They jostled each other when the explosion happened at the same time, and his world shattered around him as he arrived fast and hard, in Rosabella's arms.

Slowly, they go down together, breathing slows down, and the body relaxes. He was in her lap and curled his hand around her face when he opened his eyes.


She was watching him, a small sweet smile with only a hint of wonder.

"Uhh."

Her smile grew wider as satisfaction lit up her eyes.


"Uh, what?"

"Uh, I forgive you."


She hit him lightly on the arm for quick retaliation.

"You're better."

---

"You didn't tell me that Kaylin was the girl at the pub."

Those were the first words that came out of Rosabella's mouth after she and Charles had spent more than an hour in bed together as they were lying on their backs, their faces glowing from the sex while their breaths lingered. they just calmed down.

"What?"

Rosabella sat up slightly, clutching the bed sheet over her naked face as she looked at him.

"The girl Michel is seeing? You never mentioned that it was actually Kaylin."

Charles shrugged easily, not really seeing the problem there. "It's not my business to say. Besides, they barely see each other. It's purely physical."

"However, you should have told me after I mentioned it." However, she persisted.

Laughing, he leaned against the headboard, arms crossed behind his head, letting the silk slide down his toned upper body.

"So I have to tell you who's doing who now?" He looked at her with a teasing frown.

Rosabella patted her chest. "Yes. I should have known, ok? For Fanny's sake." She explained, running a hand through her messy hair.

Sighing, Charles reached out and grabbed one of her arms, pulling her body closer as he pushed the cardboard away from her chest.

He started kissing her neck again, showing her his intentions for the third time that night before she evaded his efforts and backed away slightly.

"Do you know about Carlos and Kaylin?" She continued the topic, making him groan out loud as his lips on her skin just seconds ago went blank.

"What about them?"

"Uh, they're dating."

Charles sighed again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Difficult. They're dating. That's all."

"But..."

"And Fanny never told you about dating in mafia life?"

He saw her frown, clearly not understanding what he was implying.

"We're not dating."

The frown on her face increased as her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but was overwhelmed by the number of questions she suddenly had.

"What?"

Abandoning the idea that he would get lucky again, Charles sat up straight and grabbed his boxers off the floor by the bed, sliding them back.

"We're not in a relationship. We make alliances. So yeah, we're not dating."

"But Michel and Fanny..."

"Michel broke protocol. He's fortunate to be the leader of the family, otherwise, he would have faced a lot of backlash if not war."

Now it was Rosabella's turn to roll her eyes when she saw her panties tangled in the sheets, pulling them back like his.

"Too dramatic."

"Uh, this is my world." Charles shrugged.

Searching for her bra and unable to locate it, Rosabella continued to teleport around with the bed sheet clamped in front, sweeping the floor around the bed for the lost item as she continued to keep saying.

"In my world, it's normal, you date to get to know the person and then decide if you want to be with them or not."

"And how does that work for you?"

Rosabella shot him a glare. She doesn't want to admit that the relationships she has, have gone bankrupt.

She's been lied to, lied to, and most of those people don't even know how to act like an adult let alone a man.

On the other hand, Charles was so different. He's all men. Always. He is not insecure or vague. He is responsible.

Not wanting to give him a definitive answer, she just shrugged as she looked at him with a knowing smile.

"In our circles, your woman is your first priority. Her happiness is your duty."

"How can you make someone happy if you're being thrown at each other for the sake of an alliance? I don't understand."

Charles leaned closer to her as he spoke, his voice now carrying the deeply sensual tone he used to use right before undressing her.

"It doesn't matter. When a Black Roses man has a woman, it's because of him. He will stay by her side and call. He will take care of her. Fulfill all wish her wants without her having to ask. He made her happy. And most of all, he made sure she was safe."

Rosabella's throat was completely dry. Is this even realistic? Because as far as she's concerned, this only happens in cheesy novels and TV series.

So why did his words, which sounded like a declaration, made her so angry?

Licking her lips, Rosabella straightened her shoulders as she did her best to look unaffected.

"Very well, then you won't break protocol with me."

Then she quickly stood up and continued looking for her bra.

---

Fanny sighed in annoyance as the two sat on a blanket in the back garden, the sun warming them.

"I'm just… I can't understand why you could be friends with her."

Rosabella looked at her best friend and swallowed her disappointment.

Rosabella understands that Fanny has been going through a tough time, but what exactly does she expect from Kaylin?

She really just told Rosabella that she and Michel were back on track and left no time to answer this, now she's breaking her ball because she's getting along with Kaylin?

Rosabella let her speak, listening to Fanny's statements about the girl who was - surprisingly - good friends with her.

But what does Rosabella have to say to Fanny now? That Rosabella has more to complain about than she does?

Rosabella was just trying to survive in a situation she was dragged into without any control over it.