Rose’s POVI agreed to his demands. I mean what could go wrong? There was a lot at stake, and if being his plaything will give me the time to sort out myself then I’d take it. Although, it was quite surprising that he’d go back on his word after making it crystal clear that there couldn’t be any romantic relationship between us, considering he knew my parents very well and considered them family.I glanced at him from the passenger seat of his car, but his attention remained on the road, his hold on the steering wheel and he drove towards my parents home. After reaching an agreement on his new deal, we got ready to see my dad. I’d been anticipating this meeting but now that we were almost there, my anxiety was gradually building to a fever pitch. I had no idea what to expect. I only hoped whatever my dad would tell me would be able to help me understand that note and to decide if it was a bluff or if it was true.In about twenty minutes, we pulled through the gates of my parents home

Jian’s POVFor the umpteenth time, I glanced at the watch adorning my wrist and checked the rearview mirror, hoping to see the man I was waiting for but he was nowhere to be found. He’d sent a text to me while I was waiting for Rosie at the nursing home, that he had found out another discrete information about Rosie’s case and he wanted us to meet. It’s been almost thirty minutes since I arrived at this lonely dirt road, waiting for him to arrive but he was nowhere to be found.I reached for my phone and was about to call him when I heard a slight tap on the window. I looked up to see him leaning over it. I waved him to the passenger seat and he rounded the car to get in.“What took you so long?” I questioned as soon as he got into the car.“I apologize for my tardiness but it was urgent I see you today, and we had to meet here because I fear they may have caught onto me and it’d be risky to discuss over the phone or even in a public place,”“Who are they?” I inquired, with a frown ma

Rose’s POVTwenty-four hours later, I was in a private car, with Jian right next to me, heading towards his Beijing home. As he’d said, we left New York the next morning after I visited the nursing home and he never said a word to me since my return. He’d been so angry at me for stealing his car and leaving the house without informing him of my whereabouts and when he’d inquired about my absence and where I went, I waved it off, telling him I needed to clear my head and my thoughts in preparation for our trip. I expected him to scold me for being silly and unreasonable and for being careless, for not putting my safety at the forefront of my mind despite all I’d been through. But it never came. Instead, he gave me the cold shoulder all night, never speaking a word to me. I kept my gaze on the window, as I stared at the buildings we passed, just to ignore the thick tension around us. I could feel the anger emanating from him despite his silence and I knew it was because of my actions

Rose’s POV“H-hi…” I tried to start up a conversation but she stared at me wordlessly, her gaze washing over me in a demeaning look that made me feel as though the ground could open up and swallow me. She looked past my shoulder to the living room, as though expecting Jian or any other person to pop out. “Umm… if you’re looking for Jian, he’s not home at the moment,” I kept my voice polite but when her eyes returned to mine, it didn’t lessen the look of disdain in them.I was still waiting for some kind of reaction from her when she walked past me, shoving me aside as though my presence in his home meant nothing to her and I didn’t matter. And that wasn’t all. I heard her murmur some very clear words along the lines of;“Mmm… I see he’s still playing games with his little whore,”Wordlessly, I turned towards the living room and slowly closed the door to see her standing there, her back to me. From her pose, it looked like she was in some kind of trance or something. Maybe reminiscing

Jian’s POV“What do you mean?” I questioned her with a slight frown on my face but deep down, the question that came to mind was, how she knew of my ex.She rose to her feet, and I noticed she pushed a little black device and a piece of paper into her pants pocket.“What’s that?” I nodded at her but she didn’t respond as she tried to walk past me. Her silence was beginning to annoy me, and I took it that she couldn’t be serious about Ling’s presence. The woman was happily married and vacationing with her partner whenever and wherever she wanted. My home would be the last place she would be visiting, considering our history. I made to grab Rosie’s arm but she quickly stepped out of my hold.“It’s none of your business, Jian. you’ve made it clear that we can go about our separate businesses without needing to inform the other about it. Have fun with your ex,” she threw a sweet smile at me before walking away, heading towards her bedroom.I stood there, still unsure of what to think. Wha