Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Chapter 844

When Rose heard that, her tense heart finally eased a bit.

After years of companionship, Alyssa was no longer just the mentor who brought her a glimmer of hope in adversity. She was not only a friend but also a family. Rose didn't want to make Alyssa worry or cause her trouble.

Just then, Rose's phone rang.

She glanced at the screen, and her eyes darkened. As she clenched the phone, her knuckles turned white.

Seeing her mood turn low, Silas tactfully exited the room and closed the door.

However, he lingered nearby, eavesdropping on the conversation.

He knew it wasn't the best thing to do, but for some reason, he felt a strong desire to care for her.

Besides, he could tell that, from the nightclub onward, Rose hadn't told him a single truth, no matter how he asked. As a prosecutor for many years, he had developed sharp insight. So, her guarded thoughts were transparent to him.

In the room, Rose hesitated for a while before reluctantly answering the call.

"Dad."

"What happened tonight?"

Rose's father, George Emerson, spoke through the phone. It lacked warmth and emotion and was filled only with the usual questioning tone and anger.

"Something happened, so the drinking session ended early," Rose replied in a low voice.

"What thing? Don't you know what's important?"

At this moment, a sarcastic voice from a woman echoed from the other end. It was George's wife, Lydia Carney.

"I told you so. How could she obediently help you? You're lucky if she doesn't squander everything you have."

Rose tightly clenched her fists, her face turning as pale as a sheet.

There was one thing that nobody knew, not even Alyssa-Rose was the illegitimate daughter of George Emerson, the chairman of the Emerson Group. However, her identity had never been acknowledged by the Emerson family.

When Rose was 16, she was nearly raped by George's brother. In a fit of rage, her mother stabbed the man over a dozen times, causing his immediate death.

The Emerson family hired top lawyers to handle the case to avoid a scandal. Rose's mother was sent to a mental hospital to avoid legal consequences.

The Emerson family had been using this incident to manipulate Rose since. Even though she had established herself in the design industry, the Emerson family could still command her return at their whim.

Lydia had a son and a daughter, with the son as the apparent heir and the daughter as the apple of their eyes.

Conversely, Rose was treated as an accessory to the Emerson family or even less than that. She was nothing more than a tool for them.

To break free from their control, she ventured out on her own, never asking the Emerson family for a penny.

Under tremendous pressure, she struggled step by step in the design world, carving out a place for herself. Yet, she was still unable to fully control her own life.

"Where are you now?" George asked sternly.

"At... a friend's house."

"Bring two gifts tomorrow and come with me to personally apologize to those two executives!"

Recalling the unpleasant experience tonight, where she was forced to drink excessively and subjected to inappropriate advances, a strong sense of nausea surged within Rose.

She bit her lip and replied, "I won't go. If you want to go, go by yourself."

"What did you say?"

George was furious. "You caused such a big mess tonight and even caused them to be injured! How can you not come forward to resolve this?"

"That's right!"

Lydia chimed in, "Rose, you need to understand. If this business deal falls through, Emerson Group will lose a 300-million-dollar project! How do you plan to compensate for that? With your life?"

"I will find a way to compensate for Emerson Group's losses."

"Compensate? How? With the money you earn from selling clothes? By working on a sewing machine?" Lydia didn't hide her mockery.

On the other end of the phone, there was also laughter from someone else. Rose recognized it as her half-sister, Jamie Emerson.

That evil lady was always ready to seize any opportunity to belittle and mock her from a young age.

"Come back right now!" George roared.