Chapter 23: 23) Just a challenge !
Authors pov
It was early morning when Rose opened her eyes tiredly, she looked at Damian who was sleeping
peacefully by her side. She blushed when she rememberedst night.
She ced a soft kiss on his shoulder and got up wrapping the ck bedsheet around her naked body,
but when she stepped ahead she almost kissed the floor due to sudden pain in her intimate part, she
quickly held the nightstand and took a deep breath toposed herself.
Damian woke up when he heard faint noises, he saw Rose standing there and quickly got up.
"What are you doing Rose .."
He quickly grabbed her before she fell down...
He was standing naked in front of her and she quickly turned her head aside, she was too
embarrassed and awkward afterst night, she had no idea how to talk to him or what to say, so she
just decided to avoid him.
"Washroom..."
She replied in her morning voice.
"You should have woken me up, angel... You are sore..."
He scolded...
"No I am perfectly fine..."
She lied...
"No you are not, I know that you are too good in controlling your pain but I took your virginityst night
and it''s gonna hurt for a while, it is the most delicate part of your body angel..."
He said lifting her up bridal style.
Walking inside the bathroom he ced her on the counter and started preparing a bath for her along
with a bath bomb. She was sitting there watching his quick movements, his care and gentleness
always touched her heart. Even if he was a mafia boss he had a gentle side and she always admired
that...
Damian walked towards her and started unwrapping the bedsheet around her, she clutched onto it
tightly...
"What are you doing?"
She quickly asked...
"You need to a take bath, it will help you to reduce your soreness..."
"I''ll do it myself..."
She tried to stand but stumbled on his chest when sudden movements caused her pain.
"Yeah, I can see that..."
He mocked and helped to bnce her...
He caressed her face gently..
"I know you don''t want to show your pain to anyone and you''re doing it perfectly but that doesn''t mean
it''s not hurting you, hiding pain and not feeling pain are two different things angel, so keep quiet and let
me do my work..."
She looked at him silently not sure what to say.
He took the sheet off and she turned red when he looked at her naked body.
"Why so shy angel, I have seen everythingst night and I am sure you did too..."
He smirked and she looked away awkwardly.
He lifted her up and ced her in the bathtub, she sighed when warm water rxed her muscles.
Damian sat behind her and massaged her sore muscles to make her rx.
He was asionally ncing at her silent form, she was sitting quietly looking like a lost puppy. He
realised that she has never done all this things before and he was enjoying her confused, conflicted
and embarrassed state. She was looking so cute sitting there while he was giving her bath...
"I have ordered morning after pill for you, take that when you eat something, ok?..."
He said kissing her forehead and she nodded positively...
He dried himself and left giving her personal time.
*******
Rose was sitting quietly at the dinning table, Damian was yet toe as he was attending a phone
call. Lilly stood beside her too scared to start a conversation, she wanted to ask her aboutst night but
she couldn''t muster up the courage. Jack came there with his usual charming smile and friendly
behaviour.
"What''s up girls ?"
He asked cheerfully...
Lilly greeted him back and both of them looked at Rose who was staring at the coffee mugs nkly, her
face was serious and it looked like she was thinking about something serious.
Lilly and jack again looked at each other and then at Rose. Jack cleared his throat to grab her attention
but she didn''t look at him, she kept looking at the mugs...
"Rose? I didn''t saw you in the gym today, are you ok I mean you never miss the practice. Looks like
Jack bit his tongue when thest line slipped from his mouth in flow and Lilly smacked him on his arm...
Still Rose didn''t say anything andpletely ignored jack...
"Hey ! I asked you something, why aren''t you saying anything..."
He again asked carefully...
"Haven''t you heard that, silence is the best answer to a stupid person, I am doing just that..."
She replied still not looking at him, his mouth dropped at her words and Lilly tried her best not to burst
outughing.
Ashton and Damian came and sat on their respective ces.
Damian sipped his coffee which she made for him and looked at a serious looking Rose who was now
focused on her breakfast.
"What happened jack, why are you sulking in the morning ?"
Ashton asked him...
He shook his head and said.
"Nothing man congrattions by the way, finally you are back to work I missed you so much..."
Damian''s eyes snapped towards him when he said that and then he realised that it''s time for Rose to
leave...
"Yes, but I am not happy... Senior Rose will leave us now..."
He said and Damian''s grip on his fork tightened...
"Ohh no Rose, I don''t want you to leave. I can''t get a friend like you who listens to all my nonsense
quietly, and plus you don''t do back bitching and..."
Lilly was talking when Damian mmed his fork on the table and growled...
"Enough, no one is going anywhere..."
Everyone flinched at his sudden outburst and Rose looked at him with a frown...
He stood up and angrily left the dinning hall.
Sitting on his chair he rubbed his temple frustratingly.
"I won''t let her leave, I have to deal with Renzo..."
The thought of Rose leaving him scared him, he has gotten addicted to her and now he was not ready
to let her go but he knows that Renzo will definitely create problem in this and he was more than ready
to deal with him.
His thoughts got disturbed when someone knocked on the door...
"Come in..."
His father came in and they both looked at each other silently, afterst times argument they haven''t
seen each other''s face.
Alexander sat in front of him...
"Don''t worry I am not here to lecture you on anything..."
He said and Damian nodded at him silently...
"You know that Vincent is ina, he is our family friend from the beginning and a loyal one too, his
family is in danger and they asked for our help and as mafia boss it''s your responsibility to give them
protection, so his wife and son areing here to stay until they deal with their enemies..."
Alexander exined him...
"Yes I know Aunty called me in the morning for this and I don''t have any problem, I will give them full
protection afterall she is...."
Damian stopped in mid sentence and Alexanderpleted his sentence for him...
"Afterall she is Isabe''s mother..."
Damian gave him a nod and looked aside...
"You still remember that girl, I thought you forgot... I still remember how you always tried to impress
Vincent for Isabe and Vincent was soo happy that you and his daughter got along so well..."
Alexander smiled at the old memories...
"I can never forget her, dad... She was my first love..."
Damian''s heart clenched in pain...
"I understand, you guys got too attached with each other in just one year, and I liked that girl too she
was like an angel, she always called me Alex even after Vincent scolded her to give me respect but
she didn''t listen to him, she was a cute little rebel.."
Alexander Chuckled and Damian smiled...
"Yes, she was..."
"Damian I know you are angry with me and i ept that sometimes I became too intolerable but
whatever I am doing or saying is just for your sake, I care for you son..."
He ced his hand on Damian''s shoulder trying to make him understand...
"I know father..."
Damian said and his phone rang...
"They are here, lets go..."
He and Alexander stood up and walked outside to meet Isabe''s family.
"Damian, how are you my child..."
Ady said in her motherly voice who was standing in the living room, her hair was ck and short with
average height and light Blue eye, she was in her mid age. When she saw Damian, she hugged him
and he returned the hug...
"I am fine aunty... how are you?"
Damian asked...
"I am fine... How are you Alexander ?"
She turned towards him with a friendly smile...
"I am good, Ste. Nice to see you..."
Alexander greeted her back...
"Hello uncle Alex, Damian thank you so much for helping us..."
Another boyish voice came from behind and everyone looked at him, he was in his early twenties and
was looking too young, he had the same features like Ste and anyone can tell that he is her son...
"No need to thank us Leo. How is uncle Vincent..."
Damian asked...
Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.
"He is still ina, but doctors said there is improvement he will wake up soon..."
Ste replied...
Damian has shifted Vincent in his private hospital when Ste called him for help, he has always
respected Vincent so quickly made all the necessary arrangements for his treatment...
"Emily will show you your rooms, make yourselffortable..."
Damian said and they both nodded, ste was about to leave with leo but she stopped dead in her
track when she heard Rose''s voice...
"Sorry to disturb you, but..."
She said in her usual tone and walked towards Damian, who was standing in front of ste...
"The car is ready, we need to leave in 5 minutes..."
Ste was staring at her like she has seen a ghost, she started shaking in fear and her heart nearly
came out in her mouth. She clutched on Leo''s hand tightly, Leo''s expressions was the same, he wasn''t
able to believe his eyes that she was standing in front of them...
Rose looked at both of them nkly and then at Damianpletely ignoring them like they are not
standing there.
"Ok, go ahead I will be there in a minute..."
She nodded at Damian''s reply and walked passed them treating them like total strangers...
"S..she..."
Ste stuttered...
"She is my bodyguard, Rose..."
Ste''s eyes snapped towards Damian in shock.
"What happened aunty ?"
She shook her head and smiled nervously...
"Nothing son, it''s just her eyes..."
"Looks like Isabe, I know..."
She nodded hesitantly and looked at the opened door where Rose was standing, her heart almost
stopped beating when she saw Rose''s cold angry eyes boring holes in her...
******
They were in the car, Simon was driving and Rose was sitting beside Damian in the back seat, she was
sitting quietly with serious expressions but her insides were burning in anger when she saw ste.
When Rose saw her feared expression she understood that ste recognised her.
"Is it still hurting, Rose ?"
Damian asked in a concerned voice.
"Huh ?"
She titled her head towards him...
"Why are you so quite ?"
"I am always like this..."
She said and he shook his head at her reply...
"I know but what I meant is You look stressed, what happened ?"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her in hisp, before she reacts he pulled her into a kiss, slowly
caressing and massaging her lips with his tongue, her hands was in the air so he grabbed them and
wrapped it around his neck and pulled her closer, she granted him ess and he tasted every corner
of her mouth. She tried to copy his movements with her inexperienced tongue...
He spared her mouth and chuckled,
"You are a terrible kisser angel..."
"I am not experienced like you..."
She replied looking away, he grinned and pecked her lips.
cing his face in the crook of her neck,
He closed his eyes and inhaled her sweet vani scent...
"I don''t want you to leave Rose, I am not letting you go..."
He whispered like a stubborn child and kissed her neck...
She ced her face on his shoulder but didn''t say anything and his grip on her tightened when he
didn''t get any response from her.
*****
Damian entered the office building, Rose and jack were walking behind him while Simon was checking
the office security.
Rose and his two other men were sitting in the corridor outside the meeting room guarding it, Damian''s
finished his meeting and the members left after that.
Damian came out with his secretary who was literally eye raping him and he wasn''t paying any
attention to her. He walked towards his office and she kept trailing behind him.
"Boss do you need coffee.."
She asked sweetly...
"Yes, Rose bring the coffee to my cabin..."
He asked Rose instead of his secretary and her sweet smile fell, she red at Rose hatefully...
"Okay..."
Rose replied in monotone and left.
His secretary didn''t like it, she has always made coffee for him whenever he worked in this office. She
wanted Damian to notice her that''s why she always handled his work well but Damian always saw her
as a secretary and nothing else.
She followed behind Rose towards the office kitchen.
"Hey..."
Rose looked at the girl with questionable eyes,
"Hii I am Amelia, Mr. Knight''s secretary..."
She introduced herself,
"And it''s my job to make coffee for him so I will do it you can go..."
Rose noticed the hint of jealousy in her voice but she kept quiet.
Rose ced the mug on the kitchen counter and left without saying anything.
When she was about to exit Amelia stopped her,
"I didn''t expect you to give up so easily, I thought you will be a bitch..."
"I don''t have time for this childish acts, do whatever you want but don''t mess with me, trust me I am
worst than bitch..."
Rose replied in her collective voice and left.
Amelia scoffed at her and started making coffee, she made it and walked towards his cabin while Rose
sat outside checking her mobile.
Amelia walked inside his office and ced the coffee mug in front of him.
Damian was talking to jack, he picked up the coffee mug and took a sip, his expressions turned into a
disgusted one after drinking it.
"What the fuck is this?..."
He ced the mug back on the table and growled.
Amelia looked at him scared...
"What happened sir, if you didn''t like it I can make another one..."
She said hurriedly.
"Who the fuck told you to make it, I asked Rose not you, where is she?..."
Her heart almost stopped beating when she heard his angry voice.
"I am... S.. sorry she I..is..."
She stuttered and Damian rolled his eyes.
"Get the fuck out and send her in..."
He ordered and she ran outside...
"Dude, you need to calm down..."
Jack said...
"By the way, what happenedst night ?"
He asked curiously...
Damian''s frown turned into a smirk when jack asked him aboutst night.
"Fuck, did you two really did it, I mean did she give in ?..."
Jack asked amused...
Amalia walked outside towards Rose...
"Boss is calling you inside..."
Her voice broke and Rose saw her glossy eyes but ignored it.
"Okay..."
She replied and left her alone...
She was about to knock on the door but she heard her name and stopped to listen further...
"Rose, damn... I can''t believe this man... You are great..."
Jack said impressed...
"I told you I am your boss for a reason..."
Damian smirked...
"Yeah, finally you won the challenge... You know when you said that you will have her, I didn''t thought
that you can actually do that... But you should thank me, it was my n to shift her in your room..."
Rose frowned when she heard the word challenge from Jack''s mouth...
"Yes It was difficult jack, she was too hard to get, I tried everything but still she was not ready to give in
even under the effect of the drug but you know me, I get what I want... but still Rose was the biggest
challenge for me so far..."
Damian replied arrogantly...
"Yeah man, you won the challenge and now she will leave in few days, you did it on the right time, you
don''t have to tolerate that rude woman anymore..."
Jack chuckled...
Rose clenched her jaw angrily, she turned around and ran towards the bathroom, her throat tightened
but before her eyes be glossy she sshed cold water on her face.
Whatever she heard broke her heart...
"How stupid was I to think that he cares about me..."
She mocked herself,
"I was just a challenge for him, whatever he did was just a part of his challenge..."
She gripped the counter tightly and looked at her reflection in anger...
"You were stupid to think that he likes you, I told you, you will regret itter... You are a monster Rose
and no one will ever love you, no one does, not even your own mother..."
She scolded herself and closed her eyes stopping her tears froming out...
She was feeling unwanted, unloved, abandoned and betrayed and these feelings were scratching her
heart again and again. She was hurt and no one was there to console her.
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, she pushed her feelings aside, locking everything inside
which was hurting her, telling herself that nothing matters even if it does.
She took out her mobile and called his number...
"Hello..."
She said in her cold voice...
Meanwhile...
"Yeah man, you won the challenge and now she will leave in few days, you did it on the right time, you
don''t have to tolerate that rude woman anymore..."
Jack chuckled making Damian frown...
"Shut up jack, what the fuck are you talking...
Yes I took it as a challenge at first but it''s not that anymore. I can''t stay without her, she has be
special to me, she is more than that... I don''t want her to leave me, she is mine and I wont let her go,
do you understand..."
Damian said madly...
"I know, I was just testing you... And you finally realised that you are in love I have seen that love in
your eyes long time ago my friend, I just wanted to confirm that..."
Jack winked at Damian and Damian rolled his eyes...
"I don''t know about love jack but the thought of loosing her scared me, I have once lost my love I don''t
want that to happen again..."
"Isabe is dead Damian let it go now and she was a child when she got killed, Rose can protect
herself and you know that. Don''t let your past affect your future."
Damian nodded in agreement
"What''s taking her so long..."
Damian said impatiently
Rose finished her call, standing in front of his cabin she knocked on the door and came in with a
straight face like she didn''t heard anything before.
"You called me boss..."
Damian frowned when she called him boss, he clearly told her yesterday not to call him boss .
"Hii Rose..."
Jack said mischievously and Rose tried her best not to smash his face on the table...
"Hii..."
She replied colder than usual.
"I told you to make coffee then why did she made it..."
Damian questioned...
"She insisted that''s why..."
She replied back.
Damian started to speak but his phone rang,
He picked it up deciding to talk with herter..
"Hello... Yes I aming..."
And disconnected the call...
He stood up from his chair and jack asked...
"Where are we going ?"
"Hospital, it was aunty ste... I need to check on uncle Vincent..."
He replied and they both followed him outside.
This time Rose took the keys from Simon and sat on driver''s seat not wanting to sit beside Damian, he
looked confused with the sudden change in her behaviour.
She drove to the hospital and all of them walked inside, ste was already waiting there. Damian and
ste talked to the doctors in his office and Rose was standing outside with jack.
Jack excused himself and went to the bathroom, Rose checked her surroundings if anyone is there but
she was alone, she slowly opened the door and peaked inside the private ward, she entered and
closed the door behind her.
She looked at unconscious Vincent sleeping on the hospital bed with hundreds of wires attached to his
body and her heart broke looking at his condition.
She sat beside him and caressed his head, her eyes became glossy...
"I am sorry I couldn''t protect you..."
She kissed his knuckles..
"What are you doing here, stay away from him..."
Rose eyes snapped towards the voice and she saw a scared ste standing there, Rose frowned at her
reaction not understanding why she is behaving like that...
Rose stood up and looked at her angrily, but didn''t say anything, her hate for ste was too much that
she didn''t even wanted to waste her words on her.
"What are you doing with Damian, how did you escape ?"
Ste asked standing between her and Vincent.
Rose was still confused about her questions, she didn''t understand what she is asking and why...
Damian opened the door and saw Rose and ste standing there.
"Rose, what are you doing inside..."
Damian questioned...
"I heard some voice from inside so I came to check, but it was just wind..."
She lied fluently...
Damian nodded,
"Ok, Rose meet aunty ste she is our old family friend and aunty she is my bodyguard Rose..."
Rose looked at ste and greeted her hiding her hate behind her cold voice.
Ste gave her a nervous smile and greeted back.
When both of them left, leo walked inside...
"Mom, what was she doing here ?"
He sounded worried,
"I don''t know, I am scared leo... She is psycho, we have to be careful..."
Ste''s face was stained with tears, she looked at her unconscious husband and said....
"Please wake up Vince, only you can control her... I am tired of all this mess, I need you please wake
up..."
She cried and leo consoled her...