Rebirth: Revenge of the abandoned heirress-Chapter 29: David Resolve

"David, let me take you to your room."

David didn't respond but gave a slight nod, silently following Rosaline up the grand staircase. The mansion was vast, filled with twisting corridors and lavishly decorated halls. As they walked, Rosaline wouldn't stop talking—her voice a honeyed melody of admiration and sweet words.

David, however, only responded with the occasional word or two. It wasn't unusual for him. He was naturally reserved, cold, and distant.

When they reached the room, Rosaline opened the door and stepped inside ahead of him, guiding him in with an almost reverent touch.

"You can leave," David dismissed her, his voice impassive as he shrugged off his coat.

The room felt unnaturally warm. A strange heat coursed through his veins, making his head feel heavier than usual. Odd.

When he turned, he saw that Rosaline had not left. She stood there, unmoving, her gaze locked onto him with unsettling intensity.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice now carrying a slight edge.

Rosaline took a slow, deliberate step forward. "David, you know that I've always admired you," she whispered, her tone dripping with something dangerously close to desperation.

It was only now that he noticed how revealing her attire was.

"Ever since I first set eyes on you, I knew you were the one for me," she continued, stepping even closer. "I could give up anything for your love. Just for the chance to stand by your side."

David's eyes darkened. "What do you want?" he repeated, his tone turning icy in warning.

But Rosaline was blind to it—or perhaps she chose to ignore it entirely.

"Have you not realized by now?" she breathed. "It's you that I want. Why did you treat me so coldly in front of everyone? Tell me, David. What did I do wrong? You always treated me kindly in the past. When did I lose your favor?"

David took a step back, putting space between them. His expression remained unreadable. "I am your brother-in-law now. It would be best if you forget the past and keep your distance."

Rosaline's breath hitched. Her lips trembled as though she were truly heartbroken. "But David... You never loved Jazmine, did you?" she whispered. "You said it yourself. That you only married her because of your grandfather's coercion."

David's jaw clenched. "Whatever I said doesn't matter anymore. She is my wife now, and you are my sister-in-law."

Rosaline's eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You wouldn't even look at her before! But now—" Her expression twisted into something sharp, something cunning. "She put a drug in your tea, you know. Did you know that?"

David stilled.

Rosaline latched onto his silence, pressing forward eagerly. "Would you still be willing to have her as your wife after what she's done? She's so desperate to keep you that she—"

"How do you know that?" David interrupted, his voice dangerously quiet.

Rosaline hesitated for only a fraction of a second before regaining her composure. "I... I saw her lurking around the kitchen, speaking with one of the maids. When I questioned the girl, she admitted it—Jazmine forced her to put something in your tea. She threatened her family."

David remained silent.

Rosaline's heart pounded in her chest.

Does he believe me?

"Do you doubt me, David?" she asked carefully. "If you want, I can call for the maid. She'll tell you everything herself—"

"No need," he said flatly. "You can leave."

Rosaline stiffened. "You... you don't believe me, do you?"

"Whether I believe you or not," David said, "gives no reason for you to stay here."

A desperate light flickered in her eyes. "Are you sure you want me to leave?" She stepped forward, her voice growing softer, sweeter. "I know you're in pain. You try to hide it, but I can see it. Nobody knows you better than I do, David. If you need me, I'll have no objections. My heart was always yours. What is it to give you my body?"

She reached out, her fingers brushing against his arm. "I wouldn't ask you to take responsibility afterward."

The temperature in the room dropped.

"You wouldn't dare touch me," David murmured, his voice cold as ice.

Rosaline's blood ran cold.

Hadn't Sarah Whites said that no one could resist the aphrodisiac? That the effects would make any man succumb?

Then why...

"David..." she whispered, her voice shaking now for an entirely different reason.

David's grip shot out, seizing her wrist in an iron hold.

"Get out," he said.

She gasped, wincing at the sheer strength in his grasp.

"David, please, I—"

His fingers tightened. Not enough to break anything—but enough to make his warning clear.

"Rosaline, I have never raised a hand on a woman before," David murmured, his gaze like steel. "Do not make me go against my morals."

Terror seized Rosaline's chest.

She had heard the stories. Everyone had.

What David Anderson did to those who crossed him. How entire families had vanished overnight at his command.

She knew better than to push him any further.

Swallowing her fear, she yanked her arm free and fled the room.

Alone once more, David let out a slow, controlled breath.

His body burned, the effects of the drug still smoldering in his veins.

But it wasn't because of Rosaline.

Women had always disgusted him. A simple aphrodisiac wouldn't change that.

Yet, something was different tonight.

Whenever he closed his eyes, it wasn't Rosaline's face that haunted him.

It was hers.

Jazmine.

The image of her flashed in his mind—her calm eyes, the subtle strength in her posture, the way she had walked away from the dinner table without even pretending to play along with Rosaline's charade.

His heart clenched painfully.

He shouldn't care.

But he did.

Something in him yearned—something deep, something dangerous. Something far beyond his reach.

She drank the tea, didn't she?

The thought sent a sharp wave of unease through him.

Rosaline had orchestrated something tonight. That much was certain.

But what exactly was she planning?

David's fingers curled into a fist.

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Whatever it was, he wasn't about to let it happen.