Rosalie Gaston POV

Daniel standing up to his father, Leonardo Riccardo, didn’t stop him. The moment Daniel got distracted, Leonardo continued what he had started. He stepped closer, caught my hand inside his palm, and our eyes locked like some kind of spell you only find in dreams. His stare was deep enough to drown me without warning.

“Did you really expect me to believe so easily that your brother doesn’t hit you? Who in the world would believe that?”

I tried to gather the broken pieces of myself and answered, my voice sounding stronger than I actually felt.

“Don’t believe me, I don’t care.”

He smirked, a sharp edge in his smile, then leaned closer until his hot breath brushed against my neck. His whisper burned my ear.

“You’ve got fire in you, little one. I like that.”

His tone was calm too calm and it pulled me in. Every word was clear and sharp. He was willing to listen, and I was on the edge of spilling everything. That was always my weakness around men like him… men too aware, too sharp.

“I was right. You’re being abused at home.”

I nodded slowly, stupidly, like my body obeyed him without my brain’s permission.

“My instincts never fail me. I know.”

When his hand brushed against mine to reveal the bruise I had been hiding, a sudden shiver ran down my spine. He wasn’t trying to hurt me he just wanted to see.

“I won’t hurt you. Calm down.”

His voice dropped, heavy with anger when he finally saw the mark.

“Why are you hiding this from me?”

I couldn’t come up with anything that made sense. The words slipped out before I could stop them. His touch on the corner of my mouth set my cheeks on fire.

“I’ll look ugly.”

Something inside his eyes broke then, a sadness I didn’t expect. For a heartbeat I wished this was just a dream, something sweet and impossible.

“No. You’re beautiful. Very beautiful.”

His fingers brushed my bruise with a strange tenderness, almost hysterical, and it made me feel… safe.

“Beautiful.”

We both blinked when Daniel’s voice cut through the air. I stepped back fast, flustered, but Leonardo didn’t look away.

Leonardo’s jaw tightened, but he spoke without breaking eye contact.

“Don’t forget to take care of her for me.”

Heat burned my cheeks as I rushed toward the car, too embarrassed to meet his gaze again. Fear of my brother clawed at me, reminding me what awaited me at home.

“Would you rather sleep on the street instead?”

Daniel only drove me back and left me at the door. When I knocked softly, it was Damon’s face that greeted me. His tone was sharp.

“The car ran out of gas. That’s why we had to stop for a while,” I explained quickly.

Suspicion flickered in his eyes as they slid over my clothes.

“Are those new?”

I shook my head fast.

“I borrowed them from Daniel’s aunt. My clothes got wet on the way, and we stopped at his family’s house before the ride.”

He let me in, but as I bent to take off my shoes, I saw Jennifer his wife watching me with open hatred.

“You went to their mansion looking like that? In dirty clothes? What do you think that rich family will say about you, stupid girl?”

Before I could react, Damon grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me up, his voice a snarl.

“Did his father see you?”

Terror dried my throat, but something bold and reckless slipped out.

“Of course he did. I was inside his mansion.”

He pulled harder, pain shooting through my scalp. His hiss was low, poisonous.

“You little brat. I let you out for a few hours and now you come back mouthing off like some whore?”

He shoved me away, and I crashed to the floor in front of the couch. My skin went pale with shock.

“Upstairs. To the attic. Now. If I see your face again tonight, I’ll tear it apart with my own hands.”

I dragged myself upstairs, body limp, soul drained. I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling until a whisper escaped me.

“Am I really beautiful?”

I sat up, looked at the mirror, touched my forehead, traced down to my nose and cheeks in a daze.

“Beautiful?”

A small laugh bubbled out of me.

“Leonardo called me beautiful.”

I shook my head hard, pain shooting through my skull.

“Wake up, Rosalie. He’s a married man!”

But his dark eyes haunted me. They carried a warmth I had never known. Maybe because I never had a father’s love, I clung to what I saw in him.

“He knows my secret now. He knows what Damon does to me. How can I ever face him again? Will I even see him again?”

A wicked thought crept in, curling my lips into a smile. I decided to steal some makeup from Jennifer. She would never know.

“They’re not in the room right now. Perfect.”

I peeked down at them talking in the living room, then slipped inside and stole what I needed, heart pounding.

“Lipstick. Mascara. That’s enough, Rosalie.”

That night, I slept deep, ready for Monday morning. I got dressed fast, brushed on the makeup, and looked at myself in the mirror.

“All done.”

I really did look pretty. Prettier than ever. And the more I thought of Leonardo’s words, the more I believed it.

“I’ll hide it when I come back. She’ll never know I touched her things.”

I tucked the lipstick and mascara in the bottom drawer with my underwear, slipped outside when no one was watching, and hurried down the street.

“Does it look obvious? Can people tell I’m wearing makeup?”

My heart beat fast with excitement as I walked into school. Heads turned. Boys stared.

“You’re gorgeous!” a classmate gasped. Others whispered. My cheeks flushed hot.

“Isn’t it too much?” I asked, shy.

She shook her head hard. “No. It looks perfect on you.”

After classes, I bumped into Daniel at the gates. He waved with a smile.

“How are you? Did Damon get mad last night?”

We walked together, and I shook my head.

“I explained everything. Luckily, he understood.”

Daniel didn’t even notice the makeup. He didn’t mention it at all. I almost laughed.

Then another thought struck me.

“How old is your father?”

He sighed. “Forty.”

I stopped myself from asking more. I already understood. He was born from something… not so legitimate. Leonardo must have been in his twenties.

“He’s still young,” I said softly.

Daniel nodded. “Yeah.”

At the fork in the road, we split ways. I hurried back home, but froze when I saw the front door slightly open. A chill ran down my spine as I stepped inside.

“Mr. Leonardo?”