Rose’s POV“Let’s go,” I said in a dry emotionless voice as soon as I got to Jian’s car. The anger and disappointment accompanied with heartbreak that I was feeling was so great that it had my lips wobbling and my eyes twitching but I struggled to keep still just so he wouldn’t notice that something was off but with the way his gaze rested on me after hearing my words, I knew he has read my mood and was aware that something was amiss. “Rosie…” he spoke after a long silence, carefully looking at me. He tried to reach for me but I moved away from his hold and rounded the car to get in the passenger seat. From my seat, I heard him heave a sigh before getting in. “It didn’t go well, did it?”I knew he’d keep pushing and I didn’t want him to become too curious about what had happened in there as I wasn’t ready to talk about it or even think too much into my mother’s confession. It still felt like a dream and I was going to let it remain that way.“Not really,” I finally responded, in a d
Rose’s POV“There’s something else your mother is hiding, Rose. You need to know the truth about your biological father,”I stared at the note while trying to make sense of the words I was reading but it all sounded like a lie. At one point, I blinked just to make sure I wasn’t day dreaming but my eyes met with the same note and the same words written on it.I had the urge to laugh but it just wouldn’t come. This must be a prank because what was this? That Williams wasn’t my biological father?It was unbelievable. I grew up to know Williams as my dad. He’s always been in my life and has always been there for me. If he wasn’t my dad, then why show up countless times and show me so much love?I shook my head, refusing to believe it but the more I stared at the note, the more I wondered if there was some truth in the words that stared back at me. Coupled with my mom’s recent confession, it was a tough choice to get rid of the doubt that was beginning to grow within me. What if she had mo
Jian’s POVI stared at her as she slept peacefully in my bed. She looked so angelic and calm that I tried staying silent so as not to wake her. Her gloomy mood from the hospital had faded off after I agreed to let her stay with me for the duration of her school holiday and to take her to see her best friend at school, and I was glad that she’d confessed the truth to her mom. We’d made dinner together, and she returned to bed again. With my help, she was able to fall asleep and I was meant to be sleeping next to her, but I couldn’t.The detective I hired to look into her past got back to me this afternoon while she’d been napping. He sent an entire file containing every information about her and as ecstatic as I was to see it, my curiosity had waned when I downloaded the file into my computer. As eager as I was to expose all of her demons and whatever she was running from, I was also skeptical of what I’ll find, especially when it comes to her connection with this Don who is supposed
Rose’s POV “Hi, good morning,” I murmured a greeting to Jian as I walked into the kitchen and slumped into one of the stools at the breakfast bar. It was past 10 in the morning and I’d just awaken from my beauty sleep. Besides being unconscious, I couldn’t recall the last time I slept so well and without nightmares to jerk me awake. What can I say? Sleeping next to Jian’s warm body had its perks. “Good morning, baby,” He responded, still facing the stove with his back turned to me as he continued cooking. I loved seeing him in the kitchen. It made him look so carefree and yummy, and it was one part of him that warmed my heart, unlike the daunting businessman that set it on fire. A yawn escaped my lips as I kept staring at him. He finished from the stove, untied the apron at his waist, tossed it on the counter, and headed towards me. “How was your night, love?” he leaned down and casually pressed his lips to my temple, making warmth spread within me, and my cheeks heated up in a bl
Rose’s POVI agreed to his demands. I mean what could go wrong? There was a lot at stake, and if being his plaything will give me the time to sort out myself then I’d take it. Although, it was quite surprising that he’d go back on his word after making it crystal clear that there couldn’t be any romantic relationship between us, considering he knew my parents very well and considered them family.I glanced at him from the passenger seat of his car, but his attention remained on the road, his hold on the steering wheel and he drove towards my parents home. After reaching an agreement on his new deal, we got ready to see my dad. I’d been anticipating this meeting but now that we were almost there, my anxiety was gradually building to a fever pitch. I had no idea what to expect. I only hoped whatever my dad would tell me would be able to help me understand that note and to decide if it was a bluff or if it was true.In about twenty minutes, we pulled through the gates of my parents home
Rose’s POV“He bought it,” I told Jian, as we pulled out of the huge gates of my parents home into the quiet street.“What?” he spared me a glance with furrowed brows before returning his attention to the road.“I mean we didn’t need to convince him much to believe. The moment I mentioned it to him, he acted like he knew we were dating,”“Ohh…” he chuckled. “All thanks to my exceptional acting skills,”“Oh please,”We remained quiet for a while as he maneuvered his way out of the street onto the main road and headed towards the way to the nursing facility where my mom was. I’d mentioned to him that I needed to see my mom one last time before we’d leave and he agreed without questions. Everything my dad told me was still revolving around my head and I couldn’t even believe that she’d do such a thing. She was always the good one in the family, the one to settle conflicts. The one to bring everyone together and she was always so cheerful. So why harbor such hate for the same people she p
Jian’s POVFor the umpteenth time, I glanced at the watch adorning my wrist and checked the rearview mirror, hoping to see the man I was waiting for but he was nowhere to be found. He’d sent a text to me while I was waiting for Rosie at the nursing home, that he had found out another discrete information about Rosie’s case and he wanted us to meet. It’s been almost thirty minutes since I arrived at this lonely dirt road, waiting for him to arrive but he was nowhere to be found.I reached for my phone and was about to call him when I heard a slight tap on the window. I looked up to see him leaning over it. I waved him to the passenger seat and he rounded the car to get in.“What took you so long?” I questioned as soon as he got into the car.“I apologize for my tardiness but it was urgent I see you today, and we had to meet here because I fear they may have caught onto me and it’d be risky to discuss over the phone or even in a public place,”“Who are they?” I inquired, with a frown ma
Rose’s POVThe sound of the bedroom door opening caught my attention, and my gaze darted to it to see it was Jian. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to meet his eyes. After the bomb he’d dropped on me, coupled with blackmailing me just to get me to go with him, I had nothing to say to him, and I didn’t want to be in the same room with him. He’d stormed off earlier on, and now he was back.I kept my gaze on the window I’d been looking out, while I thought of different ways to get out of my situation. I needed to get to Sam urgently, and I also needed to know the stranger that has been sending me those notes, their connection to my mom, and why they’d decided to tell me after all these years of being silent.As much as I wanted to believe them, I’d thought about it and chose to believe my mom. Yes, she had done terrible things and might be hiding more hideous things but I know she’d never cheat on my dad. She’s been with him all of these years and their love was so strong. I saw th
SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2023 Hello, lovelies, thank you for giving my book a chance and for sticking with me all through the months I couldn’t update due to personal reasons. Rosie and Jian’s story has finally come to an end and so has the series, The Ruthless Billionaires. While I’m excited for this end, I’ll miss the characters greatly but I have the thoughts of writing a sequel that’ll be named after the series, THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRES. This sequel will tell the love story of Romeo Torelli and Samantha Davis and also Sylvia Lancaster and Clifford Davidson and how it all started. If you’d be interested in reading this, please leave a comment below as your responses will spur me on, but if I get no response or a low outcome, I will end the series with this book and there will be no sequel. For the readers that haven’t read the previous books in the series, here’s a list of the books and where it all began: TITLE: The Ruthless Billionaires Book One: A Contract with the Billionaire (ex
_Six months later_Rosie stared at her reflection in the mirror and did a little twirl, with a bright smile on her face. She was dressed in a bright red sleeveless midi-dress that hugged her figure, accentuating her hips and petite curves. Her dark hair was styled into waves, flowing down her shoulder and her makeup was done to the minimal in soft pastel shades that made her soft brown eyes pop. Black Saint Laurent sandal heels adorned her feet, with a black clutch and the sparkling diamond necklace and teardrop earrings she had on put the finishing touches to her elegant look.She was dressed to go on her first formal romantic date with Jian and she was excited. He was coming to pick her up from her campus apartment. She’s been dreaming of this date for the past three months, from the moment she returned to school to finish her last semester and get her degree. And the day was finally here. She’d written her last exam that day and had immediately rushed home to begin preparations for
Rosie’s POVI stretched my limbs across the bed, and they landed on the cold spot where Jian’s body was supposed to be. Immediately, my eyes shot open and I stared at his spot to see it was empty and I was all alone in bed. At first, my heart skipped a beat but I tried to calm my nerves as I gathered the strength to rise to a sitting position. The sun was up, casting its rays into the room from the opened window. My gaze strayed to the bedside clock to see it was past 10 a.m., yet I made no move to get out of bed. Instead, I glanced around for any indication that Jian was at home.I couldn’t control how I felt when I woke up and thought he’d left me. It was the first thing that registered in my head but I told myself he wouldn’t leave me, and he may just be in his office getting some work done. I remained seated in bed, and a yawn slipped from my lips at the same time as my stomach rumbled from hunger. The last time I had anything to eat was at the hospital. The previous night had be
Rosie’s POV“Where is Greta?” I asked again, when he remained quiet. This time, he exhaled and stepped back from me. A frown marred my face as I stared at him in confusion, waiting for a response. He was acting strange and it was worrisome. Initially, he’d said she didn’t work in his home anymore but why couldn’t he just tell me where she now works? “Why did she leave and where has she gone to?” I took a step towards him and touched his arm. This time, he moved closer and held my shoulders. His eyes met mine and I saw an expression I didn’t recognize etched on his face. It was like a mix of anger and remorse.“Come, sit,” he gently pushed me back until I sat on the sofa behind me and he took his seat next to me.“Jian…” I was getting agitated from the way he was acting and he could see it.“I’ll tell you everything, I promise but I don’t think you’re ready to hear it, Rosie. I don’t want to spoil your mood,”“I can’t deal with the anxiety. Please tell me, what happened?” Again, he dr
Rosie’s POVThe silence that surrounded me as I slowly began to regain consciousness was serene. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d experienced such a feeling. Slowly, my eyes snapped open and they were met with the pristine white ceilings. For a minute, I kept staring at the ceiling but then from my peripheral vision, my eyes caught the silhouette of a body. Without hesitation, I turned to see it was Jian. He was seated on the only available chair in the room, and his head was buried in his palms. I couldn’t see his face on the expression on it but his pose screamed of worry.At that moment, I tried to sit up but then I felt a pull from the needle of the IV that was attached to my arm and it suddenly dawned on me that I was in a hospital room. All thoughts to call Jian’s attention suddenly fled from me as I tried to recall how I’d ended up here but it didn’t take long for all of the memories to start flooding me.I remembered it all. Ling lying on the bare concrete floor with a bull
Rosie’s POVI wiggled against the cold floor just to try to get comfortable. I had no idea how long it had been since I was brought here. All I knew was that their plans were in motion and my execution was getting nearer with each passing minute. I knew no one was coming for me. My only hope that Jian would come had died after seeing those pictures of him and Ling. I did not doubt that she’d managed to manipulate him into feeling pity for her. Since the last time she was here to reveal everything to me, she’s not been back. She mentioned going on a vacation and I didn’t doubt that Jian was with her. After all, I meant nothing to him. I was a liar and a deceiver who he’d tried to be nice to out of sympathy and in the end, I didn’t care enough to tell him the truth. I knew he detested me, and hence, it’d have been very easy for him to get over me the moment I was out of his home.He was the last person I had on my side. Now, I was all alone. My mom was busy paying for her sins in a nurs
Jian’s POVI arrived in Beijing the next evening, following the Don’s words. After Lina’s death, the news of Rosie’s disappearance was suddenly everywhere, and it was linked to Lina’s arrest. How it got released to the media, I had no idea. It was as if everything was a grand plan and we were playing into the hands of whoever this mastermind was.How Lina had died was yet to be explained. All the police had was a sniper had been hired to take her out, but they had no identity of the one responsible or who even hired the said sniper to kill her. At this point, everyone was a suspect in my head. I couldn’t stop wondering if it was Sylvia at work. From what I’d come to know of the woman, she was a very dangerous woman and had connections in high places. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that she killed Lina for coming after her daughter, but why would she do that, when Rosie was yet to be found?It didn’t make sense to me, and I was still trying to understand what the Don meant by there’s
Jian’s POV“Since when has this been going on?” Lara’s voice sailed into my ears from the phone and I sighed deeply. The news of Lina’s arrest made it to the media and it was now everywhere. There were lots of speculations about it as the major reason for her arrest wasn’t publicly disclosed but it was only known that she was arrested in the process of her final divorce hearing. Only our immediate family members were aware of what was going on. My dad had called to confirm the news, and now it was my younger sister, Lara on the phone.“It's been on for the past three months,”“Oh wow, that’s such a long time. I never expected such from Lina. She was always so nice and cheerful, and I know the news of Clifford’s affair with his assistant must have been very difficult for her but it’s not enough for her to change. I mean, I’m not a saint myself but, she went too far,”She was right to say that. Lara had done her fair share of evil in the past but it was swept under the carpet as it was
Jian’s POV“Check your mail. You’ve got all the evidence you need there, and as for a witness, there’ll be one in court tomorrow. Make sure you’re there by 9. It’s the final divorce hearing and your last chance.” the Don’s voice sailed into my ears before the call ended. I dropped my phone and drew in a deep breath that I exhaled almost immediately before rising to my feet to head out to the mailbox. It was almost 10 pm and it was my third day in New York. After Don Torelli contacted me on the night of the day I met with Williams, I told him all I knew about the case and Rosie’s abduction. He assured me to stay calm and that he’d take it from there, as the video evidence I’d handed over to him had helped trace the genesis of this issue and now, he’d called to inform me that he’d been able to gather the evidence I needed to nail Lina Davidson, and according to him, the final divorce hearing between her and her husband, Clifford, was the next morning.I did not doubt that Lina would be