Chapter 176 176

Chapter 176 176
He did not know how many days or weeks it would take. He did not know where the missing answer was hidden. But he refused to stop searching. He would not give up until he discovered what had truly happened to Cynthia on that road, and he would not rest until he knew the identity of the person who had tried to take Rose's life.

Across the city, Rose had reached a firm decision of her own. She knew she could no longer stay hidden inside the small hotel room. She had already packed all her clothes into her travel bags, placing her items neatly inside the zippers.

Down on the street outside the front entrance, a yellow taxi was waiting for her. Rose picked up her final bag from the floor, carried it out of the room, and walked down to the main lobby. She walked out to the vehicle, opened the trunk, and placed her luggage inside before sliding into the back seat.

She had spent more than enough time hiding in dark rooms. She had spent enough time feeling afraid of what might happen next. Now, she wanted real answers, and she wanted justice for what had been done to her family.

As the taxi pulled away from the curb and merged into the street traffic, Rose leaned her head back against the seat and began connecting the scattered pieces of her past.

If her father had truly been murdered all those years ago... and if her mother had been threatened and forced to run away because she possessed evidence about that crime... then the very same person responsible for her father's death was likely still active today. That same person was trying to eliminate Rose to keep the past hidden, and Cynthia had lost her life as a consequence of being near her.

Rose's face hardened as she looked out the taxi window. The continuous threats no longer filled her with the same helpless fear that had gripped her before. She believed she had identified the person orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.

Tony.

She could not erase the memory of how Tony had confronted her inside the hospital building. She recalled the intense anger in his voice, the sharp accusations he had hurled at her face, and the clear threat glowing in his eyes. Every piece of logic pointed directly toward him.

Before leaving her hotel room, Rose had already composed a quick text message and sent it to both Jasmine and Cassy. She had informed them of her decision to leave the hotel and told them the exact location where she intended to go.

The taxi brought Rose to a quiet restaurant located just around the corner from her office building. When she walked through the glass front doors, she immediately spotted Jasmine sitting alone at a small wooden table near the back.

The moment Jasmine caught sight of Rose walking down the aisle, she stood up from her chair.

Rose stopped in her tracks, staring at her friend. She barely recognized Jasmine.

Jasmine face looked remarkably pale, and heavy dark rings sat under her eyes. Her hair was messy and uncombed, and her clothes were loose and untidy, lacking their usual sharp look. This was Jasmine”a woman who normally took immense pride in her physical appearance, who never left her house without fixing her hair, taking care of her skin, and putting together a perfect outfit. Rose had never seen her looking so exhausted and worn out.

Looking at her friends disheveled state, a deep sense of guilt stirred inside Rose's chest. She remembered the harsh words she had shouted during their last argument. She remembered how angry she had been, and how she had placed the blame for everything directly onto her friends' shoulders.

Rose closed the distance between them, walking right up to the small table.

"What's up, Jas?" Rose asked softly.

Jasmine did not speak a word in response. Instead, she dropped her body straight down onto her knees, landing directly on the hard floor of the restaurant.

Rose's eyes widened in complete shock.

"Rose, please," Jasmine said, looking up from the floor with tears running down her face. "Let me apologize to you again. I'm sorry for what happened. You know I really care about you. I would never want anything to happen to you. I'm so sorry."

Rose immediately stooped down, grabbing Jasmine by her arms. "Stop it."

She glanced around the room, noticing several customers turning their heads to watch them. "People are staring."

Jasmine shook her head back and forth, refusing to rise. "I don't care."

"Jasmine" Rose urged, trying to lift her up.

"I don't care if I have to stand on a stage and tell everybody that I'm begging for your forgiveness," Jasmine declared, her voice loud enough for the nearby tables to hear. "I'll do it."

Despite the heavy tension, a small smile broke across Rose's face. She pulled firmly on Jasmine's arms and helped her stand up onto her feet.

"It's fine," Rose said gently.

Jasmine looked at her, searching her face for truth.

"I forgive you already," Rose added, reaching up with her thumb to wipe the tears away from Jasmine's cheeks. "And besides, it's not even your fault. I wasn't supposed to blame you. You were just doing your job."

Jasmine stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Rose's shoulders. Rose wrapped her arms around Jasmine in return, holding her close.

A few moments later, the front door of the restaurant opened, and Cassy walked inside. She slowed her steps as she noticed Jasmine standing by the table, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

"Ah," Cassy said, looking back and forth between them. "What happened?"

Jasmine pulled away from the embrace, taking a step back.

Cassy pointed her finger at Jasmine, a mock expression of disbelief on her face. "The angry bird is kneeling down?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes, wiping her nose with a napkin.

"A ruthless bird on her knees?" Cassy asked, shaking her head in dramatic fashion. "Wow. I'm surprised."

Jasmine straightened her clothes and stood properly, while Rose reached down to help brush the grey dust off the knees of Jasmines pants.

"Stop it," Jasmine complained, swatting gently at Rose's hands.

Cassy looked at Rose, then shifted her gaze to Jasmine, before turning back to Rose once more.

"Wow," Cassy said, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "You two are okay now?"

Rose nodded her head. "Yeah."

She turned her head to look directly at Jasmine. "I can never leave her. I overreacted."

Cassy's smile widened. "Thank God you know that you overreacted."

Rose's expression shifted, her eyebrows pulling together. "Cassy..."

Hearing Rose's warning tone, Jasmine burst into a sudden laugh.

Within minutes, all three women pulled out their chairs and sat down together at the table. They began talking openly about everything that had happened over the past few weeks. They shared small jokes and teased one another, filling the space with familiar warmth. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Rose felt a sense of normal life returning to her. She had deeply missed this connection, and she had missed having her friends beside her. The recent weeks had been the most agonizing period of their lives, where every single day felt as though they were stepping around delicate glass, unable to relax or express what they felt inside.

Eventually, the laughter subsided, and Rose leaned her back against the wooden frame of her chair, her face turning serious.

"If there's anything else you're hiding from me, tell me," Rose said, looking at both of them.

Cassy and Jasmine instantly stopped smiling, exchanging a quick, meaningful glance across the table.

"I don't want to be in the dark anymore," Rose added, her tone firm.

Cassy turned her head to look at Jasmine. Jasmine met her gaze and gave a slow, deliberate nod of approval.

Cassy turned back to face Rose directly. "There is something."

Rose frowned, her hand tightening on the edge of the table. "What?"

"I wanted to tell you at the hospital," Cassy said, pausing for a second as if searching for the right words. "But considering what you were going through back then, we didn't want to add anything else to it."

Rose's posture straightened, her eyes narrowing as she looked back and forth between her two friends. "What could be that bad? What's happening?"

Jasmine took a deep breath, resting her hands on the table. "Wilma has been sick."

Rose froze in her seat, her breath catching in her throat. "What?"

Jasmine continued speaking, her voice quiet. "When I left the house that day, I caught Wilma vomiting blood."

Rose's eyes widened in shock. "He was vomiting blood?"

Jasmine nodded her head silently. "When I wanted to come downstairs to tell you, he begged me not to."

Rose stared at her, unable to process the words. "He begged you?"

Jasmine nodded again. "He even went down on his knees."

Rose's mouth fell slightly open, her mind racing. "Are you serious?"

Cassy nodded to confirm the statement. "I was surprised too." She looked straight at Rose. "Wilma actually went on his knees and begged Jasmine not to tell you."

Rose lowered her gaze to the wooden surface of the table, her mind dropping back to that day at the house. She clearly remembered standing in front of Wilma, praising him for his strength. She had looked at him and thought he was completely unbroken, admiring how he seemed to carry every heavy burden on his shoulders without ever showing weakness.

And during that entire time, he had been dealing with a terrible illness in secret.

"He must have been going through so much," Rose whispered softly to herself.

She lifted her eyes to look back at Cassy. "Is there anything that can be done?"

Cassy gave a slow nod. "We've been trying."

"Is that why he left the house?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Cassy answered.

Rose's heart began to beat faster against her ribs, a new wave of anxiety settling over her.

"We've been trying to protect him," Cassy explained, her tone serious. "We've also been trying to keep you away from him because we needed to give him a chance."

"A chance for what?" Rose asked, leaning forward over the table.

Cassy looked directly into Roses eyes, her expression unreadable. "To complete the mate bond."

Rose stared at her, completely motionless. "What?"

Cassys voice dropped into a low, quiet whisper. "If the mate bond is completed, there's a chance he can survive."

Rose did not move a single muscle. For several long seconds, she simply sat in her chair, staring at Cassy's face while the surrounding noise of the restaurant faded away.

Then her lips parted slowly.

"Wilma could die?"