"How? Why? My father has been your father's childhood friend," Jace asked looking wronged.
"Your father is a very strict man and I don't want to have someone that serious-minded as a friend."
Wayne who was fantasizing about being the friend of the head of the Hart family got discouraged. His excitement was destroyed and he nodded his head in agreement with Anna.
"What about how it might feel to be my brother's girlfriend?" Jace directed his gaze to Rose who was busy eating her lunch but stopped when that question was asked.
"I know it would be like heaven on earth," Debby answered already fantasizing with a sheepish smile.
"As well as hell on earth," Rose answered knowing fully well Jace was using that opportunity to try to persuade her.
"Why?!" all of them chorused except the guard who sat quietly and Rose who had spoken earlier.
"He appears cold in his pictures and interviews. He is handsome but not the ideal boyfriend for a bright jovial teenager like me," Rose replied remembering how cold those grey eyes looked in the picture. It made him look hotter but he looked like a very distant being impossible to touch. So close yet so far.
"He is the ideal boyfriend for any girl in the world. Don't let a member of his fan club hear that from you," Anna had to warn her sister as she thought it would be helpful in preventing her sister from making unwanted enemies.
"My brother's icy personality will definitely melt for any girl he likes," Jace tried to persuade Rose that his brother had a warm heart.
"Please don't let his fan girls hear that. Don't destroy the beautiful image we have of him," Debby warned sternly shaking a warning finger at Jace.
"Men like that will never love any girl," Rose murmured to herself but everyone at the table heard her making them all turn and stare at her once again. Rose felt their gazes on her but continued to eat her lunch ignoring them.
At this point, Jace was crying inwardly for his brother's messed up relationship that had not even started at all. The idea of telling his brother to see another change in his expression popped up but he shook his head furiously scared that this time he might really wet his trousers in fear.
"I want your family to come over for dinner in my house too," Debby complained giving Jace a sad puppy look.
Jace shook his head and looked away. "We have to eat or we would be late for class later," Jace advised them. His mood was now bad because his lonely brother had apparently lost the love had not yet won. He glanced at his cruel sister-in-law and frowned pouting.
Anna did not miss that and she dragged Rose aside after lunch. "What is happening between you and Jace?" she asked curiosity boldly shown on her fair beautiful face.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Rose told her truthfully.
"Jace was talking about his brother," Anna tried to hint what she meant.
"I don't like his brother. I don't even know him. If you are worried that I might take your boyfriend away, don't bother because I don't like Jace either."
"I . . ." Anna could not continue and stood as she watched he sister walk away. Her sister's weapon was really effective but they were going back home and she would do a good job cornering her sister again and that time she will have the right words to say. She could easily smell matchmaking in the air and it was stronger around Jace and Rose.
***
"I am not going," Liam told his father as soon as his father was done telling him about the dinner they were to have the following day in the Whitfred's home.
"Uh?" both Jace and his father asked looking at Liam confused.
"I said I won't go," Liam repeated as he stood up from the chair he sat and headed upstairs.
"Dad why do you think he won't go?" Jace had to ask when he watched his brother go upstairs obviously not planning to rethink about going.
"I don't know," Damon answered shaking his head. He really could not understand the thought of his son. Liam was a very complicated human being. He knew Liam will have a very good reason why he did not want to go but he could not pinpoint what the reason could be. He had suspected it already and he felt it was a good choice.
"I will try to persuade him," Jace said going upstairs towards his brother's room. If anyone should be excited about the dinner, it should be Liam. Liam had waited for about a decade working really hard in everything he did just to be good enough to stand beside the queen and help her get what really belonged to her but he just gave up.
His brother was in the living room on the side of the house that solely belonged to him. Liam sat on the black leather couch with a cigarette between his fingers as expressionless as always. He sighed and knocked on the door when he remembered he was too anxious to talk to his brother that he forgot to knock.
"Brother why won't you go?" he asked as he walked into the living room and stood in front of his brother. "I thought you always wanted to meet her again since we left the orphanage."
Liam remained silent making Jace feel the air go cold as he moved his gaze to Jace. He only glanced at Jace for a while and returned his gaze to the white wall of his living room. "Leave," he said in a low cold tone.
"Okay. Sorry," Jace apologized and hastily left the room. He did not forget to give himself a knock on his head when he was outside the room.
The cigarette he saw with his brother was enough to tell him his brother was not in the mood to talk or disturbed. His brother hardly smoked cigarettes except when he was in a tight situation and he could be really sensitive.
Liam shook his head, Jace could not withstand the smell of cigarettes and he had to send him out for that reason but he knew his brother was hurt.
When Jace left, Liam could not hold back anymore and sighed dropping the cigarette into the ash tray. More than anyone, he wanted to meet Rose again but he was not ready. He had more things to do. He had to make a lot of things ready for her. He had only two years left to accomplish them. Once they are ready, he will go after her himself.
***
Rose denied over and over again that she was nervous and she was not excited about meeting young master Liam but she knew it was a lie when she kept checking and rechecking the clothes she wanted to wear. For the first time since she got adopted, she was not pleased at all by all the clothes she had in her closet. She wanted him to see her for a beautiful, confident and smart lady.
"What is taking you so long?" Anna asked walking into the closet with a pout as she saw the worried look on her sister's face.
"Nothing. I just want to get dressed and that's all,' she answered and snapped back to reality. Why the hell does she care about what he thinks about her?
"Oh but you are taking a lot of time trying to get dressed," Anna stated the obvious with a teasing smile.
"I am not," Rose disagreed strongly and glanced at herself in the tall mirror in her closet. She was already wearing a cream gown with its length stopping just above her knee but she thought it was not good enough earlier but now she thinks otherwise. "Let us go," she told her sister and pulled Anna out of the closet.
Anna's sharp hawk-like eyes did not miss the deep breathe Rose took before stepping out of the elevator on the ground floor. She smiled and shook her head very sure that Rose was having her first huge crush on this young multi-millionaire. She hoped deep down that this young man comes to love her sister dearly.
When the Harts finally arrived, the Whitfreds went to welcome them in front of their house. After a quick greeting since Mr. Hart told them not to be too formal, they went to the dining room for dinner.
Damon was very excited although he did not show it at all to see Rose. He had tried not to associate with her much when she was in the orphanage so as to not call too much attention to the young girl.
Infact he avoided her completely in the orphanage only watching from afar until a few years before her adoption when he got so busy he could not check on her again.