Everyone knows that when Charlotte's father died, he handed over all his property to Charlotte, including some rare antiques that was worth a lot currently. In other words, Charlotte was a human treasure and anybody who inherits her properties will be catapulted immediately to the class of the elite 1% wealthy.
Never offend the majority shareholder, that is the golden rule in their house.
"In Woods's house, grandma, you are the most respectable elder." Joseph spoke suddenly when no one expected him to. His tone of voice that was always so cold and hard was warm as he addressed his grandma. "We all hope that you will live to be 100 years old and healthy. How dare we try to affect that negatively by taking your right from you?"
"Grandma, what Joseph said is." Rose quickly got up, went to Charlotte's side, filled a bowl of hot soup and brought it to her. She smiled and said, "Grandma, eat to have strength. Later, if you are up for it, I will accompany you for a walk in the back garden."
Charlotte looked at Rose's face, then lost her irritated expression and nodded. "Okay, you always had a way to make me calm down.”
Joseph glanced at Rose and then swung his gaze elsewhere when she was turning back to come and sit at her spot.
This topic of if Rose should be allowed back into the house was stopped.
After dinner, Rose accompanied Charlotte for a walk in the back garden.
Charlotte didn’t know the inside story of Rose and Joseph's divorce, so she took Rose hand and talked about Joseph's faults, revealing it implicitly while, hoping Rose will forgive Joseph when she hears that Joseph was the way he is through the fault of others, not himself.
Rose bit her lip and smiled, always quietly changing the subject when Charlotte ventured too close to asking about the divorce.
The duo chatted in the back garden until it was late at night. Rose saw that it was getting too late and said goodbye to Charlotte.
Charlotte selfishly wanted Rose to spend the night but Rose kept on refusing, so she had to give up.
"Grandma, go back, someone will pick me up." Rose said, but Charlotte just wouldn’t go, she insisted on walking her outside the house.
At the door, a black sports car parked idly.
The tall and elegant man leans against the car, looking calm as always and in some slacks and buttoned down shirt, Joseph version of causal. A pair of strong, long legs with several cigarette butts scattered around close to the leather shoes he wore.
"Joseph, haven't you left yet?"
When she saw Joseph, Charlotte was stunned at first. She couldn't help but pull Rose and walked over to him. She smiled and said, "It's too late, so you can take Rose home."
It was not an inquiry, it was a direct order.
When Charlotte said this, Rose frowned. "No, Grandma, I can go back by myself."
"Hey, it's so late, don't let a cab come and pick you, they cannot be trusted these days." Charlotte said, pushing her toward Joseph. "Just as Joseph is going back to the city, he will drop you off."
Rose was not expecting the unexpected push so she fell directly into Joseph's strong chest.
Joseph inhaled her sweet scent of Cherry and designer perfume, good girl. Seven years and she had not hanged her taste when it comes to her scent.
Rose was in a hurry to stand up from Joseph’s arms, so she didn't notice the clear and deep eyes staring at her for a long time.
Joseph threw the cigarette butt from his mouth on the ground and twisted it out with his shoes.
"Well, Grandma can rest assured that I will send her back."
Rose was dumbfounded, Joseph had bent over and opened the passenger door, as if inviting her in. It seems like he was not just saying it to put his grandmother mind at ease but he plans on taking her home really.
Charlotte smiled. "Rose, send me a message when you get home."
Rose didn’t know if she would accept the offer or reject it. She hesitated for a few more seconds and breathed out a sigh. "Goodbye, Grandma. I will come to see you again when I am free." Then, She bend over and entered the car.
"Good!" Charlotte smiled and nodded. When facing Joseph, Her voice was colder "The road is not easy to navigate at night. Remember to drive slowly. I don't care if you do anything to yourself. Don't injure my girl."
Joseph cursed under his breath and walked around to the front of the car, got into the driver's seat, started the car and left.
Soon, the car was cruising along the lonely road that lead to the Woods estate.
The two people in the car were silent.
Later, it was Rose's cell phone ringing that broke the eerie silence, and Rose answered the phone. "David."
"Where are you now? I'll pick you up?"
"... No need." Rose glanced at Joseph quickly and said softly, "I'll be home in fifteen minutes. Is Mark good with you?"
David smiled and replied in a soft voice. "He clamored for pizza, but fell asleep after eating a piece."
Thinking of how cute the scene of her beautiful baby boy falling asleep was, Rose unconsciously smiled. "David, I owe you for this, thank you."
The space inside the car was relatively small.
Even if Rose didn't turn put the call on loudspeaker, the conversation with David passed into Joseph's ears, word for word, and the lingering words made his face suddenly sink.
Joseph stepped on the accelerator and jerked up the speed. The sudden speed startled Rose.
When she turned her head, she saw Joseph lighting a new cigarette with one hand, and the expression on his face was dark.
"David, I'll talk to you when I get home." Rose quickly hang up the call and held on to the car handle.
She was afraid of Joseph driving.
There was a dead silence in the car, and even the sound of a needle falling would be heard quite clearly.
After a while, Joseph suddenly asked.
"Rose, do you know how long you've been away?"
Rose was silent.
For a long time, she didn’t say anything but when she replied, her voice was very tiny. "Seven years."
"It was a whole 2555 days and twenty three hours!" Joseph corrected her answer. His lips puffed out a circle of smoke, which spreads around the car and into Rose's nose, causing her to choke.
"Ahem."
Joseph gave her a look that was normal for him which was very cold and downright frosty. "Do you see that David finally stabilized himself in Morris Group before you came back, was that the reason why you came back?"
"How long I left and why I came back seems to have nothing to do with David.” Rose frowned. She didn't like his sharp and cool words. When he spoke, he couldn't help but take an accusatory stance.
"Not to me, close acquaintance huh?" Joseph responded.
He glared at the road as he was driving, especially since Rose didn’t say anything to defend herself. The veins stood out on the back of his hand as his grip on the steering wheel tightened.
He stepped on the brakes so hard that Rose didn't have time to guard against it, and she threw herself forward with the momentum she didn’t plan for.
When she almost flew to the front window, she was dragged back with a big hand in front of her middle.
Rose slammed back into her seat, and let out a cry of pain. Joseph's voice seemed to come from a distance, with sharp and hurtful words.
"Rose, do you know how much I want to strangle you whenever I see your face."
Because of her, countless days and nights, his heart, the pain. The heartbreak and just when he was getting used to her absence, she showed up once again!
"... Is it?" Rose gave up the struggle to pretend like she didn’t know what was going on. She knew. She was just as hurt as he was. "But I am very happy without you." She dropped her eyes as she released that shameful confession.
Listening to that hurtful remark, Joseph was frustrated and angry in his heart, and the hotness he deliberately restrained, poured out of his whole body in an instant.
He held out his hand, jerked it over Rose's body and used it to drag her to himself before he lowered his head, and kissed her hard.
"Well, Joseph... you let go..."
Broken voices overflowed from Rose's lips, and she pushed his chest with both hands, trying to stop the kiss before she succumbed to it too but Joseph pressed her heavily against himself, not letting her have the option of struggling. He just sucked her lips hard and pushed his hand under her blouse and over her breast which he squeezed instantly.
Rose trembled and stiffened immediately.
His hand is a little heavy and his touch was making her feel something she hadn’t in a very long time, that made Rose to feel humiliated.
Inexplicably, she remembered her wedding night seven years ago, she was crying violently now and the tears dropped on Joseph's face.
"Joseph, do you want to... bully me again?"
Because of her words, the fierce kiss suddenly became gentle.
Joseph's breathing, too, became heavy.
He stopped fumbling her body, his face was gloomy, and he stared at her, he said "I am strong but I will never use my strength as violence against you. You know that right?"
"Wouldn’t you?" She looked into his eyes, tearful. "When have you ever taken what I am saying into consideration? Every time you do what you want, when you want. Don't you love to humiliate me?"
Including the time she was pregnant with Mark.
"Oh..." Joseph heart chilled at her words.
If she didn't say it, he really didn't know that every time she had s*x, she was forced?
At this time, Joseph voice was completely iced over, and even his person looks a frozen off and cool.
"Get out!" He snarled at her, his words spitting ice.