Rose's Thorns

Power

The taste of victory had still not left Theodore's tongue as he sat in the car on his way home. The day had been hectic with the robbery case dragging longer than it should.

It was a whole lot of drama with two different CCTV footage of the same bank and at the same time. He did not want to adjourn the case till another day seeing how there was already a case of foul play so he had opted for two hours break and had instructed the two footage checked out within that time. It turned out the footage presented by the accused was the tampered one and that was enough to sentence him. He had thought of even including perjury in his sentence but had decided to let it go.

The sudden ring of his phone disrupted the peaceful silence in the car and he reluctantly picked it.

"Theodore," came his father's voice immediately the phone touched his ear.

"Hey father," he replied, his exhaustion seeping into his voice.

"Is this how best you could cut off the root?" He asked plainly.

"Yes, I didn't want it to regrow." He replied confidently.

"You didn't think about Isabella or was this the perfect plan to cut her off too?"

"Father," Theodore started not ready for argument. Of course she had crossed his mind but what's needed to be done had to be done.

"Anyways, she is refusing to see your faults. Get ready to receive her by wednesday."

"Okay father." He replied after a while.

Why is she not picking offense?

"And, I can't say I don't like your method though, very effective and cost friendly."

This made Theodore chuckle despite himself, his father joining him.

"Take care son." He said and cut the call and almost at the same time, the car came to a stop.

"We are here, sir." Ellis announced opening his door.

Theodore nodded and opened the door, walking out carefully. All his joints were stiff from sitting for a long time.

Oh he couldn't wait to shower and lie in his bed.

"Sir," Came an unsure voice.

Ellis narrowed his eyes at the man and he quickly ran to him.

"Can you not wait?" He whispered through his teeth.

"She had been in my neck since early noon." He replied helplessly.

"Why?" Theodore asked.

He wondered why people believed when they whispered, the only person hearing them is the intended listener.

"Sir," the man started turning to Theodore.

"She said, it is really urgent that is why she keeps disturbing. She said really needed tampons."

Ellis wondered if he was narrating the whole thing to make her look good or redeem himself for being so insensitive to their boss's tired state.

"What are those for?" Theodore asked confusing both men.

"Sir, Tampons.. for women." Ellis replied trying to explain without uttering the actual use.

He hesitated for a while pondering if he could ask it's use or just pretend to understand. It sounded like something he should know so he went with the latter.

"Ellis, you can handle this, can't you?" He asked. It was better to leave it to those who actually knew whatever it is they were talking about.

"Yes sir, I'll do that right away." He replied.

He nodded and took his leave, his stick taking the lead.

But what the hell are tampons?

*******

Marina paced in the room, her face contorting in pain with every movement but she simply could not sit, then it would hurt like hell and she would stain the beautiful bedsheets

She tried drinking water but for some reason, it smelt nauseating and she quickly returned the cup.

She increased her pace, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, if only she could walk outside, at least get some air.

Taking deep breaths, she managed to calm herself down and the pain too began subsiding. As if on cue, she heard a knock on her door making her heart jump in joy, atleast one of her problems would soon be forgotten.

"Here." The guard said handing it to her as if it was burning him. If only she was not in pain, she would have teased him but she did not have that luxury, so she quickly whispered her appreciation and locked the door behind her running to the bathroom.

*******

"How is the investigation coming along?" The chief judge asked.

The police he was talking to could not reply as he trembled in his chair. He had been warned of the man's mood even before he got to the office and now seeing that dead serious expression on his face made him ponder what would happen if he told him they were unto something even though they were not.

They had searched the entire area but the crime scene had already been tampered with before the investigation was reopened and the first one done was not conducted towards finding a criminal. They already had one in mind, they just did the formalities to avoid rumors starting.

Looking around him, he tried to formulate something but once he thought he had one, the man's face would scare the idea out of his brain.

"Sir," he managed to start.

"I.. I promise you something you would love by the end of the week."

The chief judge stared at the clueless man,

'What did he think he would love and who is he to promise him that?'

He felt like yelling at the man but he knew it was of no use, the person that deserved that yell had walked out of his office, his head held high and a arrogant smile on his face. Even his wretched bodyguard had an arrogant smirk as they walked out banging the door behind them, their ghosts hunting him.

"Do you know what I would love?" He asked sitting opposite the policeman making him squirm even more.

'I want to destroy Theodore Orson.' he thought but that was just a wishful thinking.

He needed more power, more money, more connections to even think of doing that.

He had tried it and it had resulted in getting insulted, dragged in the mud and even bullied by the arrogant boy, getting scolded by the brother he was trying so hard to protect, the brother he was doing all of this for, simply because he wanted his daughter to marry the arrogant boy, he wanted then Orson's backing so that he would be untouchable. If not for power who would want to give such a precious beautiful maiden to a blind man?

But then, it was the power that had made him on his toes since Theodore had walked out of his office. He realized he hadn't thought his plan through when he decided to force the boy's hand, his father David Orson has not said anything but he dreaded every call that came in, every knock on the door, every new document, every package that had his name. The hairs on his back have been standing alert since morning and his heart has been on a marathon.

He wondered how the man would respond because he knew he wouldn't be forgiven, the only thing that he wondered was why did he not think that before he started it all. It was his desperate wish to please his brother, his goal to become commissioner of justice that had clouded his thinking and he hadn't seen something so evident.

"I want concrete evidence to incriminate her, only her."

That was all he could ask for. In this situation, she is the only one he could bully, all it transfer of aggression or call him small or even insecure but he was going to make her feel his wrath.