It was a new day, and Rose was all set for work. She rolled her box into the sitting room, spotting Adeline already seated, nose deep in one of her books. Rose greeted her with a half-smile. "I'm off to work. I'll be back during the weekend," she said, adjusting the strap of her bag. Then she paused. "Have you seen Daniel?"
Adeline, without lifting her gaze from the book, replied, "He left early. Something about an unexpected meeting."
Rose nodded slowly, just about to head out when Adeline's voice stopped her mid-step.
"Be careful, Rose. No one is as good as they seem. The world isn't made for goody-two-shoes. Be smart. Be calculating. Not everyone out there is nice."
She said it so calmly, so naturally, like she was reading it off the page. Rose blinked. That was...odd. Where did that come from?
Still processing those words, she opened the door, and—unsurprisingly—Laurence was already waiting outside. Of course. He walked up, reaching for her luggage, but Rose gently pulled it back. "I got it."
The drive was quiet. Awkwardly quiet. Then Laurence spoke, his voice low but sincere. "Miss Rose? I'm sorry about the other day. I was just doing my job."
Rose nodded. "It's fine."
Silence again.
After a while, she asked the question that had been sitting on her tongue for a while now. "Do you know when Sir Julian will be back?"
Laurence shook his head. "He doesn't announce his comings and goings. He returns when he's done with whatever he's handling. But I did give you his card. You could always call him... unless you've lost it?"
Rose glanced out the window. Of course she still had the card. She just didn't plan to ever use it. "Our relationship is strictly professional," she said under her breath.
Laurence chuckled lightly. "Sir Carter Jr. personally asked me to give it to you. He clearly meant for you to reach out."
She said nothing in return.
The car finally pulled into the mansion's driveway. As Rose stepped out, a sudden movement caught her off guard, making her flinch—only to find a grinning Vivienne throwing herself at her.
"Miss Rose!" the girl squealed, squeezing her tightly.
Rose laughed, patting her on the back. "You're up early."
"I couldn't wait to see you again!" Vivienne beamed. "I have so much to tell you. When you're done unpacking, come to my room!"
Rose nodded, amused by her energy. After arranging her things and catching her breath, she made her way to Vivienne's room.
The moment she walked in, the girl exploded with excitement.
"So during the weekend," Vivienne began, "I had a sleepover at my homegirl's place. It was supposed to be a girls' night—but guess what? She has a brother. And he's my crush!"
Rose raised a brow, folding her arms with interest.
"He stayed with us, played games, hung out. I noticed him glancing at me a few times, and I couldn't stop looking back at himmm. Later that night, we went on a stroll. Just the two of us."
"Wait," Rose cut in, "wasn't this supposed to be girls-only?"
Vivienne grinned. "I knowww, but my girls forgave me! Anyway, listen! We were talking, laughing, and then—bam! He asked if I had a boyfriend."
Rose gave her the classic 'ooooh?' face, suddenly all ears.
Vivienne squealed. "I told him no. I was blushing so much. Then he looked at me, and I swear I thought the ground would swallow me whole... but then—he asked me to be his girlfriend!"
"No way," Rose said, wide-eyed.
"Yes way! And then he gave me a soft kiss on my lips—AHHH!" Vivienne screamed into a pillow, dramatically kicking her legs.
Rose laughed, her cheeks heating up just a little from secondhand butterflies. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"I'm serious! Look!" Vivienne proudly showed Rose the boy's contact saved as 'My pancakes' with three pink hearts.
Rose burst out laughing. "Pancakes, though?"
Vivienne stayed defensive, crossing her arms. "Why are you laughing?!"
Rose only grinned. "How old are you again?"
Vivienne rolled her eyes. "I'm a teenager. It's not weird to kiss someone, okay?"
"Alright, alright." Rose chuckled, still teasing.
Then Vivienne flipped the question. "So what about your weekend?"
That hit Rose like a bucket of cold water. Her smile faltered. Her weekend was anything but romantic. It was filled with revelations, truths she didn't ask for, and warnings that haunted her thoughts.
Still, she kept it simple. "It was fine."
Vivienne made a face. "You're boring."
They both burst into laughter again, but it was cut short by a soft knock... then the click of the door handle.
Standing right there, framed by the doorway, was none other than Julian Carter.
He's back.