Rosalynn's POV.
“Miss, are you sure that you want to come down here?”“Miss!” It wasn't until Alex called for the second time that I snapped out of the thoughts enveloping me.I glanced across the street at the most famous bar in the city. It was not yet dark, but the bar had turned on its bright electric lights, making it extremely prominent on the street. A large crowd of people continuously flowed in and out freely. Because this was Las Vegas, all business activities like bars, and casinos were normalized.But only on that particular night, when I came to the pub to carry out my crazy plan and encountered him, I had never been to a bar before. Why was it that my life always intertwined with places like this whenever something important happened?I made eye contact with Alex through the rearview mirror, “Thank you, Alex. When I'm done, I will let you know..."But Alex didn't respond to me like usual. He was still staring at me as if he had to force me to tell him why I was there.I lowered my head and bit my lip. After a few seconds, I spoke softly, “Alex… Can you not report to Mr. Nolan? My club is having some problems with its sponsor, I just came to negotiate with him a bit. Because the situation is urgent,…”“I got it, miss. If anything happens, you must call me immediately. I will wait for you outside.”“Yes…” I weakly replied and got out of the car.Watching the Bentley leave here, my heart felt even heavier.I slowly walked through the bar's main entrance as if entering a completely different world. Loud music echoed in my ears, making me wince. The chaotic scene and the constant clinking of glasses… There were even a few drunks who bumped into me on the way.Following the dim light of the hallway, I finally found the investor's VIP room.A few hours ago, I was still sitting in the middle of the club's training room to face each member.The president questioned me, 'Rosa, Mr. Kelvin said he doesn't want to continue sponsoring anymore because of you. What exactly have you done to offend him? You know, without his money and the performance hall, we won't be able to proceed with the concert.’I had never even met the sponsor, how could I offend him? All because Celine took revenge on me when I accidentally ruined her glamorous evening gown.But was she too cruel to make unrelated people suffer because of me? I was willing to accept her overbearing jokes, but I couldn't let the concert be so unreasonably canceled.I knocked on the door twice but got no response from inside. Just as a waiter brought in some drinks, I followed him inside.Contrary to my imagination, the space in the room was quite quiet, even carrying an indescribable heaviness. I found Mr. Kelvin sitting in the left corner of the room, using all my courage to interrupt his intimate moment with a scantily clad woman.“Hello Mr. Kelvin, I am a member of the Masilisa music club. As agreed over the phone, could I please have a moment of your time to discuss this weekend's concert?“Hmm?” Kelvin raised his head, looking at me with a scrutinizing gaze.I was a bit embarrassed when someone judged me so bluntly, so I avoided his eyes and continued, "I think we have some misunderstanding. I will not…""Just arrived and already want to discuss business? Sit down and have a drink with me."He pushed the woman next to him away, reached for a glass of wine, and held it out to me. His face showed a smirk smile that made my heart begin to beat faster with anxiety.I deliberately ignored his drink, and sat down in a position opposite him to keep a safe distance, "Mr. Kelvin, it's still early. I have to drive later, I hope you understand."“No worries, I can have my driver take you back. It's been a while since I've worked with such a beautiful young lady..."Kelvin's intentions became clearer by the moment. He held out the glass of wine directly towards me, "If you refuse to drink with me, it shows you don't respect me. So let's forget about any sponsorship discussions."“Mr. Kelvin, I… I…” I waved my hand in panic, my face also turning white at his threat.The president had entrusted me with the task of negotiating the sponsorship, I couldn't go home without any results. I made an alternative request, “Can I invite you to dinner instead?”The smell of cigarettes that the women in the room were smoking made me cough slightly. I kept moving backward when I accidentally touched a man's vest, causing me to momentarily pause.Was there another person in this room?Kelvin sat down next to me. He tried to raise his hand to pat my head, but I promptly dodged it. But his tone was still filled with amusement, “Little girl, you also know the difficult situation of your club. Just drink this glass of wine with me, and I'll sponsor the entire concert. I will overlook your mistakes."“Mr. Kelvin, when have I ever wronged you? This is the first time you and I have met.” My shoulders trembled slightly, but I still took a deep breath to respond to him calmly.“Celine is my niece. You know her, right? Offending her is also offending me."After saying that, Kelvin rushed forward and hugged my shoulders. At this moment, his body was leaning close to mine, making me feel disgusting, and the smell of alcohol also rushed straight into my nostrils. He had acted so rudely that I knew for sure that I would not be able to negotiate with him anymore."Drink it. Don't ruin my mood any further, girl.”“You let me go first…” I frowned, trying to push him away to escape.Kelvin squeezed my chin so hard that I felt it was about to shatter, "If you dare to come all this way, why are you still acting noble? A glass of wine in exchange for that huge amount of sponsorship money is too much for you guys.”“Uhm… No…” I pursed my lips tightly, only making a soft sound of resistance to avoid the glass of wine that Kelvin was placing in front of my mouth.At this moment, the room door suddenly opened. A cold male voice rang out, interrupting the chaotic scene, "Did I just miss something interesting?"Kelvin roughly pushed me away, then stood up to adjust his vest, "You're back already? A little kitten came here to discuss some trivial sponsorship matters but wouldn't listen to me. I was just trying to teach her a lesson.""OH?"I raised my hand to wipe away the wine stains running down the neck of my dress, trying to hold back the tears that were about to overflow. Just as I raised my head to find a way to escape, a sharp amber gaze rushed straight towards me, startling me.“Ah…” I unconsciously exclaimed. My whole body froze for a moment.“Nolan…” I raised my hand to cover my face, quietly mumbling his name. Why was he here? The man who had just entered was indeed Nolan Kingston, how?Nolan put both in his pocket and leisurely sat down on the chair. Immediately, the women in the room moved to surround him, but he waved them off.Shaking the wine glass in his hand, Nolan was still looking at me, "I didn't think your taste was so special. She's so young, are you sure you won't have to go to jail?"His every word and expression was filled with mockery. While Kelvin wasn't paying attention to me, I gingerly tried to run away from there, but he violently grabbed the end of my hair.“No, she's about to graduate.” After Kelvin finished talking to Nolan, he turned to me, "Hurry up and serve Mr. Kingston some wine."My eyes were red with pain. No matter how scared I was, I still had to scream out each word, "Let me go. I didn't come here to allow you to do any depraved things. I can sue you in court for sexual harassment.”“Suing me for sexual harassment at a bar?” Kelvin smirked.“You…” I widened my eyes in anger."Alright." Nolan suddenly spoke up and interrupted me, "You can't even tell a girl to follow your orders. Can I trust you to cooperate with me in my upcoming project?Kelvin immediately lowered his voice and bowed his head repeatedly, “Mr. Kingston, just calm down. If you like this girl, I will ask her to come serve you.”"No. I want to see her serve you."What? I whipped my head back and looked at Nolan with panicked eyes. He reclined in a luxurious leather chair, exuding an air of power and domination. He sat cross-legged, one hand holding a glass of wine and taking a sip, the other hand gently tapping his thigh as if waiting. The corners of his lips curled up indifferently as soon as we made eye contact.Kelvin stuffed a glass of wine into my hand, then whispered, “Behave and listen. Just pour me the wine, and I'll continue sponsoring your club. And you will safely leave here."Was this a threat? But what sent a cold sweat down my spine wasn't this man's threat.“Be good, hurry up.” Kelvin's urging continued in my ears.My hands trembled as I held the glass of wine, slowly raising it little by little in front of Kelvin's mouth. But in the end, my strength was drained, causing the glass to shatter on the ground. All the wine spilled onto Kelvin’s shirt collar.“This damn bitch!”Kelvin erupted in anger, raising his hand to slap me straight in the face. I instinctively closed my eyes tightly.But the familiar scent of sandalwood that crept into my nostrils dispelled the fear that was about to swallow me. Nolan's cold voice rang out at the top of my head.“Get your damn hands off her! Want to touch her? You must have my permission first."One year later.In London.“Hailey, Ryan, stop running around!”“It’s raining. Hurry up and get inside!”I sipped on my hot tea and watched Marie trying to keep the two kids in line. As I saw the rain splashing against the clear glass window, I thought about getting up to fetch an umbrella for them, but Nolan stopped me.“Just relax, I already gave them one. Hailey will come inside soon—she hates getting wet in the rain.” He set a plate of pastries in front of me and sat down beside me.Then, he rested his head against my large, round belly and playfully asked, “Son, have you been making mommy tired today?”That’s right, I was nine months pregnant, and the little one inside me was a boy. Every night, I eagerly awaited his arrival, imagining his face and thinking he would probably look just like his dad, Nolan. The doctor said my due date was approaching soon, so I had to be careful with every move I made.I ran my fingers through Nolan’s soft, short hair, teasingly saying, “I think yo
Rosalynn’s POV.A musty smell enveloped me as I slowly opened my eyes, realizing I was tied up. My heart skipped a beat when I remembered my daughter.Just then, something soft brushed against me. I looked down and saw Hailey lying next to me, fast asleep. Relief washed over me, but my head still throbbed, likely from the lingering effects of the sedative.I sat up and scanned the room. It was clear—we’d been kidnapped.But who would dare pull this off so close to Nolan’s estate? And how did they slip past Alex’s guard?“You’re awake, huh?” A woman’s voice echoed through the room as the door to this dingy warehouse creaked open.Being a pianist, I was more sensitive to sounds than most, and my memory of voices was sharp. I recognized her immediately without needing to look, “Christine Watson. You should be locked up in the police station awaiting trial. How did you escape?”Christine let out a loud, deranged laugh, “If I told you Nolan had mercy on me and didn’t hand me over to the po
At the Watson family mansion.Nolan's POV.“What the hell are you doing? Let my father go. Do you have an arrest warrant, or are you just barging into our home?”As I stepped into the Watson family's grand hall, Christine’s screams echoed loudly. She showed her sharp and aggressive side in front of the officers arresting Kyle. That sweet, gentle expression of hers, it seemed, only ever appeared when she was with me.The moment she saw me, Christine’s eyes lit up as if she had found a savior. She rushed over to me and pleaded, “Nolan, please! There must be some mistake. Tell them to release my father.”I pulled my hand away, not hiding the annoyance on my face, “Enough, Christine.”“What?” She froze, looking at me with confusion in her eyes, “What do you mean?”The officer beside me presented the arrest warrant and said firmly, “Mr. Kyle Watson is suspected of orchestrating the fire at the Kingston mansion 27 years ago. And Miss Christine Watson, you are believed to be an accomplice fo
Rosalynn's POV.Early afternoon on Saturday, I impatiently sat in the living room of Nolan's mansion and waited for the team to decrypt the USB I had just found. Looking at the clock as the minutes ticked by, I kept walking back and forth so continuously that Hailey got dizzy and she frowned at me.“Rosa, can you stop walking? You're influencing me to study!” She pouted at me, holding a crayon on her hip, looking very adorable.Today I braided Hailey's hair into pigtails. Every time she bent down to study, the ends of her hair will wiggle with each movement of her pen.I sat down and hugged Hailey and kissed her head affectionately, “I'm sorry, sweetie. So now I'll sit quietly and watch you study, is that okay?"Hailey nodded and then held up the painting she had just completed for me to see with bright eyes. It seems that since childhood, she has loved painting. She is very sensitive to mixing colors, more interested in pictures than numbers. One day when I went to school to pick her
Rosalynn's POV.Mark seemed scared by Nolan's appearance as his face turned pale and all of his aggressive appearance was gone. He glared at his wife and then grabbed his suitcase to leave the house, but Nolan's large body was blocking the door.He didn't dare to speak to Nolan, so he turned and walked back to his room, then slammed the door hard.Mark's wife, her name was Rachael, immediately collapsed to the floor and covered her face, crying helplessly. I moved closer to comfort her, and at the same time, Riley's room door also opened.The little girl, her face filled with tears, ran out and hugged me and her mother. Perhaps I always deeply sympathize with Riley because her eyes are exactly the same as when I was adopted by the Carter family. Every day there would often be thugs coming to collect debt, they would destroy things and my adoptive parents would have to kneel down to beg them. I once desperately begged everyone to spare our family, but at that time I did not understand
Rosalynn's POV.In the middle of the large living room, I sat next to Anne and leaned my head on her shoulder like we were once so close. My eyes looked toward the closed piano box, and a ray of pain gently passed through my heart, making the bridge of my nose sting.Anne patted my shoulder and her warm voice rang out, “Mr. Nolan always cleaned this piano himself without anyone touching it, not even Hailey.”“I know that. A few days ago, Hailey revealed it to me.” I chuckled and sat up straight, holding Anne's hand tightly.When she looked at my face again, tears welled up in her eyes and she pursed her lips to control her choking, “Luckily you're alive and well, Rosa. Where have you been lately? It is said that you have found your family, they are very rich and also love you. I was very worried when I heard you left with nothing."I felt the back of Anne's hand. Because of regular housework, combined with her growing age, her skin has shown signs of aging. Listening to her ask a seri