Chapter 34
ROSE
I’m not sure how I reached this place, but I’m loving every minute of it.
I’m not talking about the amazing mansion either.
It’s the happiness within me. If anything, I wish Julius was a normal guy with a sweet little house in a town like everyone else.
A future like that is the dream, not this one of privilege and decadence because that is exactly what I ran from.
But it’s his life—my life now. I suppose it always was because I may have run from my heritage, but it followed fast on my heels, reminding me of my obligation.
As Julius takes me on a tour of his impressive house, I die a little inside at the realization that this is home and it probably always will be.
“You don’t appear happy, baby.”
He sounds concerned, and I shake my head with a small sigh. “I’m sorry; it’s, well, being here brings back memories I would rather forget.”
“Memories?”
We walk into a pretty room that overlooks the garden, and I wander to the window and stare out at a space that is both beautiful against the lashing rain and oppressing for some reason.
“I lived my entire life in a home similar to this one. We traveled, sure, but most of our time was spent inside a fortress with no sign of normality. Guards, servants, occasionally my father and of course her.”
I shiver, and Julius is instantly by my side, his arm wrapping around me, keeping me safe, telling me I’m not on my own anymore.
I lean into him. “We knew no different, and in some cases, we enjoyed happy childhoods. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.”
“You forget my childhood was much the same.”
He attempts to reassure me, and I rest my head on his shoulder. “I suppose. Were you happy?”
He hesitates. “I thought so, but it’s only now I understand that happiness isn’t the latest car or taking down my enemies.
The thrill of the chase, the interrogation or the subsequent kill.
The business deal that brings in millions and the triumph over my enemies.
The latest wristwatch that everyone wants, or a vacation in paradise.
None of that is happiness compared to a mere minute spent with you. ”
He spins me around and holds me tenderly, whispering, “I am now.”
I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly, and my heart blooms in my chest. Happiness is Julius, and it didn’t take me long to discover that.
I pull away and smile. “I had my sisters, of course; they were happiness to me. I was the lucky one, I guess.”
“I fought with my brothers.”
I giggle as he adds. “I still do, but life wouldn’t be the same without them. Living like this creates an unbreakable bond, so I admit I’m lucky and happy to a degree that I have them.”
“What about your parents?”
I’m interested in hearing about them.
“Our father was probably much the same as yours. Family loyalty runs deep, but he hid behind the need to protect that. He became hard, ruthless and unapproachable, but we knew he loved us in his way. He just never demonstrated that like a normal father would.”
“And your mother?”
His smile almost breaks his face.
“She is as a mother should be. Soft, kind, loving and yet a fierce protector when it comes to her family. You will love her, Rose; there really is nothing not to love.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
He smiles, and his next question pushes away my happiness.
“Tell me about your stepmother.”
I shiver, turning to gaze at the rain-streaked window.
“She came into our lives when we were about six years old. Before that, there was a steady stream of Daddy’s girlfriends, many of whom I liked. However, I hated her on sight.”
“Did lightning crackle overhead when she stood in the doorway?”
I laugh, loving the image he portrays.
“It may very well have.”
My mind despairs at any memory of that woman, and I sigh. “When she arrived with him from a business trip, he lined us up in the hallway to meet her. The maid had been instructed that we should wear our prettiest dresses and hold a gift in our hands to present to her to make her feel welcome.”
“What did you give her?”
“A card I made of a house with five people standing holding hands outside. I was quite proud of it, and yet as she took it from me, I saw the derision in her eyes, even though her mouth was painted in a smile. She was cruel, sorry is, a cruel woman, and I knew that the second I met her.”
“In what way was she cruel?”
“Words mainly. We could do nothing right and obviously antagonized her when we were around. Our father never saw that side of her because she played the loving mother around him. In private, she made our lives a misery, though. He went away often, and she ordered us to do chores around the house to teach us humility. Typical Cinderella, really. I remember one time she made me scrub every toilet in the house with a toothbrush. It took me all day, and when she came to inspect them, she told me it wasn’t good enough and made me do it all again the next day.
It took three days before she called me a pathetic creature who couldn’t even complete the most simplest task before locking me in my room with only bread and water for the entire next day. ”
“What about your sisters?”
Julius’s tone is measured, but I sense the tension in him.
“The same. Tiffany hated her the most because for some reason Morgan favored her, and any task she was set involved waiting on Morgan. Her cruel taunts followed Tiffany around, and one day when she dropped Morgan’s bottle of shampoo, Morgan cut off Tiffany’s hair as a punishment.
When our father returned home, Morgan told him that Tiffany had done it herself and we were so frightened of her we didn’t tell him what really happened, knowing it would end badly for us. ”
“He must have known.” Julius growls, “Surely he wasn’t so blinkered and just turned a blind eye.”
“Possibly, which doesn’t paint him as father of the year either.”
He smiles, but I sense the burning fury behind it, and I reach for his hand.
“As we grew older and more able to stand up for ourselves, she changed tactics. She invented things we were supposed to have done, implying we were jealous of her. It caused many arguments, which she ultimately won, and soon our father lost his patience and blamed us. He ordered us to behave and to treat her with respect, and we were so afraid of him we did as we were told.”
I falter as the brutal memory resurfaces.
“Then he died.”
I break off and force brightness into my voice.
“Enough about me and my sorry life. I don’t suppose we could grab a sandwich. I have worked up quite an appetite.”
I force myself to grin, and for a moment Julius hesitates and then smiles. “Of course. I believe a feast is waiting in the dining room, so, as always, your wish is my command.”