Chapter 6

It was dark night across the city, a few people could still be seen rumbling around like predators while the rest chooses to spend their time at their precious homes.

Meanwhile, Rose was inside the room as she kept on trying out which dress to put on. To her dismay, David had came back home and told her about the dinner with his parent. 

She had wanted to act impulsive but then, she calmed her nerves and decided to face the reality. She doesn't want her boyfriend to have the feelings that she never loved him or something else. 

Nonetheless, it's just a one night dinner. There's no harm in it, right?

And when it's over, she'd just have to move on with her life and that is; get fully engaged in her new founded babysitting job and crumple up the sufficient money needed for her college bills. 

"Sweetheart, ain't you done yet?!"

David yelled from downstairs, his thick voice echoes across the apartment. 

Rose rolled her eyes annoyingly. "I'm coming!" She yelled back. 

Finally, she snatched out a deep blue gown from the wardrobe and hopped into the dress in deep efforts before moving towards the dressing mirror to checkout her pleasant self. 

Rashly, she losses her hairy bun and repackaged it into a decent ponytail. She looms on the table to grasp one of the lip gloss as she applies on her smallish lips and then, she tosses it back recklessly and strode to the shoe rack. She without hesitation grabs white pairs of flat shoes likewise moving to the bed to grab her white purse. She left the room hastily. 

Rose was noticeable not to be in a good state, she was still fuming in rage no matter how much she tries to conceal it -Recklessly, she takes the stairs treads two at the same until she put up with the last tread which leads her to the living room and there sat David on the blue sofa loitering for her. 

"You look angry," David murmur sadly, his eyes on her as she sat on the sofa opposite his. Promptly, she slipped into her shoes. 

"I'm not," she muttered and he gulped down  drily. 

"Let's go!" She notifies, standing to her feet with her purse. 

Promptly, she puts up with the door while David quickly follows suit as they advanced towards the pack a lot and got inside the car. 

"I'm not angry with you, I'm only annoyed. You should have opened up to me in the morning," Rose said the moment the car pulled away from the parking lot. 

"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional," David instantly apologised sincerely, he was glad she finally spoke to him. 

"It's fine," She replies, and he pecks her lips before driving speedily into the roadway. 

The ride was lighthearted, the city was very much alive even when it was night already. That's California for it's inhabitant. 

Finally, they got to the restaurant and David pulled up his car in the packing lot. They both alighted and interlocked arms together as they progress to the restaurant. 

"Hmm!" Rose signed nervously, she wasn't ready for this and now she has to face it. It really caught her off guard. 

"Are you nervous?" David asked, he knew but had to ask her. 

"Yes," Rose nods, they were reached to the restaurant and David held the door. 

"Don't be, huh? My parent don't bite," he said to her and slowly Rose forced a smile as they both stepped into the restaurant. 

"You parents don't bite, huh? Really?" David subconscious mind taunts him, mentally he struggled to cool off his perturbation and focus on the main deal. 

Striding into the restaurant, Rose took note of how calm and collected it was. There wasn't any patrons inside except the two duos who appeared like an aged  couple, their eyes were on them as they approached them. 

"Are this your parent?" Rose whisper leans to her boyfriend as she whispers.  

"Yes baby," David whispers back and they got to the table. 

"Son!" Mrs Sophia called, standing on her feet. 

David rushed over to her, they hugged her warmly. Rose eyes wandered to his father, she doesn't why but she shuddered slightly at his presence. The man sure has a cold aura prowling around him like a venom. 

"Good evening, sir!" Rose greeted, her head bowed in reverence. 

"Good evening, please sit," Mr Hendricks replied, his hand motions to the seat opposite his and Rose smiled while taking the seat gently. 

Her eyes wanders off to the mouth-watering grubs on the table, they all appeared appetising and thrilling to taste. And then, she moved her attention to the mother and son who disengaged from the hug and took their respective seats. David made certain to seat beside her. 

"Good evening, ma'am!"  Rose greeted, her eyes lowering nervously to the table and her fingers tightly grips her purse. 

"Good evening, young lady. Your pretty," Mrs Sophia complimented genuinely. 

Rose smiled. "Thank you, ma'am," she bows and David chuckled. 

"Stop it mum, your making her shy," David said and they all laughed except Mr Hendricks whose eyes were stuck on Rose like a predator as if wanting to tear her skin. 

"Where are you from?" He suddenly asked and the laughter died down. 

"Sir?" Rose said, she took her bright grey eyes over to him and quickly looked away as if burnt by his dark  eyes. 

"Umm, I..." 

"Let her be father, we just arrived and your barraging her with questions," David interjected. 

Coming to Rose's aid, he clamped her hand on the table with his. And that, made Rose's mind to chill out gratefully. 

Without any further saying, the dinner commenced as everyone ate in silent, Rose could hardly nibbled a single morsel as she felt Mr Hendricks hawk eyes on her. 

"My name is Mr Forbes, David's father," Mr Hendricks said and David glanced over to him knowingly about what he had said.  

"Nice meeting you, sir," Rose uttered, her lips brim  trembling as she spoke. 

"Hmm," Mr Hendricks nods, his hand lowering the glass to the table. "My son has told me a little about you, and we wish to know more about you," he added. 

David heart panicked on hearing this, he should have told his parent until now. He's a coward, he should sought this out at home and now, surely this dinner is gonna be a disaster. 

"Won't it be nice if we tell her about ourselves, darling," Mrs Sophia said, her cutlery picking on her food. 

"Yeah, that's right. Uh, there's nothing much to know about us though," Mr Hendrick said while Rose listened attentively. 

"We are just one happy family, well, except for the fact we ain't complete here as one family should," he added forthwith and his wife chipped in. 

"Yeah, David here once had an elder brother but he's gone," she stated and Rose perk her head towards her. 

"Huh? Gone?" She asked confusedly. 

"Yeah. Gone. He's been the family black sheep so he just cut himself out of the family," Mrs Sophia explained. 

"Oh!" Rose mouthed, she glanced over to David who gave her a reassuring smile. 

"So, tell us about yourself," Mr Hendrick said. 

It sounded like he has being longing to ask that specific question already, David manly fists tightened on the cutlery in his palm in tension. 

"Umm, my name is Rose Turner, sir. I'm an orphan and..." 

"An orphan?" Mrs Sophia abruptly interrupts, she nattily snapped her head David who avoids her gapes on him.  

"Yes ma'am," Rose nods, her fingers wriggling her cutlery. 

"What class are you? I mean your family status?Were your deceased parent a public figure?" Mr Hendricks inquires. 

"No sir,"  Rose quickly gave answer. 

"You've got siblings or any relations?" Mrs Sophia instantly asked. 

"No ma'am," Rose instantaneously replies. 

Meanwhile, David glanced pleadingly towards his parent to stop their nasty queries. However,  they never gave him an eye or response. 

"So your wanna marry my son, why?" Mrs Sophia asks again, her voice filled with contempt. 

"B-because I love him so much," Rose shutters, glancing over her boyfriend who snappily puts on a smile and peck her cheek. 

"And not because of his money?" Mr Hendricks added. 

"Oh, no sir, I would never," Rose responded politely. However, she was mentally tired of their surplus queries. 

"Your poor, you have no one and you want to marry my son, huh? Do your really know the family your planing on entering into Miss? Maybe if you would know, you won't dare take a step, my dear," Mrs Sophia said and Rose tumbled her face in emotions. 

Yes she knew she was poor, but they shouldn't remind her of that. They don't have the right to. Most especially, her dead parent. She may not know them too well but they meant a lot to her and she can't stand anyone make a mockery of their name. 

"Mother..." David called, giving her hints to stop. 

"What son? I'm obviously saying the truth and besides we wouldn't want you to mess your life, son. Most especially, having a thing with a woman who could possibly be a gold digger," Mrs Sophia indirectly said and that infuriated Rose. 

"What?" Rose snaps, standing on her feet likewise David as she snatched her purse from the table. 

"I'm leaving," she snarls at him before vacating the spot angrily not sparing his parents a glance. 

"Mom! Dad! This is so unfair!" David growls angrily and then, he flees after his girlfriend.

He had foreseen this and now... The worst had  occurred. 

                        ***********************

Across one of the well-known restaurant, Rowan could be seen inside the extravagant interior with his beatific twins as they sat inside the restaurant with each cups of ice cream. It was night already. 

His children had managed to drag him out of the mansion with the pleadings that they wanted ice creams and fun. He wasn't a man who could be classified as fun but for his children sake, he could be anything they want him to be. Just for their sole happiness, that's how much they owned his heart. 

"Daddy, let's go home, I'm exhausted already," Christopher said, licking up the last final remnant of his ice cream from the cup. 

"Huh? I thought you guys wanted to have fun too?" Hendricks said, his eyes wavering to the both children beside him as he sat in-between them. 

"No fun, daddy. This is enough already, and besides, you don't know what's the word fun," Christine puts in, her face rumblings as she looked across the restaurant. 

They weren't much folks in the restaurant, just two to three duos maintaining a dialogue here and there at the far end of the restaurant. The place was extremely a luxurious spot, most people couldn't afford it's bill except the well-off ones. 

Rowan chuckles at her remark, his children certainly knows him too well. He's just that business filled man who only had an idea on business and nothing else. 

"I can be your Tinker Bell for today, if that's what you guys want?" He said and that elicited the children to snap their heads at him. 

"Dad, you know about tinker bell?!" Christine exclaimed and Rowan nods scantily. 

"Weird, so weird, unbelievable," Christopher mutters, his lips pouting as he lowers his empty cup of ice cream on the table. 

Rowan chuckles again, certainly they hadn't expected him to say that out. Actually, when he and Eva we're still together, they'd watch the Disney movie while they look after the kids when they were still little. 

However, all that is by gone now. To be sincere, he never believe that one day, he'd never watch the Disney with the woman he had thought was his soulmate.

He was completely wrong, he was completely wrong about her. 

"Daddy, let's go, come on, it's night already," Christine beckons more like ordering, she stood to her feet likewise her twin brother. 

Rowan simply stood to his feet, he placed the bills on the table and left to join his twins outside the restaurant. 

Carefully, he guided them towards the car and placed them inside. 

"Wear on your seatbelts," he notifies the kids before closing the car door and then, he rounds the car to the driver's status and stepped inside before closing the door. 

"Are you guys set?" He raised a question, looking back at his kids. But then, he saw Christine struggling with the seatbelt.

"I think someone needs some help," Christopher muttered aloud to his sister's hearing. 

Christine scoffed. "I need no one's help," she retorts. 

Rowan heaved at her sudden attitudes, he looked over towards Christopher who merely shrugged his small shoulders and Rowan had no other choice than to drive on. 

The drive home was silent, none was uttering a word at all - Rowan had wanted to say something but then, the cold silent from the kids rendered him speechless. 

"Do you guys need something?" He asked concernedly,  his eyes focused on the roadway as they drove along the boulevard. 

"Nothing daddy," Christopher replies. Abruptly,  Christine screamed frustratingly. 

"What?!" Christopher and Rowan exclaimed shockingly at the same time.

"Nothing, I'm just not too good," Christine signs and Christopher hits the car seat angrily. 

"Are you crazy, huh?! How dare you scream like that! Don't you see daddy is driving? He could possibly get into an accident!' He yelled. 

Meanwhile, Rowan dishevelled his hair confusedly as he struggles to give his sole attention towards the kids and at the same keep on driving down the road to avoid an accident. 

"I'm not crazy! Don't call me crazy!" Christine grits her teeth at him and Christopher grips her hair. 

"You are!" He growls and Christine cries out in pains. 

"Oh my God, Christopher let her go now! Stop it! Stop it!" Rowan warns, looking back the kids who were at each others throats. 

Boom! 

The kids screams rambunctiously in fears at the sudden hit while Rowan Rowan instantaneously battles to step on the brake and the car tiers shrieks out greatly as if they were in deep pains. 

Apparently. He had accidently hit down someone, precipitously Rowan steps out of the car alongside the kids who did the same. 

It was a young lady laying on the floor, there was no car around so there's possibility she was walking down the boulevard without looking at the direction she was wandering off to.  

Rowan quickly crouched on his knees to check out the young lady, thankfully she groaned in pains as she was being helped to seat up on the floor. She didn't sustain injuries too. 

"Is she still alive dad?" Christine asks frighteningly, she stood beside Rowan alongside Christopher. 

"This wouldn't have happened if it weren't your fault, your just being too childish for my liking," Christopher retorts and Christine cried, hastily she ran back to the car. 

"Are you alright?" Rowan asks the young blonde who he held in his manly arms. 

Unfortunately, she sustained a slight injury on her lips brim. Rowan stared worriedly yet keenly at her as she  appears to be someone familiar to him. 

"I'm... I'm... Fine," she shutters, her eyes gradually unwrapping to the world as she quickly held her head. 

"We need to take you to the hospital, what's your name miss?" Rowan inquired. 

The young lady didn't bother to gave in to his answers as she attempts to stand up while Rowan assists her up. Nonetheless, he couldn't fully mark out her face satisfactorily due to her hair which dispersed all over her face. 

Suddenly, a white classical limousine arrived out of no where. Without a delay, the young lady hops quickly to the car and then, gets inside and the driver took off. 

"Why does she look familiar?" Rowan thought aloud, he was likewise curious as to why she appears uneasy around him. 

"She wouldn't even tell you her name," Christopher murmurs as they watched the car rode outta sight.