"Ma'am those 2 were identified to be agents of dragon gang...they were after Jake's life...their only motive being induce fear in mind of Jake's brother."

"And who is Jake's brother if I may ask...?"

"Ma'am ....sorry....but....we can't disclose that to you...Ashton sir...he refused for you to know...this is the only information we are allowed to give you..."

"Damnit!"
I muttered and hanged the call.

My phone vibrated in my hand to see Ashton calling

"Rose...are you fine..are you hurt?"
He sounded so worried that I just wanted to hug him and tell him that I was fine .

"Calm down Ash it's noth-"

"I am not listening to you know...back your bags and leave that city now.. it's getting very dangerous!!"

"Everything is fine Ash..and anyways they were not after me.."

"I am telling you to leave right now Rose!!He is going to find you!! Hell you are friends with his brother! How come I didn't see that.."

"Ash I am fine...he needs me ...I can't leave him like this....and who is his brother anyways that you guys are so scared of him!"

Before I could listen to a reply I heard a thunderous voice

"I am "
A cold voice echoed in the room making me turn around to look at it's source.

The phone slipped from my hand as I registered who was standing  few feet past me.

His eyes held so much hate and anger that even my men stepped back to make way for him.
With two long confident steps he was standing at arm's length distance from me.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him...the shock of him being Jake's brother had frozen me to reach immobility.

Sh**
Kingston...
Of course they were related

"Where is he?"

"..Daniel....he....ja.....Jake .....is...fi-"

"I fuck*** asked you where the damn hell he is!!"
He said slamming his fist on the wall beside me making me close my eyes in fear.

"I....he....listen.....please....."
I was at the verge of breaking down.
I wanted to tell him that Jake was in the room behind but my shaken self couldn't muster one sentence right.

His patience was short lived
Next I know I was pushed on the wall behind with his one hand choking me to death and the other pressing a gun on my temple.

"I know damn well who you are Rosaline Thompson...better not act innocent now...playing with my brothers heart and getting close to him to know my gangs secrets is a cheap trick which only a trash like you can play!!"

His hateful eyes and false accusations were breaking me once again.
Why does his opinion still matters so much to me.

I closed my eyes as the first teardrop escaped my eyes.
My breathing was becoming rugged and my grip was loosing on his wrists.

He has truly turned into a monster
He is going to kill me and this is the first time I saw this hidden dark side of him.

Maybe this was the same side that made him watch me getting killed 10 years back.
The same side which only comes out when you mess with one thing
His family
And Jake was now his only family left.

But what about me
Was his Rose not his family
Was she just a key to unlock her father's treasure.
Was she nothing to him

These thoughts made me open my eyes.
How desperately I wanted to ask him why he did all those things to me.
But I couldn't.

Rosaline Thompson couldn't because Rose Thorne was dead.

His eyes showed different emotions
As soon as he stared into my teary red eyes his grip on my neck left within seconds.
He stepped back from me as shock filled his features.

My body slided down the wall without his hold and continuous coughs made it difficult to breathe.
My neck was itching like crazy and breathing never felt so difficult before.

Through my teary eyes I saw his black shoes moving back from me.

"Sir...Jake sir is here!!"

Informed one of his men and he turned around and left without even looking back at me.

It hurts
After so many years still his indifference hurts like hell
I couldn't control the leftover tears and broke down in sobs

Why me!!
Why!!
Why my life has to be like this!
Maybe because I was not destined to be born ....after all I am a bast*** child....
The unfortunate and unloved one.

Daniel and his men left and took Jake along

Jake was the first person I made friends with after so many years
But he also has to be related to my past.

Why can't my past leave me!!

I don't know how long I kept sitting there drowning in my own miseries
How long I kept crying untill my eyes closed down on their own.

Only when a warm body tightened me in its embrace and lips kissed my forehead did I looked up to see my saviour.

"As.....Ashton......"

He held me tightly afraid to let go

"Shhh princess don't worry.....I am here now.....nothing will happen to you...."

I broke down in more tears
How badly I wanted him here...how badly I needed his words.

"Ash.....he.......Jake.....his ...brother......"

"I know princess but don't worry they will not not hurt you anymore...I am here...no one can hurt you now.. ."

"But Ash... he...thinks....I was trying to play some tricks with his brother but seriously I didn't know....I never guessed...that Jake will be his brother...I..."

"Shhh princess..I know....I trust you....come on get up....we need to leave this town..... it's not safe anymore...."

I tried getting up and Ashton supported my body weight.
Next he seated me in his car and we were leaving this city for good just like we usually do.

He was busy talking to someone while I was staring at the skyscrapers bidding my adieu.

But little did we knew that neither was he going anywhere nor was I.

This city marked the beginning of everything and it also had to end here itself.

........................................

Daniel pov

Fu** that bit**
Why the hell is she disturbing my peace!!
Why do I fuc**** regret choking her!
Why can't I forget those beautiful eyes staring at me with hate.

I kept thrashing the things in my room till everything resembled the state of my mind.
Chaos

Rosaline Thompson

I fuc**** hate her so much.
I swear I would have killed her today if those eyes haven't resembled Rosé green ones.

If I hadn't seen my Rose in her.

My Rose was so innocent,so delicate...and this girl is a hypocrite bit**.
She is not Rose....she can never be Rose.

With this I hurried towards the box on my vanity and pulled out my most valuable treasure.

A picture of my Rose and our engagement Ring.

The picture was taken when she climbed on my back and I was giving her a piggy ride.

Her smile is so beautiful...
I found myself slipping down on the ground as my first teardrop landed on the picture.

"I am sorry Rose....I am sorry....I couldn't protect you.......I couldn't protect you from from those monsters....forgive me princess....forgive me.....but I swear I will not leave them....I have made them suffer 10 years of their life....but it is not enough..... it's not enough to what they did to you.....I swear soon I will find their leader and he will beg me for mercy....the hands which shot you will soon not be there.....he will die ....and I will make sure of it....."

He still remembers his burning house.
He still remembers the cries of a mother calling for her child.
He still remembers running into the burning house calling for just one name
Rose

The falling ceilings and the burning flames still haunt him.
But one thing that haunts him the most is the biggest blast he saw when the flames reached the cylinder.

The blast which was enough to make him take a step back from the fire in which his Rose burned.
The blast which ended it all.
All his dreams and love got burned in the heat of the fire and the worst thing was that he could only watch.

"No......my......Rose.....my daughter....no she can't.....Ronn!!!
..do something........she is in there......"
He could hear Eliza cry in the background but he already knew....he knew it was already late.....it has all ended......his Rose has got burned with these flames and he couldn't protect her....

The last words he spoke to her ringed in his mind and he regretted every single thing he said to her in anger.

"I hate you Rose...I hate you!!! You killed my family....you are the reason behind it....they died because of you!!"

"Dan...please...I din't....I...I ....didn't know....'

" That's the problem Rose!!! You don't know anything....!!..You don't know that you are a curse...!! A curse that was not meant to born....a curse that destroyed everyone's life....a curse that destroyed my life...!!"

"Dan....please....I love you....."

"I also loved you Rose...I loved you....but your love took every damn thing I loved away from me...!!.....just please go....I don't want to see the face that killed my parents...please just leave me alone...."

"Dan...."

"I said go Rose....go...before I decide to kill you!!"

As if he could ever lay even a single finger on her....he could have killed himself for her...but never her.

He laid down on his knees watching the flames
As his burning arm made tears of pain and suffering.
He didn't cared for his arm...he didn't care for anything....but he could see that no one could go inside now.

As the first cry of pain leaved his lips his hands kept balance on the ground and his head hung down in defeat and repentance.

A weight that he will have to carry his whole life.
The weight of not fulfilling his promise of not protecting his princess.