A Call That Changed Her Entire Life

At Theodore Villa.

The curtains that hung around the mullioned windows were so thick that light failed to pass through, instead they cast a murky shadow over the room. The atmosphere was dull and depressing, the air thick with a strong stench of alcohol circulating around.

Jack half leaned against the sofa with his hair disheveled. He wore a wrinkled piece of cloth that used to be a shirt once, wrapping his long fingers around an empty bottle. There were also several lying on the floor like soldiers killed in battle.

The shallow depth of his thoughts consumed him, when suddenly he heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Jack furrowed his eye-brows and mumbled with a struggling voice.

Jack's condition confused and disheartened his keeper; his aide-de-camp. How did everything spiral downwards to this sorry excuse for a life?

What was so special about Emily that made powerful men, Jacob and Jack, fall for her so madly?

'Emily is a turbulent disaster. She shouldn't have been allowed into the Gu Family in the first place. If it were not for Jacob…' he thought.

"What?" Jack asked indifferently, barely in his senses.

"Sir, we've got Rose," the man reported.

Even in his alcoholic stupor, Jack's heart rate rose a little and his eyes light up with sparks of resentment. He staggered to his feet, swaying a little and asked, "Where is that bitch?"

"Here. She is all yours now," said the man, as he turned around and made a gesture. Before long, his subordinate dragged Rose into the room by her arms.

Rose's clothes were once high end, but with enough wear and dirt anything could look like rags. Her skin was hidden behind layers of grime and her hair hung as a tangled mop of brown and grey. The vain, conceited mask she once wore so proudly was no longer present to hide her ugliness from the world. Considering how she looked, perhaps even a homeless person would have more dignity than Rose at the tip of his fingers.

The guard kicked her from behind, and she immediately fell to her knees before Jack.

Jack sneered down at her with utter disgust. The very sight of Rose made his insides curl up and nauseated him.

betray Emily for a woman

at lying and conniving that even he failed to sniff out her treachery before it was too

the fire at the hotel," he said. Jack wasn't even asking. He

contempt. Having spent days on the streets, living in squalor and running about like an escaped convict had thickened her skin. Now she didn't care about anything anymore.

that always find a way to survive, much like cockroaches." Rose added,

slapped her right across the face so hard that she

her furious glare prevailed. She had lost everything. What was there to be scared of? She clutched her stinging face, where the smack had left a red welt behind, and suddenly burst out

myself,

berserker rage. "I will kill you where you stand!" he

on and kill me then. You either kill me, or I will make sure that you and Emily rot in hell together..." Before Rose could finish, Jack pressed both his

eyes widened, as if they were going

sudden, Jack released her

would be too easy for you,"

her hair

rule over

...

the Tyrone Mansion.

Jacob wouldn't let her. He insisted that Emily should stay at home for a longer time

she knew that he always

outside the country on some business venture. Jacob did not want to take any risks and be burdened by worries so Emily did not

safe, in his

fire and asked if she

knew it was just an excuse. Jack wanted to see her. On any other day, she would have refused him,

okay now?' she wondered.

Jack's back would haunt her for the rest of her life.