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

"So tell me, where is Isabella?" She inhaled deeply, smelling his strong cologne from his suit.

"She's at the ball." Bryce looked at her as he walked around her, standing behind her. He leaned his head next her ear, and his hands slowly trailed up her torso.

"How much do you know her?" He whispered into her ear as she heavily breathed in and out.

Although Mia knew that they were both brother and sister through their father's blood, but Bryce didn't know because he was told that he was the only child.

She could feel her heart beating inside of her; she was really scared that he could do anything to her in a split second before she could even blink.

"So, how much do you know her?" He caressed her loose hair from her shoulders. "Did she ever talk about anything important?"

"No." She said weakly as her voice shook.

He didn't seem convinced. "You lie!" He shouted into her ear. "Tell me what she told you or else...!" He paused for a moment. "Or else, I will just have to make you tell me." She tilt her head up as her eyes skimmed the dark room and how vulnerable she felt at the very moment.

"I am telling you the truth, she never told me anything other than her name. I swear, she never told me anything more than her name." Mia wanted to rush out of the room and find Isabella and get her out of the palace.

Bryce moved to her other ear. "Yeah, but your eyes say something else. She told you something very important, something very precious . . ." Bryce laid his hand on her shoulder as she flinched as he caressed her shoulders.

"I swear on my soul that she never told me anything else other than her name." Mia quickly said as she slowly walked over to the door, but to her surprise, Bryce zoomed over to the door and blocked her way, holding the door.

"Tell me. Just tell me. I won't force you." Mia backed up as he dropped his arm, looking at her as he walked up to her.

"No . . . You just said--" He cut her off, unsatisfied.

"You are a servant. You dare talk back at me?!" Mia closed her mouth and breathed in. He moved closer to her and again she backed away from him, keeping her distance away from him as possible.

"Now, Mia, tell me, what did she tell you?"

A knock on the door interrupted them. Bryce sighed angrily while Mia sighed in relief; as he walked over to the door and opened to see who it was, it was Percy.

"Percy." He looked into the room and saw Mia in the room as well. Nash looked at him and glared at him as Bryce followed where he was looking at. He was looking at Mia, then noticed the look the on his face. "Oh no, we weren't doing anything. Weren't we, Mia?"

Bryce turned his head to look at her, giving her the death stare. She saw looked at him and quickly shook her head no.

"See?" Percy, flustered from the situation, dragged Bryce out of the room, pulling him into the hallway.

"Mia, stay here." Percy said as he dragged him out of into the hallway.

Percy pulled Bryce down the hallway towards Isabella's room chamber. "Where have you been?" Percy said as he lets go of him.

He scoffed as he brushed off his suit. "What do you mean? I've been around." He said as he fixed one of the buttons on his suit jacket. He didn't pay attention as Percy pushed him off of his balance. "Whoa! What's your problem?"

Percy gave him a look that he seemed so clueless. "What's my problem? It's not me that has the problem, it's you. You just gave Nate a new target to go after."

Bryce looked at him, scrunched eyebrows together, looking at him. They were alone in the hallway while Mia stayed back in the room. The chandeliers were dimmed as they stood in the hallway.

"I did nothing. He came up to me and started all this." Bryce said as he was denying the truth. "Now if you're excuse me, I have to go find Isabella."

"That's what I'm saying -- or at least trying to say!" He stopped Bryce at his words.

"Fine. Then I'm going to get Mia!"

"Wait, wait! Mia had nothing to do with this. Even if you ask her, she was the one who escorted her to the ballroom. Her orders were to escort her to the ballroom and go straight back to the chamber." He pushed him back to the other direction.

"What makes you think she isn't involved with that twisted, sick bastard Nate?" Bryce said as he attempted to go back to the room, hoping to ask Mia a few questions. "Now if you're excuse me, I have to go talk to Mia."

"No! She knows nothing! What are you going to do when she says she doesn't know what you're talking about?!" They both looked at each other and stopped each other.

"It won't hurt to ask." He swiftly walked passed by him and head back to the room.

"It will hurt if you torture her." Percy said, stopping him in his tracks.

"I won't lay a finger on her." He turned around, raised his hands in defense.

"Don't give me that crappy lie, you always end up hurting someone when you want to know something." He said as Bryce chuckled.

"It's just some simple questions. What could be wrong?"

"The way you ask them, you make it look like a threat-" Bryce looked at him. "Most of the time." He reassured his words. "But other than that, can I ask you something?"

Percy looked around, making sure that no one was listening to their private conversation. Then he looked at him, grabbing his shoulder for a second then dropped his arm.

"What?" He looked so clueless, Percy was worried of how he'd react if he told him. "Percy, what are you going to ask me?!" He still didn't respond. "Seriously? You're just going to stand there like someone who doesn't know what to say?!" He mumbled a word under his breath so that Percy wouldn't hear him.

"You're my best friend! And as your best friend, I worry about your actions. And right now, I worry about your anger and happiness." Percy walked over to one of the doors, resting his arm on the door frame.

"Percy, why do you worry so much?" He said with a humorous laugh as he turned to Percy's direction. But Percy was still standing there, not a sound. "You're serious?" Without looking, he nodded his head. "Okay, ask me then."

* * *

Isabella suddenly woke up from the long nap after everything, but it was nighttime. She got up from the bed, quickly fixed her hair, and put her dress back on.

She looked at Colin who was still fast asleep, naked on the bed with the covers over him. She smiled and caressed his hair as he slept.

Why did loving you had to be like a virus? My father actually thought you and I slept together those four years ago until now. It hurts to know, I may possibly not be able to be with you when I love you so much. I don't know what to do with my life right now. But I don't regret knowing you in my lifetime, to be honest, when I first met you, I felt as if my whole world lit up like those sunny days. And I hope you'll always remember that I will always love you no matter what. I love you so much, Colin.

She leaned in and kissed his forehead as a tear fell from her, taking in his scent. She got up and wiped away the dry tears on her cheek and from her eyes. She turned her head to look at him, and a tear fell from the corner of her eye and she wiped it away before it could fall.

Why am I crying?

She slowly opened the door, looked around the hallway and glanced at Colin and looked back around the hallway. She walked out of the room and quickly paced down the hall.

"What?" A voice came from a distance. She followed the voice, she looked around herself to make sure no one was following her.

"Percy, what are you going to ask me?" Percy? She quickly thought as she stopped in her tracks, she slowly peeked around the corner where she was at. It is Percy, and who? Even though Percy didn't even see her when she was standing right down the direction where he was facing, she still kept caution.

She quickly moved back as Percy looked over to her direction. She inhaled and exhaled quietly. Then she heard Percy shouting.

"You're my best friend! And as your best friend, I worry about your actions. And right now, I worry about your anger and happiness."

She peeked her head to see what was going on, the other person was just still standing in the same position as he's always been. Percy, however, walked over to one of the doors and rested his arm on the frame.

"Percy, why do you worry so much?" She looked as the other person turned its body and she finally saw who it was. Bryce. She looked at Percy who didn't make a sound.

"You're serious?" He didn't look at Bryce, not even one glance. His voice went lower as he watched his best friend, not respond or look at him. "Okay, ask me then."

Ask what? What are they even talking about?

Isabella, eavesdropping like this is going only going to make things worse. She quietly groaned as her subconscious emerged. Who cares what they're talking about?! All you gotta care about right now is Colin.

She moved back as she walked backwards, not watching where she was going, and bumped into a table stand in the hallway that was behind her. She gasped but quickly covered her mouth as she quickly rushed back to the room where Colin was and closed the door.

She pressed her ear against the door as she listened for a pair of footsteps walking down the hallway. And just as she expected, she heard a pair of footsteps walking down the hallway.

"You see anyone?" She heard one voice, which was Bryce's. She kept her breathing quiet and controlled her breath.

"No, sir." Sir? She thought as she heard a different voice from the hallway. She couldn't make out the voice who just spoke. All she knew was that it was female's voice.

Being nearly caught in the act of something you should never do inside the palace is like your one-way ticket to hell for high treason. You'd be convicted by the King himself and you would be decided to be exiled or executed.

But for Isabella, it was more than a ticket to hell for what she's done; she had sex before marriage, something that's not tolerated in this kingdom. And if people found out, you'd be executed along with the person who you had sex with. If you were raped, then the person who raped you would be the