Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Roseline's POV

"You bastard!" I immediately slapped his face, but he grabbed me.

The memory of those hands pushing me into that pile of frosting instantly replaced my rage with pain.

"Get away from me." I didn't want to waste another word.

"Rose, calm down! Please!" Isaac gripped my shoulder blades tightly, his eyes bloodshot.

I stared straight at him, waiting for him to come up with another excuse to deceive me.

"Honey..." he sighed, his voice laced with that nauseating tenderness.

"Don't call me that!" I turned my face away sharply, my voice trembling with fury.

He sighed again, that damned handsome face now pleading. "At least let me explain."

"Explain yourself?" I let out a cold laugh, "For God's sake, Isaac! Tell me you two weren't sitting at your fancy custom-made dining table, laughing at how naive I was-thinking I could actually hope to marry you!"

He clenched his jaw.

"Rose! It's the truth. You're an orphan. You can't help me in my career."

"Damn it, you should have broken up with me-not lied to me!"

"No! I love you! I had to secure our future, that's why I did it!"

For us?

I almost laughed out loud.

Isaac frowned deeper.

"Rose... it's true. I'm marrying Ann to gain her family's support. Our future needs a lot of money..."

My blood instantly boiled. How dare he?! Selling his dick to Ann for money, lying to me for two whole years, and now he still had the nerve to say it was for me?

"No!" I spat in his face. "You did it for yourself, Isaac! You never cared about me! When that cake crashed down, you didn't help me. When everyone laughed at me, you stood by coldly! How could you. how could you do this to me?!" I screamed again.

His eyes suddenly softened, and he spoke in a low voice. "I. I'm sorry. But I couldn't let Ann find out-"

"But you didn't care if I found out," I cut him off sharply. "Because you thought I'd always wait for you like a stray dog you could call and dismiss at will!"

His pupils contracted suddenly-because I hit the nail on the head.

"Get out of my way, one more time, Isaac." I said coldly, my voice dangerously low. "My patience is gone. If you don't let go, I'll send our intimate photos to Ann."

"Roseline!" he growled and tightened his grip on my wrist. He sneered, "Tell me you wouldn't dare! You know doing that would only humiliate yourself. No one will believe you-they'll think you're just some whore who tried to seduce me."

"But I love you. So listen, I just need Ann's last name and her family's connections! Two years, max two years, I'll divorce her, and then we-"

Slap!

The sound of the slap exploded in the hallway like a firecracker.

Isaac froze. It was the first time I had ever hit him. My heart ached so badly. How could he treat our relationship with such disrespect?

I shoved him away hard. He tried to grab me again.

"Don't touch me!" I glared at him. "Don't ever touch me again!you make me sick!"

"Roseline, goddammit, let me finish!" he roared.

I looked at him, my gaze icy. "Listen to me, Isaac! I will never be your mistress. You don't control me anymore."I immediately threw that ring at his face.

He was furious, grabbing my arms again. Just as his lips were about to crush down on mine-

"Isaac? Honey?" Ann's voice poured over us like a bucket of ice water.

Isaac immediately let go, and the hollow in my chest deepened.

"Oh my God, Rose, what are you two doing?" Ann's eyes were wide with confusion.

I shut my lips tight. He was the one who needed to explain. He quickly walked over, wrapped Ann in his arms, and said softly, "Darling, Rose was just. emotional. She's happy for us. I was comforting her. Right, Roseline?"

His eyes warned me.

I bit through my bottom lip, the taste of blood spreading in my mouth, and finally gave a stiff nod.

Ann looked at me with concern. "Oh dear, Rose, you look terrible. Do you need Isaac to take you home?"

"No!" I practically shouted, then forced myself to calm down. "I. I'll go by myself."

"But-"

"We still need to discuss wedding details with our parents," Isaac interrupted, wrapping his arm around her waist.

I didn't listen to another word. I turned and ran out of the Jones estate.

The moment I left that hell, tears streamed down my face again. I needed alcohol. Something strong enough to burn away this gut-wrenching pain.

The cab stopped in front of the busiest nightclub. I stumbled to the bar. "Give me your strongest drink. Now!"

The alcohol seared my throat immediately. I waited for it to numb my senses. But damn it-the club speakers suddenly switched to a love song.

I saw a man kneel before a woman in the middle of the dance floor. That fleeting moment when two people tried to promise forever filled the space, and I found myself laughing sarcastically.

If people knew they would eventually break their promises, why make them in the first place? What hypocrites!

I drained my glass again. My vision started to blur-but the pain still remained crystal clear.

I jumped into the dance floor, shaking my hips. The force of my movement made me dizzy. My legs suddenly gave out-

"Watch out!" A low voice called out nearby, and then a pair of strong arms caught me before my face could hit the ground.

I looked up, and the air around me thinned. Holy Mother of God.

This man looked like he'd fallen straight from heaven. He stood at least six foot three, like a sculpture in an Italian museum-cold, powerful, untouchable. He didn't belong in this bar at all. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, and yet I could still see the definition of his muscles beneath his shirt. Who wears a suit in a nightclub? But on him, there was no such thing as inappropriate.

Wherever he stood, that became his territory. He didn't need to speak for everyone to feel his presence. Including me.

He noticed my gaze. His whiskey-colored eyes twinkled as he said in a low voice, "Need some help?"

Help.

Yes, I needed help.

I needed to hire someone to kill my bastard ex.

"Can you kill someone?" I blurted out.

The man suddenly burst into laughter, but his voice quickly turned low and dark.

"What if I say I can?" he murmured.

That deep, rumbling breath of his surged down my spine like an electric current. My mouth went dry.

I had to get away before I did something stupid.

I shook my head. "No, thank you... I just had a rough night. I'd rather not end up in prison for murder because of a breakup."

I forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Just as I was about to stand, a drunk passerby suddenly spilled a drink all over me.

"Ah!" I screamed, but it was too late.

A splash of red liquid soaked the front of my white blouse.

"Damn it!" I cursed. The universe clearly had it out for me tonight.

I was already walking away when the tall man grabbed my arm again.

"Come to my suite," he said.

"What?" I stared at him in shock.

"Your shirt's ruined. I have something in my room," he explained with a smile.

The mere thought of the two of us alone sent a wave of heat rushing between my thighs-

"I." I tried to protest, but then I looked down and saw how the wet fabric clung to my chest, leaving little to the imagination.

I gave in and nodded. "Thank you."

The next second, my world tilted again.

He scooped me up in his strong arms like I weighed nothing. I gasped and looked up at him.

"Did you forget?" he said with a playful smirk.

"You're too drunk to walk. This is the safest option."

My face flushed even deeper.

Isaac's betrayal felt like a distant memory now-

All I could feel was the firmness of his body against mine, the powerful thump of his heartbeat.

Logic and pain faded away.

I reached out and clung to him tighter.

I needed comfort.

I didn't even want to think about what would happen tomorrow.