Chapter 2 - Rose

Rose imagined many things as she walked through the halls of the huge and imposing Vamcap mansion, being followed by her mother, cousin and sister, arm in arm with her father of the huge Vamcap mansion, while thinking about what her future husband would be like. She imagined him as a decrepit and disgusting old man, as na immature and arrogant boy her age and even as a frightening and ghostly figure, like Bram Stoker’s Dracula. However, when the four finally stopped in front of a large solid wooden door and an elderly man dressed as a butler allowed them to pass, Rose discovered that reality was very different from what she had imagined.

Inside the room, which she realized was na office, there were only two people. One of them was a pleasant-looking woman dressed in a well-tailored suit who was arranging various papers on the table, so averse to the uncomfortable atmosphere that prevailed there that it wasn’t hard for Rose to guess that she was probably just responsible for validating the certificate of marriage they were about to sign. Which meant that the man beside her, whose eyes flickered toward the door as they entered, was her future husband.

And, if she had to define him in two words, Rose would certainly choose: grumpy and handsome. Exactly in that order.

He had slicked-back dark brown hair and lightly tanned skin, with a slightly stronger build than no one would expect for a businessman, with broad shoulders and a height that was certainly close to 6’ 3”. Not that it mattered, because a businessman was exactly what he looked like, dressed in a black suit that hugged his figure perfectly, as only expensive, tailored fabric could. All that, plus his perfectly angular face and dark obsidian eyes, made him look as if he’d just stepped out of one of the CEO romance books she used to read to relax after college exams.

However, for Rose, the fact that he was so handsome, and therefore completely different from what she had imagined, was what mattered least there.

Because, most of all, he looked grumpy. Furious, intimidating, cold, scornful and not friendly at all would be a good way to put it, but most of all, the expression on his face made Rose think he could easily play Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. That is, if the character was young and handsome, of course.

“Good to see you, Mr. Vamcap!” Elisabeth hummed, almost as if she was the one about to get married, right there.

“You are late.” The man retorted coldly, and, as his deep voice rumbled through the room, he focused his disdainful eyes on Rose. “Are you Rose Springs?”

“Yes, Mr. Vamcap, this is my eldest daughter, Rose Dorothea Springs.” It was Michael who responded, stepping forward as he pulled Rose close to him, more sympathetic than she’d ever seen him pretend in his life “As I have said many times, it is an honor to know that I could entrust my dear daughter to a man like a gentleman, who I know will appreciate my precious treasure..."

“If you considered your daughter such a treasure, then I doubt you would have suggested marrying her to a complete stranger.” Aaron Vamcap cut him off without any mercy, his grim face making it clear he wasn’t there to be cordial. “I don’t have time to listen to any more of your useless chatter. Them, no matter how upset I am.” Taking a few steps forward, while Michael and everyone else who was there just moved further back, almost as if they were afraid, Aaron placed himself in front of Rose, facing her as she imagined a wolf would face na opponent “What about You, Miss Springs... I want you to know that what’s going to happen today is nothing more than business between me and your parents. Even if you sign your name to those papers, you’ll never be my wife, or a Vamcap, which means you’ll never see the color of my money. So if you’ve come here thinking you can take advantage of this situation, then I suggest you get that idea out of your head before I’m forced to do it myself.”

“I...” Rose gritted her teeth and her throat burned to give him a response to match her rudeness, but seeing her parents’ warning grimaces out of the corner of her eye, she forced herself to swallow her anger and bow your head before that hateful man “I understand perfectly, Mr. Vamcap.”

“Your words mean nothing.” He snarled, full of contempt, and went back to the table full of papers, picking up some of them "So, first of all, I'm going to make sure you never put a single penny of your money in your pocket."

“What you mean?” Michael asked, clearly alarmed.

“I already signed the contract where I guarantee you a monthly allowance for as long as I am married to your daughter.” Aaron assured, making Mr. Springs shut up immediately “And when I did, I also made it clear that I refused to be married to her too long. That’s why I’ve drawn up this prenuptial agreement, which states that your daughter agrees to be known as Rose Vamcap for just one year, starting today, agreeing to give me a divorce immediately and without hindrance when that deadline is reached. To finish.”

“But... Mr. Vamcap...” Elisabeth swallowed hard, with a nervous smile “That’s not what we agreed on...”

“When we made our agreement you agreed that I wouldn’t be married to her very long and now I’ve specified how long it will be, exactly. Feel free to ask questions if you want, but know that you’re going to need all the money I’ve already given you if you do.” Aaron snapped back, menacing.

“Still, that’s not...” Michael started to say, nonconformist, but Rose rushed to grab that golden chance.

“I will sign.” She practically ran to her future husband, putting as much distance between herself and her parents as she could. “Your wishes will be respected, Mr. Vamcap. In a year, we will be divorced.” Rose assured, trying to contain her smile of sheer relief as she said it.

“Do you think you can take advantage of that prenuptial agreement in any way?” Aaron narrowed his eyes slowly, looking suspicious that she had taken it so easily.

“Oh, it’s just that my daughter is so excited to get married…” Elisabeth rushed on, clearly trying to remedy the situation, although Rose could see the angry glint in her gaze, “That she would agree to anything you say, Mr. Vamcap! Oh, I’m sure you’ll give up the idea of getting a divorce as soon as you get to know our girl’s charms better!” the way her mom said it made Rose want to throw up “I mean, look how she’s doing what you want, no questions asked? Aren’t you glad we brought you such na obedient and devoted bride?”

“The only one I’m going to be happy with is when she’s gone.” Aaron turned his attention back to Rose, so scowling she wondered if his heart was made of ice, “No parasites allowed among the Vamcap. And while I’m being forced to keep one around, I’m going to make sure she knows perfectly well where she belongs.”

“Then why don’t we just sign that nuptial agreement, Mr. Vamcap?” Rose said through clenched teeth, trying to keep her expression neutral and, above all, not giving in to the urge to slap him “The faster we do this, the faster you can get rid of this parasite you are looking at.”

“Looks like we can agree on something.” He growled back at her, nodding toward the woman before them, “Prepare the papers.”

“Of course, Mr. Vamcap. Please sign here, here and also here. The marriage certificate papers are just below.” She warned them, while Aaron, clearly already knowing by heart what he was supposed to do, quickly placed his signature in each of the gaps, before thrusting the papers in Rose’s direction without any ceremony.

Squeezing the pen around his fingers like she wished she was squeezing that gruff man’s neck right now , Rose also signed her name to the papers, hardly able to believe that putting some ink on those documents, especially with her heart as heavy as it was at that moment, she could actually be becoming someone’s wife. But when she finally finished and the woman stamped the papers before putting them in a folder, Rose’s stomach dropped.

“I officially pronounce you husband and wife.” She smiled gently, even though it was clear that Aaron had ordered her to omit any words that hinted at na actual wedding.

“Oh, my dear daughter... Now you’re a wife...” Elisabeth whimpered, with her face in her hands, probably so that no one would realize that she was just pretending, although it was very clear to everyone there.

“It’s a very special day, Mr. Vamcap...” Michael took a step forward, with a conciliatory smile “We should at least open a nice bottle of champagne and toast to your happiness...”

“You already got what you wanted.” Was all Aaron replied, in a tone so furious it looked like he could kill everyone in the room right now “Now get out of my house!”

Normally, Rose was more than used to seeing her parents kick and disagree with that kind of order, but apparently, when it came to Aaron Vamcap, they were willing to put their tails between their legs and just obey. However, unlike her uncles, who just started to leave the office with sour expressions as they escorted their youngest daughter, Violet promptly threw herself at Aaron, wrapping her hands around his arm even though it was obvious he wasn’t giving her openness and much less happy with its approach.

“Can I stay a little longer, Aaron? Please?” she purred like a needy cat, and Rose guessed that she, too, wanted to show off a little and mark her territory on this man “I’ve missed you so much...”

“We have nothing to talk about.” Removing his arm from her reach in a rude gesture, Aaron started to leave the office as well, not even bothering to take one last look in Rose’s direction.

“But, of course we have! We have very, very much to talk about! I’m dying to miss you...” Violet skipped over to where they were, managing to hug him by the shoulders this time, making sure to say the last thing with a smile in Rose’s direction, in a teasing voice, “And you know how I stay when I miss you...”

The rest of the conversation between the two of them, though, Rose couldn’t understand, although from the dry tone of Aaron’s voice, it sounded a lot like he was telling Violet to disappear, but, well, that just didn’t matter. Glancing around the now-empty office, wondering what she should do, Rose finally spotted the old butler nearby, standing by the bookcase filled with books from floor to ceiling like a wax statue.

“Allow me to show you to your room, Miss Springs.” The man told her, in a voice that was no doubt respectful, but also distant, before he started to walk out of the office as well and, even if a little nervous, Rose gladly followed, especially when she realized that they were going to the opposite direction from Aaron and Violet.

“Thank you.” She tried to smile, even though that day had exhausted her in na unspeakable way “What’s your name?”

“You may call me Jullian, Miss.” The man replied, squinting at her as if sizing her up, and Rose couldn’t help noticing also that he was making a point of treating her as if she were still single, which, although she was sure it was something her parents were outraged, she couldn’t be more pleased. “I am the Vamcap butler and head of staff at this manor. Whenever you want something, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jullian. You can call me Rose, if you want.” She offered and, again, saw the corners of his eyes move towards her, as if he was wondering what she was up to, and it remained that way for a long time and in total silence, until the two of them stopped in front of another door.

“This is your room, Miss Springs. Dinner will be served here for you in half na hour, as will all other meals. I ask that you avoid walking alone and never enter rooms where you have not been invited to enter. Otherwise, there may be problems with Mr. Vamcap.”

“To sum up, I am now a prisoner in this room, am I not?” she smiled bitterly, looking around at the huge, well-decorated room that, as beautiful and comfortable as it was, still only managed to make her more and more sad and homesick for the much smaller and less well-kept room she shared with Grace.

“Those would not be the words I would use. But, in fact, you are not a Vamcap and her presence must not disturb the other members of the family.” Jullian nodded, rigid, almost as if he had memorized that speech so he could deliver it to her “So the quieter and more conflict-free your stay here is, the better it will be for everyone. As I was commissioned by Mr. Vamcap to take care of her needs, that's exactly what I will do, which means I'm here to help you live in this house in the most harmonious way possible. Therefore, I ask that you just listen to me and behave as I tell you. So I'm sure this year will go by faster for all of us.” He advised her and, with a bitter taste in her mouth, Rose had to bite her tongue to keep from saying that she was used to everyone trying to force her to shut up and obey “Like I said, I'll bring your dinner soon. Now, if you'll excuse me.”

As serious and measured as before, Jullian left the room, leaving her alone in the middle of the cold walls and all those unfamiliar objects, where the only thing that was familiar to her was the suitcase that had been placed next to the bed. Dragging her feet and feeling as if the weight of the world was slowly lifting off her shoulders, Rose went to her suitcase and opened it to retrieve the square-framed glasses she had stuffed among her clothes, but which her mother had threatened to break if she insisted on using it that day.

Now with clearer vision, she could see every luxurious detail around her with complete clarity, but instead of enchantment or even excitement, she just leaned over her suitcase and rummaged through the clothes until she found the small bag with some photos and pulling one out, smiling sadly as she saw herself and Grace, at her sister's graduation, holding each other and smiling at the camera of a friend who was kind enough to reveal it to them, as Michael and Elisabeth didn't even they had been there, let alone bothered to hire a photographer.

Hugging that memory to her chest, Rose lay back on that huge bed and, staring at the ceiling, she tried to be positive, just as she had tried to be with Grace during those last few weeks, and convince herself that this year would pass quickly and soon she would be out of there and away from that rude man, to finally build a life with her sister and away from her parents. However, as the minutes passed and her tired mind was no longer able to even fantasize or hope, Rose allowed herself to close her eyes and allow her tears to flow, feeling more lonely and lost than ever.