Rose stood behind Ss, her heart initially unsettled. Her lips were pressed thinly together.


    However, she nearly broke into a smile after hearing Ss'' remark.


    Ss possessed a formidable ability to dismantle a convict in court and ruthlessly exploit someone''s


    vulnerabilities with his words.


    "Nonsense! I''ve never had my face done!" Lydia retorted, hastily covering her stiffened face, a mix of


    shame, anger, and guilt consuming her.


    Ss shook his head. "It''s not your fault for aging, but it''s not right to run around scaring people off with


    that face either."


    Lydia seethed with outrage, feeling her blood boil at his audacity.


    "Who are you to Rose?" Jamie interjected, clinging to her mother and demanding an answer.


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    "Who am I to Rose?" Ss mused, touching the inside of his cheek with his tongue before turning to


    Rose with a serious expression. "Ms. Emerson, she wants to know my role in your life."


    Rose met his gaze, her heart pounding in her chest.


    "If you don''t say anything, then I''ll take the liberty of calling myself your boyfriend," Ss announced


    with a wide smile, a gentle glint in his eyes.


    "What?" Lydia''s and Jamie''s jaws dropped.


    How could this sophisticated man be Rose''s boyfriend?


    Rose''s cheeks flushed instantly. She looked down shyly, afraid to look at him.


    Ss'' expression softened as he reached for her cold hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.


    "I didn''t intervene when you were bullying Rosie earlier because I wanted to witness the extent of your


    cruelty and shamelessness. I wanted to see just how low you could stoop," Ss remarked coolly, his


    demeanor exuding a chilling presence.


    "And you didn''t disappoint me. It''s truly eye-opening to see both of you devils in action," he added, his


    eyes narrowing slightly.


    Rosie?


    Rose blinked away the moisture from her eyes, feeling a warmth spreading in her chest.


    Lydia gritted her teeth. "This concerns only the Emersons. I don''t think this has anything to do with


    you."


    "Rosie is mine, so that makes her problems mine as well.." Ss rubbed his cheeks, his gaze sharp


    enough to deter anyone from meeting it directly.


    "Sir, my mother has never spoken an untruth about her."


    Jamie erupted, hurling usations at Rose once more. "She''s the illegitimate offspring of the


    Emersons. Her mother seduced my father and bore her out of wedlock. Unable to secure her position,


    she birthed this wretch behind my father''s back.


    "Then, in desperation, her mother brought her to us for protection. We embraced her as family, but


    Rose, despite our kindness, turned her back on us after gaining some fame for herself. She wouldn''t


    even deign to design a gown for me!


    "She wouldn''t even be here if not for us Emersons. If my father hadn''t taken them in, Rose and her


    mother would have perished on the streets."


    Rose''s eyes zed crimson, her breathsbored while Ss sneered with contempt.


    "What does any of this have to do with my Rosie?"


    Jamie was stunned.


    "She didn''t choose toe into this world. She couldn''t choose her parents or upbringing either. But I


    believe if she could choose, she''d want nothing to do with the Emersons."


    Ss fixed his gaze on Rose, his eyes darkened with understanding.


    "If you possess an iota of dignity, leave my presence. Otherwise, I''ll ensure you lose even that."


    Lydia realized this man was far moreplex than she had assumed. Unable to press her argument


    further, she could only tug Jamie away, hastily exiting the vi.


    As they reached the car, Jamie erupted in fury. "Mom, that man hurt you. Even if he won''t apologize,


    shouldn''t he at least foot your medical bills?"