Chapter Seven

Rosie dumped the plastic bags full of disposable trash into the garbage truck, and stuck up her thumb, a grin forming on her face. The truck driver nodded at her with a smile from the rear mirror and slowly drove off, leaving the area as deserted as it was before it pulled by.

She sighed as though exhausted and turned on her heels, slowly making her way to her house while mentally calculating the groceries that she would need for the next few weeks. She discovered to her chagrin, that she would need to drive to the city. And oh, how she hates going into public places!

“Damn you, Rosie. How could stock up on groceries in minimal amounts when all you want to do is stay hidden in the suburbs for years?”

It did not help matters that her ex-boyfriend, Lance, had traced her to the cottage, right from Queens. He was a part of the reason why she moved. Hell, he was the sole cause of the discord planted in her crew. Everyone wanted him. Rosie almost rolled her eyes as the thoughts spiraled in her head. Everyone always wanted whatever she had her hands on, except Olivia. She was the one true friend she never had.

The dynamics of Olivia’s sudden divorce and how she suddenly climbed to the position of the CEO of Arthur’s group awed Rosie. First, she had been worried about the welfare of her dear friend who had been mercilessly thrown out of her place in her husband’s mansion… Mansion? Rosie frowned, it was no mansion, and calling it a dungeon would be better. Next, Olivia had informed her days after she had been whisked away by her freakishly wealthy uncle that she would be the next CEO of Arthur’s group in a few days.

It was an informal invitation, an earnest request for her best friend to attend the ceremony, but of course, Rosie declined, offering her heartfelt apology and stating reasons why she wouldn’t be able to make it while congratulating Olivia on her successful feat.

Rosie’s thought process deviated when she finally arrived at the cottage. She went in, freshened up, and came out in fresh clothes. The sun was starting to set and Rosie wondered if she should wait till dusk before heading out, but remembering how empty the kitchen and fridge had looked earlier, she resorted to her initial plan.

She puffed out an air of determination.

“You can do this, Rosie.” She told herself in a half breath “There’s no reason to panic. You will go out there,” she gestured by stretching out an arm and pointing at the road leading to the cities “Get the things you need, and drive right back to the cottage without anything obstructing you.”

With that being said, she got into her car and drove off, heart in mouth.

Once at the mall, Rosie killed the engine and inspected the surroundings critically. There were no known persons in sight. No paparazzi, no reporters in sight, and No Lance. Great.

She wore her shades and put on a face cap before getting out of the car. She could hear the morning wind blow gently past her as she briskly wheeled her half-filled cart to the attendant. Everything was going very well, no one had stopped her so far or screamed her name from her distance… well, until someone touched her, halting her steps.

Rosie froze, dreading turning back. Has she been discovered?

“Rosie Adams?” It was a high-pitched female voice, the way her name filtered out of the unknown lady in a strangulated whisper made chills course down Rosie.

The lady slowly turned a still Rosie, and a dramatic gasp escaped from her lips.

“Guys, It’s Rosie Adams!” The lady beckoned on a few people who pooled at one side of the mall, chattering and shopping. The noise stopped immediately, just like Rosie felt her heartbeat vanish into thin air.

Stupid thing, She thought, Always escaping before the drama unfolds.

Rosie’s eyes slightly widened as she saw the crowd surging forward. Everyone knows now, and they are coming for her. Most of them had genuine love for her, most were obsessed with her personality, while the others just wanted to get the feeling of actually meeting and talking to Rosie Adams. The runaway actress.

Rosie thought fast, she surely could not just stand there and watch her frail form get swallowed by a crowd of excited people. Her heart palpitated as the seconds ticked by, and before she could make a concrete decision, she was whisked to the side by someone. Rosie watched as her cart gracefully slid to the side in terror before turning back to her captor, who was dressed in nothing but a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

“Where are you taking me?” The question escaped her lips in desperate urgency. She needed a way out of the mall, not another crazy fan yanking her to God knows where.

She could not see his face amidst the chaos that hung in the air, and she dreaded turning back to the scene she just fled from so she simply followed till they were at the last compartment of the mall.

“Lance?” She called out in unease, hoping to the heavens that it would not be him. Her prayers were duly answered.

The man took her to the last shelf and she watched as he let go of her hand. Her eyes slowly trailed from his hand that was holding her moments ago to his face. Rosie stared in surprise at the man who had come looking for Olivia at her cottage days back.

“You?” The word tumbled out of her lips before she knew it, her index finger pointing incredulously at him as she peered at him.

“I just had to. You looked like you could pass out there.” He rumbled, and Rosie noted the way his voice matched his appearance. Angelic.

The look of confusion was slowly replaced by a relieved smile on her face.

“Thank you?”

He laughed, a husky one, before peering down at the frame “You’re not sure if you should be thankful?”

“I… I mean, I was in the middle of shopping before…” Words simply refused to form as she took him in again. Damn, how had she not seen how breathtaking he looked initially?

Darian peeped from the side of the shelf and turned back to a mesmerized Rosie “They are gone. You might wanna step out and continue your shopping, Miss Popular.”

Rosie stilled on hearing his words. Step out? Nope. Never. She would just have to escape through an idle window or maybe, teleport to her house. None of those things were feasible but something magical had to happen.

Darian watched as she unconsciously bit her lips with lashes and brows puckered in concentration at her thoughts. He wondered what she was so scared of. If she would be mobbed by the public each time she stepped out, why couldn’t she hire bodyguards or something like that? His eyes caught her hands pulling nervously at the hem of her sweatshirt and he rolled his eyes.

“Alright. Where is your cart?”

Hope gushed through her at his question and she gestured for him to step away. He did and watched where she pointed.

Her cart stood by a side in the distance, and he could see that she had picked a few things already.

“That’s all?”

She nodded “I was done shopping before she stopped me,”

Darian nodded, remembering the ‘she’.

“Here is my credit…” Rosie turned around to discover that he had gone. She stared at the credit card in her hand and then, at the space in front of her.

“Where did he go?” She muttered in fear. He was standing by her side seconds ago.