[CHAPTER NINE]

 Previously on Avenging Angels

Rose is on gardening duty this week and she couldn't be more happy. She meets Travis in the garden and wasn't aware of Christian watching them. Once she was in the glassroom with Avalor, she realises that the roses inside there wasn't just an ordinary rose.

 NINE

"Are you okay?" I heard a voice and I snapped out of the trance I managed to have put myself in.

"Yes, ma'am. I am fine" I quickly masked any emotions that have managed to slip out.

"You should get this looked at. It's quite deep" she nodded and left the room.

I looked at the rose, touched, felt and smelt it.

It's no doubt the same rose.

I have only seen this type of rose in two places.

With my father and in this castle.

What does this mean? Does it mean that each time father went on a trip he always came to the Bladderwort's castle?

But it doesn't makes any sense.

I managed to trim the grasses before leaving the glassroom.

"Here's your food" Helen said as I entered the kitchen.

I picked at the food, my appetite swept under the rug.

"What's wrong?" Helen asked in concern.

"Nothing. The food is cold and I have no appetite" I packed the food in foil paper, not wanting to waste food and put it in the refrigerator.

"OK, I am going to clean. Bye" she said and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me alone in the counter.

Father always went on a trip to town at least once a month and he never failed to bring me my favourite rose each time.

Does this means that the trip was a trip to this castle or he just stopped by to pick up the rose?

This family and my father must have known each other, if not, he couldn't just be visiting them like that.

What is going on? If they were so close that he visited them occasionally then why would she kill him? For what reason?

My head hurt from all these questions that I have no answer to.

I will find out.

When I snapped out of my thoughts, I saw a face staring at me.

Blue eyes filled with curiosity and amazement, small and round nose free from acne, plump, pink lips wet from licking it.

"How can someone look so cute while deep in thoughts?" His deep, husky voice whispered.

I turned away from his gaze and looked down to see his arms at either side of me in the counter, trapping in between, his chest lightly grazing my back.

"What were you thinking about? You didn't even notice I have been here watching you for a few minutes now" he jutted my chin with his hand to look at him.

"None of your business" I gritted.

They are all the same. Despicable beings.

"Ah, ah, ah. Calm down, I know you are hot when you have an attitude but that doesn't mean you will show me only this side of you" he clicked his tongue and smirked.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Nothing. It's been long I saw you so...." he trailed off, I saw his eyes going to my lips but I kept my cool.

"You have seen me now so back off and besides it's not like you were particularly missing me" I rolled my eyes and he chuckled.

"You really don't know anything about me" he finally shifted and went to refrigerator to grab a water bottle.

"So, are you implying you really missed me?"

My heart unconsciously skipped at that thought but I ignored it.

"I see you have a new boyfriend. Does papa knows about that?" He said with a mocking tone but I didn't miss the tensing of his jaw and narrowing of his eyes when he asked the question.

He was testing me.

"Well, since he is up up high and watching us from heaven. I am pretty sure he knows" I commented dryly and his eyes widen.

"He is...."

"Dead" I finished the sentence for him.

"I am sor-"

"Save it. I don't need anyone's pity" I cut him off and stood up to leave the kitchen.

He reached out and grabbed my arm to hold me back.

"Pity is the last thing I would feel for you" he uses his free hand to stroke my hair.

I want to remove his hand from my head but I find myself leaning into his touch.

"I know you are strong and don't need pity from anyone. I see it in your eyes" he uses his finger to brush my eyebrow.

He gave me a small smile before leaving the kitchen.

I took in a sharp breath and glared at the door.

If what I feel towards you is attraction, then I will break and erase any trace of it because it can only be you and I, not we.

*****

"Are you sure it's the same rose?" Lily asked for the thousandth time.

"Yes, I am sure it is, Lily. How many times will you ask me that?" I whispered-yell, not wanting to wake Chloe at 2 am.

I have been talking with my sisters about the rose for the past hour and Lily can't get it into her little head that it is the same frigging rose.

"It's just so hard to believe, you know. I mean, how is that even possible?" Iris asked.

"I don't know. Father must have had some kind of relationship with the Bladderworts but I just can't figure what?" I grabbed my hair in irritation. I hate being left in the dark.

"Then that relationship turned into animosity that resulted in Avalor killing our Father but what happened?" Iris questioned.

"Well, at least we found something, because it was all too strange how just a petty farmer like our father could get murdered by a business tycoon" Lily said.

"Yeah, that's true" I agreed with her.

"OK, girls. I kind of need my beauty sleep and also I have an exam tomorrow" Lily yawned.

"Yeah, let's get to bed. It's already late"

We said goodbye and they probably went to sleep but I couldn't. I just couldn't until I found something.

Anything.

I look down at my bed where all the papers I have gathered about the Bladderwort are sprawled on, old newspapers, torn pages from magazines, the scandals, the successful business projects and failed ones. Everything is here but there is nothing. It has nothing I am looking for.

I look at my laptop screen and go over the details on the screen for a hundredth time.

Quinera Rose; One of the most endangered species of Rose as of 1985. In 1990, a 18 year old student of Livingstone High named Avalor Mary Brewham, discovered a compound that could be put in the fertiliser in bit quantities to increase the production of more flowers and preserve for a longer time. She claimed she doesn't wants it to go viral and refused when asked to share the secret with the media. The flower no longer exist in this day and time.

But the flower does exist. It's in this Castle.

Why didn't she wanted to tell the media about it? Knowing Avalor, she loved fame and attention. She couldn't just have missed a great chance in getting that.

I looked closer at the image of the first opening of the Bladderwort Inc.

Cold sweat filled my palms as I recognised that badge on the building.

The same badge my father wore each time he went on a trip.