016

Rose's POV

“Oh shit!” I muttered under my breath realizing that I might be in trouble.

“Is this how you want to put this family in shame just a few days after joining us? We are already trending online?” Jennifer spoke with so much sarcasm.

I couldn't respond to her. My whole attention was on Derek.

He was looking at me, right into my soul and it made me quiver.

I never want to see this side of him. It's scary.

He looked so pissed. Why? I can't be the cause right? I hadn't done anything wrong.

And what's with Jennifer saying the family is already trending online?

Heaven help me.

I hope the little misunderstanding I had outside wasn't posted online.

“Rose, I expected so much better from you.” Avery, Derek mom stated and tapped Derek's arms before walking past me.

“Well, I think—”

“Jennifer please shut your mouth!” Oscar interrupted the moment Jennifer was about to talk and she just gulped.

The disrespect towards his own wife is disgusting.

“Everyone leave,” Derek said.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it filled the whole room. The way he spoke made my skin prickle, like the air had suddenly turned heavy.

Oscar stood up without a word and walked out. Lauren's heels clicked against the floor as she followed, her perfume lingering for a second before fading. She didn’t look at me once.

Jennifer rose slowly. She brushed past me, leaning in just enough for her breath to touch my ear. “This is only the beginning of your humiliation,” she whispered, her tone almost playful.

She smirked before stepping out. That smirk told me everything….she had planned this as a payback for earlier.

The door clicked shut.

It was just me and Derek now. His eyes stayed locked on me, and for a moment, I felt pinned in place.

“Now,” he said, his tone like ice, “explain yourself.”

I swallowed hard. “Derek, it’s not what you think—”

“What do I think?” he cut in. “That a few days after our wedding, my wife is already the talk of the internet? That strangers are laughing at my family because of you?”

My pulse jumped. “It’s not my fault. I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t even know that man from the restaurant.”

“But you sat there with him,” Derek said, his eyes narrowing. “Why?”

“He came to my table,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I was already having coffee. He just… sat down.”

“You could have left,” Derek shot back. “You could have walked away, avoided it completely.”

“I just wanted to walk by myself and get fresh air,” I said.

His jaw tightened, his gaze cutting through me. “Why didn’t you go with a driver?”

“I didn’t think I needed one,” I answered. “I wasn’t going far. I just wanted to be alone for a while.”

“You wanted to be alone, and now here we are,” Derek said, his tone sharp. “Go online. Look at the mess you’ve made.”

“I don’t want to,” I muttered.

“Rose.” His voice dropped lower, firmer. “Check it.”

My fingers felt stiff as I pulled my phone out. The screen lit up, and the flood of notifications made my stomach knot tighter. I clicked one of the links, and there it was the video from the restaurant.

The scene played out like it had earlier, but the captions made my chest burn.

‘Newly wedded Rivera’s wife caught with another man.’

‘Rivera’s wife cheats days after wedding.’

‘From wedding ring to secret fling.’

My throat went dry . “They twisted everything. That’s not what happened.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Derek replied. “People believe it. And once they believe something, it becomes the truth.”

I looked at him, my voice sharper now. “Derek, Jennifer set this up. She whispered it to me before she left. She planned everything. That man is connected to her.”

“You’re telling me Jennifer controls every person who speaks to you?” Derek’s expression didn’t change.

“Rose, you need to stop making excuses. This family’s name is not a game. Every move you make is seen, and now we’re in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.”

I felt heat climb my neck. “I didn’t do this to embarrass you. I didn’t even want to talk to him. He wouldn’t leave me alone, and when I told him to go, he made a scene. I was the one humiliated!”

Derek stepped closer, his eyes fixed on mine. “Humiliated or not, the only thing people saw was you with him. They don’t care about your version.”

“So you don’t believe me?” My voice wavered, but I held his gaze.

“I believe what’s in front of me,” he said. “And right now, that’s a scandal with your name all over it.”

Who the hell does he think he is?

I didn't want this. I never did and blaming me for this mistake is crazy.

He only cares about his family? What if that man harmed me?

Is Derek so blind not to notice that no one stepped in for me?

I crossed my arms. “Besides… I’m not really your wife. This is a contract marriage.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to misbehave,” Derek shot back instantly. His voice was sharper now, the kind that made the air feel smaller. “Whether you like it or not, you’re still wearing my name.”

My fingers curled into my palms. “Misbehave? Is that what you think I was doing? Walking alone and drinking coffee?”

“It’s not about coffee,” he said, his voice low but hard. “It’s about what it looks like. And from now on, you don’t go anywhere without a driver. No walking alone. No more fresh air without security. Do you understand me?”

I clenched my jaw. “So now I’m a prisoner?”

“You’re my wife,” he replied, steady and unflinching. “And my wife will not be the reason my family’s name gets dragged through the dirt again.”

I wanted to argue more, to tell him again that Jennifer’s fingerprints were all over this. But I could already see he had made up his mind.

And somewhere deep inside, I knew Jennifer had just won her first round.