Chapter 9
Rosa had barely taken a few steps when the assistant, like he was performing a magic trick, pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift box inside was a diamond necklace so bright it nearly took her breath away
“Ms Swanson, this is a gift from Mr. Philip to apologize He worked almost non–stop for an entire week just to clear his schedule so he could rush back for the wedding, but he got sick night after boarding the plane. We were all so worried–honestly, it took a lot to convince him to finally rest for a few days. He wants to look his best for your wedding. Please don’t blame him
Rosa shook her head immediately–of course she didn’t blame him. The whole wedding had only come about because she’d been swapped in at the last minute He’d agreed, and that was already more than she could have hoped for
She’d even heard he’d worked himself half to death just to make it back in time. All she cared about now was that he was okay
Once she heard Philip just needed a few days to recover, she finally let herself relax.
With Philip out of the picture for now, there was no reason for her to stick around at the welcome dinner
She said goodbye to the assistant and turned to leave–only to be blocked by the Schuler brothers
What were you talking about with Uncle’s assistant just now?” Le narrowed his eyes, watching her closely
Austin spotted the gift box in her hands and sneered. “Wow, you really don’t give up, do you? Couldn’t win over our uncle, so now you’re trying to charm his
“You still haven’t apologized to Abby! Come with us,” Aiden said, reaching for her hand. Rosa dodged him without hesitation.
She didn’t have the patience for any more of their drama. Without another word, she tumed and walked away, taking a different route out
That night, she was out cold fast asleep, when her phone started blaring nonstop. Call after call kept coming. Annoyed, she finally checked the screen–calls from Lev, Austin, Aiden, and their circle of friends.
The second she picked up someone barked at her, “Rosa, are you seriously still sleeping? Don’t you know Lex, Austin, and Aiden got hurt street racing and landed in the hospital? How can you just sleep through that and not even visit?”
Earlier that day, she’d heard the rumors: the three brothers had entered a dangerous race to win back some necklace Abigail wanted. The car spun out, they got hurt.. But really, what did any of that have to do with her?
“Im not going” she replied flatly, and hung up. Then she blocked the whole group–she wasn’t interested in their drama ž
For days, Ross stayed home, focused on her wedding prop–trying on dresses, picking out rings, touring the venue.
Eventually, news of her ignoring them reached the Schuler brothers, fresh out of the hospital. Lev messaged her almost instantly.”
Rosa, I guess you didn’t take what we said seriously. Like I told you: you can have the marriage, you can have the title, but no matter who you pick, none of us are coming to the wedding. Keep making a scene, and you’ll just be the city’s biggest joke.
I’ll give you one last chance. Go stand in line at Delicacy House on the north side and buy Abby her favorite red bean pastries. Deliver them in twenty minutes, and maybe we’ll think about coming to your wedding
no way she was dr
was doing that
Rosa nearly laughed out loud. Just lining up at Delicacy House took hours–there was no
But she did have something she wanted to settle with them.
She went back to her room, and when she came out, she had three big boxes in her arms.!! The moment she walked into the private lounge, Alden’s mocking voice grooted her.
“Knew it. Still the same shameless lapdog–come running as soon as we snap our fingers.
A few people in the room laughed out loud..
Abigail nestled safely between the brothers, fugged on Luv’s sleeve, putting on her sweet act. “Lex, I don’t want red bean pastnes anymore. I want cake from that bakery on the west side!
“You heard her Abby wants cake Go get it,” Ley said
Rosa’s lips curled into a cold smile. Hugging the boxes, she said calmly, “I didn’t buy the pastries. foi not buying cake, either”
The three Leathers frowned in sync “You didn’t? Then why are you here?”
“To throw out the Mash
She set the Lowes down with
Then she picked up the top box, walked right up to Lev, and showed it into his arms.
“Lax, you’ve been obsessed with Ad for years. To keep up with you, I collected research, bought the latest gadgets, just so we could have something to talk about From now on I’m done caring about anything related to you ”
She grabbed the second box and shoved it at Austin
“Austin, you’re always complaining about insomnia I spent three months learning how to make aromatherapy candles, just to help you sleep. This box is full of my failed experiments. Now I know how to make them right, but fin done making them for you ”
Finally, she tossed the last box to Aidin
“Aiden, you’ve always loved extreme sports I went all over the city, collecting lucky charms and prayer beads to keep your safe. From now on, whether you’re safe or not has nothing to do with meil
Each heavy box landed in their arms. The three brothers just stood there, completely stunned, not knowing what to say
