Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Francesca Rose
“How was your first meeting with your new husband?” Michael says, covering his chuckle with a cough.
“No one told me how charming he could be.” My response drips with sarcasm.
Michael’s laughter breaks free, highlighting the dimple in his cheek, and I fight the inclination to swoon. He leads me through the front of the house past the large staircase.
“Let me get you to Ms. Kathy to handle business, then I’ll give you a proper tour of the house and the grounds.” His hand moves to my lower back, guiding me through the lower level of the home to the kitchen.
The smell of bacon has my mouth watering and my stomach growling in unison.
We round the kitchen to find a full breakfast spread laid out buffet-style.
Two chefs work around each other prepping meals and setting out quick breakfast options for staff to grab.
Kathy sits at the main kitchen table. Her glasses are perched on her nose as she flips through the grocery ads for the week.
She hears us enter and her eyes light up when she sees us.
“Francesca, just in time! Grab you something to eat, honey. This won’t take long. I just want to update my grocery list to make sure I grab foods you enjoy,” Kathy says, barely looking up from her notepad.
“Take your time and eat, I’m gonna take care of the trash, and then we can get our tour started,” Michael says as he brushes past me, his sandalwood scent surrounding me briefly.
A few guards come through the kitchen, grabbing premade plates, before leaving just as quickly as they arrived.
I fix my plate while covertly watching Michael move around the kitchen, emptying the two full trash bags.
The chefs at the stove give their thanks as he moves around them collecting what little trash hasn’t been tossed.
Once my plate is stacked, I slide into a seat at the table with Kathy.
“Cooking breakfast for the staff is a nice gesture. Ashton doesn’t strike me as someone who would make something like this happen,” I comment tentatively.
“Ashton doesn’t make it happen. I do,” Kathy responds with a cheeky smile and a wink. “Figure it’s the least I can do for the night shift that keeps us safe. As the house manager I have a bit of free range and I choose to make sure everyone’s happy.”
Her honesty brings me a level of comfort I hadn’t expected to feel.
Generosity isn’t often encountered in a world which calculates your worth based on what you can provide for others.
True to her word, our conversation moves quickly as I tell her my food preferences.
I’ve relayed my need for all things sweet and salty, along with my dependence on lavender tea to help me sleep.
She shocks me when asking what my favorite meals are, specifically for when Ashton is out of town.
My time at the Rose compound is looking better by the second–as long as I don’t have to deal with my husband.
Kathy and I are laughing about my failed attempts at cooking during my college years when Michael comes back from his trash run.
“Oop, I owe you a cup of coffee. I’ll put it in a to-go cup so you two can be on your way.” She pushes herself up from the table and I thank her around the last pieces of bacon in my mouth.
“Thank you, Michael, for helping out,” Kathy says graciously before placing my coffee cup on the table and grabbing my plate to take to the sink.
“You know I don’t mind helping out where I can.” He turns his attention towards me. “Ready for that tour?”
“I am,” I confirm, standing to leave.
“Oh, make sure to show her the library!” Kathy calls out.
My eyes practically bug out of my head. “There’s a library? Let’s start there.”
Michael just laughs at my excitement and leads the way.
It’s clear the Rose family is powerful and has plenty of money, but I didn’t realize how deep their pockets ran.
Everything about the main house on the property is larger than life.
The halls we move through are floored with real, dark hardwood.
The walls are adorned with beautiful art pieces that look as though they belong in museums. Generations of blood money stands out on every inch of the space.
Michael grants my wish, starting our tour with the two-story library containing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
I spin, taking in the room with awe. When I stop, he’s leaning against the door watching me with amusement lighting his eyes.
I giggle with embarrassment, moving to a shelf and unexpectedly finding Harlequin Romance novels among the titles.
We honestly could’ve started and ended the tour here because I want to get lost within the pages.
He practically has to drag me out of the room, promising that we can come back once we’re finished exploring the grounds.
From the library we find ourselves in a decent-sized dining room with a table large enough to seat twelve. On the table is décor echoing the current fall season.
“I guess now is the best time to tell you that Ashton will expect you to join him and his father here for dinner most nights,” Michael says reluctantly.
“Why?” I question, unsure if he would have an answer. “Ashton didn’t mention anything about sharing dinner with him during our meeting.”
“The message was given to me for you. That’s how most communication will happen. In regard to dinner, Evander is big on tradition. Families eat together and respect each other’s time.”
“And if I refuse?”
“There’s no refusing Evander Rose,” he sighs. “Dinner around here moves like clockwork, so you would be spending an hour at most in their presence. You can handle that, Princess.”
I hate to admit the nickname is growing on me way too fast.
“Let’s continue our tour,” I say, hiding my smile.
The remainder of the bottom floor holds two office spaces, one each for Ashton and Evander, which we move past quickly.
We end in the cozy front room which Michael explains is for entertaining guests.
I wonder immediately how often this room is used.
Do they actually allow people who don’t work for them, or whom they don’t plan to eventually kill, onto this land?
My mind is on thoughts of hosting and entertaining guests as I follow Michael through a side door that leads to a covered breezeway large enough to park two cars.
To our right is a row of white golf carts lining the wall.
Across the walkway is the entrance to a detached portion of the house.
Curiosity takes over and I have to know.
“What’s this area?”
He checks his watch before walking over to one of the golf carts. I follow his lead and he helps me climb into the passenger side before moving to the driver seat.
“Through that door,” he points to the entrance of the detached building, “is the staff house. It consists of six suites, but it’s only partially full at the moment. Kathy, the head chef, and I hold space there.”
That catches me off guard.
“You live here on-site? Do you have time off?”
He smiles. “Yes, I live on-site. Need to be close should an attack happen here.”
“How often do people try to attack?”
“Not often, but this land has been in the Rose family for years. So if someone was ready to challenge the Rose authority, attacking here would be a good start,” he says with a shrug.
It does my heart good that he doesn’t sugarcoat things for me and tells me exactly how it is.
I ponder his living on the property. Why is it calming to know that he will be close by?
Could this perceived connection be an act?
Is he gathering information on me to report to Ashton?
I look over, studying his face. I’ve always been good at reading people, and he doesn’t strike me as a manipulator.
Especially after seeing how he treats others. His kindness isn’t exclusive to me.
“So where are you taking me now?” I ask, clicking the seatbelt across my lap.
“We’re going to drive around the grounds. You need to know the property lines, but most importantly the areas that you should avoid.”
He starts the cart, then we’re bumping down the paved paths of the compound.
Once we’ve circled around the main house, a tennis and basketball court come into view.
There are a few guards playing ball who look over as we ride by, but I keep my attention on what’s ahead.
A mile back from the main house sits six large buildings.
I realize it’s the buildings I can see from my bedroom.
“Do I even want to know what goes on in those warehouses?” I whisper.
“Well, you’re aware of the dealings the Rose family is involved in. The first four buildings serve as a holding place for various products. The last two buildings are used for torture. It’s best if you don’t ever find yourself back here without me.”
His voice is stern, the expression on his face hardening as his eyes scan the area. Gone is the carefree man, replaced with my serious bodyguard.
“How do they get away with keeping their product on-site?” I question in disbelief.
My father kept me in the dark with his business dealings and honestly, I didn’t want to know. Now I’m legally attached to someone far worse, and I don’t even know if our marriage could implicate me should things take a turn for the worse.
“You can get away with just about anything when the government is on your payroll. The Rose family makes and spends a ton of money to keep their operations moving without any issues,” he answers with no emotions, simply stating facts.
“Interesting,” I grunt out, processing the information as it comes.
If there was ever a thought that I would be able to run away or go to authorities for help, it diminishes at this moment, knowing my husband pays to keep them quiet. My father definitely didn’t have that type of pull.
We drive out a little farther past the warehouses and I take in the scenery of my new home.
Up ahead is the dense tree line that wraps around the back part of the property.
Michael slows the cart. A slight breeze moves through the air as I look over at the man driving me around.
Just like last night, the need to know more about him rears up within me.
“I know why you're here working for this family, but if money and responsibilities were out of the equation, what would you be doing?”
“I’d be an artist,” he answers without hesitation.
The playfulness returns to his eyes as he surveys the view in front of us. I see a glimpse of the carefree man peeking through the hardened shell.
“Do you paint?” I dig deeper, needing more.
“Draw,” he says, looking over at me. “Promise you won’t laugh?”
“Laugh at what?” I giggle.
Michael brings the cart to a stop before reaching into his pockets, pulling out a folded paper and a small pencil.
“Don’t laugh at the fact that I keep paper on me. Never know when I will have a moment to sketch something. It helps calm my mind.”
His voice is quiet as his thumb fidgets with the corner of the folded paper. I place my hand over his and he looks up, giving his attention back to me.
“Will you draw me something?” I ask shyly.
He slowly unfolds the paper and that’s when I see that there’s hardly any space remaining.
Ivy leaves make a border around the page, encapsulating an image of dense forest. There’s a couple of fallen trees with a stone path and a deer in the distance.
I can tell time was spent on the image, but I’m not exactly sure when he would have had time to draw it, considering most of his morning was spent with me.
“I had the early-morning property line check. Once that was completed, I took a moment to myself.”
“You’re so talented, Michael. This is absolutely gorgeous. Your gifts are being wasted here,” I say softly, my hand still resting on his.
Michael chuckles. “No money in the arts.” He folds the page back down as though he isn’t creasing a masterpiece and hands it over to me. He stares for a moment, eyes flicking down to my lips. “You can keep it.”
The love or need of money has had so much influence over my life, and it sounds like over his. I look down at the folded page and imagine a different life for us both, because we deserve to live our dreams.
“Thank you,” I say with a shy smile, holding the folded page to my chest.
Michael nods his head, his eyes soft as he studies me, before starting the cart back up and continuing our journey around the property.