Chapter 7


    “No.” Jonathan answered. Yet, he recalled Rosalie pinning him down on the bed with intoxicated


    eyes when he was about to put her on the bed after he brought her back to the rental home in his


    arms.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    At that moment, he was surprised by his carelessness. Had she been someone who wanted his life,


    he would’ve lost his life there and then!


    The man had always been vignt, so he couldn’t wrap his mind around why he had put down his


    guard.


    However, before he could get up. Rosalie had already cupped his face with both hands. She


    pushed aside the thick bangs on his forehead and stroked his eyelids with her fingertips.


    “You have beautiful eyes… I like them… so much…’ she murmured.


    “Like?” That word wasn’t umon to Jonathan. After all, there were always women who imed


    to like him andplimented things about his eyes and stuff.


    His eyes were perhaps the only part that resembled his mother.


    Jonathan’s father would often gaze into Jonathan’s eyes and be lost in thought when thetter was


    a child. His father would then mumble to him, “These eyes may seem affectionate but are, in fact,


    the most heartless. I wonder, will you be affectionate or heartless in the future, Jon?”


    “Mm-hmm. Because… they’re pure…” Rosalie borated while burping.


    “Pure?” thought Jonathan, snickering. This was the first time someone had described his eyes as


    pure.


    “It’s as if they have never been tainted by any sins… So pure… The woman was in a charmingly


    tipsy state, her face virtually pressing against his. “Jon, don’t be afraid… I will… protect you….”


    With that, she slumped onto his chest and fell asleep in her drunkenness.


    “Protect me? You can’t even protect yourself, yet you im that you’ll protect me? How ridiculous!


    Jonathan sneered inwardly.


    Back to the present, he looked at Rosalie and lied, “You didn’t do anything, just fell asleep”


    Hearing that, she breathed a sigh of relief.


    His gaze thennded on the red and swollen part of her check. “Does your face hurt?”


    Taken aback, she immediately answered truthfully, “Not really.” After all, a p was nothing


    compared to the suffering she had gone through in prison.


    “What exactly happened yesterday, Rosie? Why did you get hurt, and how did you get drunk?”


    Jonathan stared intently at


    her.


    “Nothing much. 1 simply ran into a drunkard and had a minor confrontation, Rosalie replied


    nonchntly, not wanting to tell him the shameful events ofst night.


    She always felt that he was pure and uncorrupted. Even though he was homeless, he still


    maintained the innocence of a child. Hence, if possible, she hoped he would never change.


    “Really?” Jonathan’s eyshes fluttered slightly as he concealed the glint in his eyes. “If I’d arrived


    earlier, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, then


    In fact, he could’ve resolved this matter way earlier, but this was merely a game to him that added


    color to his otherwise monotonous life. He had even anticipated what might happen when she


    entered the private room.


    Unexpectedly, when he saw the result with his own eyes, he found himself unhappy instead.


    “It’s good enough that you came to pick me up at the club entrance. If not, I might have to sleep on


    the road all night,”forted Rosalie while grabbing his hand. “Thank you, Jon. It’s so good to have


    you. Besides, I’m really fine. A p in the face is no big deal to me.”


    “Her smile’s so serene, but why do I still find it such an eyesore?” he mused.


    “What? Loretta tricked you into bing an escort? She’s so shameless! I’ll go find her!” Lillian


    Quinn came to visit her best friend today, only to see the lingering redness and swelling on


    Rosalie’s check. Only after questioning thetter did she learn about that incident.


    “So what if you find her?” Rosalie stopped her friend. ‘I was the one who was too careless. I


    thought, at most, she’d just try to make some money out of me. Never have I expected that… But,


    fortunately, Jon came to pick me up when I stumbled out in


    a drunken haze”


    Jon?


    “It’s the


    person who lives with me now. I consider him my little brother and told him to treat me as his older


    sister.” exined Rosalie. At the mention of Jonathan. a smile unconsciously appeared on her


    face.


    “Little brother? How old is he?” Lillian asked.


    “Twenty-seven. He’s only a few months younger than me.”


    Lillian almost choked on her own saliva. She had a hard time believing that her best friend was


    actually cohabiting with a


    grown man now,


    “What were you thinking? What if he has ulterior motives? Have you ever thought about the


    danger? You studiedw yourself, so you should all the more be familiar with cases about male and


    female tenants who co-rent. Your current situation is even riskier than that!”


    “I understand your concerns, but Lillian, having someone to live with makes me feel less lonely.


    Besides, Jon is a good person”


    “Lonely? Don’t you have me!” demanded Lillian. “Look. How about I move in with you?”


    “Nah. Your parents would probably dislike me even more if you moved out of your family home,


    Rosalie quickly rejected.


    Back then, she clearly did not drink during the car ident, yet all evidence pointed to her being a


    drunk driver. No one except Lillian believed her.


    During the three years that Rosalie was incarcerated, Lillian had tirelessly worked on the former’s


    case, even going so far as to give up studying abroad. This, in turn, caused a strain on Rosalie’s


    rtionship with Lillian’s parents, for they med her for holding up their daughter’s future.


    Frankly, they were right. Without Rosalie, Lillian would probably have had a better life by now


    instead of working as an insignificant designer in an architectural design firm.


    “Furthermore, Jon is like a little brother to me. You should know I used to always wish for a little


    brother. Now, I finally have one, added Rosalie,


    Realizing she likely wouldn’t be able to dissuade her friend, Lillian changed her approach. “Well,


    can I meet him, then!” She could only feel at ease after meeting the other party.


    “Okay,” Rosalie replied.


    “By the way, here are copies of the case files from back then and some information I’ve gathered


    over the years.” While speaking, Lillian handed a stack of documents to Rosalie. “Now that you’re


    out, do you n to reopen the case?”


    “I’m not sure. The witnesses from back then have disappeared, and all the evidence pointed to me.


    I haven’t been able to dverturn the case in the past three years. In the future…


    “Maybe there will still be an opportunity for you to overturn the case next time. You’re Rosalie


    Leighton, after all. The


    weu, o sepi


    Rosalie I know isn’t somebody who gives up easily,” encouraged Lillian.


    3.64%


    Rosalie smiled bitterly. If she were still the same person from three years ago, she would’ve worked


    hard to clear her name. However, her spirit and determination had long been worn down by the


    misery she experienced in prison for three years.


    After Rosalie returned to the rental home with the stack of documents, she saw that it was vacant,


    Jonathan was not around.


    “He’s probably still out distributing flyers. Lately, he has been spending his daytime doing this, she


    mused.


    As such, Rosalie then steamed some corn, made a bowl of soup and some vegetables, and waited


    for Jon to return.