His dangerous lover

Chapter 6: Her Useful Helper

Soon, Rose entered Melissa's room and claimed it as hers, just as she had wished.

Meanwhile, as she was leaving it, Melissa watched her from the side with gritted teeth, her red eyes looking pitiful. Despite the animosity between them, Rose really couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her cousin, whom she had taken care of many times before.

Just as with her parents, she used to think that their relationship was good—almost like that of sisters.

It turned out that Melissa bore such hatred for her too.

If it wasn't for what Amber had revealed before she attempted to take Rose’s life, she would still have been in the dark about her relatives' true nature.

The thought of being so thoroughly deceived by her entire family suddenly filled her with anger. Did they all secretly celebrate while she was breaking down in tears over her parents' death?

Rose's smile turned cold, but as soon as Richard looked her way once they were alone in the room, she put on a pure and innocent smile.

"Uncle, your house is really beautiful,” she praised. “I know I don’t remember, but… I have no doubt you've only ever been good to me ever since my parents passed away. The news today… I saw it. Oh—but don’t worry! I know you were only being slandered. Hang on, let me clear the air now…"

After saying that, Rose typed a few lines on her phone in praise of Richard’s kindness and generosity, and then posted it on her social media without hesitation.

Richard was taken aback by her boldness, but he couldn't help but feel a little less angry.

Then he sighed, furrowed his brows, and said gravely, "Thank you for that, Rose, but that’s not what matters right now. I don’t care about being slandered—I know there’s no truth to the allegations anyway. They were just a misunderstanding. What I want us to address instead is that…”

He sighed again before continuing, “Your father passed away so suddenly, as you know. There was no warning at all. I shouldn't be burdening you with these troubles in your condition—I know that and I’m sorry. But Rose, the Sommers Group is now facing a lot of difficulties. I worry that the longer the situation stays like this, the more it will affect everyone's morale. We need to enforce powerful measures to uplift the company and its employees."

Richard paused meaningfully and waited for Rose to give an answer.

Rose, however, only looked at him with a troubled and confused expression, as if she didn’t understand a single word of what he’d just said.

Richard was annoyed, but he swallowed the frustration and continued awkwardly, "Right now, you see, the matter of share ownership is still unsettled, and the board of directors is divided on how to proceed. Remember, Rose, we are a family that sticks together through thick and thin, so I hope you can trust me when I say: the easiest way to solve this problem is for you to transfer your shares to me. If you do that, I will be able to help you take care of the company for the time being. Once you’re ready to take over, I will then return the company to you. The Sommers Group was built from the ground up by your father, so no matter what, it’s you who will inherit it sooner or later."

Hearing this, Rose wanted to laugh a little, but even more so, she felt that her father was truly undeserving of his fate.

Whenever they were trying to persuade her, both Amber and Richard kept saying that the Sommers Group was the fruit of her father's painstaking efforts throughout his life. They talk about it as if that was what he had valued most in the world.

But Rose knew best that it was not. The Sommers Group was the fruit of her father's hard work, yes, but it was by no means the thing he cared most about in his life.

He had valued his family so much more. He trusted them above everything, and as such, he had left himself completely defenseless against them.

If it was about business matters, he calculated three steps ahead and did not give his competitors a chance to strike back, but in the end, it was his own family that had outmaneuvered and defeated him.

This realization and the shattering of all her illusions—this was what had allowed Rose to finally see past people’s facades and into the naked materialistic desires hidden in their hearts.

She wouldn’t deny that the process had been painful and difficult, but at the same time, she knew that it had been necessary.

She wouldn’t dream of going back to the time when she had been so foolishly blind.

Rose lowered her eyes to hide her bitter thoughts and said, "I forgot a lot of things, Uncle… I don't know how to transfer my shares, for one thing. But… since I have to inherit my father's company sooner or later, I feel like I should take this opportunity to learn how. It’s never a bad thing to acquire more knowledge. If you want to offer your help, Uncle, then please teach me what I need to know. Once I’ve learned more, then I can decide whether it’s really better to give my shares to you or not."

When he heard that, Richard's eyes flashed with anger, but he instantly tamped down on it. Now was not the time to drop his mask. He shouldn't force the issue too much this soon. Between taking the shares skillfully and snatching them by brute force, he still preferred the former.

Fortunately, Rose's attitude was quite cooperative. The shares weren’t going anywhere anyway—not as long as their owner was under his roof. He could afford to wait.

Thus, he took a deep breath, smiled, and said, "I understand, Rose. I won't bother you anymore about this tonight. You just focus on resting well and getting your strength back."

“Okay, Uncle… Thank you.”

As soon as he left the room, Richard's pleasant expression immediately disappeared. He looked back at the closed door with a scowl and then went downstairs.

Once he found them, he shook his head at his wife and daughter. "Just take care of her for now. Don't provoke her anymore. The most important thing is to get the shares." He then gave Melissa a hard stare. "Especially you! Don't make trouble for me again!"

As Richard still had other affairs to see to, he couldn't stay long after that.

Melissa waited until he was gone before daring to complain under her breath, "This is my house. Why should I be the one to take care of Rose? I have already tolerated her for so many years, and now I still have to submit to this humiliation? And for what? Over just some stupid shares?"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

In the past, the whole family had to cater to Sean's wishes. Now that Sean was dead, it was time for Melissa to take pride in her new status, but her parents still seemed to be afraid, insisting that she continue to be patient.

But she had already endured humiliation for so long, damnit! Now that their positions were reversed, she was the one who should be catered to by Rose. She had to let Rose know who was now in charge!

In her temporary room, as Melissa pondered how she could show the person who was occupying her bedroom that she was still the boss around here, a servant knocked at the door to tell her that it was time for dinner.

Melissa's eyes lit up and she grinned smugly. "Come in!"

…

After also receiving yet another knock, Rose opened her own door, and a servant pushed a dining cart into the room.

While being respectful, the servant's eyes seemed to avoid Rose's gaze. After setting the table and bowing, the servant hurriedly left the room, as if afraid of getting involved in anything.

The food had been neatly arranged, without any signs of deliberate tampering. There were also no peculiar smells, signs of spoilage, or mold. Rose observed the food critically for a moment more, then reached out and finally tried it.

It was then that she discovered that the food was completely cold.

It turned out that its serving had been delayed for quite some time. No wonder the servant who’d been given the order to do that was so nervous.

Rose smirked.

This little prank, of course, was the masterpiece of none other than her cousin, Melissa.

How convenient it was to have such a mischievous and unwitting assistant in her schemes. Rose had just been contemplating what her next move should be when Melissa sent her some new material.

Naturally, Rose accepted what had freely been handed to her.

It would be discourteous not to, wouldn’t it? she thought with a laugh.

She immediately took a picture of the cold dishes with her phone and posted it on Twitter with the words, "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a humble meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a loved one."

Although she did not explicitly state that her relatives were treating her poorly again, her post made it clear that Rose, who was once the Sommers family’s precious princess, had now been reduced to a beggar whose comfort was being neglected by her family.

First she had been provided a bare guest bedroom, and now her food had been deliberately tampered with. This treatment, combined with Rose's earlier praise of Richard, was too much of a contradiction to be easily ignored.

Suddenly, Twitter exploded again!

As there had been a lot of news about Rose Sommers recently, she had attracted more attention and gained more followers.

The buzz earlier about the harsh treatment Rose was receiving from her family had not even died down yet, but now, there was another wave of controversy. Popcorn-eating Twitter users frantically reshared Rose’s post while adding their own comments, causing the news to spread quickly and reach the top of the trending list in less than half an hour.

Melissa, who was still feeling proud of her cleverness, was completely unaware of the power of the Internet.

On the other hand, Richard, who had just finished his informal business meeting outside, saw that the headlines were related to the Sommers again as soon as he opened the news and was almost left speechless.

He naturally guessed who was behind this.

Who would have thought?

He who had once ridiculed his elder brother for having such a useless daughter had now had the tables turned on him. He now knew without a doubt—his own daughter was a force to be reckoned with in the uselessness department!

…

When Rose received a message from Joseph, it coincided with a loud sound of furious questioning from downstairs.

Richard was shouting again. He had just returned and was absolutely livid.

Rose quirked the corners of her mouth in a mocking smile, then paid it no more mind as she opened Joseph’s message.

"Did the Sommers serve you bad food? Let me treat you to a meal to make up for it."

As Rose read those lines, she realized how much Joseph could actually help her with her counterattack. Spending more time with him would not only improve their relationship, but it would also make Richard hesitant to take any action against her.

The light from her phone screen flickered in her eyes as she typed back a positive response. Joseph quickly replied with the name of a restaurant and said he’d be waiting, his message laced with his usual gentle yet assertive tone.

Rose smiled at the message, grabbed her things, and headed downstairs. As she descended, she saw the servant who had delivered her meal earlier with tears streaming down her face, sobbing under Richard's harsh scolding.

But the servant was only an employee. How could she dare accuse the boss's daughter of ordering her to serve cold food to Rose?

This was only a show for Rose’s benefit—there was no way Richard didn’t already know who was truly behind all this.

Unfortunately, Rose knew that even if she pursued the matter further, the servant would still be the one to bear the consequences.

As she passed the servant, who had just been told to return to work now that Richard was done using her as a prop, Rose sent her a silent apology and then made her way towards the door.

Richard just so happened to still be standing near it.

Pretending nonchalance, he asked, "Where are you going so late, Rose? Should I drive you there?"

"No need, Uncle,” Rose replied with a polite smile. “Joseph invited me to dinner. He sent me directions, so I can get there fine by myself."

That sent a chill down Richard’s spine—as it should. He had failed to realize until now just how close Rose and Joseph had become in the brief time they shared after he saved Rose and returned her to her family.

It would have been fine if this were any other man they were talking about. But Rose… it looked like she had managed to gain the support of the CEO of the Morgan Group.

Secretly enjoying the pale and stricken look on Richard’s face, Rose waved him goodbye and stepped out of the door.

As she then made her way to where Joseph waited, her heart started to beat with excitement.

But this was yet another secret she kept to herself.