The wind was howling fiercely on the rooftop. Rosalea could barely keep her footing.

Out of nowhere, a brilliant rose-shaped firework exploded nearby. Then, a bunch of fireworks shot up, lighting up half the sky.

Rosalea watched quietly. Then, it occurred to her that it was a special day. It was Augusta's birthday.

If Rosalea died that day, Vance would likely resent her for ruining Augusta's birthday with her death. However, she was now past caring. She leaped off the edge and plunged into the endless dark.

Before long, the nurses' screams rang out from below.

The fairest rose had withered.

…

Vance was at a banquet miles away when a sudden, intense pain pierced his chest. He pressed a hand to his heart, set his wineglass down, and got up. He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

That day was the day a new company under Greenstein Group went public. It also happened to be Aug

The guests began to trickle out of the banquet.

Jessamine drove straight to the Greenstein residence. She was so worked up that she slammed into Vance's McLaren parked out front. That car was worth over 20 million dollars.

The housekeeper rushed over to tell Vance.

Eugenia stepped out of the villa and spotted Jessamine—red-eyed, disheveled, still in thick pajamas, clutching a baseball bat. Shocked, Eugenia quickly called for security.

The guests leaving the banquet stopped and stared.

"Where's Vance? Get him out here, now!" Jessamine was on the warpath.

Rosalea's death had torn her apart. She hated herself, too. She figured that if she had only been stronger, ignored Herbert and Eleanor, and spent more time with Rosalea, perhaps Rosalea wouldn't have fallen into such despair and jumped.

The security guards closed in, blocking Jessamine from getting closer to the villa.

"Are you o

Delia drove a paring knife into Rosalea's stomach. Rosalea stared at her, stunned. Delia gripped the knife with both hands, pushing it in deeper. Blood soaked through Rosalea's dress almost immediately.

Delia spat, "Die! You should've stayed gone two years ago! Why the hell did you have to come back? Why tear this family apart again? Clyde jumped off a building and ended up in a vegetative state.

"Your dad collapsed from the shock. He's in the ICU now. The doctors say that there's no use in trying to save him."

Hatred blazed in her eyes. She wasn't here for anything other than to end Rosalea's life.

Rosalea's mind went blank.

Delia yanked the knife out and lunged at her for another stab.

Just then, Sandra came up with a tray of fresh pastries. When she saw what was happening, she screamed and charged at Delia, knocking her to the ground.

"Mrs. Lovelace, what the hell are you doing?" Sandra yelled.

Delia still had the knife gripped tight in both hands. Realizing that she'd missed her chance to stab Rosalea again, she turned the blade on herself, slashing it across her own throat.

Rosalea moved first, throwing herself at Delia with all the energy she had left. The knife barely grazed Delia's neck before it slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

Sandra quickly grabbed the knife and threw it into the pond, making sure that Delia couldn't get to it again. Then, she shouted for the bodyguards and a doctor.

Rosalea lay motionless on the grass, her blood soaking into the ground.

Right before she passed out, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom. This is all my fault. I'm sorry…"

Delia let out a raw, gut-wrenching scream as she ripped at her own hair.

…

Rosalea was in critical condition at the hospital. She had lost too much blood, and her long battle with cancer had already wrecked her body. Her chances of survival were slim.

When Vance heard about what happened, he rushed over with Eugenia.

He remained calm as the doctor spoke, but his restless hands betrayed his panic.

Eugenia purposely raised her voice as she asked Sandra, "What did she do this time to piss off the Lovelaces? Why else would Mrs. Lovelace try to kill her? Even her own mom can't stand her. She should've done something good with her life."

Sandra had been praying for Rosalea, her hands tightly clasped. She couldn't hold her tongue when she heard Eugenia speak.

"Mrs. Greenstein is a good person. There has to be some sort of misunderstanding," she said.

"How can she be a good person if her mom wants her dead? Mrs. Lovelace must have lost it after seeing Rosalea do something terrible. That's probably why she stabbed her," Eugenia muttered.

Sandra didn't even glance at Eugenia. She continued praying for Rosalea.

The surgery lasted seven hours. Rosalea ultimately made it through. She woke up a week later, but she was like a shell of herself, her eyes empty of life.

Vance had stopped by often and would always find her staring blankly out the window.

She was waiting for death, not caring whether it took her to heaven or hell. All she wanted was to escape to a world far from Vance. But fate wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

One evening, Rosalea felt her condition improve. A faint color returned to her cheeks.

Vance stopped by again and gave her an update on the Lovelaces. "Clyde's awake. His little factory's doing fine. Your dad's dealing with some high blood pressure, but it's nothing serious. Your mom's in a nursing home with a caregiver."

He was trying to reassure her that the Lovelaces were doing alright so she could focus on getting better. However, he just couldn't bring himself to say it outright.

Rosalea turned toward him, her voice flat. "Thanks."

She sounded distant, like someone who had shut herself off from everything.

Vance pursed his lips. She didn't say a single word until he was about to leave.

"Vance, Augusta's death had nothing to do with me. I was never jealous of how much she cared about you," Rosalea said.

However, Vance kept walking, vanishing through the doorway.

Tears ran down Rosalea's face as she whispered, "She cared about you like family, and I loved you the way a woman loves a man. The fact that someone else cared about you only made me happy. Why would I be jealous? But my love for you ends here."

In the dead of night, Rosalea dragged herself up to the rooftop. She'd soon be free.

The wind was howling fiercely on the rooftop. Rosalea could barely keep her footing.

Out of nowhere, a brilliant rose-shaped firework exploded nearby. Then, a bunch of fireworks shot up, lighting up half the sky.

Rosalea watched quietly. Then, it occurred to her that it was a special day. It was Augusta's birthday.

If Rosalea died that day, Vance would likely resent her for ruining Augusta's birthday with her death. However, she was now past caring. She leaped off the edge and plunged into the endless dark.

Before long, the nurses' screams rang out from below.

The fairest rose had withered.

…

Vance was at a banquet miles away when a sudden, intense pain pierced his chest. He pressed a hand to his heart, set his wineglass down, and got up. He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

That day was the day a new company under Greenstein Group went public. It also happened to be Augusta's birthday.

He watched the lively scene outside the window, and out of nowhere, Rosalea's face

Chapter 7