Chapter 13 - Rose

Before Jullian had the chance to try to defend his boss and insist that he wasn't as bad as he looked, Rose left the room, walking through the mansion corridors until she reached the kitchen, relieved that there was no one around, as expected. After all, she already had a lot on her mind, after what she had heard from Jullian. Of course, she'd realized that the relationship she'd been building with Alec over the last few weeks was perhaps a little more special than just playmates, but... To be called a mother figure? It felt so Permanent.

And if there was one thing that wasn't permanent, it was her presence in that house.

So it would be terribly cruel to let Jullian, and especially Alec, start to have that image of her as someone who would last in his life. Especially because, she knew what it was like to have someone she could call her mother, but from whom she should never expect affection, presence or attention. And if it was to win a poor child's trust, only to have he