ALEX WAS FURIOUS. He knew something was going to go wrong the minute he stepped into the dining room. It was expected of his Father to do act the way he did and it pained Alex that he could not do anything to prevent what happened. Alex tightened his hold on Rose.

"Your Highness-" Tyler spoke up but Alex stopped him.

"I got this." Alex said, dragging Rose up the stairs.

Alex noticed Rose didn't try to resist as she normally would. This infuriated him. Somehow, he blamed himself for what happened.

Alex brought Rose to his chambers and took her straight to his bathroom. Her palms were still bleeding profusely.

Alex turned the tap on and placed her hands underneath to wash the blood away. He heard her hiss in pain. He watched as her blood mixed with water flowed down the sink. He closed his eyes and exhaled.
After washing her injuries, Alex placed his hands on her hips and sat her down on the marble countertop. He scrambled through his cabinet and found an ointment. He went back to her, dragging a bathroom stool to sit on. He opened the ointment and took out of it.

"This is going to hurt." Alex said, staring into her blank eyes.

"Just do it." Rose whispered, then looked away.

Alex nodded and began to dab the cuts carefully. Rose winced and Alex stopped, checking on her. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she bit her lip. He sighed and continued to dress her wounds. They stayed silent as Alex finally wrapped up her palms and he stood.

Rose whispered something under her breath.

"What did you say?" Alex asked.

"I said it's all your fault Alex!" She snapped her head towards him. He could already see tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "This is all your fault." She said again. "You shouldn't have brought me here Alex. You should have just left me in the woods. I-I hate you for doing this to me." She sobbed, hitting his chest with her injured arm.

Alex clenched his jaw, taking all the hits. He let her take out her frustration on him.

"I fucking hate you!" Rose said as she repeatedly hit his chest.

Alex had enough and he grabbed her arms, pulling her to him. He wrapped his arms around her. She struggled against him until she gave up and cried into his shoulders. He stroked her hair gently, whispering calming words into her ear.

Her sobs reduced after a while and she pushed him away slightly.

"Are you done being a crybaby?" Alex asked, cocking his eyebrow.

She glared at him. "Shut up." She growled.

Alex chuckled. He scanned through her face. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red from all the crying. His eyes lingered on her lips which were formed into a pout.

"I'm sorry for blaming you. I didn't mean it." She whispered, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Rose." Alex sighed, "You're right. I shouldn't have brought you here. I should have just killed you the minute I saw you."

Rose gasped. "What? You-you-"
Alex laughed, his deep voice rumbling through the air. "I'm just kidding, sweetheart. Besides, you're too fun to be gotten rid of." He looked down at her.

Her startled blue-green orbs gazed up at his. It was then Alex noticed the close distance between them. He tried to step back but she stopped him, clutching his suit jacket.

"Are you going to let go?" Alex asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No." She spoke softly, dragging him back to her.

Alex was taken aback for a moment, but he recovered swiftly. His hands were positioned on the counter, Rose pinned between them. She placed her wrapped hands on his face.

"You should laugh more often." She muttered, tracing under his lips. "You look more like a human being when you do." She chuckled.

Alex was confused at her change of behavior but he didn't show it. He decided to play along.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Alex asked, his lips curled up.

"Maybe you should." She smiled, meeting his eyes.

They stared at each other, lost in the moment. His gaze flickered to her lips and her tongue darted out, licking hers. He groaned internally, his pants becoming tight.

Alex clutched the counter till his knuckles turned white. He didn't know what it was about Rose that made him want to lose control. She was pulling at his strings. Her arms wrapped around his neck pulling him closer, her chest brushing against his. He could feel her heavy breaths on his lips as they inched closer to each other. Her lips caressed his fleetingly and she smirked.

The little tease. Alex growled.

He was about to close the distance when a knock interrupted them.

"Your Highness! Are you in there?" Tyler's voice sounded from the other side.

Alex pulled back, coming back to his senses. He was about to kiss Rose. How could he let his guard down? "Shit." He cursed under his breath.

"Your Highness?" Tyler spoke again.
Alex cleared his throat. "Yes, Tyler. What is the matter?" He asked.

"I'm sorry for interrupting but his Majesty requires your presence immediately." Tyler said.

Alex scoffed. He knew this was coming. "I'll be right there."

"Yes, your Highness." Tyler replied.

Alex heard his footsteps retreat and his room door closed before he glanced at Rose. Her face was flushed as she looked at the door. He sighed. "Your hands have been taken care of. You can go back to your chambers." He said, blankly.

Rose nodded and got off the counter. She scurried past him, her head hung low. He had the strange urge to grab her and finish what she started but he held himself.

"Thank you... for today." She said before leaving the bathroom.

Alex gripped his hair and exhaled. That female was trouble and she was getting to him. He didn't like it one bit. The faint scent of vanilla still filled the air, intoxicating him. He looked down at the bulge in his pants and groaned.

"How am I going to see Father with this hard-on now?" Alex growled. He thought for a while before he decided.

"Fuck it." Alex stripped off his clothes and entered the shower room. "Father can wait." He said before he turned on the shower and stroked himself to the thought of a certain redhead female.

***

ROSE was in a daze as she walked back to the staff-quarters. She couldn't believe she almost kissed Alex. She could still feel the heat of his body and his manly scent made her stomach roar to life. Her fingers traced her lips, reminiscing the little moment of contact with his. She closed her eyes and shivered. Not seeing where she was going, she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry-" Rose paused when she looked up at the person.

"Ah... just the person I wanted to see." Jared slurred, eyeing her creepily.

Rose's face paled. She stepped back, distancing herself away from him. He chuckled.

"Don't be shy darling." He staggered forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him, "I don't bite... much." He licked his lips.

His breath hit her nose, smelling of alcohol. Rose scrunched up her face in disgust. Was he drunk? "Get away from me, you bastard!" She seethed, pushing him away and smacking his face hard. Rose winced as the force of the slap caused the throb in her palms to increase. It was worth the pain though. The bastard deserved it for harassing her and putting her in that situation.

Jared stumbled back, holding his cheek. His chest rose and fell as his demeanor changed and he turned to face her, his face contorted in anger. He charged towards her and grabbed her hair, pulling her strands. Rose screeched, struggling against him. He pulled her face towards his and hissed.

"You're going to pay for that, you little bitch." He started dragging her towards a secluded corner.

Rose screamed, smacking his arm at every chance she got but he was too strong. Her palms throbbed, blood already staining the bandage as her wounds re-opened. Jared pushed her against the wall, trapping her between him. He covered her mouth with his palm, silencing her screams.

"Be quiet and this will be over quick." Jared growled.

Rose still fought against him, her hands flailing around. Jared grabbed her wrists with one hand and placed them over her head. He wedged his knees between hers, trapping her completely.

"Such a feisty little thing." He chuckled, leaning closer to her ear. His other hand traced her thigh under her dress and violent shivers went through Rose.

"Let's finish what we started, shall we?"

***

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P.s not edited