Episode 18

On the other hand, Claramond went to the hospital to pick up some medication. Once he collected it, he set out to head back home.

Upon exiting the hospital, he walked to his car and there he encountered Melissa, who approached him with a noticeable calmness.

"Can we talk?" Melissa asked.

"Hi Melissa... I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry," Claramond said, ready to get into his car.

"There's no doubt what I said was true," Melissa commented. Claramond paused upon hearing this, left the medicine in the car, and turned to face her.

"You started those rumors?" he inquired.

"I told the truth... Oh, my love... I didn't know she was capable of doing such a thing," Melissa said as she moved in to hug him, but he quickly pushed her away and sighed.

"Well, I'm going to ask you to stop speaking ill of her and about this, you have no idea what's going on. I made it clear that you and I were never an item," Claramond stated as he opened the car door.

"Please... am I lying? Even the Farrells came to me, offered me money to keep quiet, and they even threatened me... they must have done the same with you," Melissa pressed, moving closer again.

"I have never taken anything, you know I don't accept those kinds of deals, if I agreed to be with Rose it's for a reason!... And not for money," Claramond said, raising his voice slightly.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? It all happened so suddenly... I don't think you're in love with her," Melissa said, taking his hand.

"Ah... Melissa... Let me make something clear. We're great colleagues, we've been through a lot; I tried to make our relationship work, but we both know it didn't work out, so stop interfering in my personal life from now on. In addition, Rose is a beautiful young woman with a big heart, and I find myself more and more attracted to her every day. I'm sure you will find someone too," Claramond told her as he opened the car door to get in and then drive away.

Melissa stood there as he drove off, clearly upset...

Meanwhile, Rose had just finished showering and was now searching for something to wear. Most of her clothes were not suitable for a presentation in front of many people.

The only items she had were dresses that her brother had brought her, which she could indeed wear, but she didn't want to wear anything too "showy."

Finally, she gave in and flopped down on the bed, wrapped only in her bathrobe...

...

After a few minutes, Claramond returned home and, upon entering the room and seeing Rose in such a state, approached her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, puzzled. She got up and shook her head, to which he gently caressed her head. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

"I-I don't know... which... dress... t-to wear..." she stuttered. Hearing this, Claramond sighed and began to think.

"Well... I could choose for you, but I don't know what you like to wear," he told her.

After a few minutes, Claramond came up with an idea, which Rose followed by entering the bathroom to try on one of the dresses. Then she came out to show Claramond how she looked. With the last dress, a tight and shiny red one, she stepped out to find Claramond on the bed waiting; upon seeing her, he was simply stunned by her beauty.

"You look beautiful," he stated. She blushed at his words, and then approached him to almost a meter's distance. With a smile, he reached out and took her hand to draw her closer. "It accentuates your figure beautifully... you look truly charming," he told her, his hand gently caressing her waist.

Blushing profusely, she averted her gaze and swallowed hard. He noticed and stood up, stepping back slightly.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't help it. Well... uh... wear that, I'll finish getting ready, you can wait in the living room. I'll be there in a moment," he told her with a smile.

She nodded and left the room, making her way to the living room, where she sat on the sofa by the window to wait for him...

After a few minutes, Claramond emerged dressed in a white suit. He walked over to the living room and approached Rose.

"Shall we go?" he asked, extending his hand to her. She looked up at him and, seeing him so dressed, blushed anew. Without further ado, she took his hand and stood up to join him.

They both left the house and got into the car to drive away. As he drove, Rose looked out the window, and then she took the opportunity to take out a pill.

"Take this," he said, also handing her a bottle of water. Rose took it and looked at him, somewhat confused. "It'll dull your senses so that you'll be less sensitive to some things, sounds, noise, and people won't bother you as much," he explained.

Rose looked at the pill and without further hesitation took it, then settled back in her seat, waiting to arrive at the place that filled her with so much dread...

...

At the grand Farrell mansion, all the guests were arriving. The decoration was quite striking, with hundreds of reporters inside and outside, hoping to capture images of Rose and Claramond.

At the grand entrance, a luxurious car pulled up, and from it stepped out Leonhart, who went around to open the passenger door for Margaret. They were photographed together, as they were one of the media's favorite couples.

However, overshadowing them was the arrival of Rose and Claramond. He got out of the car and opened the passenger door to help Rose step out.

Reporters and cameramen rushed to surround them, leaving Margaret and Leonhart behind. The latter watched Rose while Margaret was visibly upset by the distraction.

"Come on! What are you looking at?" Margaret snapped, pulling him by the arm. The two of them entered the house, while Claramond and Rose struggled through the crowd.

Claramond responded to some of the reporters' questions while Rose remained quiet but, unlike other times, she seemed exceptionally relaxed. She ignored the surrounding people and finally, they ascended the stairs to enter the grand house...

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