Chapter Eight
Rose
The house feels empty in Damien’s absence. It reminds me of how quiet it was back home before I left.
Before I was sold off.
I shake my head to dislodge the painful memory from my head. There’s no use thinking about what has already happened. Besides, it was a blessing in disguise for me. I got to leave my tormentor and meet my savior.
Damien stormed into my life like an avenging demon and gave me my wings back. I’m free for the first time in my life, and it feels…settling. I don’t have to hide who I am. My identity. My personality. He accepts it all, giving me room to flourish.
I go to stand before the large glass windows and look down at the busy street below. It’s a nice view. I never thought I would enjoy having a bird’s-eye view of the city like this, but I find it refreshing. I could get a book from the library as Damien suggested and sit by the windows…
Minutes later, I’m two pages in and the book is lying face down on my lap, forgotten. Instead, I find myself watching the road for the familiar Mercedes car that Damien drives. I miss him already and it’s making me restless. Several cars of the same model have gone past, and every time, my heart jumps in excitement only to be disappointed.
Maybe the idea to read by the window isn’t so great after all. I return the book to its rightful place and go back to sitting on the couch. I can’t help but think about my mother in the resounding silence. What lie did Jared concoct to explain my absence? How far has her health deteriorated?
I should have just asked Damien for a phone and contacted her right away. I’ll ask him as soon as he returns. That way I can reassure her while still staying away from Jared. I might even find the courage to tell her about Damien, and how I feel about him.
My gaze roams around the living area and lands on the flat-screen television fixed to the wall. I reach out for the remote and switch it on, scrolling through the channels until it lands on the local news—I’m shocked to see a picture of my mother.
My heart races at the words I read on the screen. The shocking demise of the Beaumont magnate…
“No.” I shake my head. “No…”
I increase the volume.
“It’s been a week since the shocking death of the Beaumont magnate, Beatrice Beaumont. We mourn the loss of a leader in the industry, a founder of one of the largest companies in the city. She’s survived by her only child and daughter, Rose Beaumont, whom we haven’t seen or heard from since her mother’s demise, and her loving husband, Jared Fields. Information reaching us at this moment is that Beatrice Beaumont had been battling lung cancer for four years and had finally succumbed to it. The world mourns the death of a cancer warrior and financial wiz of the business world. On behalf of Beatrice, her husband and daughter pledge to start a foundation for survivors and patients of lung cancer in honor of her memory. May her soul rest in peace…”
There’s a loud ringing in my head. It gets louder the longer I stare at my mother’s picture on the screen. It’s a photo of her from before she got sick. She looked so healthy and carefree, with her long brown hair cascading down her shoulders and a wide smile. Then, Jared fills the screen, looking teary and depressed.
I can’t muster any feeling as I watch him. I feel nothing but deep, biting sadness.
No…
I refuse to believe this. My mom isn’t dead. Hot tears well up in my eyes and steadily roll down my cheeks. They keep falling as I remember the last time I saw my mother.
Did Damien know about this?
The whirring sound of the elevator reaches my ears but I remain in place, frozen in shock. I hear his footsteps and I feel nothing.
“Rose?”
It almost feels strange hearing him call my name. I guess I got used to being his princess.
My chest tightens painfully as I raise my eyes to his. A lone tear slides down my cheek.
“Oh fuck ,” Damien mutters hoarsely under his breath, sitting beside me on the couch.
I turn to face him, a sense of betrayal slicing deep into me at the look of guilt on his handsome face. “Did you know?” I ask.
“Yes, I did,” he answers.
My heart clenches in anger. “Why? Why would you keep this from me?”
“Because I didn’t want to burden you with too much all at once, princess.” He tries to move closer to me, but I recoil. He closes his eyes, opens them, and in his gaze there is a wall of immense torment.
“I have to tell you how it all started,” he says quietly, his expression shutting down. “I didn’t go to the auction house for anyone else but you. Before your mother died, she knew your disappearance was suspicious and hired me to find you. I went to the auction house a week before I met you, but I couldn’t find you. A few days after that, your mother succumbed to her illness, and I made a promise to find and protect you no matter what. So, I went back to the auction house and there you were on the stage, and I knew I had to have you.”
My anger grows with every word he utters. “And you couldn’t say a word to me in all the days I’ve spent with you? You know how guilty I’ve felt for being away from my mom, and you knew she was dead and didn’t say a word?” My breath catches at the last few words.
“I’m sorry, princess. It killed me not to tell you right away, but you had just escaped from a terrible ordeal and I wanted to protect you. I planned to tell you—”
“When?” I snap, cutting him off. “When did you plan to tell me? When my mother is forgotten by the world and Jared squanders everything she and my dad worked hard to build? Or when I finally tell you how much I love you…” My voice trembles and a fresh bout of tears seeps out of my eyes.
“Princess,” Damien says in an agonizing whisper.
“No, Damien.” I spring up from beside him, turning to face him, white-hot anger spearing through me. “I’m not a child. I don’t need you or anyone else protecting me.”
I see devastation in his eyes, but I’m on a roll. “I’m sick and tired of being a pawn. I’m old enough to make my own decisions. And I’m making one now.” I sigh, suddenly drained of all my anger, but the sharp pangs of hurt and betrayal remain, cutting deeper with each passing second.
“I’m grateful that you saved me from the auction house, but right now I need space,” I say in a voice devoid of emotion.
I walk away from him before he can protest, and as I enter the elevator, I hear him muttering a long string of curse words to himself.
In the silence of the elevator ride, the death of my mother suddenly dawns on me and I feel a wrenching grief in the pit of my stomach. It’s a wave that slowly overwhelms me until huge sobs wrack my body. A few seconds later, a thought crosses my mind, taking me back to the conversation I overheard between my mom and her doctor at one of her recent appointments.
A year to live…
My brain goes on overdrive as I start to put it all together. My mom contacted Damien a few days after Jared sold me off. And with Damien’s explanation, I know I was at the auction house for a little more than two weeks. There’s no way she succumbed to her sickness without help.
Another wave of anger coils up inside of me. This has Jared written all over it, and I’ll be damned if I let him get away with it.
I step out of the elevator as soon as it stops and walk out to the busy streets. In no time, I hail a cab and slide into the back. “Beaufort drive, please,” I call to the driver, still riding on the wave of my emotions.
I watch the world speed by in seething fury. There is no way my mom, who fought an illness for as long as she did, would suddenly give up when she knows she has only a few months to live.
I refuse to believe it. And even if I have doubts, it won’t stop me from confronting Jared. If he hadn’t sold me off, my mom might still be alive. Or at least I would’ve been by her side when she left this world. The thought brings tears to my eyes, and they keep flowing until the cab parks in front of the Beaumont mansion.
“Thank you,” I whisper thickly, hastily wiping tears off my face. “I’ll have one of the guards pay you,” I assure the driver.
I quickly walk toward the huge wrought-iron gates and press on the intercom to alert the security guard. A face pops out of the small office building, familiar dark eyes widening with shock.
“Miss Beaumont!”
“Hi, Kelvin. Can you open the gates? Is Jared in?” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answers as he opens the gates. “Welcome back, Miss Beaumont.”
“Thank you,” I reply, not wanting to talk too much. I don’t ever want to stay in this huge, empty house again. “Please, pay the driver. I don’t have money with me.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
As I walk up the steps of what used to be my home, memories of time spent in this mansion wash over me, reigniting a series of conflicting emotions. When I reach the threshold, the door is pulled open from within and Jared’s large frame fills the doorway. I’m sure the cameras alerted him of my presence. I stop a few feet away from him, my anger spiking at the pretentious smile on his face.
“Well, well. Look who we have here. The runaway princess,” he drawls silkily, his voice grating on my nerves.
My jaw tightens at the use of Damien’s endearment for me. “I have you to thank for that, don’t I?” I say, gritting my teeth.
“Oh. Now the kitten has claws. It seems your buyer wasn’t as sadistic as I hoped.” He rakes his eyes up and down my form. “You don’t look like you’ve been punished enough. Guess you got lucky. Has he fucked you yet, or do you have him wrapped around your tiny little finger?” He grins slyly, fueling my rage. “I knew your face would be useful for something.”
“You good-for-nothing bastard!” I snap. “You sold me for money that I’m sure didn’t last a week. You tricked my mom into marrying you, and now she’s dead and you’ll never see a dime of her money!”
Jared’s mocking laughter rings out, filling me with disgust. “It’s too late, Rose.” He sneers. “I now have power over the Beaumont fortune. I made sure your cunt of a mother signed it all over to me, as she should.”
My rage boils over and I snap. “You will never win, Jared. You know why? Because I’ve written down everything you’ve said or done to me. You think you have it all, but wait till I go to the press about how you sold me off to the highest bidder as a sex slave.” Something akin to fear flashes in his eyes and I grin in satisfaction.
“No one would believe the spoiled princess who made her mother’s life a living hell while alive and neglected her when she died,” he says with a satisfactory gleam in his soulless black eyes. “No one has seen you since your mother’s death, remember? You should know I can spin the story any way I want, because I have the money and the manpower. Everyone will believe the loving, attentive husband of Beatrice Beaumont.”
His words threaten to shake me, but I refuse to let him get to me. “The next time you see me, it’s with the authorities,” I fire back, and with that I turn around, forcing my shaky legs to remain steady.
As I walk toward the huge gates, my anger slowly eases, leaving me hurt and grieving. Tears well up in my eyes, blinding me.
I should have asked the cab to wait…
A teary laugh escapes my lips at the thought. Where would I ask him to take me? I have nowhere to go. My few friends from college don’t live in the city. I have no family—only a few family members scattered across the country whom I know nothing about. The only family friends I can think of in the city…I can’t trust them not to go to Jared, tell him where I am.
Except Damien…
Anger swirls inside me at the thought of him. He shouldn’t have hidden my mother’s death from me. He had no right. Yet, I miss him. Being apart from him is tearing at me, but I can’t let go of the feeling of betrayal.
A huge sweaty hand clamps over my mouth, jolting me out of my thoughts. I stiffen, then start to struggle as my attacker bands his other arm around my waist and drags me closer to his chest.
I try to scream but my voice comes out in a muffled groan. I clamp my teeth down hard into the palm covering my mouth, eliciting a loud grunt from my assailant. His hold slackens and I scramble out of his grasp, but he suddenly grabs me by my hair.
A burning pain bites into my scalp. I scream in pain, but his fingers clasp around my throat, cutting me off, choking me. My vision swims in front of my eyes. I claw at his hands as he gradually cuts off my air supply. I struggle in his arms, turning and twisting, but his hands only tighten.
Darkness encroaches into my vision and I struggle to pull in air. My heart bangs loudly in my ears and my breaths turn choppy. Regret fills me as I remember my last moment with Damien. I wish we had left things in a better state. My anger seems so unimportant in the face of death.
Suddenly there’s a loud screech, tires scraping against the ground in a sudden halt.
“Rose!”
Damien…
The hands around my neck are dislodged and I instantly take in deep gulps of air, massaging my throat. Loud, rattling coughs wrack my body, and my chest heaves hard until the ringing in my head gradually subsides. Loud grunts reach my ears, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. I turn to find Damien kneeling over… Henry?
It’s the same guard who drugged me when Jared sold me off. And Damien is punching the hell out of him.
“Damien. Don’t kill him,” I rasp out.
He pauses mid-punch, a muscle ticking furiously in his jaw. I can tell he’s barely holding himself back from doing more damage to Henry’s bloody face. “If you ever come near my woman or even dare to breathe the same air as her, I’ll fucking slit your throat,” he says to Henry, his voice deathly cold.
He stands up slowly and turns in my direction, his hard gaze instantly softening. He walks toward me and cups my cheeks in his palms. “I’m so glad you’re safe, princess,” he says tenderly, gently caressing my neck with his thumb, then he closes his eyes as if in torment.
My breath catches. “Damien,” I rasp.
He opens his eyes and my heart tightens at the despair in them. “If I’d been a minute too late, I…I don’t know what I would do,” he whispers.
I grip his wrist. “I’m fine. I’m okay,” I say, looking into his eyes. My chest tightens painfully at the guilt I see there. “I’m fine. Do you hear me?”
He nods.
“How did you find me?” I ask hoarsely.
“It was a gamble, but I figured you’d go back home,” he answers, then continues gruffly, “Let’s go, princess. We can’t stay here.”
“Okay.”
The drive home is silent. It’s impossible to guess what’s going on behind his expressionless facade, but I glance down at our joined hands, my heart skipping happily. He hasn’t let go once since he took my hand. Soon, we arrive at his apartment building and Damien pulls into the garage, only letting go of my hand when he gets out of the car. He comes around to the passenger side to open the door and reclaims my hand. Wordlessly, we walk into the elevator and head up to the penthouse.
I exhale softly as we enter the cozy and spacious living room. Home.
Before I can say anything, Damien pulls me into his arms, hugging me tight against his chest.
“I’m sorry, princess,” he whispers against my hair. “I shouldn’t have kept your mother’s death from you. My carelessness almost cost you your life. I’m so sorry.”
My hands tighten around him, knowing my anger went out the window the moment I almost died. “I know you did it to protect me. You don’t have to apologize.”
“I keep seeing his hands around your neck,” Damien rasps, visibly shuddering. “It’s like a never-ending loop in my mind. I could’ve lost you.”
I pull back slightly, keeping my arms looped around his waist. “I’m okay, Damien. I’m alive.”
His eyes soften, suddenly filled with a vulnerability that melts my soul. “I love you, Rose,” he says softly, his gaze unwavering. “I love you deeply. Madly.”
My stomach flutters and tears well up in my eyes at his simple but soul-shattering words. And looking at those steady and intense dark eyes, I realize that I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him. “I love you too, Damien.”
He smiles softly and lowers his mouth to mine, taking over my lips hungrily. The kiss is deep and tender as he slowly savors my lips, sending sharp bites of pleasure through my veins. I break the kiss and lean forward until our foreheads meet.
“Damien, I feel something isn’t right about my mom’s death. I think…I think Jared had something to do with it,” I whisper.
He straightens and gives me a puzzled look. “Why do you think so?” he asks.
I tell him about the conversation I eavesdropped on with my mom and her doctor, and also Jared’s incriminating words when I confronted him. “I need your help,” I say softly.
“And you’ll have it,” he says darkly, tenderly gathering me into his arms.
Jared Fields has taken everything from me. My childhood. And now my mother. This time I won’t let it go.