She'd better be working when he found her, because if she wasn't, he was sure to rip up that contract Andy had made him sign and put Rose Springs back where she never should have left: in some corner of the house where he couldn't lay eyes on her until the year was out. He mean, that was the only reason he was going to see her right now: to check that she had done a good job, as he had promised. It had nothing to do with him letting himself be convinced by the words of Jullian, Alec, Andy, and now even Adele's milder behavior towards her, trying to convince him that Rose wasn't a bad person...
And it certainly wasn't because he simply wanted to look at her face again. No, he had nothing to do with it.Snorting, he continued down the halls towards the room that seemed to have become her favorite place to work lately. Not that he'd memorize that because, more and more, since he'd watched her tend to Alec in the hospital with an affection that seemed to be genuine, his eyes tende"No, Dad, please don't do this to Rose...!" the younger girl tried to beg, but Rose just pushed her away and put her hands over her face as if on impulse, bracing herself for the punch that was coming.However, he never came, because, now burning with rage for a very different reason, Aaron had entered the room at a speed even he didn't know he was capable of, so that he could grab Michael's wrist the moment he was about to attack his own daughter."What a...!" Michael began to curse, apparently thinking that anyone else had stopped him, until he looked up and saw Aaron's murderous expression, which caused his face to immediately turn pale. “Mister… Mister Vamcap. But what a joy to see you. Uh... As you can see, I heard that my daughter had been a less than perfect wife as you deserve, and after realizing that she really had been very naughty, I thought I could teach her a little lesson..."Finally, he shut his disgusting mouth when Aaron landed a punch on his jaw, causing
"At least she's sleeping now." Rose sighed, seeming to be muttering more to herself than to him, as she finished adjusting over her little sister, who was now lying in the backseat, one of Alec's little blankets that had been forgotten in that car.“You…” Aaron started to speak, although he didn't quite know how to start that conversation, still looking at the glove compartment, where he had kept the prenuptial agreement that she had given him “Why did you come here? And why did you come alone, instead of bringing Jullian with you?”“Because I knew you'd be mad at him if you found out he brought me to my parents' house.” she sighed, remaining hunched over her sister for a moment longer, before sitting up straighter against the passenger seat “Oh, let me guess, you only came here today because you somehow found out I was going to be here and thought you might catch me while I conspired against you and your family with them, did you?” Rose raised an eyebrow, making him feel even
"I can't believe you two are doing this again..."At the sound of Rose's complaint, Grace and Alec turned automatically, their expressions alarmed, as the small character inside the colorful video game that the huge television was showing veered off course and died. However, instead of pushing the controls away and trying to pretend they weren't doing anything, like the other times she'd caught them playing together over the past week, Grace and Alec just looked at each other and grinned sheepishly, before her sister started trying to justify it.“Alec has already finished his homework…” still sitting on the floor, where the two of them were, Grace turned completely towards her sister “He's doing very well in maths, I swear, almost as well as I am. Then the two of us started talking about how I've always wanted to play on such a console and was happy to finally be able to do so...""Oh sure, so you two thought it would be all right to spend a few more hours playing like you
"What do you mean?" Violet asked, for the first time looking truly alarmed.“Give me the evidence you have to say with such certainty that the scene I saw was completely manipulated.” he asked and, just by his tone of voice, Rose knew he was up to something and hoped that Violet would just keep quiet. However, to her surprise, she spoke again almost immediately, seeming eager to justify herself, which Rose knew would be a serious mistake when it came to Aaron's distrustful posture.“How can I know? Didn't you hear me, Aaron? Don't you remember all the things I told you, especially about my childhood with her? Rose is a very mischievous and careful person! She must have planned this for weeks and used techniques that someone like me could never even imagine! But if there's one thing I'm absolutely sure of, it's that it was all her plan to win her sympathy. And it breaks my heart to know that she seems to have succeeded...” Violet sniffed “Look how cold you are treating me... Pl
“So… You really never had an affair with her?” a little bewildered after all that discussion, that was the first question Rose could think to ask, even though she knew it didn't matter.After all, it wasn't like they were truly husband and wife."Of course not." Aaron grunted, as if that simple question was an assault on his honor “It had been more than two years since I was lucky enough not to see her, when she suddenly showed up here, the day after I agreed with the blackmail of your parents.”"So... Is that why even Alec thought I was some kind of witch when I got here?" Rose mused, annoyed “What kind of thing did she make up about me to make you all…? No, wait, don't tell me. I can figure it out myself.” she huffed, rolling her eyes, knowing full well what kind of cousin she had."I don't know how much of the conversation you managed to overhear, but I guarantee you I never had anything to do with that woman." Aaron sighed, though even Rose could tell he was wonderin
“I found you, Grace!” Alec shouted as he jumped over the biggest bush in that part of the garden, causing Grace to get up instantly, laughing.Sitting in one of the garden chairs, Rose smiled to see them enjoying themselves so much while she sipped tea. Fortunately, Grace's gifts for hide and seek were very close to Alec's, so he was certainly getting a lot more out of the experience of playing with her, especially since her sister seemed to be feeling the same way. It was hard to admit, but Alec wouldn't be the only one who would be heartbroken when Grace left to live in the dorm next week.More than anything, she wanted her sister to be able to fulfill her dream of going to college and becoming a game developer, but... Living under the same roof and doing everything together was as natural as breathing for the two of them, but Rose knew that Grace had also realized that they had never really experienced living in peace and being free to be happy until they moved into the Vam
"You can't throw us out of our own house!" Adele was the first to react, while Aaron and Andy still looked too horrified to do anything but stare at the paper in front of them. “This house is the Vamcap heritage, my dear mother-in-law, and in case you forgot, your son is one of them too, which gives him every right to enjoy what rightfully belongs to him, especially as an only child. ...”"This is impossible!" Aaron snarled, furious "What kind of judge would make a decision like that without consulting my lawyers first?"“The kind of judge who looked at the case with a fair eye and realized that it doesn't matter that you guys tried to play the prenup card where the bank is concerned, because we all know that being a Vamcap goes far beyond being the CEO of family businesses.” Hazel pointed, her nose in the air, as if she was full of pride that she could include herself in this “Actually, your dad and I even talked about how we should thank you, Aaron. After all, if it
“Rose, I'm going to get some more coffee. Do you want something?"Looking up from the various piles of old and even typewritten papers that were spread out in front of her, Rose looked at Andy's exhausted face, with an empty mug in his hand, looking like he was going to pass out from exhaustion at any moment.“Yes, I want you to go to sleep.” she asked, with a worried sigh, “Please Andy, you haven't slept a wink the last two days. Go to bed and get some sleep, I beg you.”"I won't be able to sleep until this situation is resolved." Andy took a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose tightly.“Then ask Jullian for one of the tranquilizers the doctor prescribed for your grandmother. Just please try to take even a nap before it does you harm.”“Look who's talking. You and my brother haven't slept a second, either, since that motherfucker was here.” normally, Andy would have said that scene jokingly, but in that situation, she looked nothing but dejected."I a