Rose saw Jasmine lying in a hospital bed and her body looked weak. The middle-aged woman sat staring out the window. She didn't think that Rose would visit. The look in her eyes was sad, as was the room which was rather dark due to the lights being turned on in case, and the sky which looked cloudy and unlit. Jasmine was completely unaware of her daughter's presence until the girl stepped in and approached her all the way to the nightstand."Mom?" Rose called out in a soft voiceWhen Jasmine turned around, the woman smiled at her daughter. "Did you come?"Jasmine looked happy when she saw Rose in formal attire. Her little girl now looked very mature and beautiful. She even had a job. Rose had been to the hospital earlier and told her that she had been accepted to work at a small, little-known company in the suburbs of New York City. Jasmine was worried at first. But seeing her looking as well-groomed as she is now, her worries were alleviated.Jasmine raised Rose very well. Hoping tha
Chapter 36Antonio had just finished recording all the incoming goods and all the goods he had distributed. All of his men had gone back to their respective jobs, and Antonio was the only one left at downtown's underground headquarters. It wasn't far, it wasn't elite, and it looked more like a dump than the headquarters of one of New York's biggest drug dealers.But, it was the safest place in the city. Compared to empty houses or abandoned buildings, no one would think that there would be a 4x5 meter secret room inside a subway tunnel. There was usually a small gap in the walls of the tunnel, and Nathan connected it to the unused slum housing he had bought above it.They had to time the arrival of the tram before entering. Otherwise, they might die from being crushed by the wheels of the train. Usually, there was only a five-minute delay at each stop, while there were eight openings in the tunnel, which was about twenty meters long, and the door to their secret room was at the fifth
Chapter 37Antonio's mind suddenly went blank as he gazed into those clear, innocent eyes he knew so well. His panting breath reminded him of the erotic scene last night. It was a random thought. But, when he found out that Rose was the one he had almost hit so hard, all the panic and annoyance Antonio had been feeling disappeared. His anger at Elliot suddenly disappeared.The only thing left was his tired-sounding breathing, the pain of the multiple bruises and scrapes Antonio had just gotten from bumping into people.Nathan, who was with Rose at the time, was also surprised to see his boss behaving like this. What was going on? Was he being chased by the police? Or is there a bad guy bothering him? Nathan even saw Antonio jump from a tall building like a man possessed."Antonio?" Rose just looked at him confused.Nathan and Rose had just gotten home from the hospital, and they stopped at the ice cream parlor for two scoops of sweet and refreshing strawberry mint. Nathan, who didn't
Chapter 38Antonio's safe house was the best of the best. And that was where the three of them were headed. After all, he was wanted by the special police unit for his work. Although in truth, the dirty trail of his work would not have been uncovered had Elliot not betrayed him. Again, Antonio's jaw hardened whenever the sins of the man who was Rose's stepfather came to mind. If there was anyone Antonio hated, Elliot would be the only name he would write."Antonio?"The voice of the woman walking beside him made him gasp. He lowered his facial muscles that reflexively tensed up from remembering Elliot's past misdeeds and smiled faintly at Rose without breaking their stride. Coincidentally, the safe house that Nathan had managed to find for his boss was only a few meters away and not that far from where they had met earlier."Yes, Rose?""It's not that I don't know myself, but honestly... I'm still hungry," Rose squeaked hesitantly.Which was met with laughter from Nathan who was also
Chapter 39The sound of a knock on the door along with a familiar voice from outside disturbed Rose from a few minutes of sleep. She blinked for a moment before realizing that she had fallen asleep unintentionally."Hey, Sleeping Beauty! Hurry up and open the door, my hands are getting cramped from carrying your food you know."Rose rolled her eyes, that annoying Nathan again. There didn't seem to be a day that Nathan didn't bother her."Rose?"Rose let out an annoyed sigh. The noise from outside was really annoying and it was something Rose couldn't help. She got up from the bed where she had made love to Antonio last night. Looking back on it, Rose was at a loss for words. How Antonio's gentle touch could make her so tempted and even want more. The woman must have been crazy, Rose must have lost her sanity because of Antonio's attack last night. Absolutely crazy!"Rose? Are you-"The door suddenly opened and Rose stood before Nathan. Her eyes stared coldly out of the suddenly wide o
Chapter 40Rose tried to hold Antonio's body that forced her there. The attack by the burly man was inevitable. Rose's pink lips were crushed without a trace. Even in the first few moves, Rose couldn't breathe because Antonio was going at her blindly. It wasn't until the end that Rose strengthened both hands to push Antonio's chest away from her for just a moment."Ngh-Antonio, I can't breathe," Rose's high-pitched words seemed to scratch the man's ego.Those tanned eyes with a flash of passion bulged. There was a sudden look of disappointment and anger mixed in there. And suddenly, Antonio tightened his grip on Rose. "If you forget, I'll remind you. THAT YOU ARE HERE, BECAUSE OF MY MONEY. Remember that, little girl?"It wasn't Antonio, Rose thought. He was a monster.How could he possibly speak so clearly about money in a situation like this. Did Antonio not want her as a woman at all? Was his view of Rose really only between the lustful and the paying client?Antonio kissed Rose's l
Chapter 41***[Antonio, 9 PM]: Is she home yet?[Nathan, 9.02 PM]: I haven't managed to find her since this morning.Antonio rounded his eyes in disbelief. He scanned the content of the message Nathan had sent once more, then confirmed that the clock on his left hand was pointing to the same time as the time on his own phone. It was late but Nathan had given him some bad news. The feelings of guilt that had previously been faint were now becoming more pronounced and disturbing. He dialed the number on his cell phone and started calling someone on the other side.[Hey, Boss?]"What do you mean you haven't managed to find him yet? Didn't you say you were close to my house this afternoon, hm?"Antonio's tone which sounded impatient and annoyed made Nathan a little nervous. He then replied to his boss. [I'll check with the hospital, he might have come back to see his mother.]"Make sure you find her right now! Understood?""Okay, boss."Antonio turned off the phone and squeezed the flat
Chapter 42Nathan closed his eyes. The heartbreaking sight of his sister made his chest throb with pain. Lyla was crying in his arms. She didn't care about her clothes, which were already worn out, even torn in several parts due to being forcibly fucked by two strangers she met at the nightclub. The man who was familiarly called Nathan struggled to catch his breath, trying to get rid of the memories in his head.It was quite difficult at first, because the memories that sliced his heart that night were still clearly recorded in his memory. But after hearing a scream from inside the tunnel right beside him, the memory evaporated on its own.Nathan rounded his eyes. "It's Rose!"Then his body quickly ran into the tunnel. The same place where his sister was raped and lost her future that night.And sure enough, Nathan's tanned eyes that had been glazed over found Rose surrounded by a group of drunk men. Rose looked panicked and scared, while some of the street men tried to touch her.Wit