MasukThe motorcade rolled out.The wrought-iron gates of the Rosewood mansion opened wide, and slowly, as if the house itself were exhaling before stepping onto a battlefield. The massive doors didn’t creak. They parted with quiet authority, revealing a line of black cars already in motion, engines humming in perfect synchronization.The vehicles moved in flawless formation, no sudden accelerations, no unnecessary urgency, despite the urgency in their hearts to know the story. As if daring the world to watch closely. As if saying, We are not running. We are advancing. We must write the whole story for the world. The press conference was held at the Rosewood mansion, not the Rosewood Group headquarters.That decision alone sent shockwaves through every media outlet scrambling to keep up.The mansion wasn’t just a residence. It was a symbol.Old money! Old power!! Unshakable legacy!!!By choosing the mansion, the Rosewoods weren’t hiding behind corporate glass and steel.They were standin
THE NEXT DAY! The Rosewood mansion transformed before sunrise. It wasn’t abrupt. It wasn’t loud. It was deliberate, methodical, like a sleeping giant opening its eyes to see the world. What had once been a home of fun and banter... The house, which was usually filled with laughter, loud conversations, or the footsteps of family members moving freely... was now filled with clipped instructions, low murmurs between security personnel, and the faint buzz of devices syncing, ringing, and vibrating, never stopping. Phones rang nonstop. Not the chaotic ringing of panic, but the relentless rhythm of authority. Staff moved with quiet efficiency, dressed sharply, and their expressions were neutral, trained not to ask questions when the Rosewoods moved like this. Every maid, every aide, every driver understood what this shift meant. This was not damage control. This was retaliation. Security doubled... then tripled. Men in dark suits appeared from places Adrian hadn’t known existed.
The hours blurred together.Their coffee went cold, forgotten on desks.Their phones died and were replaced with chargers and backup devices.No one noticed the darkness outside the windows thinning. None of them noticed the pale light creeping in.Morning came without their realization Nikolai was still seated behind his desk, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning from lack of sleep, when the door burst open.Cassie rushed in, her face pale, her eyes wide with barely contained panic.“You need to stop whatever you are doing and come with me now,” she said breathlessly. “Both of you... Now.”Nikolai looked up instantly. “What happened?”“Just... come,” Cassie said, already turning. “You need to see this.”One look at her expression was enough. Nikolai stood immediately.Adrian followed, his stomach sinking, dread pooling low and heavy.They entered the living room just as the television volume was turned up.Every screen... Every channel. The same headline blared across the room in bol
Nikolai didn’t say a word as he led Adrian into his study. The weight in the air was already unbearable, thick enough that even their footsteps felt too loud and too intrusive. When Nikolai reached the door, he opened it without ceremony and stepped aside, allowing Adrian to enter first. The door closed behind them with a soft click. Adrian stopped just inside the room. He didn’t move, he didn’t speak, he didn’t even blink. He simply stood there, frozen in place, his body rigid, his face stripped of all expression, like something deep inside him had shut down completely, pulling the lights out and locking the doors from within. This was a Rosewood room. But Adrian saw none of it. He didn’t register the heavy desk in the study or the framed photographs tucked discreetly between shelves. All he could hear was Eliana’s voice. Her laughter and her threats. The taunting certainty with which she had promised destruction of him, her own damn son. All he could feel was the crushin
“You think you’ve won!” Eliana shrieked. “You think you’re safe! I will make you all regret it!” That was when Lucas finally spoke. He hadn’t raised his voice once ever since the call. “Eliana.” Just her name, he called. The screaming stopped instantly. The silence that followed was thick and heavy enough to crush bone. "Lucas..." Eliana said, almost unsure. “I was never interested in you,” Lucas said evenly. “Not once. Not then. Not now. Not ever.” Adrian’s breath hitched violently. He wanted to ask them to hang up the call badly. “You were never an option,” Lucas continued, each word deliberate. “And you never will be.” A low, furious breath filtered through the speaker. “But let me be very clear about one thing,” Lucas said, his tone turning cold, just enough to leave no room for doubt. “If you try to touch my family again...” He paused for a moment to let his threat sink in. “I will make you regret ever learning my name.” Eliana laughed harshly. “Your family?” “Y
The line was still open but silent, as if no one was on the line. Eliana hadn’t hung up. It was as if she were listening to them. The realization settled over the room like a suffocating fog. Cassie stared down at the phone in her trembling hand, her chest tight, her heartbeat loud in her ears. She hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until her lungs burned. Across the room, Camilla went very, very still. The kind of stillness that didn’t come from shock or fear, but from restrained fury. Her lips curved slowly, deliberately, into a smile that had nothing warm about it. It was the kind of smile that preceded violence, the kind that had once made grown men back away without understanding why. She reached out for the phone. Cassie hesitated only a second before placing the phone into Camilla’s waiting palm. Camilla’s fingers wrapped around it, her grip firm but relaxed, like she was holding a glass of wine instead of a direct line to a woman who had just tried to mu







