chapter 23

Rosie snorted softly. "Do for you?" She said, her tone skeptical. Archie nodded, and her expression turned dismissive. She scoffed again, shrugging a shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous. You know as well as I do you're not in a position to offer me anything,"

She turned to the police officers. "Take her away, please," she instructed, her voice cool. "I'll be busy all week, so don't release her until I come to bail her out myself."

"You–" Clementine wanted to protest, but her words caught in her throat. Her eyes widened in desperation as she stared at Archie. "Do something, or are you just going to let them take your mother away in your state?" she demanded, her voice rising.

Archie let out a soft sigh. "Please... anything you want. I'll do it."

Rosie's gaze lingered on him, her expression turning pitiful. "Okay…" She said, pausing briefly as her eyes darted between Clementine and Archie before settling on Archie. "Get on your knees, clasp your hands together, and beg me desperately…"

Her request hung in the air, and Archie and Clementine exchanged a shocked glance. "Humph!" They both exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide in disbelief. Archie looked at Rosie's face, his gaze boring into her, while Clementine stared at him, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

"Only if you do that right now... right here, will I release your mother," Rosie declared, her tone firm as she maintained an intense gaze into his eyes. "But if you feel that's too much to ask, let them take your her away. I'll have them release her next week. I promise."

Clementine's face contorted in protest. "That's not possible, my son can never kneel for you! Why would he beg you?" She argued. She took a challenging step forward, but the police officers restrained her.

"Respect yourself, ma'am." They cautioned.

Rosie exhaled slowly. "Madam, I'm not forcing your son. It's his choice," she pointed out, her gaze shifting back to Archie. "Stop wasting time, Archie. Will you kneel and beg me, or let your mother learn her lesson in police custody?"

Archie's gaze dropped, and he struggled to make a decision. Kneeling wasn't the issue, but the public setting and his mother's presence made it unbearable.

"You're wasting my time," Rosie pressed. "Be quick with your decision."

Archie's jaw clenched, his neck muscles tensing. "Why are you doing this?" He forced out through gritted teeth.

Rosie raised an eyebrow, her expression incredulous. "Doing what?"

Clementine's anger boiled over. "My son will never kneel for you!" She shouted.

"Archie, let them take me away. I'm sure you can get us out of police custody soon."

Archie's gaze remained downcast as he revealed, "I can't." He raised his gaze and glanced at Rosie, his voice laced with resignation. "I'll do it."

Clementine's eyes widened in horror, and she vehemently shook her head. "No," she protested, rushing to Archie's side and grasping his arms. "I'd rather die in custody than see you humiliate yourself like that."

Archie took his mother's hands off him. He exhaled softly, summoning his courage to swallow his pride and do the needful. His mind was ready, but his body hesitated, his legs feeling like lead weights refusing to budge.

He struggled to make himself move, to force his knees to bend, but it was like his body was wired to resist. Slowly, his thighs began to quiver, his muscles screaming in protest as he wrestled with the humiliation that seeped into his bones.

Clementine took a step back, her jaw clenched and hands balled into fists. Her eyes reddened with fury, the rage simmering below the surface as she fixed Rosie with a piercing stare that screamed threats. Rosie was aware of the venomous gaze, but she didn't flinch, her expression unbothered.

A faint, satisfied smile curled Rosie's lips as she took in Clementine's terror-stricken face and Archie's humiliation. But her curiosity wasn't sated; she was still hungry for more, desperate to witness the moment when Archie finally dropped to his knees and Clementine's reaction to it.

Archie's knees already buckled, the ground mere centimeters away, and with an almost non-existent gap between his knees and the ground, Dominic's voice sliced through the heavy silence.

"Stop this, Rosie!" Dominic said, his voice firm and commanding. He ran to Archie's side, holding him up since he seemed reluctant. With his hands on Archie's shoulder, he faced Rosie and shook her head. "Why are you taking things this far?"

***

Dominic stepped into the office, staring at Rosie's unyielding gaze, her eyes fixed on the screen with an intensity that bordered on ferocity. The faintest flicker of her eyelids was the only acknowledgment of his presence, a reminder of the tension that had been simmering between them since he'd intervened in her game of cat and mouse with Archie.

The memory of his orders; to release Clementine and bail Arabella against her acceptance; still rankled her, making her refuse to say a word to him since morning or respond when he attempted to start one. She didn't even bother to look at his face.

He stood before her, hands clasped behind his back, as if awaiting judgment. A sly smile began to spread across his face, but he caught himself, tempering it to a slight curve of his lips; unsure if she'd find it charming or infuriating.

Her gaze intensified on the screen, but her mind was elsewhere, consumed by the sight of him standing there. Her anger simmered, threatening to boil over. She typed furiously, her fingers flying across the keyboard with a force that made the keys clack loudly.

"Rosie…" He murmured, his voice low and cautious.

She turned a deaf ear to him, her head bent over the keyboard as she typed with increased ferocity.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked, but she remained silent, her fingers pounding the keys with a force that made them clatter. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the staccato beat of her typing; a rhythmic rebuke that spoke volumes about her mood.

With a quiet sigh, he crossed the office, the soft creak of his shoes on the floor the only sound breaking the tension. He settled into his chair, his laptop screen glowing to life as he opened it, but his gaze kept drifting back to her.

She was like a magnet, drawing his attention despite her obvious desire to ignore him. He couldn't focus on his work, his ears straining to catch even a whisper from her, his eyes pleading for her to look up and acknowledge him.

A low, husky chuckle escaped Rosie's lips, and she lifted her gaze, her eyes locking onto his. His eyes snapped away, his face dipping toward his laptop as he hastily feigned interest in the file he'd opened. His fingers began to move across the keyboard. "I love you, Rosie."