would at least be able to guarantee her safety that way."Etta…" said Rose. She wanted to stop Henrietta so she could provide her information to the facility to meet Carl. However, just as she called out to Henrietta, she heard Henrietta's hoarse voice. "Carl!"The next instant, Rose
Rose stopped in her tracks and turned around, surprised to see the person behind her. Anastasia?"Don't…" Anastasia looked anxious. But before she could finish, someone from behind bumped into her, causing her to let go of Rose's hand.The person immediately apologized. "Sorry, I… I'm in a rush." The person looked frightened but quickly stepped into the elevator.As the elevator door was about to close, someone inside asked Rose, "Ms. Shaffer, aren't you coming?"For some reason, Rose entered the elevator."Rose…" Anastasia wanted to stop her, but as she reached out, the elevator door closed, leaving her standing alone.She tried to stop her, but she failed, so what else could she do?Rose… Since Miles left Regalia, Harriette had been behaving herself, but today, she was acting weird. She was about to cause trouble!Anastasia was certain of that. But she didn't know what Harriette was planning to do.In the elevator, Rose felt uneasy. The elevator reached the first floor. Wh
Harriette was warning Anastasia. If she interfered, she would "take care" of her.Anastasia's eyes flickered with surprise, and she swiftly looked away. After that, she quietly left the airport with the two of them.On the way back to the company, Harriette deliberately separated Anastasia from her and Rose. Anastasia took a car on her own, while Harriette and Rose shared one.In the car, Rose couldn't stop thinking about the look Anastasia had given her earlier. She felt that Anastasia had something she wanted to say to her.Rose sensed that ever since Harriette returned, Anastasia had changed entirely. She was no longer as aggressive as before. But despite Anastasia's change, they still didn't interact much.What could she possibly want to say to her?"Rose? Rose?" Harriette called her twice before Rose finally reacted. She was immediately met with Harriette's pout. "Rose, what were you daydreaming about? You weren't listening to me, were you?"Rose didn't respond. She tried t
Harriette was referring to Carl.Miles frowned instantly, as though worried that she might get hurt again.However, Harriette immediately reassured him, "Don't worry, Miles. As long as you're by my side, he won't be able to hurt me again."Miles thought for a moment, and his brows began to relax."Okay." Miles agreed for Harriette to meet Carl."Be good. I'll go visit Rose. She was scared last night too, but luckily nothing happened to her. Otherwise, her fate, as well as Jon's and Ezra's would be very different."Miles didn't hide his concern for Rose in front of Harriette."Go ahead, Miles. I'll visit her later today as well." Harriette said kindly.The moment Miles left the office, the smile on her face instantly faded."Such a shame…" She sighed, lamenting at Rose's luck. It would be ideal for her if something had happened between Ezra and Rose in the greenhouse.If so, Rose would have never had the chance to be with Jonathan, and there wouldn't be so much commotion at th
For a moment, there was only silence from the other end of the line. Lizzie didn't respond to Harriette's question."Madam?" Harriette called out cautiously.It was as if she'd flipped a switch because what came after was Lizzie's sharp questioning. "Did you already know that Rose and Jonathan were married?"Even over the phone, Harriette felt uneasy. "Answer me! Did you know?" Lizzie raised her voice.Harriete gulped. "I only realized later that the person Rose married was Mr. Finch. Madam, I wasn't trying to keep it from you. I just…""Just what?" Lizzie didn't believe that Harriette hadn't hidden the truth intentionally.In the past, Lizzie would have definitely punished Harriette for her dishonesty, but at that moment, there were more pressing matters than punishing Harriette.Lizzie forced down her anger. When she left the Finch Manor the night before, she hadn't returned to Cyrus's residence. Instead, she went to a luxury condominium she had secretly purchased.She'd sp
Jonathan understood what Ezra meant. "No matter what help you need, you can always ask Finley."By the time Rose came back downstairs, the serious expressions that Jonathan and Ezra had previously worn were replaced by smiles.Jonathan was preparing to send Rose to the Youngs, but right after they stepped out, they saw a luxury car parked outside the house, with Elijah standing beside it. Standing far apart, the two men locked eyes.Jonathan looked shocked at first, but the shock quickly disappeared. Elijah had most probably investigated Jonathan inside out, so it made sense that he knew the location of Jonathan's new house.Jonathan took the hint and handed Rose over to Elijah.When Rose reached the office, everyone she met gave her an oddly happy look."Ms. Shaffer, congratulations!""Ms. Shaffer, thank you so much!"Rose felt strange about receiving congratulations. What had happened that people were congratulating her? And thanks? Why were they thanking her?Rose was confu