I was still reeling from the fact that Leon was in love with me.
It was hard to wrap my head around. Leon had manipulated my feelings to get me into bed, and I let it happen. To make it worse, he was already dating the Princess of the Bethlan Kingdom. He knew that and still slept with me. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he had Gabrielle and Irene wrapped around his finger, fucking them too, even though he had a girlfriend.
While all these thoughts were racing through my mind, my phone buzzed. I stepped outside for a moment to check it. It was a message from my father. I bit my lip as I read it.
“Even after I left his damn house, he’s still trying to dictate my fucking future,” I muttered, a growl escaping through clenched teeth, my fingers tightening around the phone.
How dare he? After kicking me out and barring me from his house, he was still finding ways to control me, making me do what he wanted. I never wanted to be some agent for the administrators, yet here I was, working for them. This wasn’t the life I chose, and now, here he was, pushing me to do something even more ridiculous than before. He wasn’t even ashamed to call it an “order from the Head of the House,” like I was still part of that damn family. Screw him!
I deleted his text and headed back to the house. That’s when I heard it…
“Huh?” I turned my head, hearing someone speak. There was a guy standing there, looking confused, staring at me like he didn’t know what to make of me. His eyes were wide, filled with confusion. I didn’t recognize him either.
There were a few other guys with him, watching the exchange.
“Hey, Philip, that ain’t your wife, is it?” one of them asked.
“No,” the man who had been eyeing me finally growled, his voice low and irritated. “Maybe she’s just a visitor. How dare that woman have visitors at a time like this?” His jaw clenched, teeth grinding together as anger flickered in his eyes.
“Does it even matter?” one of the others sneered, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “A broad like that showing up gives us something else to enjoy. Your wife’s already too loose for us to get much out of it anyway.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Philip muttered, his gaze locking onto me, eyes dark and predatory. His lips curled into a twisted smile as his tongue slid across them. “She’s got a damn good figure, though. Definitely fuckable.” His voice dripped with lust as his eyes roamed over me. “I’m tired of fucking that woman anyway. Maybe a change of flavor will satisfy my appetite today.”
They moved in closer, six of them, their footsteps deliberate and heavy. Grins stretched across their faces, filthy intent written in their expressions. I could feel their disgusting stares like hands already on my skin. I knew exactly what they wanted. And I was more than ready to fight—ready to break their penises, crush their balls—but first, I had to deal with him. The bastard Grace married.
“You’re Philip?” I asked, my voice cold as steel, eyes narrowing on him.
“Oh, you know me?” Philip’s lips curled into a sly grin, his eyes glinting with recognition. “Wait, are you Rose? Grace always talked about you. She’d light up, grinning from ear to ear, going on and on about how the little girl she used to take care of had grown into a full-blown adult, working for herself now. Damn, I never thought I’d get to see the real Rose in the flesh!” His eyes wandered over me, slowly, lingering on every curve, practically stripping me bare with his gaze.
“You’ve become a fine woman,” he continued, voice low and laced with sleaze. “If I’d paid more attention to what Grace was saying back then, maybe I would’ve come for you instead.”
“Philip!” A voice suddenly cut through, sharp and frantic. I snapped my head toward the entrance and saw Grace standing there.
“Oh, Grace!” Philip’s voice oozed mockery, his smirk widening as he leaned slightly forward. “Have I missed you! What’s it been, two weeks since I last laid eyes on you? How’s little Hana doing? Hope she’s holding up just fine!”
“Stay away from Rose! Don’t do anything to her!” Grace’s voice cracked, laced with panic and fury, her eyes wide with desperation.
Philip’s sneer deepened. “What, just like I did with you?” he spat, his words dripping with cruel satisfaction.
That was all I needed. My hand shot out, wrapping around his throat. I lifted him effortlessly, his feet dangling above the ground.
“Ack?!” His eyes bulged as he gasped for breath.
Instantly, the other men whipped out their firearms, barrels aimed at me.
I didn’t flinch. I didn’t care. Their guns meant nothing to me. “What did you do, exactly?” I asked, my voice cold and steady, as if the threat of death was nonexistent. “Tell me now, or I’ll snap your fucking neck.”
“K-Kh?! What the hell is this kind of strength?!” Philip gasped, his voice strained as he clawed at my hand, desperately trying to free himself from my grip. But he couldn’t. He had no idea how strong I really was.
“Tell me…” I growled, squeezing his throat harder, feeling the muscles beneath my fingers tense and strain.
“Y-You guys! Help me!” he wheezed, his eyes wild with fear.
“If any of you even think about pulling those triggers,” I warned, not bothering to look at the other men, “I’ll snap his neck and then yours, too.” My voice was icy, cutting through the tension like a blade. “Now, what did you do?”
Philip let out a strained grunt, his face reddening as my grip tightened, the lack of air making him wince in pain. He was on the verge of suffocating, but I wasn’t going to stop—not until I knew what he had done to Grace.
“I-I only shared her!” he finally choked out. “I was just being a good friend!”
Shared. Share? Share what? But I knew. I knew exactly what he meant. He shared her body with these men. He let them use her.
The realization hit me like a tidal wave, and my vision went black.
