Mag-log inNicholas gave her a dry look. "Then tell them I'm your very strict older cousin." Rose laughed. "That will make it worse." "Why?" "Because now they'll think I have a handsome rich cousin who comes to pick me up from school." Nicholas shook his head. "You talk too much." Rose smiled. "You're onl
The weekend passed without any serious events, other than the fact that Rose turned off her cellphone just to avoid any phone calls from anyone, including Alex. Strangely, she wasn't truly angry with him. At least, not because of what he had done in the underworld. What hurt her was that he had kep
The drive away from the warehouse was unusually quiet. Eric kept his attention on the road while Rose sat in the back seat, staring through the window without really seeing anything outside. The city passed by in a blur of lights and buildings, but her mind remained trapped in the warehouse she had
For a moment, neither Rose nor Alex moved. The warehouse remained unnaturally quiet, and even the men inside seemed to understand that whatever had just happened between the two of them was more important than anything else in the room. Alex slowly lowered the gun in his hand and handed it to on
Rose carefully looked inside and what she saw made her breath catch. Alex stood in the middle of a large warehouse, surrounded by numerous men. The atmosphere inside was completely different from the polished world Rose knew. The concrete floor was bare, heavy crates were stacked along one side of
--- The journey took longer than Rose expected. The city gradually disappeared behind them as Eric followed the directions written on the note. Rose remained unusually quiet. She felt a bit nervous because she was heading toward a location someone had deliberately given her because they believ
Inside the office, Lopez shut the door with a sharp click, crossing to her desk. “Jesse,” she said, folding her hands, “I’m going to ask this once—who told you to start those rumors?” Jesse’s breath hitched. “I… I don’t know what you’re—” “Stop,” Lopez interrupted, her voice slicing clean through.
The morning sun filtered softly through the curtains of Rose’s bedroom, painting her sheets in warm gold. She rose with a stretch, letting the early light wash over her before beginning her routine. After dressing in her uniform and pulling her hair into a loose yet tidy ponytail, Rose grabbed her
“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
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







