Chapter 5 We’re Not Getting Back Together #2
Rose stared at him for a moment, her mouth falling open before she quickly turned her head away.
“Why do other newlyweds get flowers, kisses, and diamonds, while I got a husband who seems more interested in drinking my blood?” she gritted under her breath.
Her irritation grew with every word. Realizing she was allowing him to intimidate her, she turned back around and glared at him.
“You’re acting like I’m your slave. Why do I have to follow your unreasonable orders?” she demanded.
The words had barely left her mouth when their eyes met.
One look at the dangerous darkness in Maverick’s expression was enough to make her courage falter. Her voice caught in her throat, and the rest of her anger dissolved beneath his stare.
“I don’t have anything with Ivan anymore,” she quickly added, forcing herself to soften her tone. “I’ve already broken up with him. There won’t be anything between us in the future. I promise. You’re overthinking this.”
She tried to reassure him, but before she could say anything else, her phone began to ring.
Grateful for the distraction—and desperate to escape Maverick’s intimidating gaze—Rose immediately reached into her bag and pulled it out.
The moment she saw the name flashing across the screen, her stomach dropped.
Ivan.
She instinctively tried to hide the phone behind her back, but Maverick noticed the sudden panic on her face. Before she could reject the call, he reached out and snatched the phone from her hand.
“Maverick!” Rose lunged for it.
He easily kept it out of her reach, ignoring her attempt to take it back. Then, with maddening calm, he swiped his thumb across the screen and answered.
The call connected.
Ivan’s voice immediately filled the space through the speaker.
“Rose, where have you been since yesterday? There’s a gift I want you to bring with you to my aunt’s house. They’re having a housewarming party, and they want us to come.”
A deep frown settled over Rose’s face.
“Did you forget that I told you we’re over?” she asked, staring at the phone as though Ivan were standing right in front of her.
Ivan sighed, his impatience obvious. “Look, I don’t have time for this, all right? You can’t expect me to keep coming after you and trying to make you understand everything. You broke something, and I reacted in the moment. It’s not like it was that big of a deal.”
Rose’s fingers curled into fists.
“You need to understand that these things happen in relationships,” Ivan continued. “I’m human, not some god you’ve created in your head.”
Her anger simmered hotter with every word.
“And besides, have you forgotten that your family has business with us?” he went on.
“You can’t just act out like a child every five minutes.
Our business relationship matters too. No one has time to listen to you whine about everything—not your father, and certainly not me.
So stop this foolishness and come to my apartment. ”
Rose stared at the phone in disbelief.
“I’ve already asked someone to prepare a dress for you,” Ivan continued, as though he hadn’t noticed her silence.
“And this time, make sure you wear it. I was embarrassed enough the last time when you showed up without wearing a designer dress. I don’t want a repeat of that. You’ll look much better in this one.”
His tone became firm.
“And don’t be late.”
Rose’s anger was already simmering. Ivan spoke about her as though her feelings and opinions were irrelevant, as though the only thing that mattered to him was the business relationship between their families. The realization only made her more furious.
“Have you lost your mind?” she snapped. “I have no desire to go to your aunt’s party, and I certainly don’t need you chasing after me and pretending you can pacify me.
We both know you’re incapable of that. You were never much of a man to begin with, so what difference does it make whether you try now? ”
Her voice rose with every word until she was practically shouting into the phone still held in Maverick’s hand.
“Stop calling me! I’m not getting back together with you. Whatever relationship we had ended the moment you raised your hand against me.”
Silence fell on the other end.
For several seconds, Rose heard nothing but faint movement before Ivan finally spoke again. When he did, his voice had turned noticeably colder.
“You can’t just destroy everything because you’re angry right now. I have a hundred things to deal with. I don’t have time to keep babying you, Rose. How many times do I have to explain that?”
His irritation sharpened with every word.
“I’ve already told you I don’t have time for this. Stop being so stubborn and childish. Sometimes I wish you were more mature for your age. You’re not a child anymore, yet you behave like some teenager who knows nothing about life.”
Rose’s mouth fell open.
The sheer audacity of his words sent her anger skyrocketing. Her expression twisted in disbelief, and for one wild second, she looked ready to smash the phone against the floor.
Instead, she abruptly snatched it from Maverick’s hand and pressed it to her ear.
“Ivan Carrington, listen to me very carefully, because I’m not going to repeat myself again.”
Her voice trembled with fury.
“Get this through your head—I am not getting back together with you.”
She drew a breath, struggling to keep her temper under control.
“I don’t care what kind of relationship you have with my family. I don’t care what you do, and I certainly don’t care what you think about me anymore. None of it matters to me.”
Her grip tightened around the phone.
“The moment I walked out of your life was the moment everything between us ended.”
She took another sharp breath before continuing.
“I already told you. Don’t act stupid. Mind your own business and leave me alone. Do not call me again. I’m warning you, Ivan. I’ve had enough of your nonsense.”
Her voice hardened.
“Don’t you fucking dare call me again.”
She stabbed the hang-up button and ended the call.
For several seconds, Rose stood completely still, gripping the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
Then she released a deep, shaky breath as the anger burning through her chest slowly began to subside.
She exhaled again, so forcefully that she had to pause afterward just to catch her breath.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the call, Ivan sat motionless in his office, staring at the phone in his hand after Rose had hung up on him.
His office reflected the wealth and prestige of the Carrington Group. Sleek modern architecture surrounded him, while the latest technology and carefully arranged displays of luxury fragrances filled the expansive space.
The Carringtons and the Monroes were both major names in the fragrance industry, and their families had maintained a close business relationship for years.
Ivan sat behind his desk, his head lowered as he stared at the phone in his hand. The nameplate outside his office identified him as one of the company’s directors. With a deep frown, he placed the phone on the desk.
He had never seen Rose this angry before.
Rose had always had a temper. She could be impatient and easily annoyed, but she had never directed that anger at him. She had certainly never shouted at him the way she had just done.
The more he replayed the conversation in his head, the stranger it felt.
It was almost as though he had been speaking to an entirely different woman.
The Rose he knew had always been so deeply attached to him that she rarely even raised her voice at him. Whenever they argued, he was usually the one who withdrew first, refusing to speak to her until she eventually called him herself, tried to pacify him, and apologized.
But this time, there had been no apology.
Ivan leaned back in his chair, his eyes repeatedly drifting toward the phone on his desk. Every few seconds, he checked the screen, almost expecting Rose’s name to appear.
Nothing.
He unlocked the phone and checked again.
Still nothing.
As the minutes passed, his annoyance gradually turned into impatience. The longer Rose ignored him, the more irritated he became. He couldn't understand how she could simply walk away from him and refuse to call.
Had she really changed this much overnight?
Nearly an hour passed before the door to his office opened.
His best friend, Terrence Page, walked in.
Like Ivan, Terrence worked at his father’s company as a senior director and was expected to take over the business one day. Dressed in a dark suit, he took one look at Ivan sitting behind his desk and immediately noticed where his attention kept drifting.
Ivan tapped the screen again, checking for something that clearly wasn't there.
Terrence watched him for a moment before a loud bark of laughter escaped him.
“Are you waiting for a call from Rose?” he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Or are you waiting for a call from your ex-girlfriend?”
Ivan’s face immediately tightened.
He lifted his head and shot Terrence an irritated look as his friend walked farther into the office and settled into the chair across from him.
“I don’t have any relationship with Jessica,” Ivan said flatly. “Stop exaggerating everything.”
Terrence immediately scoffed.
“Do you actually believe that yourself?” Terrence asked, staring at him. “Have you already forgotten what happened that night?”
He shook his head.
“You called your ex-girlfriend and went out of your way to get Jessica to that party. You were so eager to have her there that you even sent a car to pick her up.”
A disbelieving smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“And then you called several of our friends and insisted they invite her themselves. Everyone saw how badly you wanted her there.”
He paused, watching Ivan’s expression.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if word got back to Jessica that you were practically begging everyone to invite her.”
His eyebrows lifted.