The Phoenix Bride Rises: Trust Was Her First Mistake

Arla-Rosa fiddled with her phone as she let out a soft sigh for the umpteenth time. Being the ever understanding girlfriend, she didn't want to bother Seth when he had clearly promised to pick her up two hours ago. "Come on, Arla-Rosa, don't be willful. Seth has a company to run and is probably in a meeting right now. He will come." Arla-Rosa, mentally chided herself, at the same time, trying to ignore the lingering sense of foreboding. This was not the first time Seth had stood her up. Yet, she refused to believe that he might be deliberately letting her down. Seth was the only ray of sunlight in her otherwise, bleak life.Ever since her parents refused for her to attend college and kicked her out of the house, it was Seth Robinson who stood by her. He had encouraged her and helped her secure a part time job that helped her pay for her tuition and living expenses. Luckily, because of her diligence and intelligence, she won a scholarship and only had to worry about her rentals and da

Seth Robinson slammed the phone down harder than necessary, his jaw tight. Across from him, Aretha lounged on the velvet sofa, twirling a lock of her hair nervously, her earlier smugness erased."You heard her," Seth muttered, pacing the room. "That tone... It was cold and dismissive. She's slipping away." Aretha crossed her arms. "I told you we were pushing her too hard. Treating her like a disposable pawn was bound to backfire."They both knew the unspoken truth: without Arla-Rosa, they were nothing. Seth’s company, once the laughingstock among the Robinson brothers, had surged to the top only because of her quiet genius. Aretha had hitched her wagon to Seth's star, expecting a life of luxury once he inherited the empire. If Arla-Rosa walked away now, their dreams would crumble into dust."We have to pacify her," Aretha said, with a sharpness in her voice that defied any argument. "No more cold shoulders, no more snide remarks. You have to make her believe she's everything to you."

Arla-Rosa stepped into her new apartment, her heels clicking softly against the polished wooden floors. The sunlight streamed through wide windows, illuminating the delicate lace curtains and fresh flowers arranged neatly on the kitchen counter. It was modest but beautiful, a place she could call her own. And it was all thanks to Seth.On the dining table, a small card waited beside a slim leather wallet. She picked it up, her heart beating faster as she read the short message inside: "For my darling girl. Just a little something for your daily necessities. You deserve the world, Arla."Inside the wallet was a sleek platinum card. She swallowed hard when she checked the balance on her banking app, it was more money than she had seen in her account at once. Of course, she didn't know that for Seth, it was laughably little, not even close to what he dropped on Aretha’s whims each month.But for Arla-Rosa, it felt like a declaration. A symbol that he cared. Maybe... maybe she had been wr

The auditorium buzzed with excitement,families, faculty, and a sea of proud graduates waiting for their moment under the spotlight. But no one shone brighter than Arla-Rosa Hernandez.At just twenty years old, she stood tall in her cap and gown, the youngest graduate to walk across the stage that day. Her name was whispered across the hallways with admiration, awe, and just a touch of envy. Prodigy.Genius. The youngest doctor our institution has ever seen. But Arla-Rosa didn’t hear any of it over the pounding of her own heart.Her gaze swept across the room, searching for the few familiar faces that mattered. There, near the front,Seth, smiling as if the world belonged to him. Her parents, Gerard and Almay, sat beside him, their expressions polite but distant, as always. Aretha waved from her seat, lips curved in a sugary smile that never quite reached her eyes.And in the far back, by the exit doors, stood Master Ye. Arms crossed, face unreadable, but his eyes shone with something so

Arla-Rosa stood by the hospital gates, her arms folded loosely over her white coat, her graduation medal glinting against the fabric. She should have been brimming with joy. The youngest graduate in the history of the Royal Medical University, offers flooding in from top hospitals across nations. Yet, here she was, caught in the uncertainty of a mysterious invitation.The message had come that morning. Hand-delivered. Sealed with the crest of the Fleming family. "Miss Arla-Rosa Hernandez, You are cordially invited to a private lunch with His Grace, Duke Cedric Fleming of Country D. Location: The Marquess Lounge, Grand Sterling Hotel. Noon.Sincerely,Alastair Graham, Secretary to His Grace."She'd read it three times, trying to make sense of it. Why would the Duke, one of the most powerful and enigmatic figures in Country D, seek her out personally? Her first instinct had been to decline. Seth wouldn't like this. But curiosity tugged harder. So now, standing before the opulent Grand S