Alpha J

Chapter 22 Secret Crush

As Rose left Astra Law Firm, her mind was in turmoil. She could not stay calm at all.

Louie said that Celeste had left a secret will. The will would only be revealed after Rose inherited Celeste Jewels.

Through her will, Celeste had arranged everything beforehand. It was as if she knew that something would happen to Rose.

The secret will gave Rose even more reason to suspect the accident. She knew there had to be more to it.

While Rose was deep in her thoughts, her phone rang with a call from her best friend, Yvonne.

As soon as the call connected, Yvonne asked concernedly, “Rose, are your okay? I’m so sorry. The dance troupe has been having rehearsals the past few days, so my phone got confiscated.

“I just heard about what happened to you. How could Maya do this? She keeps spreading the gossip everywhere! If I’d been there, I would’ve sewn her mouth shut!”

The alumni group was buzzing over the news. Everyone now knew that Rose had a one–night stand with a stranger and had been driven out of the Shaffer residence.

Yvonne refused to believe that Rose would just sleep with a random stranger. She believed there had to be more to the story.

When Rose did not answer, Yvonne became even more anxious.

“Rose, are you… alright? Rose, please be okay. I’ll ask for a leave of absence from the dance troupe and return to Aquastead. Let me be there for you.”

Rose was touched. It had been a while since she last received such kindness.

Fearing that Yvonne would actually abandon her career and come back to Aquastead, she said, “I’m fine. There’s someone else who’s not fine, though…” Rose recalled kicking Nixon today. She felt extremely good about it.

+15 BONUS

She briefly summarized how Nixon had been sleeping with Kelly behind her back.

“Those cheating snakes…” Yvonne was furious.

Then, she abruptly changed the subject. “Rose, my brother is back in Aquastead.”

Evan?

Rose was surprised to hear that he was back so suddenly.

Yvonne chuckled and suggested, “Rose, you’re single now, and my brother has always been single. You two can be a couple, right?”

For a moment, Rose was dumbstruck. “What kind of joke is this?”

“I’m not joking. You used to have a secret crush on my brother, didn’t you? If he -hadn’t gone overseas, you would’ve won him over with your charm already.

Nixon wouldn’t even be in the picture.

Recalling the crush she had when she was younger, Rose felt her heart skip a beat.

But in the very next moment, she found herself thinking about her star escort husband.

“Yvonne, I’m ma-”

Rose was about to tell Yvonne that she was married, but before she could do so, a luxury car pulled up in front of her abruptly.

When the car door opened, Rose saw the person inside. She could not help but murmur, “It’s you?”

Evan Spencer, the person inside the car, was wearing a casual suit. He looked like the warm spring sun as he waved gently at Rose.

“Hi, Rose. What a coincidence. I spotted you from a distance. Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”

While speaking, Evan stepped out of the car. He opened the door to the passenger seat for Rose.

Yvonne heard the sounds on the other end of the line and immediately asked,

2/4

Who is it, Rose? Did you run into someone? Wait, I think I hear a man’s voice…”

“It’s… your brother…”

Rose swiftly ended the call.

Yvonne was taken aback.

“Evan? That’s weird. He just arrived in Aquastead today and they’ve already. encountered each other.”

She had no clue that the encounter was not a coincidence after all.

As soon as Evan arrived in Aquastead, he began looking for Rose. He looked. everywhere before he finally found Rose here.

Evan’s sincerity made it hard for Rose to decline his offer, so she got into his

car.

The atmosphere was a little tense.

Rose had been accepting design commissions from Evan, but they had only been contacting each other via email. They did not even call each other, much less meet in person.

“Evan, thank you for giving me opportunities to earn some money.” Rose broke the silence.

Evan smiled brightly as responded while driving, “I should be the one thanking you. You have no idea how popular your designs are.

“All the famous designers in Finterra keep asking me about the mysterious Ms. Flora. They want to work with you, but I’m a little selfish. I won’t let them get their hands on such a precious treasure.”

There seemed to be another meaning behind his words.

Rose blushed as she hastily said, “Evan, you must be joking.”

“It’s not a joke.”

Evan looked at Rose. His gaze was serious and heartfelt. “Rose, come with me. to Finterra. With talent like yours, you could be the best designer in the world.”