Anhedonia

He Ruined Rosie's Life

Morning arrived as fast as a blink of an eye and Jerry woke up at the sound of the pans clanging and the smell of the hot pancakes. He shot his eyes open, back kinda aching as he's not used to sleeping on the hard flat surface.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. "Good morning." He greeted the first person he sees standing in front of a single burner stove, apron wrapped on her waist and her blonde hair tied in a messy bun.

Rosie looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, which made him freeze for a second but continued anyway at his stretching.

"Good morning." Rosie greeted him back. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I'm just used to waking up early."

"Wow, you're a morning person now?" Rosie teased, looking back to what she was cooking, flipping the pancake so it would cook even at both sides. "Coffee?" She offered without looking at Jerry.

"I'll make one." Jerry said after he folded the blanket and piled it on the corner of the living room along with the pillow he used. He made his way to the kitchen and started preparing their coffee. "Thank you for letting us sleep here."

"No worries." Rosie replied as she proceeded to cook another meal for her lunch and for Akiro and the babysitter.

"Why are you cooking a lot?" Jerry asked while watching the woman from behind.

"I'm already cooking our lunch so the babysitter didn't have to cook later."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your work?"

Rosie paused from stirring the curry with that question and Jerry noticed it but didn't say anything and just waited for Rosie to answer his question.

"I-I'm working at the restaurant around the blocks."

"Oh, as what?" Jerry asked again, he's not trying to be rude, he just wanted to know what kind of work she has since she stopped teaching.

"A waitress." Rosie mumbled and she smiled even if Jerry couldn't see her.

"Hmm. That must be hard." Jerry shrugged his shoulders as he put one cup of coffee next to Rosie and he leaned back at the countertop as he watched the girl again with his crossed legs. "Why didn't you try applying in schools here?"

"I don't know, maybe I'm not really into teaching, I was supposed to be a lawyer just like my sister and my Dad but I have to support my own expenses in London and ended up taking education."

"Oh I see." Jerry nodded his head and sipped on his coffee, eyes never leaving Rosie. "Why don't you try to pursue the lawyer thingy?"

Rosie chuckled as she looked over her shoulder and stared at Jerry in 'are you serious' expression. "I'm too old for that."

"28 ain't old, Rosie. It's not too late."

"It is, for me. I have a son and I need to work so I can put food on his plate."

"Why don't you just ask for help from your family? They'll be glad to help you even Liam and our friends, I would help too—."

"I'm fine, Jerry. If that's what you're worried about. It's not even hard to serve food to the customers and my colleagues are all nice to me."

"Aren't you a well known person because you are Jayvee's wife? I mean, your husband is known worldwide as a singer."

"That is the reason why I chose to live here, because they don't stick their nose into someone's business. They know me for sure but I'm just thankful that they never tried to ask me why the wife of the well known idol is working as a waitress in a small restaurant." Rosie said, finally turning off the gas stove and turning around to face Jerry. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me or about Akiro, we're living fine here."

Jerry sighed as he let out a small smile that crept up onto his lips. "I know you're fine, you are a fighter, Rosie."

Their conversation ended up with smiles on their lips and as if on cue, Jeremy first woke up and he greeted the two. Rosie woke up her son so he could join them for breakfast before Rosie leaves to work.

Akiro cried when it's time for Jerry to leave but he promised that he would be back some other time and they sealed it with a pinky promise. Rosie volunteered to drive them at the bus stop along her way to her work.

"Thank you." Jerry said while unfastening his seatbelt.

"Sorry about Akiro, I know you're a busy person so you don't have to go back here if it's unnecessary for you —."

"I promised to him, so yeah. I'll be visiting him this weekend." Jerry chuckled, he carried Jeremy out of the car and the kid bowed his body in 90 degree to thank Rosie and the latter giggled at that because Jerry literally pushed the kid's head so he could bow and told him that it's one of the most important traits in Korea to give respect to the adults.

Rosie kissed Jeremy's cheek which made the kid's face reddened and he smiled toothily, waving his hand as Rosie drove off.

Jerry and Jeremy arrive at Mr. Tucker's house where Jerry needs to leave the kid for the meantime as he will need to run some errands of becoming the newest chairman of the Kim Group.

He went home to his parent's house and they were surprised to see him earlier than expected. They celebrate it of course with a fancy dinner in one of the hotels they owned, then the former chairman announced to every member of the Kim Group and to all the press covering the celebration that Jerry is now the new chairman. They were happy with that, especially Hayley who was called to attend the meeting since she's one of the members of the Royal family and brought her husband and daughter. The only group that hates Jerry being the new chairman is Jayvee's family.

Jayvee wasn't able to attend the meeting since he has a fan signing to his newly released songs but the members were informed that he will be there later.

"He's still not here." Jerry whispered to Hayley while he finally cornered his best friend after she was done talking to her Dad. Liam was also busy talking with Hayley's cousins as they were too fond of him when they found out that Liam is the son of the Manoban Group, while Akisha played with her cousins and Jerry's nieces.

"I heard that he'll be late." Hayley whispered back, looking around the entire venue and being observant to Jayvee's family.

"He needed to be here so I could start my plan."

Hayley snapped her head at Jerry with a confused face. "What are you trying to do, Jerry?"

"I told you, I'm not going to shut up."

"I'm already working on it, please don't make a scene here. There are a lot of cameras here."

"I don't care, he f****d up his marriage and I'm not going to sit here and watch him playing nice in front of these people while his wife is suffering in that small apartment and working as a waitress—."

"What?" Hayley interrupted him because she never heard all of it. "What are you talking about, Jerry? Rosie lives along Myeong-do with a two-story house and works as a teacher in a private school."

"No she's not." Jerry scoffed. "I slept in their small apartment last night and from what I see, she never lived in Myeong-do and she's not a professor."

"Are you serious?" Liam asked who just suddenly chimes in to their conversation when he heard everything. "Why would Rosie lie to me? To us?"

"I don't know, maybe because she didn't want you to pity her."

"That's f*****g absurd!" Liam hissed, fishing out his phone from his pocket and started typing Rosie's phone number hastily.

"If I were you, I'm not going to confront her." Jerry warns, sipping on his Champagne. "If she didn't tell you about it, then you better ask her by yourself and let her admit all of it."

"She's right, Hon. We should ask Rosie first, if she admits it then we have to help her and if not—."

"Whether she would tell me or not, I would still help her." Liam said dismissively and he nudged his head in front of us when all of the cameras started flashing at the newly arrived guest. Then there was Jayvee entering the venue like he's the most important guest of the night. He made his way to the former chairman, their grandpa, talked for a bit then proceeded to his family.

"It's time." Jerry said, giving his glass to Liam and he made his way to the stage.

"What is he going to do?" Liam asked confusedly.

"I don't know." Hayley sighed as she watched her best friend tapped the microphone.

"Hi, good evening everyone, especially to the newly arrived person." Jerry said to the microphone which caught everyone's attention and they looked at him. "So all of you here are aware of my failed wedding, right? And Jayvee married the woman I ditched in our wedding."

"Oh God, what is he doing?" Hayley facepalms herself and hides her face behind Liam.

"Yeah, that's right. Jayvee married my ex fiancé." Jerry continued as the venue filled with murmurs. Jayvee looked at Jerry confusedly as he didn't have any idea what Jerry was going to do. "They were married for four years, had a son that never called him Daddy—."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Jayvee yelled, he's starting to have a slightest idea of what Jerry is trying to do and he's not going to let him continue it or it will ruin his name since there is a lot of press around the place.

"And inside those four years of marriage, that guy." Jerry pointed at Jayvee, who's now glaring at him and fuming mad. "Was abusing his wife physically that's why she left him and hid with their son."

Loud gasps filled the room, even Hayley and Liam gasped, not because of the revelation, but because Jerry really wanted to ruin Jayvee's name.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jerry! I love my wife and I will never hurt her!"

"You love her?" Jerry laughed mockingly. "If you love her you will never hurt her physically and emotionally, can you f*****g imagine that? You're even hurting a four year old kid!"

"Jayvee, is that true?!" Jayvee's mom asked, disappointment is all over her face and looking at him disgustingly.

"No!"

"It's true." Hayley said and she made her way to Jayvee, not breaking eye contact while Liam was on her heels, ready to punch Jayvee if he did something against her wife. "He's hurting his wife and son and now they are hiding from him."

"I-I'm not! It was all a lie! Mom, believe me! Jerry was just jealous because I married his ex!" Jayvee's face was red as ripe tomatoes in so much anger and embarrassment since all the cameras were on him and he was sure as hell that it would ruin his career. "Didn't he hide for four years because he couldn't accept that I got married to Rosie?!"

"Even so! But the point here is you're hurting your wife and your son!" Jayvee's father yelled at him and in front of all the people in the venue, he slapped Jayvee and the flash of the cameras didn't stop from taking every scene. "You are such a disgrace in this family!"

Jayvee was so furious, he looked at Jerry like he was trying to kill him with his look, but the latter just smirked at him and walked down to the stage and he made his way to Jayvee, standing next to Hayley.

"From now on, you are not part of the Royal family." Jerry told him and he turned his back against Jayvee who tried to attack him but Jerry's bodyguards were too quick to tackle him down then dragged him outside of the venue. Jerry looked at his grandfather and bows his head before leaving the place with Hayley and Liam who just waved their hands at Hayley's parents.

"Damn, I want to slap that jerk but his dad did it for me." Hayley said as they got out of the building.

"I'm just starting, I'm not going to stop till I ruin his life because he ruined Rosie's life." Jerry said through his gritted teeth.

"Well, I'm going to support it but first, we need to explain to Rosie because she's been cannonading my phone right now." Liam said as he lifted up his phone and Rosie's name registered on the phone screen.

"I guess we have to deal with Juhyun and Seul-ki first." Hayley said when she saw her phone ringing and Juhyun's name on the screen and they all laughed.

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