Chapter 3

Before Eugenia could get another word out, Vance pulled his hand away from her waist and walked over to Rosalea. Rosalea trembled from the pain but pushed through it. She had something urgent to say. "Vance, please, stop going after the Lovelaces. Clyde's got a bad leg, and he's already been blacklisted. He won't make it if you keep going after him." Vance had thought that she'd say something else. She clearly cared about the Lovelaces, but why hadn't she shown that same concern for Augusta? Augusta hadn't just died. She'd died after being violated. Those pictures still haunted him every night, like a never-ending nightmare. Vance lost his parents when he was just a kid, and it was up to 15-year-old Augusta to look after him. The Greensteins were ready to swoop in and claim his inheritance. At only six, he had no way of stopping them. Augusta stepped in, protecting him until he was old enough, then handed Greenstein Group over to him. He owed Augusta everything, and he never had the chance to make things right before the woman he loved, Rosalea, took her life. Vance hated Rosalea. And he hated himself. He sneered. "I guess a bullet only hurts when it's coming for you. You'd better hope that you can hold on a little longer if you want your family to suffer less. Otherwise, they'll go through hell that's a lot worse than this." All the hope drained from Rosalea's eyes. That was when she realized that her pleas wouldn't change a thing. She walked past the garden on her way back. It used to be filled with roses from all over the world, with an underground heating system that kept them thriving through the winter. The air had always been thick with their scent. Rosalea had always loved roses the most. Vance had once told her that she was the most beautiful rose of all—the one that would always stay in full bloom in his heart. A cold gust of wind blew those memories out of her mind. Under the night sky, all she could smell was the grass from the garden. Rosalea pulled her coat tighter around her and stepped into the fake rock formation without hesitation. No one knew about the hidden tunnel beneath it that led outside. It was a secret Augusta had shared with her long ago. Rosalea had never hurt Augusta, that kind, gentle soul. She didn't know why Vance refused to believe her. She was about to crawl out of the tunnel when her hand grazed a small box. The tunnel was too dark and tight, so she waited until she was out to check it out. Rosalea stepped into a spooky forest. She didn't stick around for long. Relying on her memory, she found the road, flagged down a cab, and went straight to her destination. … Jessamine Seymour yanked the door to her villa open and froze when she saw Rosalea standing there. The sight nearly brought her to tears. She was about to pull Rosalea into a tight hug when the latter, sounding a little hesitant, asked, "Can you cover the cab fare? I don't have any cash on me." Jessamine fished out her wallet and handed the driver a hefty stack of bills. When she turned around, Rosalea was on the brink of fainting. Jessamine caught her just before she fell. It was then that Jessamine realized how fragile Rosalea had become. She was all skin and bones. "How did you get so thin?" Jessamine asked. Rosalea gave a weak, bitter smile, her face pale. Jessamine hurried her inside the Seymour residence and handed her a glass of milk. Rosalea didn't waste any time with small talk. She got straight to the point. As soon as Jessamine heard the whole story, her anger flared up. "Has Vance lost his mind? Hasn't he already caused enough harm to your family? Must he take you to the edge?" Her voice got louder, enough to catch her parents' attention. When Herbert Seymour and Eleanor Mayhew saw Rosalea, their expressions stiffened. They'd once treated her like family, almost like a daughter. But after Augusta died, Vance turned on everyone connected to Rosalea. The Seymours had been in his crosshairs, too. Without their connections—and Herbert and Eleanor stepping in to ground Jessamine and sever her ties to Rosalea—the Seymours might have met the Lovelaces' fate. Eleanor couldn't hold back when she saw Rosalea again. "What are you doing getting involved with Jessamine again? Don't you think that you're putting her at risk?" Rosalea had been about to greet her, but the words caught in her throat. She shot up, panic flashing across her face. "I'm sorry. I'll leave now," she mumbled. Jessamine grabbed her arm and turned to Eleanor. "Rose has been through enough, Mom. Please don't make this harder on her—" "Make it harder on her?" Eleanor cut in. "Do you think that Mr. Greenstein would be coming after her if she hadn't killed Ms. Greenstein? If your dad hadn't stepped in when he did, our whole family would've gone down with her. "And you still want to be around her? Do you really want to end up like Ms. Greenstein? You spill your heart to her, but who knows? Maybe she doesn't give a damn and will turn on you, too!" Eleanor went off on Jessamine, but her words were meant for Rosalea. Rosalea shook her head, her eyes puffy from crying. "I never hurt anyone..." Eleanor glared at her with cold disdain. "I couldn't care less about your issues. Just stay away from Jessamine. She's at a crossroads in her life. I won't forgive you if you wreck her chance at marriage." Jessamine jumped in without missing a beat. "Mom, I've told you a thousand times. I'm not marrying him. He's been arrested over 20 times abroad. You know that. Why do you keep trying to push me into this mess?" "His family promised that you'll run the household if you have his child. This is the best marriage arrangement your dad and I can secure for you!" Seeing things were about to get heated, Rosalea tugged at Jessamine's sleeve, silently begging her to stop arguing. In the end, Rosalea was practically kicked out, and Jessamine was locked up at home again. Standing on the road, Rosalea realized that she had nowhere to go. Just then, a black luxury car pulled up behind her. A voice called out in surprise, saying, "Rose? Is that you?"