LOGINRosie was sitting stiffly on the sofa outside of Sebastian's office. She was scared when she heard the sound of furniture being destroyed inside the office. She imagined Sebastian unleashing his rage as he was thinking about that woman in his heart.
Rosie should be scared— of course, she was still scared whenever she heard him yelling and smashing something to appease his anger.
But, she pitied him at the same time.
She knew how painful it was to love someone so dee
After an hour in the meeting room, Sebastian instructed Desiree to head back to the office. Meanwhile, he climbed into his car and set off for an early dinner with Shania.It was only half past four, and as Shania was still at work in New York, he decided to collect her himself.He sent her a message asking for her location, and a moment later, a WhatsApp pin appeared on his screen."Oh?" he murmured. "That's practically round the corner."He steered towards the hospital where she worked and soon spotted her waiting beneath the entrance canopy.Shania Walsh was Irish, with long auburn hair and striking features that turned heads without any effort on her part. She was tall, elegant, and wore an expression that suggested the entire world had inconvenienced her before breakfast.Her resting face alone was enough to discourage most men from approaching.Sebastian had never been one of them.Truth be told, he'd dated her at university largely because every bloke on campus insisted she was
Desiree settled into a chair opposite her boss, watching as Sebastian demolished the lunch Rosie had prepared.He finished in record time before washing it down with a bottle of banana milk. Leaning back in his chair, he patted his stomach in satisfaction."That hit the spot."Only then did he look up."So," he said, "have you seen her?""Yes.""And?"Sebastian folded his arms."What do you think now? Still planning to ignore what's happened to her?" He arched a brow. "Or are you determined to win the award for Britain's worst best friend?"Desiree sighed inwardly.She knew exactly what he was doing.She'd worked with Edward Sterling long enough to recognise every persuasion tactic in his arsenal.The irritating part was that, this time, he wasn't manipulating the facts.Rosie had been hurt.I know I shouldn't force my way into her private life, Desiree thought. But there is absolutely no chance I'm letting my homegirl get scratched up by someone and pretending it never happened. If s
Desiree felt even more conflicted after leaving her boss’s office.She was worried about her homegirl. If Rosie had been hurt by someone and was refusing to talk about it, what was the right thing to do? Respect her boundaries and pretend everything was fine? Or push a little harder and find out who had dared lay a finger on her?This is difficult, Desiree thought, chewing the inside of her cheek. I need to see the wound first and hear her side of things. I don’t want to charge in like a bull and make Rosie uncomfortable...Around two and a half hours later, the lift doors slid open and Rosie stepped out.She was dressed simply in a black top and jeans. A red scarf was wrapped neatly around her neck, concealing the lingering marks there, and a medical mask covered the lower half of her face.For once, Desiree didn’t leap to her feet to greet her best friend.Instead, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.Rosie smiled beneath her mask and greeted her first."Morning, Desiree. Is Sebastia
When the lift doors slid open, Sebastian found Desiree already at her desk, buried beneath a mountain of reports.She glanced up briefly.The moment she spotted him, she rose from her chair with visible reluctance and offered the obligatory greeting."Morning, Sir."Sebastian frowned slightly.Honestly, he still couldn’t understand why Desiree had been in such a foul mood ever since he'd asked her to book a table for him and Shailene.Shouldn't she be pleased that he was finally making an effort to understand Rosie better?Women were impossible to figure out.He walked past her desk."Desiree, come to my office. There's something important we need to discuss."Desiree looked up from her paperwork.Immediately suspicious.She had no idea what her boss was planning now, but if he thought she was about to betray Rosie's confidence and start revealing details about her past abuse, he was in for a disappointment."Yes, Sir."She followed him towards the CEO's office.Once inside, Sebastian
Rosie didn’t answer. Instead, for some reason, she lowered her gaze, her attention fixed on something else entirely.Sebastian assumed she was retreating into herself again, being stubbornly silent when she was upset. The longer he looked at the angry red scabs marring her cheek, the more his temper flared.The sight of those scratches on her face made something dark and possessive stir inside him.His hand came down sharply on the table.BANG.Rosie jumped.Yet even then, she continued staring downward as though completely distracted."Look at me, Rosie!" Sebastian barked. "Tell me who did that to you."Still nothing.His frustration mounted.He was seconds away from storming round the table and demanding answers when Rosie suddenly backed away."S-Sebastian, don’t come any closer..."The warning stopped him in his tracks.Immediately.He drew a slow breath and studied her properly.There was fear in her eyes.But not much.Far less than he'd expected.Instead, there was something el
Sebastian had just finished showering and emerged from the bathroom with only a towel secured around his waist.He ran another towel through his damp hair when his phone buzzed on the bedside table.His entire body immediately tensed.Rosie.It had to be Rosie.Despite himself, a knot of anticipation tightened in his chest.He’d sent that text partly out of irritation, partly out of sarcasm. If Rosie insisted on tormenting him with those bloody condoms and those innocent little notes, then he was entitled to a bit of passive-aggressive retaliation.Surely.Switching off the hairdryer, he crossed the room and picked up his phone.The moment he opened the message, he froze.—From: RosieNo problem, just tell me if you need more, okay?I’ll give it to you, as much as you like.—Silence. Sebastian read the final sentence once.Then twice.Then another five times.By the tenth reading, he was convinced the words had somehow rearranged themselves specifically to ruin his evening.—I’ll
Rosie sat at the dining table, the candlelight flickering softly against untouched plates. The roasted chicken—Isabella’s favourite—had long since gone cold.She glanced at the clock.Nine o’clock.Charles Sterling was not home.He had promised. He had promised their daughter he would return before
"Ahhh!" Miranda recoiled from a sudden sharp pain in her arm. Charles caught her by the arm and dragged her outside the room."Ah! Charles! Charles! Where are you taking me?!" Miranda tried to pull away, but her struggling proved ineffective against Charles’s powerful grip. She became nothing but a
Monday morning came. Rosie rose early once more, well before the day had properly begun. There was much to be done—breakfast to prepare not only for Izzie but also for her employer, Sebastian Edward Sterling, and luncheon to arrange for her daughter, who remained, as ever, quite particular about her
Rosie reacted at once, catching hold of her daughter’s arm and gently but firmly pulling her aside.“I’m so sorry, Sebastian,” she said quickly. “P–Please don’t be upset with Izzie. She’s only a child, I—”“Tch. It’s fine,” he cut in, dismissive. “Just make me the same smoothie. And from now on, yo







