Rose clenched her jaw, her voice almost forced out through her teeth.
"Then give my identity back to me."
"Now isn't the time."
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. "I need to find a way for Captian to accept it gradually. Otherwise, not just you both I and the Bailey family will be finished."
I spoke very slowly, weighing every word. To be honest, in that moment I had also thought about dragging Rose straight to Captian and laying everything bare. But reason told me I couldn't do that. And my instincts were even clearer: Captian would never let me leave easily, much less allow anyone to deceive him.
"Then do you have a plan already?"Rose stared at me, her eyes darkening with suspicion and impatience.
I shook my head."I'm sorry. I haven't figured it out yet."
"What?"Rose suddenly shrieked, her voice so sharp it made me frown. "You haven't even figured it out, and you still dare say all that to me? I think you clearly just want to steal my identity and enjoy the life of the Anderson family's madam!"
I really couldn't take it anymore; my voice dropped.
"The life I'm living now was forced on me by all of you. I never wanted it."
I paused, then looked straight into her eyes. "If you truly want to die, you can go find Captian right now. He has countless ways, one gunshot, or tossing you into a snake pit. Either would be clean enough."
At the words "snake pit," Rose's face went visibly pale. She had clearly heard those rumors too.
"Are you threatening me?" She stared at me, her voice no longer as certain as before.
"I'm not threatening you."I curled my lips, my tone still light but no longer gentle. "I'm just telling the truth."
Rose trembled. Most of her initial arrogance had evaporated, leaving only panic and resentment.
"But if the right opportunity comes," I continued slowly, "I will return the identity to you."
This identity could, in truth, be discarded at any time, just not now. Changing it now would get people killed.
That opportunity was incredibly hard to find. This wasn't swapping an object, but replacing a living person and the person involved belonged to someone dangerously extreme.
I sighed.
"I'll say it again: don't act impulsively. Otherwise, no one will live peacefully."
Rose didn't say anything more. She stood there, her face twisted with anger and helplessness. I turned and left without looking back.
But the moment I stepped outside, my heart was still pounding wildly. I was afraid Rose wouldn't be able to hold it in and would run straight to Captian with nonsense. If that happened… the consequences were unimaginable. Continuing to hide the truth like this wasn't a long-term solution either. Should I tell Captian the truth?
I was so tangled in my thoughts that my brows were tightly knit when I suddenly sensed something was off. At the next table, two heads were hiding behind menus, furtively peeking in my direction.
My heart sank for a second.
Could they be people Captian sent to watch me?
My back stiffened, my limbs went cold. But a second later, I reassured myself. If they really were Captian's people, they wouldn't be this clumsy.
Summoning my courage, I walked straight over and yanked the menus away.
Two familiar faces were immediately revealed.
"Hezze? Halley?"I blinked, genuinely surprised. "Why are you two here?"
Caught red-handed, Hezze cleared her throat, then immediately looped her arm through mine, grinning.
"Weren't we worried Rose might bully you, so we secretly followed along? In case something happened, we could rush out in time."
"And you?" I turned to Halley.
Halley scratched his head, smiling awkwardly."Hezze asked me. She said having one more person would make her feel safer and we could help each other."
Hezze immediately chimed in, eyes shining."That's right! If a fight breaks out, having a guy here means we can just kick Rose over!"
I stared at her, speechless.
It wasn't a fight…
But inside, I felt a little warmer.
"So?" Hezze frowned. "Did Rose make things difficult for you? I heard her yelling just now."
"She was just a bit agitated," I waved it off. "Nothing serious. I can handle it."
Hearing that, Hezze finally relaxed. After all, in her eyes now, I was someone who knew pressure-point techniques, not easy to bully.
"So it's settled then?" she asked.
I thought for a moment, then nodded."Basically, yes."
Hezze rested her chin on her hand and didn't ask more. She probably understood that if it weren't something serious, I wouldn't have chosen such a deserted café to talk.
…
Rose's POV:
The three of them laughed and chatted as they left the café, their receding footsteps trampling directly over my pride.
I sat motionless where I was, my back still numb from the pressure-point strike earlier. It took more than ten minutes for the numbness to gradually fade. I stood up, my head buzzing, my steps stiff like someone just waking from a nightmare.
I was furious so furious I felt like I might go insane.
Rosy… again Rosy.
What right did she have? What right did she have to stand in front of me, using that calm tone to "advise" me to wait? What right did she have to take the life that was originally mine and still act like the victim?
I bit my lip hard, my nails digging deep into my palms.
Unwilling.I absolutely could not accept it.
I returned to my family's villa. Coming back had been an impulsive decision, I hadn't told anyone, not even my parents. But now it was different. I had entered Hathaway, had taken my place where I should have been. I needed rest. I needed to plan my next step. How could a cold hotel compare to my own home?
"Rose? Why are you back?" My mother froze when she saw me. My father was surprised as well. "Is Ravenholm on holiday?"
I shook my head, took a deep breath, and forced my voice to stay steady.
"Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you. I've entered Hathaway. From now on, I'll be studying here."
They looked at me as if they couldn't believe their ears.
I clenched my teeth, the emotions I'd bottled up for so long finally spilling out.
"I regret it. We were wrong from the beginning. We shouldn't have let that country girl stay by Captian's side. The one who should be standing next to him… is me."
I spoke faster and faster, more and more urgently, as if afraid that if I slowed down even for a second, everything would slip away.
"Everything she has now is because she's using my name. If I hadn't lent her my identity, what right would she have to step into that world?"
I saw hesitation flicker in my parents' eyes. My heart started pounding harder.
"I want everything back." I clenched my fists, my voice trembling with urgency and jealousy. "Captian was meant to be mine. Not Rosy's."
"Are you crazy?" my father shouted. "Do you know what kind of person Captian is? He's a demon who kills without blinking! You're our only daughter, how could you step into a place like that?"
But I couldn't hear it anymore.
If Rosy could do it, why couldn't I?
She wasn't even as good as me.
"I'm not afraid," I said stubbornly. "If Rosy can survive, then I can survive even better. Besides, if I'm the one by Captian's side, our Bailey family will have everything, money, status, reputation. Nothing will be lacking."
I saw clear hesitation on their faces. I knew I'd struck the right nerve.
Finally, my mother patted my hand gently, her voice softening.
"Our Rose is so beautiful… how could that Rosy ever compare?"
Hearing that, my chest finally felt a little lighter. That's right. I was the one who deserved it.
Even though my father kept bringing up the issue of "deceiving" Captian, I no longer wanted to listen. I turned and went back to my room, tossing my bag onto the bed, my mind burning with a single thought:
I would take everything back.
As long as I appeared in front of Captian a few more times, how could a man like him not be swayed?