All Chapters of The Heiress No One Wanted: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Rosalie's POVI felt hollow. My feet moved on their own, and I don't know at what point I got home — I came back to myself standing at the front door. I'd left the Whitmores and come back to the Ravenscrofts, and neither place felt like anywhere that was actually mine.What I wanted, more than anything right now, was the little rental Diane and I had shared. Small and run-down, but those had been the happiest days I could remember. Thinking of Diane made me think of where she was now — still waiting, still at the most critical point before the transplant — and I realized I hadn't even gotten the chance to bring it up at the Whitmore house before I'd had to leave.The housekeeper opened the door. I walked in and started toward the stairs like something had been emptied out of me, completely failing to register that Lucian was sitting in the middle of the living room.My foot had just hit the first step when he spoke. "Come here."I turned. Those ice-cold eyes were fixed on me. My heart

Rosalie's POVThe girl in front of me had sleek golden hair cut to her chin, one side tucked behind her ear. Her face was all disgust — until I looked up, and it dropped into surprise."Sorry. I thought you were someone else."She said it fast and clean.The friend beside her pulled her away with a laugh. "Nora, you still half asleep?"The one called Nora said, "I thought she was that annoying bitch.""You're still mad about what she did?""Obviously. She used her family's little jewelry business to squeeze our raw stone supply quota, and our whole new collection got pushed back because of it. Made me look like an idiot in front of everyone.""You two go way back with this — it's not just business anymore. It's personal.""She's so fake. God, if I see her tonight—"Their voices faded as they walked away. I stood there with no idea what had just happened. I didn't know either of them, and I had no clue who they'd mixed me up with.My phone buzzed. Zack: Boss got held up with something,

Rosalie's POVI looked up. Lucian was looking down at me from close range, and my heart dropped a full beat.I stepped back and put some space between us.My parents lit up the moment they registered it was him. "Lucian — we thought we might not see you tonight."Lucian smiled, barely, in that way that was almost invisible, and said something back to my parents. Then Vanessa pushed herself to the front, bright-eyed and beaming. "Hi — I'm Vanessa."Lucian gave a small nod, barely glanced at her, and turned back to me. "You didn't answer me."I blinked. "I just had a little too much to drink. That's why my face is red."He pressed the back of his hand against my cheek. "Then let's head out early."From the outside, it probably looked fond. Intimate, even.I kept my reaction in check, dropped my gaze. "But you just got here—""LUCIAN!"A man's voice from behind us. A middle-aged man cutting through the crowd with a small entourage, clearly someone people made room for. He was smiling. "Y

Rosalie's POVMy heart slammed. If Lucian opened his shirt, there was no hiding what was underneath — the bandaging was too thick, too obvious. One look and it was over.But Lucian just settled his hand on his collar, completely unhurried. "If you really want to look."He started undoing buttons from the top. One by one. More skin coming into view with each one, and my heart going faster with each—"Alright, that's enough." Eleanor reached over and stopped him, then leaned toward Victor and murmured something I didn't quite catch at first.Then I noticed it. A red mark on Lucian's neck.My ears went hot. That hadn't been there before.Eleanor smiled. "Sorry about that, Rosalie. But don't be embarrassed — it's perfectly normal for newlyweds. Reminds me of when Victor and I were first married. We were just as bad."At that, even Victor's usually flat expression shifted, something softer moving through it.He picked up his fork and went back to eating. "You'd better not be lying to me."

Rosalie's POV"I genuinely have never seen a new hire with nerve like that."He paused. "But you're not wrong that the core of this company is right here in this department."The corner of his mouth moved, just slightly."Because the company was built on good rough stone," I said. "It's what everything else stands on."Something shifted in his expression. "You're not what I expected. Quiet as a mouse for days, and then you walk into my office and say exactly what you think without flinching."My father had mentioned Finn before I started — tough on his team, exacting, but not unreasonable."So… does that mean you'll let me work with the stones?" I asked, testing it."If you're that confident in yourself, sure. Go ahead. I'm curious what you'll actually do with it." His tone wasn't warm, but it wasn't mocking either. If anything, there was something that edged toward genuine interest."I won't let you down.""Fine." He pulled open the right-hand drawer of his desk, took out a form, fil