Rose had no idea what Theo was thinking. The man was both cold and caring. He looked angry, but not really. Theo was right. Maybe they should leave the place with those sickening realities.
"You haven't told me how you became so fluent in French?" Rose asked as the car began to drive onto the main road. "Sean's mother... I was with her. She was my nanny and taught me some French words." That name again. Rose recalled Theo's conversation with Charlotte at the bathroom door. She was quite disturbed, though she tried not to be. "Who is that woman. I mean... the woman who cares deeply for Sean?" asked Rose cautiously. Still with her attention on Theo and the focus the man had. "Which woman?" "The one who secretly kissed my husband's face." One of Theo's eyebrows shot up. Immediately, his expression turned fTheo pulled off the earphones and turned off the sound connection from Verasco. His breath caught in his throat as he glanced at the surveillance camera with emotions tugging at his common sense. This is called war. Fighting yourself until you reach the final decision. Theo's fingers clenched into tight fists. With a single blow the camera lens cracked. He pulled the whole thing off. Tore out the remaining wires, then without saying anything pulled out the firearm and handed it to Rose. "Hold this, Rose. You have 25 minutes to get as far away from here as you can. You can go into the forest, hide until things calm down." Theo stopped his sentence for a moment. He turned around, grabbing something from the back seat. A bouquet of red roses had been prepared, but Theo forgot to give it to Rose - thinking it would be a good time. "What exactly is going on, Theo? You always speak your language. Who was on the phone?" asked Rose as she rece
Rose's footsteps never stopped going deeper into the forest. She left those people behind, knowing that she would be the next target of the search. The bouquet of roses she held was unconsciously squeezed tightly. The confusion did not remind her to spread the petals that fell alone - blown away by the night breeze. Where else would Rose wander through the forest in her pregnant state? She didn't even realize her glassy face was already wet. What was Rose really crying for, Theo's departure? Or was it because she was lost alone in such a vast and bushy place? The answer to Rose's confusion lies in the first question. How often had Theo sacrificed body and soul for her? And she was still the only person who had indirectly harmed Theo. Could time be rewinded? Rose wouldn't have gone to the Witson family dinner had she known that this mess would cost the life of someone who had only just begun to matter. Theo means ....
From the ceremony at the funeral home, to the funeral ending with people starting to disperse. Lion never stopped monitoring the semi-passive point recorded on his phone screen. He did not know why the coordinates that were vaguely found did not fully display the tracked location. Lion was sure that Theo had programmed the app with the highest level of refinement. He should have had no difficulty in trying to locate Rose through the wedding ring she was wearing. But the image display was like a wave of manipulation. A few mistakes sometimes made the dot flicker, even disappear. "Have you found where Miss Rose is?" Travis beside him got involved. Lion shook his head vaguely in response. "I think Miss Rose is in a place that no one can access, including this." He held up his cell phone and showed Travis a system leak. "We'll have to find another way." Lion confirmed as he looked at Travis gesturingly. "We can start where
"How did this happen?" Moving from place to place became Verasco's habit for the rest of his life. After letting Charlotte return to the main mansion, he went to stop by a hidden base in an intermediate forest. A corpse lay with its legs still tied with rope, stab wounds to the neck, a blue face, and open eyes and mouth. A forced death, was that exactly how the man's body was described down there? Or should it be that the man was carrying out an assignment from Verasco, as he had told me before arriving at his current location. "Where was his companion when he died there?" asked Verasco, growing suspicious. "We are still searching, sir. You chose the tough ones to do the job. But we never know, one or both of them could be traitors." "What traitor do you mean?" Keneddy swallowed harshly. Where to begin his story. Verasco would never believe him at a time like this. Especially since Theo's death had created
The sound of a gun going off was almost deafening. Rose looked around for the source of the gunfire. Her curiosity grew as the hissing of the wind continued. At that moment Rose knew where she had to start. Step further away from the starting position. Rose's vision faintly caught the silhouette of the tall body of the man whose existence was being questioned by the inside of her head. A revolver raised to shoulder level appeared to be cocked forward. Rose didn't need to ask whose weapon Theo was using. Her husband owned everything, related to such items. "You left me alone for too long," Rose said. She didn't mean to make the body jump. Theo turned around as he lowered his arms down. "I always lose my guard when you're around. Not just this time," he protested. Didn't like how Rose was suddenly standing there without drawing on any of his intuition or sensing.
"Where are you going, beautiful?" Rose frowned as one of them accidentally shone the light into her face. Or maybe it was done intentionally to ascertain what the night-sweat-drenched bodies looked like and what the fear was. Rose wasn't going to let them do anything. She silently moved the arm that was hidden behind her back. Her cell phone was clamped on the left arm. The gun in her right hand was well positioned. She needed to watch herself in case they started acting. "Stop right there!" said Rose warningly. Her fingers cocked the weapon to coincide with the man's approach. "What do you want to do... shoot us?" Their laughter boomed in unison. It was too dismissive of a lone woman, with whom she had hidden courage. Instead of inching back. Not once did Rose take her eyes off the predator in front of her. She must not let her guard down. "This woman's body is good to look at. We should
The faint snap of a twig snapped Rose awake. Her noggin blinked a few times after finding the half-clear sky stretched out covered by a bunch of leaves. How long had she lost consciousness? Rose wondered and forced herself to get up while pressing one temple. The violent contractions in her stomach may no longer be felt. However, the dizziness in the head had not completely subsided. Rose searched for her belongings, gasping when she couldn't find the flat object she had used all night. She didn't know why she had chosen to bring the cell phone Theo had given her. It was a bit of a stroke of luck. Rose remembered that she had lost her way when the world seemed to be spinning. The best reason to explain the loss of the cell phone. Rose grimaced, reaching for the gun lying innocently beside her body. She had to go. At least now she could see under minimal lighting. The dawn sky would soon become morning. Rose was sure they were still searchin
Theo .... Rose forced herself to think. Her Theo was alive? She had a thousand reasons to deny it, but her husband's baritone voice sounded real. Why should Rose deny reality when she was still given the chance to embrace the body she longed for? Rose blinked repeatedly. The euphoria in her heart was too great and she couldn't contain all the explosions that overflowed. After Theo released the palm smothering her lips, she immediately threw herself into a hug, even pushing Theo's body-until the man was unable to maintain his balance. The two of them fell slowly with Rose's face deliberately resting on the surface of the chest that emitted a loud boom. She loved that sound, it made Rose's soul feel alive again. The pain in Rose's head was gone, now should Rose ask Theo to explain something she didn't understand? "You hurt me, Sugar." Rose was jolted awake by s
Rose had to admit that Theo was quite different by remaining silent when their position was intact. The last sentence from her was ignored, the man was busy sniffing Rose's body scent. Deeply nuzzling the surface of her flat stomach. "Take a shower." Rose played with the black hair warmly. She smiled as Theo looked up at her. "Take a bath with me?" The ash bead drowned Rose deep in the warm ocean. She pursed her lips as she pulled Theo's facial skin wide to the side. "I'm old enough to bathe by myself. Hurry up...." A faint shake of Rose's head brought her to fall on her back on the bed. Theo's thirsty face and the man's large fingers began to dig into a t-shirt depicting a black bear, just like Theo who was currently resting on top of her. "I told you to take a shower, Theo. Not—" Rose was silenced by the tongue thrusting into her mouth. The sound of a wet sniffle trails off—a greeting of desire igni
Slowly Rose's eyelids slipped from their valves. The same Theo stared, silhouetted against each other in the mirror—Rose was lost in the seduction of the locking gray bead. "I was thinking of Oracle. He knows I don't like wearing earrings. Deliberately gifted me earrings so I'd wear them," Rose replied, successfully drawing one of Theo's eyebrows up high. "He's here, isn't he? Why don't you go straight to him." Theo's baritone voice whispered softly. Comparable to the smile on Rose's lips that curved again-this time briefly and too faintly. "He's back home ...." "Home?" Rose's body was slightly freed as Theo moved his face away from the crook of her neck. "Yes. Axe came to pick him up earlier." One step away she found Theo moving backwards. "Strange. Oracle came home because he was afraid of me, right? Did I hurt him too much?"Theo's quiet tone disturbed Rose's mind. She scrutinized the few times Theo's expre
Rose didn't care how the swaying bed jerked like a violent swinging shock. She maximized each powerful gallop like a giant crashing into the earth. Theo's body was a soft target for her feet. The man moaned in a submerged voice. Yet, also with pleasure... sometimes asking Rose to move from one spot to another. "Up again, Sugar. Up to the shoulders." Rose chuckled, still doing everything Theo wanted. One foot stomped even harder on her husband's hot, sexy shoulders. "That's it," Rose said. One leap ended the earthquake on the surface of Theo's body. She flung herself down beside the sleeping man. "You said you will give me back my gift box!" "I need to know. Who gave you the gift?" "Oracle. Here, give it back quickly." Rose's arms extended to pull the red velvet box in Theo's grasp. Their positions were in sync, both using their arms as a fulcrum to lift their chests. "Let me open it." Theo's large fingers separa
"No, you don't. You had your fill of acting like a baby last night." Rose ruffled the remaining strands of hair that still dangled over half of Theo's face. She looked down, searching for the most comfortable spot to strike. "Ouh, Sugar ...." A contrived hiss. Rose knew that no matter how much she clenched her teeth, it wouldn't give Theo much leverage. "Let go. I have to meet, Axe." "You son of bitch. I hope you don't leave before I get back." The chances of escape were slim in the conditions Rose had to face. She wasn't going to waste it, deliberately hunting her nimble footsteps leaving Theo alone lost on the bed. Rose reached for the doorframe. The hinges clicked after she positioned herself facing the man who had been calling impatiently. "You're taking so long." The stifled protest from the owner of the deep, raspy voice uploaded a barely perceptible smile on Rose's lips. "Sorry, Axe. I h
"Open your eyes, Theo." The throbbing was still as loud as it had been the first time Theo had spoken. Rose's heart and head were fighting each other. Each fighting for the space that overlapped the boundaries she had created for herself. In between came a strange feeling, which Rose could not organize into a symphony. She was a jumbled mess of randomness. Should have reconsidered Xelle's sentence a moment ago, was it true that Rose was trying to stay with someone who made her get lost in her own feelings? .... No, she wasn't. Rose didn't want to be confused by all that reality. As far as possible, she separated the things that shouldn't be lodged in the deepest corner of her heart. Towards a kind of choice which is the most appropriate to win Rose's sanity. She didn't want to be conquered. "Wake up. Get up, Theo!" Rose squeezed the clay muscles in her husband's arm. Turning the curled up body to face the ceiling of the main room. "T
"What conclusion?" A look of unequal color narrowed sarcastically. Rose's face was lifted a little roughly until she looked up and stared at each other. "It's so bad that even saying his name scares Oracle. And you say he didn't mean it?" Xelle's whisper was like a spark of fire. Quite disturbing if Rose had to admit it. She brushed off the lingering link of fingers, though Xelle's actions were not hurtful. "Theo didn't mean to. I was the one who misplaced the Oracle in our midst," Rose argued, not realizing how the blind finally blinked. "You're defending him, Rose?" Rose swallowed harshly. The glint in her eyes flickered quickly. "I'm not. It's just that you don't understand. I told you, that Theo did that out of his control. He had a nightmare last night." Rose held back the lump in the back of her throat. "You know I love Oracle, Axe, he's my son too. But please don't make a mess here. I've seen my husband hurt enough times. Not anymore. P
"Oracle, are you sure you want to go straight home? Not wait for Om T to wake up first?" Oracle's rejection firmly dispelled the offer Rose had repeatedly made. Rose's breath rushed out, lips pressed together thinly. She contemplated everything that had not and would happen. In front of her, from a distance Rose had guessed what Xelle's reaction would be, if the blue bruise on Oracle's conspicuously elastic bandage—covered wrist caught the heterochromia's eye. As slow as a leaf combing Rose changed position. Towering high, she awaited the quick approach of the one who was now beside her. "Daddy." The thin curve of the lips responded to Oracle's greeting. A neat knit of eyebrows rose with Xelle's sharp eyes scrutinizing. He took a deep look at Rose's face, then turned back to the first focal point. His large body knelt down, light as a feather to reach for Oracle's small fingers—noticing carefully the cloth wrapped densely... breaking the suspi
"Travis." Rose pushed her way in, making the man behind the ledger jump. "Sorry, Travis. I was in a hurry." "What is it, Miss?" The light question came after Travis closed the thin sheet marked with a string. "Do you have any painkillers or anything to treat the bruises on Oracle's hands? Theo just had a nightmare and accidentally did this to him. I'm scared if anything happens." Travis's eyebrows shot up. "Mr.T just had a nightmare?" he asked. In stark contrast to Rose's haste. Travis was too calm to notice the extent of the bruise. "No need to worry, miss. You'd better see the master, I'll treat him." Travis smiled. She hesitated between refusing or agreeing. Rose glared at Travis and Oracle's faces in turn. She blinked. "Are you sure there's nothing to worry about?" "Yes, Miss. I can handle it. You should see the master. He may need you." Stunned, considering things from all angles. Rose finally sighe
"Uncle T, you hurt me. Let me go!" "Uncle T!" Rose tried to understand the situation in the dim room. Faint squeals of pain clashed in the air. Rose frowned, as the almost uninterrupted movement in its entirety pulled her closed brown eyes wide open. In front of Rose several black events were fully recorded, broadcasting the silhouette of a rough resistance along with a small body that was trying hard to pull himself out of the grip of the subconscious. Rose's heart hammered violently. All the chaos overlapped to form ornaments in her head. She took definite steps, quickly bringing half the darkness to light. And then some things that Rose couldn't digest properly, appeared in a heap, jolting her feelings. On that torture—like bed .... Oracle was completely unable to resist the strong grip that could be seen from the muscles digging into the surface of the large, clayey, man—sized arms of the person there. The