Looking over, she witnessed Archibald just trying to smash Charles' body face down on the floor, raising his head by his hair as he pointed the gun to his neck.

A shot rang through the room, the sound deafening to the remaining four survivors.


For a moment, Charles wondered why he didn't feel the pain. He had been shot before, so he was used to the feeling.

But before he can almost convince himself that he must die, he turns his head and sees Rosabella standing to her left, eyes wide, gun in hand as her mouth gapes open.

She seemed to be frozen in place, too shocked to understand what she had just done.


Turning his face to his right again, he saw Archibald lying beside him, eyes glancing over as the chest wound spewed blood, turning the carpet below and around him a deep red.

Rosabella killed him.


She killed Archibald.

Charles noticed the man behind Rosabella get up and rush towards her.

But as soon as he realized what had happened, and noticed he was there, still alive, with his eyes burning hot, he decided to fight it and ran out, not even bothering to think about it, closing the hotel door behind him.

The other man close to Archibald's body hoped to do the same, but as he was also trying to leave, Charles grabbed Archibald's gun and killed him by firing two bullets, one in the leg to stop him and the other through his skull.

When he dropped the gun and finally got off the floor, he wasted no time running to Rosabella, snatching the gun from her hand and dropping it to the floor and pulling her cold body against his chest, hugged her again and again as he checked to see if she was injured. His fingers ran through her hair and face, doing his best to assure himself that she was okay.

"Rosabella."

Her lips trembled. She was trying to say something, but no sound came out of her lips.

When Charles finally parked in the garage, he knew Rosabella was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

She hasn't been able to utter a word since he snatched the gun from her almost an hour ago and if he was worried about her before, what he feels now is almost terror.

After she shot Archibald, Charles tried to reassure her but was also aware that they needed to quickly flee the scene.

So when he laid her trembling body on the edge of the bed, he quickly washed his bloody hands, wet a washcloth and wiped Rosabella's face, and took off her tore cardigan to replace it with his own, buttoning her shirt.

Charles himself doesn't have any spare clothes, so he just wears his jacket and closes it so no one will notice that he's topless.

All the while, he talked softly to Rosabella, explaining to her what he was doing so as not to startle her, but also hoping for some reaction.

But she was just too shocked to give him one. Even now in the car, Rosabella just stares ahead, her eyes glancing over as she looks frozen in the seat.

"Rosabella, I'll take you to your room and then go pick up Michel, okay?"

He helped her out of the car. As they walked towards the door leading into the mansion, her legs buckled.

A strong hand grabbed Rosabella under her arm and stopped her from slamming to the floor.

That's when she finally acknowledged his presence and looked over at him.

For a moment, their eyes locked, and the two exchanged a wordless fear of what was to come.

A new wave of illness washed over her as she stepped forward, freed from Charles's grip, her head aching and her back stiff.

Almost breathless, she entered the house and, clutching the railing, went upstairs.

Rosabella staggered into the room and headed straight for the bathroom, where she dumped her stomach on the toilet.

Her stomach constricted painfully and for a moment she froze in a panic that she might pass out, but luckily that feeling quickly disappeared.

She felt Charles's hand cautiously rubbing her back as he brushed her hair to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of her ugly face.

"Rosabella."

Slowly getting up, she shakily walked back to her room and began to undress, leaving the clothes she wore a minute ago scattered on the floor for new ones.

Charles followed her, clearing his throat as he looked at her with deep concern etched on his face.

"I'll go now. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Rosabella nodded curtly, sitting numbly on the sofa while she braced her trembling fingers to her knees.

Walking down the hallway and down the stairs to his office, Charles finally had time to process what had just happened.

He was in problem-solving mode as soon as Archibald's heart stopped beating and didn't allow himself to really understand what all this meant.

But now?

Charles' footsteps stopped when he stopped.

Rosabella killed Archibald.

Rosabella killed Archibald for him.

He gulped heavily as the reality of this seeped into his system.

Is she really? Or was it just because she acted on instinct? But Rosabella is not a member of the Black Roses. She wasn't born with this kind of vengeance in her blood and it wasn't really defenseless since it was he the gun was pointed at at the time.

However, she was also attacked by their people. Confusion clouded his mind as he shook his head and started walking again, only this time, a little faster.

He needs to see Michel as soon as possible before the damage becomes too great to repair.

---

Rosabella was angrily washing her hands with soap and hot water, leaning against the sink when suddenly Charles stood beside her in the bathroom.

He turned off the faucet when he noticed that the skin on her palm was starting to look rough and bruised, his expression calm but also panicky.