White Rose by Gao Yang (ink book reader .TXT) 📕

"Then after the nine months and I was born, the King sent an order to behead my birth mother soon after I was born." Isabella gasped in shock, speechless. There was a sense of vengeance and anger in Mia's voice.

Her mother was killed right after she was born?! Isn't that another sin?

"Then when the question came around asking if anyone was willing to take me as an adoptive child because my father didn't want me after the incident with my mother." Isabella just looked at Mia as she explained her background story.

"Then I was taken in by a single mother who had a daughter, and that daughter was Aaliyah, the one who was with me, if you don't recall. But we both grew up together, and she's only a few years older than me." Isabella looked at Mia and didn't realize that her and Aaliyah were a few years apart, they didn't look that many years apart from each other.

"I'm seventeen and Aaliyah is nineteen." Isabella nodded, but she still didn't quite understand something.

"But Mia, there's something I still don't understand. Why did you say before that the same thing could happen to me?" Mia paused and looked down at her black and white servant dress, playing the material on her dress.

There was an awkward silence between them both; Isabella sat there and thought about some things, again.

Why is she telling me this? Is there a purpose why she told me about her past? She didn't seem too comfortable telling me about it, but she insisted on telling me. I swear she was on the verge to break down into tears.

Isabella looked at Mia as she sat there quietly, waiting for a response from her mistress.

"Why did you tell me about this?" Isabella said as she looked at Mia and she lifted her up her head to look at her mistress.

She bit her bottom lip, holding in the pain and the tears from her eyes. She looked at Isabella, worried.

"Mistress, do you love someone who lives outside of the palace?" Isabella paused as Mia's question popped up. "Well, do you?"

Colin.

"Yes." She quietly said. "Why?"

Mia sighed and kneeled in front of Isabella. "Don't fall for a royalty." Isabella looked at Mia like she was warning her about something.

"Mia, what are you say-"

"I don't want you to be separated from the person you truly love." Well the only problem for Isabella was, has she really fallen for a royalty?

"Mistress, I've seen how Bryce has been acting around you." Isabella looked at her as her eyes grew wider. "He's been acting like you're his prize possession, feeling like he always has to keep you close to him. He will keep an eye on you whenever you're not around him."

Then she remembered how just tonight Bryce kept asking her where her secret place was, he must've asked her because he wanted to follow her. He saved her those couple times.

But he cares about you dearly.

No! He will ruin your life one way or another!

But he's only looking out for you.

Remember that he will destroy you and Colin's relationship. He may be a Prince Charming on the outside, but you don't know his heart and what's he really like!

He loves you, he's told you that before. He expresses it very clearly and it's clear that he cares for you. He really does love you.

Oh bony love is all that he shows, his love is shallow. It's a shallow love, Isabella. Listen to your subconscious, me! Listen to me!

Listen to your heart, Isabella.

She looked at Mia and shakily asked her, "Mia, tell me. If Bryce does find out that I was with another man behind his back, what would he do to me and to the man I love?"

Mia stood there, speechless, not knowing how to respond to her. "He may do the same thing as his father did to the man that my mother loved, kill him. And if he's benevolent, he may spare you, but he will kill whoever you were with and he will ask you demandingly who you were with."

"Would you tell him if I told you who it was?" Mia quickly shook her head saying no.

"No. I'm not that kind of person who gossips about others, especially after my mother's death." Isabella sighed in relief. "Who is this mysterious Prince Charming that has my mistress's heart?" Mia said as she teased a little.

Colin.

Isabella smiled at the thought of him; she loved the way he had his own true passions in life. She loved how he was ambitious and determined to make his dreams come true. She loved how he would always go much farther to help her with anything.

But then she encountered Bryce Duncan, a Royalty. Don't fall for a Royalty. Mia's words repeated inside her mind.

That meant if she were to fall for Bryce, things will go badly wrong. For Colin. For Bryce. And for her. But what?

Everything happened so fast, Isabella didn't think that it would affect her relationship with Colin. But what Mia just told her, she was beyond speechless and flustered.

She knew Bryce had feelings for her but she didn't know that he would keep her away from those who she loved. She knew that he didn't love her for nothing.

Mia was right. If Mia has been noticing that Bryce has been acting weirdly around her, that would mean that he may be getting attached to her.

But what would stop Bryce from doing the things he's doing?

"It's getting late. I should probably let you get some sleep." Mia said as she stood up from her chair. Isabella politely nodded and smiled.

"Okay." Isabella also got up from the edge of her bed and walked over and got in bed. Mia closed the door behind her as she left.

Isabella got under the warm blanket and thought about it again before she drifted off to sleep.

If Bryce's going to keep me away from Shawn, then I must leave tomorrow after the feast.

* * *

Isabella woke up in the same position last night, but she sensed someone next to her. She looked over and Bryce was there.

She gasped but covered her mouth as she didn't want to wake him up. But he made her jump out of her own skin with his presence next to her, in bed. Shirtless.

She looked around to see if Mia or Aaliyah were around, but they weren't. Then she looked at the clock. 10:46. She sighed in amusement as she looked at sleepy Bryce.

She looked at his messy light brown hair; it was so tempting for her to run her fingers through his hair because it looked so soft and smooth. She looked at him and thought how did he get into her bed. She slowly and quietly got out of her bed which Bryce was sleeping in as well; she quietly tip-toed to her side chamber and take a quiet bath.

Luckily, she didn't wake him up, but he did move as she was getting out of bed. She wondered what he would do if he saw her getting out of bed. Would he pull her back into bed and cuddle with her? Would he do things that she'd never imagine he would do? What would he do?

She walked into her side chamber and the bathtub was already filled up, the water was still warm.

"Mind if I join you?" Isabella flinched as she heard a familiar voice from behind her. She turned her head to see a shirtless Bryce, standing in the doorway. Her eyes immediately went down to his toned abs and his muscular built body. What a breathtaking sight!

He watched her as she looked at him. "Isabella?" Her eyes then met with his, then he followed her eyes and smirked. "Love the view? I've been working out for the past few months."

She lowered her head and turned back around, thinking to herself, calling herself an idiot. Isabella, you are seriously an idiot. Why did you look at his body, like? Yeah, he is in fact really handsome and surprisingly he has a well-built body.

He was still standing behind her in the doorway. "Mind if I join you?" She turned her head, thinking what he meant. She was about to take a bath, and he wanted to join her, in the bath, naked. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna do anything to you. I promise." He said as he raised both of hands up in defense.

She thought about it for a few seconds.

"If you're still nervous, then I'll leave you if you ask." She looked at him and stopped him.

"No." She paused and let out a breath. "You can join me if you please." Bryce kindly smiled and walked over to her. She felt his hand touch her shoulders, his touch made her body tingle and made her body weak. She observed his deltoids and how they were strongly built, they weren't normal built. They were as if it was molded to his body and he evolved into them.

"When did you wake up anyway?" She asked as he was about step into the bathtub. He turned his head and his eyes met with hers.

"I woke up about an hour earlier, and you were asleep, so I decided to prepare some warm water for you when you woke up." He said as she nodded.

"When did you come into my room?" She said with a quiet laugh.

"Oh about that..." He said as he walked up to her, only inches away from their lips making contact. He wrapped his arms around her small, petite body waist.

"Bryce-" He stopped her words with his thumb; she looked deep into his eyes, seeing his desire and lust for her.

He leaned in, kissing her. She came into shock by his actions, but she couldn't resist his touch and what affect he had on her. She tilted her head as he trailed down to her jawline, a quiet moan escapes from her lips; his heavy breathing and his wet kisses made her body tremble. Her breath staggers as his fingers tickle up her torso, biting her lip.

She wraps her arms around his back and gently scratches his back in pleasure as he gently bit on her neck, leaving his bite marks on her. Then his fangs came in, but he didn't want to hurt her without her consent.

He stopped, released her body and quickly turned around, facing away from her. He didn't want her to know about his vampire side. She stood there for a second, and thought to herself. What's wrong? Everything was going perfectly perfect.

"I'll leave you to your bath time." He said as he walked out of her room. Isabella, who was still standing in the bathroom, flustered. She turned around and stripped off her dress.

Bryce walked out of her room, shirtless. He quickly opened her chamber door again and walked into her side chamber to see her stripping off her dress in front of him.

Isabella felt a presence of someone in the room chamber with her. Her eyes widen as she realizes she's only in her undergarments. Then she was wrapped around a pair of arms around her shoulders.

"Hey." He whispered