Chapter 76 Give A Chance
Russo
I'll kill Jason. My day was going well, except Jason kept chirping in my ear about my plans to go to Rose's small art exhibition. I wasn't interested. I had more important things to do. But over the past few weeks, he seemed to have made it his mission to be the champion of our smooth relationship.
I've told him countless times that it doesn't matter. Rose and I had come to an agreement that I thought we both understood. Now I see I was wrong.
Despite wanting to give her the space she'd asked for, I finally gave in and headed here after finishing work. When I arrived, I found the man who was supposed to be guarding her asleep in his car. I fired him without hesitation and then decided to escort her myself.
Some guy was selling roses in front of the museum, so I bought one for her, hoping it would earn me a few extra points. But now I'm not sure I should have come at all, because I might have to kill that guy.
When he touches her, control always slips out of my hands. Right now, I want nothing more than to tear her away from this man. Before this night, he was insignificant. Now he's my top priority.
Instead of doing something drastic, like punching him in the face, I reach forward and grab Rose's wrist, pulling her toward me. The asshole moves as if he wants to stop me.
"Ah, ah," I say, making a clicking sound. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Take one more step and you'll lose a limb."
The threat is delivered in an almost bored tone, but it has the desired effect. His legs go still, and his face turns pale. Beside me, Rose groans softly.
"Could you tone down the drama?" she blurts out.
"Be very careful what you say to me now, Princess," I say, not looking at her. "Go away," I order the man.
He must really have a death wish, because he hesitates. My grip on Rose's hand tightens as his brown eyes turn to her.
"It's all right," Rose tells him softly. "I'll write to you and explain everything. You can go, Alexander."
Damn Alexander. That's the artist she was just bragging about. How damn ironic.
"You're not going to write to him," I growl. She gives me an irritated look, but fortunately, "Alexander" decides to hear her out and, with one last piercing glance, leaves. As soon as he does, I lead Rose to the car. I open the passenger door and gesture for her to climb in, and she does so without complaint.
A minute later, we leave the venue.
"He's a fellow artist," Rose begins to explain after a few minutes. "You shouldn't have threatened him like that."
"An artist friend. Someone who makes beauty in art impossible to ignore, as you said? Is that the artist you were talking about?" I drawl. “Because he didn't look like that to me. Not when you looked at him with those damn hearts in your eyes. And not when he held your hand.”
I stop myself before I lose control and take a few deep breaths. “You really do have a beautiful smile, Rose. Too bad it only seems that way, around men who will probably die soon.”
Her face turns pale. “You... you can't kill him!”
“Try me,” I mutter.
“No! You're being dramatic. I never even met him before tonight. And you're so out of touch with reality that you'd justify murder just because I was talking to another man?”
My gaze slid briefly over her face. "Believe me, darling. Eighty percent of the time, my thoughts when it comes to you are completely devoid of rationality. Why do you really think I chose you, Rose?"
She looks down. "I don't know, convenience?"
"You're a smart girl. You know there's more to this. Don't you?" I said.
She exhaled softly. "Please don't kill him. I promise he's nothing more than a fellow artist."
“We talked tonight, that's all.” I grit my teeth and look ahead, not wanting to see the vulnerability in her eyes.
"Rose, one of these days you're going to ask me something I can't give you," I tell her.
We drive in silence for a while, until her curiosity becomes palpable.
"So why me? What made you choose me out of all the women in the world? I lead a modest life, avoid excessive parties, and by generally accepted standards, I might be considered boring and simple. So why me?" She asked.
"Why you?" I reply with a sincere smile. "You're smart, you're amazing, and there's something about you that's captivated me from the moment our paths crossed. I think you felt it too, Rose. There's no denying the undeniable chemistry between us. I felt it immediately, and I knew right away that I had to make you my wife. I want to follow in my father's footsteps and build my own legacy, and, my love, there's no other woman by my side. It can only be you."
"I'm wrong," she says softly. "I was wrong to ask you to stay away. I don't want you to do that."
"Do you really mean that, Princess? Or are you just saying that so I'll spare your friend?" I asked curiously.
She replies playfully: "Well, you just spent five million dollars on art for me, so it's only fair if I let you come into my room every now and then and glance at it."
Then, more seriously, she continues: "I'm serious. I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did the other day, and I'm very sorry."
My anger subsided.
She continues: "I've had time to think about it, and you were right. We must at least try to make this marriage work. We have to give it a chance."
"Until I kill your friend," I mutter with disgust.
"If you kill him, I'll never forgive you," Rose says firmly.
I sighed. "Okay, okay. You're making a hard bargain, Ms. De Luca. But I'll stick to your terms."
She immediately relaxes. When I look at her, she actually smiles. A real, genuine smile. I think it's helpful to realize she's more than just a coin to exchange. I knew she'd be mine the moment her photo slid across my desk.
My heart skips a beat at the sight of it. Not that it's her fault, but if she did this much more often, I'd want to spend more time in her presence. Want to draw even more out of her.
Instead of driving us home, I take a detour and drive toward the restaurant. I have a feeling she might like this. When we arrive, Rose raises an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"A date," I reply, removing my seatbelt. "I'm taking you up on your offer to try to save this marriage."