“Don’t you dare.”
Zachary snarled, glowering at Theodore who had his sword aimed at Jasmine’s neck. Jasmine on the other hand was numb. Her bloodshot eyes were fixated on Zagan who was lying on the floor covered in a pool of blood.
Though Theodore stabbed Zagan, the attack wasn’t fatal. The slow cadence of his breath was the signal that the injured demon was still alive but brutally injured. He needed aid or else excess blood loss would kill him.
Jasmine frantically roamed her eyes here and there, searching for something which could be of her help when she spotted Diana dragging her feet to a corner. A frown etched on her face but her eyes widened when she followed her steps. Avoiding eyes, Diana was heading to the venomous bayonet that was lying next to George’s feet.
The same weapon with which Kiora tried to attack Rose.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Diana had no idea that it was venomous because she was unconscious during the nasty fight. But if by any chance, a manhandling or scuffling occurs during its usage, the results would be cataclysmic.
Jasmine quickly shifted her eyes towards Zachary whose eyes had turned pitch black. Raising his sword in the air, he pounced on Theodore. Theodore also clutched his sword, ready to counterattack when he was pushed back by Jasmine. Unprepared, he stumbled back and looked at her who ran to Diana as if her life was dependent on it.
Her heart almost jumped to her throat when Diana crouched down and extended her hand forward to grab the knife from the bare end.
“NO DIANA!! DON’T TOUCH IT!!” Jasmine shouted, startling her. Her voice also alerted George who was standing beside Diana. He followed her gaze.
A smirk danced on his lips. Wasting no time, he quickly picked up the bayonet from the floor and rushed to Rose who screamed in horror. Calix jumped to action and pulled him back by his collar. He tried to snatch the knife but a groan escaped his lips when George mindlessly swayed the knife in the air, stabbing him in the process.
“NO CAL!!!”
Rose screamed as she looked at Calix whose one hand was on his lower midriff while his other was still grasping George.
George yanked himself away from his hold and turned to him.
“YOU CAN’T HAVE HER FILTH!! SHE IS BOUND TO BE MINE!!” Sneering, George mercilessly twisted the knife inside his wound and then pulled it. Calix gasped in pain and stumbled to the floor. Diana quickly hold him and also staggered to the floor.
With a precarious look on his face, George then snapped his head at Rose. A terrifying scream echoed in the room when he grabbed her left forearm in a bruising grip before pulling him to his chest.
Zachary and Jasmine ran to Diana who was holding a wounded Calix in her arms.
Zachary fell to the ground, his eyes welling up seeing the pale face of his best friend.
“C-Cal, you will be all right. Don’t close your eyes, hey look at me.” He spoke and slapped Calix’s cheek lightly. Diana looked at him. The fear on his face was evident.
“CAL!!! STAY AWAKE PLEASE!! YOU HAVE TO SAVE YOUR ROSE!!” Rose shouted and tried to run to him but George didn’t let her. He tightened his grip to the point that her muscles turned numb.
Diana was utterly disgusted by his heinous acts.
Lifting her head, she glared at him, “WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU TWO!!” She shouted, so done with the two brothers. George opened his mouth to retaliate but Diana beat him to it.
“SHUT UP!! JUST BECAUSE ROSE TURNED YOU DOWN YOU, YOU WILL FOIST YOUR FEELINGS ON HER? YOU WILL KILL THE PERSON WHOM SHE LOVES JUST BECAUSE SHE REJECTED YOUR PROPOSAL? IF ALL THIS IS LEGAL IN YOUR EYES, THEN DO ANSWER ME GEORGE. ARE YOU READY TO MARRY THE GIRL WHO WILL NEVER ACCEPT YOU??”
“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT HER CONSENT OR REJECTION!!” George shouted back.
“She has to accept me. It was written in her fate beforehand. You knew I had a crush on her yet you foiled my plans. Why did you fall in love with a demon? You were supposed to be marrying my brother. You ruined my happiness so doesn’t it give me the right to take back what’s mine?” He growled; his gaze was accusatory.
“Don’t you think you require my consent?”
George stiffened after hearing a strained voice. He looked down but his heart twitched as the owner of that voice was none other than Rose who was staring at him with tears streaming down her face.
“You decided everything on your own. My consent never mattered to you but for me, it does. Tell me, George, if you loved me then why you never tried to get close to me? Why didn’t you ever try to become my friend first, why you ever tried to make me comfortable with you? We have known each other since childhood but we never had any cordial relationship. It is because you always tried to intimidate me, and make me insecure. You knew I was scared of you yet you never made any efforts in bridging it. Why?”
George was dumbfounded. Her questions directly hit his heart but his lips were sealed. Because he had no answer for them.
Rose chuckled at his silence, “You know why? Because you had already made up your mind that you would force me. You never saw me respectfully. You always treated me as a peasant, a low-life who had no right to defy the elites. You did in the past and you were planning on continuing this even after making me yours. I was just an object in your eyes, nothing else.” Her expression turned morose by the end.
George clenched his jaw. Deep down he knew what he did was wrong but his obdurate self didn’t let him accept his faults.
With flaring nostrils, he gripped her chin and made her look into his blazing eyes.
“CALIX IS ALSO NO BETTER THAN ME!! HE ALSO FORCED YOU THEN WHY ARE YOU CHOOSING HIM OVER ME??”
He was enraged by the fact that when they both were in the same boat, why Rose was only holding him guilty.
Rose narrowed her gaze at him and spat, “You had never been my priority, get this thing straight in your head. I don’t need to justify my actions to you. Whomever I chose my partner is my decision. It’s my life. Just because you are obsessed with me that doesn’t mean that I am liable to sate your madness.”
“Exactly” Jasmine also supported her sister and stood up. She then turned to face Theodore who was already scowling at her.
“You both are forcing your decisions on us. The nerve of you to even shamelessly justify your actions and implicate us. There is no such rule that an angel can’t love a demon. Diana has every right to be with Zac and when her parents accepted them then who are you to object? Just because you are the King that doesn’t give you the right to interfere in anyone’s personal life. No one has to take your consent to choose their partners.”
Theodore clenched his fists. Her words triggered him. But helplessness washed over him as she was right.
Diana who was still on the ground handed Calix to Zachary gently and stood up on her feet, her eyes trained on Theodore.
“What happened rightful owner of Heaven? Ran out of words? So, you do accept that you are at fault.” She said grabbing his attention.
Theodore squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. He then opened his eyes and shot her a glare.
“What do you expect me to do, Huh? Sit quietly and let Jasmine live happily with this man?” He said while pointing his finger in a patronizing manner at Zagan.
His tone irked her.
“What do you mean by this man? You have no right to judge a person. Yes, we love demons, someone who has no worth in your eyes. But at least they don’t backstab us in the guise of a friend.” Diana snapped at him.
Theodore also marched toward her in anger but stopped when he saw tears shining in her blue hues.
“I-I trusted you, Theo.” She suddenly burst into tears, shocking Zachary. He looked at her but his heart ached after noticing the broken look on his face.
On the other hand, Theodore felt a sharp pain in his chest after hearing the anguish in her voice.
Diana then took steps in his direction, her eyes shedding tears of defeat.
“You were angry at Jasmine for forcing you into marriage but weren’t you doing the same to me? You loved me and saw Jasmine as a home wrecker. You hated Jasmine for separating me from you when I wasn’t yours in the first place. I agree our families fixed our marriage but you were the only one who was happy with the decision Theo, I wasn’t. Wasn’t it an injustice to me? You only saw things from your perspective, you only wanted to avenge yourself not caring that you were not only wronged but I was too.”
Theodore kept listening to her but he was startled when suddenly Diana grabbed him by his collar.
Her gaze turned into a glare, “Why didn’t you ever confess your feelings to me? Why didn’t you ever tell me that you love me? You were scared and that’s why you never dare to confront me. Because you knew that you will eventually have me in the end, with or without my consent. You didn’t think twice before capturing me, caging me, and even threatening to kill my child. It was all your drama to get Jasmine in your clutches, isn’t it? Just the way you kicked her out of your life to have me in your clutches.”
Jasmine gasped in disbelief. She had no idea that Theodore orchestrated everything just to bring her to Theo Dynasty.
Theodore was also stunned as Diana caught him red-handed.
His eyes widened when Diana smirked at his drained face, “What had you thought? You aren’t that genius that you can fool everyone. I know you aren’t that heartless to kill a child. You knew that once this news will reach Jasmine, she will do anything to save me. I had already figured out your uncanny plans.” She spoke and gave him a mocking smile.
Jasmine who was frozen soon turned red with anger. Marching towards Theodore, she struck him hard across his cheek, startling him.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!!!” She screamed and again slapped him before pulling him by his collars, “WHY?? WHY?? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?? DIDN’T YOU WANT TO GET RID OF ME? I GAVE YOUR HAPPINESS BACK RIGHT THEN WHY DID YOU SNATCH MINE??”
“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU GODDAMNIT!!”
Theodore shouted in frustration. Jasmine flinched when he grabbed her arms and pulled her to himself with a jerk.
“I am sorry, I am fucking sorry but please don’t leave me. I know I did wrong but I lost my mind after you left me. I know that I was the one who pushed you away from me but I need you. Please, Jasmine, I will die without you. I am ready to make everything right. I am even ready to kneel in front of you and beg your forgiveness but please just one last chance. I swear on my life, I won’t ever disappoint you.”
He implored and grabbed her hands. Jasmine shook her head violently and pushed him back.
“No, I won’t. Our worlds are painted in reverse Theo. There was a time when I also begged you not to kick me out but you paid no heed to my tears. I will do the same for you. I found a reason for love and I won’t let you snatch it away.” She shouted. The look of resentment in her hazel eyes tore him apart.
Theodore shook his head in denial and tried to approach her but Diana pulled Jasmine back. He then looked at her with begging eyes but her eyes held no sympathy for him.
“No, you did this to yourself. There is no such law that a woman should always be expected to forgive and reconcile. You also need to respect her decisions and back out.” She spoke sternly and grabbed her hand before pulling him away from Theodore. Theodore couldn’t bear the pain anymore and fell to the ground to his knees, staring at Jasmine dejectedly.
Diana then moved to Rose and peeled her away from George.
“NO, YOU CAN’T-” He screamed in fear but was cut off by a slap.
“If you love her then let her go. And even if you don’t, I would take her away from you. I won’t let you harm her, George. The reason she is in trouble today is because of me. If I hadn’t befriended you, neither you have been infatuated by her, and neither your one-sided love would have snatched your sanity. You ruined everyone’s lives George but it’s still not late to redeem.”
Diana sneered. George turned his face to her. Rose shuddered as the look on his face was murderous. Even after getting an earful, and witnessing everyone’s tears, there wasn’t a scar of remorse on his face.
“You have no right to take her away from me. Be it love or obsession, I don’t care. But she won’t step a foot out of this mansion and neither would you.” He said and leaped on her to attack. But Diana caught his hand midway and snatched the bayonet. Before George could comprehend, she flung the knife across his chest making a long gash.
“NO GEORGE!!” Christian who earlier ran to get a backup screamed and rushed towards him.
George staggered back; his face morphed into pain. He looked at Rose with teary eyes but his heart constricted painfully inside his chest when she looked away from him and ran to Calix.
That moment hurt him the most.
He could hear his heart breaking into pieces.
She doesn’t love him.
She never loved him.