Upon hearing Rosalie’s answer, Duncan was surprised and perplexed. She felt as if she had been hit hard, as if she had been used all that time she was by her side. The coldness with which she spoke about the need to have a man by her side to support her in business caused a feeling of betrayal and disappointment to invade him. The reality that Rosalie was willing to marry her late husband’s brother, knowing all the atrocities Louie had committed, shook Duncan to the core. It was as if the ground opened beneath his feet, leaving him aimless and without understanding Rosalie’s true motivations. Feeling used and deceived, Duncan struggled to find words, while a mixture of anger and sadness flooded his being. The woman he thought was the woman of his life, the one for whom he was willing to face any challenge, seemed to have a dark and selfish side that he did not know. The heavy silence hovered between them, leaving a growing emptiness and mistrust. Duncan found himself questioning th
A few days later, Rosalie woke up with the phone ringing repeatedly. She felt her whole body aching, she had not been able to sleep well at night, and ended up drinking some wine. When she answered the call, her voice was deep and hoarse. " Hello?" She felt a bitter taste in her mouth. Eleanor’s voice across the line was urgent. " Mrs. Valois, you need to come to the company immediately." Rosalie sat immediately on the bed, feeling her whole body be on alert. " What is happening Leonor?" " Madam, come to the company immediately." The line went mute and Rosalie stood up immediately. She got ready quickly and went to the company. When Rosalie entered her room, Leonor entered then several phones were ringing. She looked at her assistant and asked: " What is happening Leonor? "" Ma'am, the Lecomte Group attacked the Empire Group. They began to make absurd deals with several of our clients. Their prices are so cheap that it is impossible to be refused! Several of our customer
Rosalie was immersed in her thoughts, meticulously listing all strategies that could be adopted to reverse the situation of the Empire Group, which continued to lose customers. While concentrating on the solutions, his gaze for a moment turned to the clock on the wall, revealing that time was advancing, and it was past ten o'clock. "I have to go home, spending the night here planning won’t do any good." "I just can’t understand why the Lecomte Group is doing that. They will not profit by selling their products at a price as absurdly low as these, it seems that it is only to sink us, regardless if they go together in the process" At that moment, she noticed that Louie had dragged her chair closer to her, creating an uncomfortable closeness. The uncomfortable sensation caused Rosalie to walk away, gently rebuking him: " You don’t have to get that close. " His voice had undeniable firmness, marking a clear border between them. It wasn’t because she had asked for your help that she
Rosalie looked at the man in front of her, her eyes finding François’s. At that moment, she could clearly perceive the indignation stamped on her face in response to her decision to marry Duncan’s brother Louie. But there was something more to François' expression, something other than mere feelings of indignation. He seemed genuinely angry that Louie belonged to Duncan’s family. As a heavy sigh escaped from Rosalie’s lips, the complications of the situation weighed on her mind. She could not simply ignore the fact that there was an imminent threat to François' life. If he knew the whole truth, if she told him about the sinister plans of the Valois family elders, what could he do? Would he be able to face the powerful influence of that ancestral lineage, which spanned generations and had much influence? This uncertainty led Rosalie to reflect on the difficult choices before her. "Everything seems so difficult since Duncan’s death, I cannot simply allow François who protected me all
After a few minutes in shock, alone in the hotel room, Rosalie finally managed to get up. With determination, she dried the tears from her face and fixed her gaze on the door through which François had left. Her heart was still unbridled, but she knew she needed to pull herself together. With an instinctive gesture, Rosalie placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm the racing beats of her heart. As he thought about everything that had just happened, his mind was full of confusion. She looked at her wrinkled and untidy clothes, deciding she needed to pull herself together and look presentable. He carefully tidied up and left the hotel, having the permission of François’s men to leave. She swallowed it hard and left the hotel. There was no sign of François. Rosalie took a taxi and, during the journey, felt an immense emptiness in her chest. Tears did not yet come, but the feeling of loss and helplessness did not leave her. When he finally lay in his bed, the silence around him w
Rosalie stared at Louie with a fearless look, devoid of fear. In his eyes, he noticed a courage and a ferocity that made him retreat instinctively. It was as if, at that moment, Rosalie was able to face any challenge, and he felt surprised and cautious before this dominant posture of hers. The memories came to the surface, recalling the moments when she had demonstrated her determination to keep her bodyguard with her and to act firmly in situations that involved him directly. At that moment, Louie realized that it was not wise to irritate her further. She had shown herself strong and able to protect herself and face whatever was needed. You’d better not fight her now, he thought. With this perception, he chose to retreat, leaving her alone in his room. Rosalie remained calm, but inside, she felt relieved that he had finally left. That brief exchange of glances made her realize how tired she was of dealing with power games and people who underestimated her strength. While regainin
François stared at her with a look full of disapproval, as if he believed she was betraying Duncan’s memory by considering marrying Louie. Amid the tense silence, Rosalie chose to let him speak, allowing him to express her worries and frustrations. She knew that as much as François hated her at the time, she needed to stay focused on her goals and move forward with her decisions. "He saved me, however, does not understand my motives and is confused." François’s words resounded in her ears, but she remained silent, accepting the judgment he cast upon her. The marriage to Louie had been a strategy to buy time and protect her children, and Rosalie was willing to face the consequences of her actions. When she finally moved away from the cemetery, François held her arm lightly, holding it for a moment. Rosalie’s heart quickened before contact, not knowing what to expect from the words that would come next. "He looks so disappointed in me." " You are not worthy to be raising his childr
Rosalie Valois was overcome with indignation and unbelief. How dare François take his children from home? She felt hurt and challenged in her ability to be a good mother. Emotions consumed her, and she trembled at the situation she faced. Without hesitation, Rosalie hurriedly walked down the stairs with trembling hands, and headed to the landline on the wall. The heart beat uncompressed in his chest as he dialed François’s number. The anxiety was palpable, and every touch of the phone felt like an eternity. At the second touch, François answered, and his voice echoed in Rosalie’s ear. Anger and worry mingled in her words: " Where are my children, François? What do you think you are doing?" Your voice echoed through the phone, full of repressed emotion. Rosalie waited anxiously for the answer, but François remained silent. This only served to increase her irritation, and she continued to vent her frustrations: " Come on, you bastard! Bring my children back home immediately! I kn
He lightly touched Rosalie’s face, and although she knew he felt guilty for what he had said, she had perfectly understood his feeling. Her fingers glided gently through her skin, tracing the outline of her cheeks, as if to erase all the words spoken under the weight of despair. Their looks met, revealing a deep and unbreakable connection forged in the trials they have faced together over the years.Rosalie, in turn, relived in her mind the moments when she felt alone and powerless, when Duncan walked away. Although she was a devoted mother, with children who depended on her, these moments of solitude had made her feel an inner weakness, a sense of emptiness that seemed to have no purpose. She had fought with determination, but could not deny the emotional scars that those separations had left.The woman looked at him for a few more seconds, her eyes reflecting a mixture of feelings. The words were about to flow from her lips, laden with meaning and forgiveness, when she finally said,
At that terrible moment, Duncan experienced a mind-blowing pain, an agony that seemed to transcend the limits of human understanding itself. The brutal impact against the wall was like an avalanche of suffering, a devastating force that stole his breath instantly. Even as his lungs struggled for air, his breath was denied, drowning him in a distressing silence.Yet amid the raging sea of overwhelming sensations, his only lingering thought was the distressing emptiness of his hands. In his mind, he relived the moment when he desperately tried to lift them towards Rose, a desperate attempt to protect her, to take part in the impact of the impending explosion and the dangerously approaching wall. But fate, capricious and ruthless, threw him towards the wall in a split second, separating him from the woman he loved. While his blurred vision and the world revolved around him, the only image left was that of his now empty and powerless hands.The reality that surrounded him was a nightmare
He could perceive in Rosalie’s gaze a mixture of emotions, including trauma and regret, and understood that the emotional scars of what had happened were deep. However, he did not allow himself to feel regret for his choices, for they had led them to that crucial moment in their lives.He watched closely as Rosalie averted her gaze to her own hands, as if to avoid facing him directly. It was in this gesture that he recognized a sign that she was dealing with internal issues, issues that had arisen since he had made decisions he had never imagined making.There was a darkness that had seeped into his soul, something he had faced along a tortuous journey full of dangers. He felt like someone sailing in a black sea, fighting terrifying and monstrous creatures, and now he understood that, in a way, he had become one of them. The choices he had made had taken their toll, and he could not turn back.When the woman looked at her own hands, he knew that Rosalie was avoiding facing him. She di
Rosalie saw everything around her happen so slowly that for a moment she believed she was the one getting shot. The scene unfolded before his eyes like a slow motion movie, and the feeling of imminent farewell hovered in the air.It was her from that world, and all she could think of was that it was just that her last vision was the face of the man she loved so hard. His heart seemed frozen in his chest as he faced what seemed to be the imminent end. She only regretted not being able to see the faces of the children one last time, but in those circumstances, it was a gift that they were not there, sparing them this scene of violence and danger.Then she fell back, her body being pulled by Louie, and they both hit hard against the cold, hard ground. The pain of his impact was like a shock to his body, but the adrenaline still pumped hard into his veins.Rosalie still felt Louie’s hands on her, her presence dominating her field of vision, and only when she heard Duncan’s voice did she r
Duncan’s gaze was red, and his body was filled with adrenaline when the man’s inert body fell noisily to the ground, flooding him with deep relief. Finally, the man who had orchestrated his death was now lifeless, his nefarious plan completely frustrated. However, this bitter victory was obscured by the anguish he felt over the uncertainty of Rosalie’s whereabouts.The news that she was no longer present at Victor’s house tore him apart, but Duncan was unwilling to surrender to hopelessness. The distant sound of gunfire echoed once again from the ground floor, indicating that the men loyal to Victor still resisted, as persistent obstacles in their path. Determined to rescue his beloved, he turned and went out into the corridor, accompanied by his loyal companions. Duncan kept his weapon firmly in hand, ready to face any obstacle in his path.When they reached the middle of the corridor, they were surprised by men loyal to Victor, and chaos broke out again, with shots being exchanged f
Rosalie was dragged with brutality to a room that looked more like a prison, where a constant coming and going of women came and went, as if they were participating in a sinister ritual. The environment, although spacious, conveyed a sense of oppression. The light walls, although beautiful, seemed to close on it, making the space even more claustrophobic. In the center of the room, a majestic canopy bed dominated the scene, and a large, luxurious mirror, reflecting the agony in Rosalie’s eyes, adorned one of the walls.In the corner of the room, strategically positioned as a sinister trophy, was a long wedding dress, a masterpiece of pure silk. The bust of the dress was precisely carved, a straight cut that unfolded elegantly in a long tail, which flowed like a river of satin.Rosalie needed no explanation to understand what was happening to her at that distressing time. While one of the women, with agile and ruthless hands, pulled her hair in attempts to create a hairstyle worthy of
Victor stared at his wife with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. The last time I saw her, she was trapped, inert in a bed, unable to offer any resistance. Now, here she was, standing, determined to escape her grasp. Victor stood in front of a small table, pouring himself a glass of wine, when the woman surprised him by entering his room unceremoniously.With tranquility, he continued to pour the red liquid into his glass, lifted it to his lips and drank, enjoying the sensation of the wine sliding down his throat.— I can’t say I’m surprised to see you here. Louie is notoriously incompetent when it comes to you - Victor uttered with a touch of cynicism. Rosalie, in turn, remained haughty, not yielding to the pressure that the situation imposed.— What is the purpose behind your kidnapping? After all, what use can I have for you now? Duncan will chase you to the ends of the earth to rescue me.A mocking smile danced on Victor’s lips.— Your suggestion is that I give it to him, so that
When the plane finally landed, Rosalie felt the weight of uncertainty on her shoulders. He was now in a foreign country, far from his homeland, and was unsure if Duncan had been able to track the plane’s path. The sense of helplessness consumed her, and she wondered what Victor planned for her destiny.Louie, the dark accomplice who had dragged her into this nightmare, held her by the arm, a continual reminder of the violence hanging over her. The image of the shot echoing in the aircraft and the woman falling inertly remained vivid in his mind. That woman had paid the ultimate price for being connected to Rosalie, and that responsibility weighed on her shoulders.With a glimmer of hope, Rosalie looked at the landing site, considering the possibility of sending a distress signal to anyone who could help her. However, before she could even formulate a strategy, Victor stood before her, holding her by the chin with a force that made her face him.His gaze was icy, and his words were a t
Duncan looked at his son with a mixture of gratitude and determination, lessening the distance that separated them. Bastien responded to his father’s gesture with a warm embrace, conveying support and confidence.- I will bring her back - Duncan said in a firm voice, his promise echoing with determination.Bastien, before releasing him, whispered in an emotional voice:- Come back to us too.Duncan nodded, understanding the importance of this mutual promise, and walked down the corridor outwards. His car was waiting, and at that moment, he dismissed his driver. He wanted to drive to the airport, feel the steering wheel in his hands as he made his way towards Tokyo.Duncan’s men were ready, in other cars just behind him, prepared to follow him on his rescue mission. He felt the engine gently purr to life and, with a twist in the ignition, left with determination.Duncan had anticipated the situation and had already booked a flight to Tokyo. His heart pounded with anxiety as he headed t