Chapter 14 The Dent Desert
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Chapter 14 She Doesn’t Deserve It
People immediately piled on Ursula.
“Ursula, why are you so worked up? This is between Rosalie and Camelia. Why are you butting in?”
“Exactly. For all you know, Rosalie meant to send it. Stop stirring the pot.”
Ursula practically exploded. “Stirring the pot? Please! You fair-weather clout chasers make me sick! I’m not wasting another breath on a bunch of blind fools!”
Rosalie sent Ursula a direct message. “Leave the chat. There’s nothing worth saying to these people.”
Then, she hit “Leave Group” herself.
Ursula’s voice message popped up a second later. “I’m furious! How shameless can Camelia be? You pulled so many all-nighters to build that figure, and she dares to say you gave it to her as a blessing? Give
me a break!”
Hearing Ursula stand up for her eased some of the coldness in Rosalie’s chest. “You’re right. She doesn’t deserve it. I made it with my own hands, so I have every right to take it back.”
Rosalie moved to her desk, flipped open her laptop, and began to type. Her fingers flew over the keys.
After a few quick lines, she hit Enter.
A dialog box filled the center of the screen. “Core chip self-destruct routine initiated. Estimated completion in 10 seconds.”
As the display dimmed, the tension inside her finally eased. She had done it. Destroying something she
once treated like a treasure turned out to be easier than she thought.
Ursula called right away. “Rosa, are you okay? Don’t let those two get under your skin. It’s not worth it! Not
even a little!”
A faint smile tugged at Rosalie’s lips. Having a friend like this was a gift. “I’m fine. It’s over.”
“Good! Good!” Ursula let out a sigh of relief. “Alright, enough about those two idiots. Serious question. Did you really go to the city hall with my cousin today and get the marriage certificate?”
Rosalie settled back in her chair, closed her eyes for a beat, and let the cool evening air from the window wash over her. “Yeah. We did.”
“Oh my God, you legend! So what do you think of him? He didn’t freak you out, did he?”
Without meaning to, Rosalie pictured Julian again. He was tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. A hard edge when he spoke, yet surprisingly thoughtful.
“He’s fine,” she said after a pause. “I just didn’t expect him to be a firefighter.”
“A firefighter?” Ursula sounded taken aback, then quickly recovered. “Right! Yes! A firefighter! That’s a
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badge-of-honor job. He protects the public and gives people a real sense of safety. It’s very masculine, right?”
Rosalie raised an eyebrow. Something about Ursula’s tone rang odd.
“I never said being a firefighter was bad. I was just surprised. After all, he’s your cousin.”
The Reed family ran international trade and had money to burn. Her cousins were usually CEOs and
directors.
Someone like Julian, working the front lines at a fire station, risking his neck every day for a civil-service paycheck, made him the outlier.
“Hey, what’s so surprising?” Ursula gave a strained laugh. “Rosa, don’t read into it. My cousin… I swear I’m not palming you off because he’s a firefighter! I promise, he’s the real deal! Give it time and you’ll see!
Trust me! You won’t regret it!”
Ursula was so flustered she could barely get her words straight.
Rosalie chuckled. “You introduced us, so of course I trust you. He seems quite decent.”
“Then we’re good! As long as you think he’s decent, nothing else matters!”
“Wapler thShot Fir
