LOGINRose on the other hand, remained where she was, composed, her posture relaxed in a way that didn’t match the situation at all. Beside her, Alissa sat stiffly, still shaken. Her hands were clenched together, but she leaned ever so slightly toward Rose, as if grounding herself in her presence. A f
The ropes fell away from Rose and Alissa's wrists with a soft thud against the cold concrete floor. For a brief second, the entire warehouse seemed to go still. Zane stood a few steps away, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other loosely gesturing as his men stepped back after obeying his order.
The door opened and both girls turned to the direction. Rose’s head lifted slightly at the sound. Her eyes immediately locked onto the new figure stepping in. And for the first time since she woke up, she paused. Cobra on the other hand froze, then his eyes widened slightly. “…You’ve got to be kidd
If Rose had been there, she would have recognized them instantly. Cobra. Byron. Fury. The same loan shark gangster she had once paid off to leave Maya alone. Cobra did stop walking until he got to where Zane was standing. “Zane,” he greeted, his tone casual. “Didn’t think you’d still be working out
The warehouse had grown quieter as the night stretched into morning. The kind of silence that pressed against your ears and made every small sound feel louder than it should. Rose, her head slightly lowered, strands of her hair falling across her face. From the outside, she looked still, but her mi
Across the city, inside the top floor of Anderson Corporation, Julian was in the middle of a meeting when his phone rang. He almost ignored it, until he saw Nicholas’s name. He frowned slightly before he picked up immediately. “What is it?” “Rose is missing.” The words were simple, but they land
“Well,” Rose replied with a small laugh, “it’s not like I handed them keys in a bow.” “Still,” Nancy teased, “the house is already prepped. You don’t need to stress about that one. You did well choosing the location too—it fits them.” “Anyway, your own house is fully ready. You can swing by tomo
It didn’t take Rose long to find them. There were three of them—two girls and a boy—sophomores by uniform badge. She recognized their faces easily now. They had been whispering in the hallway that morning. And one of them—the taller girl with braids—had been especially loud by the lockers, throwing
She took a slow bite, before turning to look at him and then asked, “Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?” “I was running diagnostics,” he replied flatly. “Thought I’d take a break.” Rose’s fork paused. Her eyes flicked to his hoodie, to the small flash drive peeking from the insid
As the final bell of the period echoed through the hallway, students flooded out of classrooms like a released tide. Rose didn’t linger. She stood,glancing at Kehlani. “Let’s go,” she said. They navigated the crowded corridors with purpose, cutting through clusters of students until they reached







