“You don’t scare me, Llewellyn,” I lifted my chin as I spoke even though my pulse betrayed me. Cesare’s lips curved into a slow, wicked smirk as he stepped closer and spoke in a husky murmur. “That’s the problem, Rose… maybe you should be. Because I’m done pretending I don’t want you. I’ll have you—whether you let me or not.” My breath caught and anger and heat surged in my chest. “But you’ve always hated me.” His fingers brushed my jaw, tilting my face up to his. I felt my skin tingle and goosebumps rising. “Hate?” His gaze burned into mine. “Sweetheart, I’ve never hated you. I’ve only wanted you so much it felt like war.” ~~~~~~~~~ –Love was her rebellion. Betrayal became her awakening. Rosette Jenner has everything—wealth, beauty, and the Jenner name. But all she ever wanted was love untainted by power. When she trades her opulent life for a normal life with Blake, a charming man with big dreams, while also hiding her true identity, she believes she’s finally found it. Until everything shatters. Cast aside and robbed of everything she holds dear, Rosette dies broken. But fate isn’t done with her yet. Going back in time before her death, Rosette has one mission: take back everything they stole from her. And this time, as the heiress that she is. But as she walks the path of vengeance, an old nemesis returns—Cesare Llewellyn. Brilliant. Merciless. And the last man she ever wanted near her secrets. And this time, he's after her heart and she doesn't have a choice. He'll have it whether by force or not. Will she succumb after vowing not to love again?
view moreShe's mine.
Though she’s madly in love with another man. Though she might not remember me or might not care if I still exist. Hell, she might still hate me. But she's still mine. I met her in college, so reserved, so quiet. Yet she smiled and turned into a bundle of joy, yapping away whenever my best friend was close. I knew she had fallen for him and it broke my heart into a zillion pieces. She is the rhythm that courses through my veins. She's a fire that I can't extinguish while she burns me up. So I vowed to protect her. I allowed her live her life while I watched from afar. I became her guardian angel and a demon lurking in the shadows. There are things she doesn't know and shouldn't know but one thing clear is that I'd die before I let any damn soul hurt her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosette’s point of view~~ They said grief makes you feel hollow. But right now, lying on the hospital bed, I didn't feel hollow—I felt shattered. My baby was dead. And I hadn’t even been allowed to hold him alive. The nurse entered with trembling hands, carrying a small, blanketed bundle. Her eyes avoided mine. She didn’t speak. She simply placed him beside me, as if returning something insignificant. As if handing over a handbag I’d forgotten at reception. But he wasn’t a handbag. He was my son. My firstborn. My breath caught, not from the breathing tube that ran down my throat, but from pain so sharp it clawed at my chest. My hand twitched, reaching for him. I wanted to scream, to beg, to ask why. But the machines spoke louder than I could. I couldn't scream. I couldn't speak. So I cried. Silent tears leaked down my cheeks as I stared at the pale, unmoving face of the baby I had carried for nine months—the baby I had loved even before he had a name. He was just three days old. I knew who had done this. Celine and Leila.The mother of the man I loved, and his wife. Yes, wife. Because Blake McCain, the man who once held me in his arms and whispered forever, had married another woman while keeping me by his side. His mistress. That was what I had become. And yet, I had stayed—foolishly, blindly—because I loved him. Because I believed he still loved me. Because I thought... he didn’t know what they were doing. But he did. He watched as Celine criticized me, called me a gold-digger. He let Leila mock my pregnancy, even as she pretended to befriend me. He stood by while they took control of everything—my body, my baby, my life. And now, my baby was dead. "Oh Rosette..." Her voice dripped with saccharine concern, like spoiled honey. Leila. She stepped into the room dressed like she'd just come from a gala—lips painted red, not a hair out of place. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "I couldn't come earlier. I... I’m so sorry. I know how much he meant to you and the fact that you didn't even get to hold him— I'm so sorry" I couldn’t move. But my eyes burned holes into her perfect face. "It was so sudden," she continued, placing a hand delicately over her chest. "Three days old... and he just stopped breathing. I didn’t know how to take care of him, you know? Babies are fragile. I suppose I made a mistake." A mistake. Her words were a noose around my throat. My fingers clenched, or tried to, but my body remained stubbornly still. Only my tears betrayed my rage. She came closer, crouched beside me, and whispered into my ear. "You should’ve known your place. You were never meant to be his mother. Maybe if I was, he'd have survived. You caused this.” I wanted to scream so badly the pain became a physical thing, like fire licking beneath my skin. Leila stood. "Anyway, I thought you should know he’s been cremated. Celine made the arrangements. Blake is still heartbroken so I better return to him…he needs me.” She left with the same smug grace she came in, and I was left in silence again, save for the television playing softly in the background. “…media confirms the death of Julio Jenner, billionaire CEO of JJ Empire. He succumbed to a brief but severe illness. Sources close to the family reveal that his only daughter has been missing for two years and has not been reached for comment.” Julio Jenner. My father. Dead. The tears came harder now, relentless and uncontrollable. I wept for my baby. For my father. For the girl I used to be—the one who believed so much in pure love that she left her Father to be with the man she loved. I closed my eyes. The tears didn't stop. And somewhere between the beeping of machines and the ache in my chest, sleep came. But peace didn’t. A sound startled me. Metallic. Like someone adjusting an IV stand. My eyes fluttered open weakly. There was a figure beside my bed. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dressed in black. A mask covered his face—sleek, clinical, like a surgeon. His eyes met mine, and something cold ran through my veins. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t ask who he was. But I knew he didn’t come to save me. He came to finish what they started. I watched in helpless horror as he reached for the plug behind my life support. His movements were steady. Unhurried. I wanted to scream, to beg, to do anything—but the machine was my voice now, and he was about to silence it. With a soft click, the plug came loose. The machine flatlined. Darkness wrapped around me. I died. I don’t know how long it lasted—the void. But suddenly, I was breathing again. No wires. No pain. Just… air. I gasped, sitting upright in shock. The room spun, and I gripped the edge of the hospital bed. Not a hospital bed. The hospital bed. I knew this place. The cheap beige curtains. The soft humming of overhead lights. The sterile scent of antiseptic. I looked down. In my hand was a piece of paper, a hospital report. I blinked, trying to focus. Pregnancy Confirmation: Rosette Jenner. Six Weeks. My heart slammed against my ribs as I realised what was happening. This was the day I found out I was pregnant. This is the day…Eight months ago. I was alive again, pregnant and I remembered everything.Blake’s Point of View~~~Why isn’t he picking up?I gritted my teeth, staring at my phone like I could force it to ring just by glaring hard enough.Damn it, pick up, Charles.My thumb hit redial again, the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes. All I got in return was that stupid, cold automated voice telling me his phone was “unavailable.”I dragged my fingers through my hair, pacing the length of my bedroom like a caged animal. My chest felt tight. Suffocated with rage.I couldn’t focus. Damn it, I couldn’t do a single thing until he answered.Earlier that evening~~My phone buzzed while I was going through documents, and when I saw the name on the screen, my heart actually skipped a beat.“Charles,” I answered immediately. “Tell me you found her.”There was silence, then his voice came in a whisper. “Sir, I… I’m in a tight position right now. I'm about to move so I can’t talk much. But yes, I found her. I’ll reach out soon.”Before I could demand details, the line went dead.~~~
Cesare’s Point of View~~~“I won’t repeat myself again, Charles,” I said, leaning back in the chair. My voice was calm, almost casual. Calm was always scarier than shouting. Calm meant danger was inevitable.I cracked my knuckles slowly, letting the sound fill the small room. “Instead, you’ll be speaking to my fist.”Charles’s entire body trembled. His wet hair plastered to his forehead from the iced water I’d dumped earlier. His lips quivered, and his eyes darted around the room like a trapped rat searching for an escape.“P-please… I don’t—I can’t—”I tilted my head slightly, watching him, a slow smirk spreading across my face. The bastard thought he had options.How dare he.Before he could even finish his plea, I slammed my fist into his jaw. The impact was satisfying, the crunch of cartilage and the choked gasp escaping his lips like music to my ears. His head jerked sideways, a line of blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.“Ahhh! P-please, stop!” Charles groaned, his
Cesare’s Point of view~~~ I didn't leave immediately. I had a personal business to deal with and it involved Rosette. Well, everything about me involves her. I leaned back in the leather seat of my car, one arm resting on the steering wheel, the other idly tapping against my thigh. My eyes never left the front entrance until she appeared. Even under the soft glow of the lamps outside, she managed to look like something out of a dream. She stepped out of the building, her head held high as if the entire evening hadn’t been a battlefield for her. My gaze followed her hand as she brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. She moved slowly, adjusting her shades even though the night sky didn’t need them. She didn't want to be seen or recognised by anyone. Her dainty fingers clutched a gold glass purse close to her body, and the slit in her dress slid open as she walked, revealing slender, perfect legs. I had to bite back a smile. Even when she pretended to be c
Rosette’s Point of View~~~I stepped out of the elevator, forcing my expression into its usual collected mask. Three pairs of eyes watched me at once. Their curiosity piqued at the sight they’d just witnessed seconds ago. Great. Julio Jenner’s daughter and soon-to-be chairlady seen with my fist raised, ready to punch Cesare Llewellyn square in the face.I smiled smoothly, ignoring the thudding of my heart. “I apologize for that scene,” I said, extending my hand to Mr. Blakewood first. “This gentleman and I," I gestured to Cesare, "...had a little misunderstanding. Old acquaintances, you know how it is.”Mr. Blakewood, a refined man in his late fifties with silvered hair and shrewd blue eyes, raised a brow as he shook my hand firmly. “You both know each other?”Well, isn't that a weird question. I let out a light laugh, one I reserved for meetings—pleasant but not too polite. “Yes, long ago. College days to be precise. But that was another lifetime ago, wasn’t it, Mr. Llewellyn?
Rosette’s Point of View~~The soft hum of the elevator filled the silence, but inside me, there was nothing soft about this moment. I had just told him it wasn’t nice seeing him—good thing he wasn’t dead—and turned my back on him. I meant it.I could feel his gaze like a physical weight on me, and it made my chest tighten.Why now?In my past life, after he left the country right after college, he never came back. Never reached out, not even to Blake, his then best friend.He might as well have been erased from existence.I had completely forgotten about him—until this timeline decided to throw him in my face.Was it because I had changed things? Altered fate with my choices? Did shifting one event drag him back into my world?I shook my head. It didn’t matter.I bet we wouldn’t meet after this. He’d disappear again.My mind flashed back to college. To the kind of toxic game we used to play, where the only rule was that there were no rules.~~~~~~Flashback to College days.“Move, Ll
Cesare’s Point of View~~~I stood perfectly still, as I always did. Hands tucked into the pockets of my tailored navy fit suit, my jaw clenched in a habit I’d never quite broken. I was supposed to press a button to the floor I was heading to but I was waiting.I didn’t know for what until I heard her voice. You see, Rose? That's what I call fate.I froze. Every muscle locked tight as if my body recognized her before my mind caught up. Her voice was low but firm, carrying command even though it was quiet. The kind of voice that never begged, only demanded, even when she didn’t mean to.The same voice I've dreamt of demanding for me to ruin her as she spreads for me, right beneath me. And I will someday.“Close the deal on my terms, not theirs. If they don’t want it, walk away.”I could hear her as she approached. Her tone was calm but bold. I raised my head slightly, and there she was.Rosette Jenner.She walked toward the elevator with the grace of someone who knew exactly who she w
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