Adopted

The man with the glass she saw with Mr. Whitfred on the first day they met was now standing beside Mr. Whitfred in front of the car with three other tall tough-looking men in their mid or late twenties standing behind them in black suits, black shoes, and ties and white shirts.

The man with the glasses whispered something to Mr. Whitfred. After getting a nod from Mr. Whitfred, the man walked toward her with a smile. "Good afternoon Miss Rose," he told her with a slight bow.

"Good afternoon Mr... Mr . . .," she tried to reply as normal and relaxed but she got stuck.

"Mr. Swanson," he told her his name to continue the conversation they had just begun.

"Good evening Mr. Swanson," she answered him finding his name relatively weird, and giving him a warm beautiful smile.

The man gave her a bright professional smile. "I will take you to your room," Mr. Swanson told her and led her towards an entrance. Soon they were in an elevator along with one of the men holding her luggage.

She was confused and worried earlier but she could finally relax although not letting her guard down. Those men in the black suit were not scary but they looked professional and would most likely tackle anyone they wanted to.

Mr. Swanson swiped the key card of one of the rooms and the door opened. He gave her the little luggage and waited for her at the door to enter. "Someone will bring your lunch soon," Mr. Swanson informed her.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Swanson," she appreciated sincerely subconsciously touching her stomach. She was famished and a nice meal will do her a lot of good.

Mr. Swanson gave her the card key. "I will leave you now," he told her before helping her close the door and leaving.

Sighing, Rose turned and looked at the room she now stood in. It won't be an exaggeration but rather an understatement to say the room was as big as the room she shared with eleven other girls. It smelt nice – clean and fresh. The room was painted white with a simple but beautiful interior design.

There was a forty inches TV, a glass table, and two sofas in one part of the room. The bed was well laid with a set of lilac and white beddings on the other side. Every item and decoration she saw including the paintings on the wall was of very high quality and expensive.

This was the best room she had been in throughout her both lives. She walked to the bed and dropped her luggage, a small brown leather bag with her toiletries, a pair of jean trousers, and a pink T-shirt. That was all she took away from the orphanage because Mr. Whitfred told her to bring only a little bag.

She sat on the bed and she almost could not feel her bottom on anything. The bed was so soft as though she was sitting on a cloud. She quickly lay on the bed sniffing in the lavender scent of the detergent used to wash the beddings.

The bed was so comfortable she could almost kill to sleep on such a soft bed for the rest of her life. And that was just what she was going to do. Kill those who took away her happy life filled with luxury and take back what belonged to her.

She was yet to make a detailed plan and she was not in a hurry. She was just fourteen and her new father will send her to a good school and with a good education, determination, discipline, and focus, the kingdom will become hers.

That was her dream and she had no idea if there could be a third chance for her if she messes this chance up. She could not mess this up.

Building a stable and firm reputation in the country will not be a very easy task. The availability of the right connection and power will make things easier. She was not just going to revenge but to take her rightful place as the first princess and she needed the best reputation there could be to get enough support.

She drifted quickly. Just like the effect the music she listened to earlier had on her, the soft bed was also a good sleeping doze but her dream was not as sweet as the one she had earlier. This time it was sad that she could feel hundreds of tiny pins piercing her heart.

She woke up with the pillow soaked with her sweat and tears. She sat up and leaned against the wall. She rubbed her face trying to clean off the tears and sweat. How long is this going to last? She got down from her bed and went into the bathroom to take her bath.

The bathroom was nice and bigger than the bathroom in the orphanage where a dozen girls could bath comfortably. There was a bathing tub and a shower cubicle. She had read in her past life about bubble baths but she never got the opportunity to enjoy one. She smiled excitedly this was a perfect chance for a bubble bath.

She soaked in the bathing tub and completely refused to come out despite how many times her stomach grumbled angrily. It was more than an hour before she reluctantly stood up and got out of the tub.

She saw a white dressing robe and wore it before walking out of the bathroom to hear a knock on the door. She opened the door and Mr. Swanson stood with a worried expression on his face.

"I have been knocking for some time now," he said frowning when he saw her in a dressing robe although he felt relieved that she was okay. He would have gotten the spare key from the hotel staff if she had not opened the door. He thought she ran away or perhaps passed out in the room.

"Sorry. I was taking a bath," she apologized bowing her head with slumped shoulders. She did not hear him knock.

"Your lunch is here,' he told and stepped aside for the hotel staff to serve her.

"Thank you," she appreciated with a smile.

"You should remain in the room. We will leave tomorrow by dawn. Mr. Whitfred has something to take care of today. I will have them bring your dinner later," he informed her before leaving.

"Okay. Mr. Swanson," she tried to respond to his information but he had already gone. She closed the door and went to eat her lunch. The man must have been pissed off but he tried not to show it.

***

In a well-guarded villa in B city, a young man pulled off his sweat-soaked tank top and took a bottle of cold water from the fridge before sitting on a bench. Just before he could unscrew the cap, a tall man walked into the large well-equipped gym and sat beside the youth.

The man looked at the boy with his brown eyes filled with mystery, he was someone not easily read or understood but he now wore a sad look on his face as he glanced at the boy he had become fond of. He glanced at the amber tattoo of a very beautiful rose on the left side of the youth's chest directly above his heart.

"It is time for you to leave Liam," the man told the youth. "You will leave with three chosen guys today by sunset. I wanted to celebrate your departure but I could not. They are done preparing for your arrival and it is only best you go now," the man explained to the boy.

"Yes father," the young man replied without a single emotion shown on his face. His face was so expressionless making it hard for the man to guess what he was thinking.

'Is this boy not worried about me?' the man thought as he watched the boy hoping to see a little sign of reluctance but he was disappointed. 'So he wants to leave.'

"I will go prepare my things for the journey," the young man told the older man and stood up with a cold expressionless appearance while his mind was in chaos. He never wanted to leave but it was mandatory. The thought of leaving his father and brother for two years was not good for him.

Yesterday was the day he just became a real adult in his family. It was his birthday when he turned twenty years. It was time for a retreat. As the future leader of such a great family, he needed to leave home to a villa someplace in the middle of the wood cut off from every distraction outside for two years.

When he returns, he will be as good as the mafia boss, ready and fully equipped to take over the office of his father. It was a thing of joy and also sadness because he had to be away from his father and brother.