CHAPTER 834: CHAPTER 833

"Come on, we can’t miss out on the barbecue!" Ophelia sent off a quick message before pressing on,

"You still haven’t spilled the beans about you and that Romeo. Have you guys held hands yet? Any kissy-kissy?"

"What’s it to you?"

"You’re blushing." Ophelia teased with an excited chuckle, "So that’s a yes? Things are moving along nicely, huh? He must be quite the catch."

Otherwise, how could he ever hope to steal the heart of our very own Rosemary?

"He’s alright," Rosemary admitted with a hint of warmth in her voice.

She wasn’t aware that a gentle smile graced her lips whenever she spoke of Romeo.

Ophelia beamed like a doting elder, being too thrilled to play it cool, "When do I get to meet this charmer who’s stolen our Rose’s heart?"

"Soon. In a day or two."

Ophelia couldn’t contain her excitement, "Well, I just can’t wait to see who’s managed to climb to the top of our Rose’s favorites list."

That’s when Rosemary remembered she had forgotten to tell Romeo about staying at Ophelia’s place.

Just as she pulled out her phone, Ophelia leaned in with curiosity, "Let me see what cute nickname you’ve given him."

"What nickname?"

She’d always just saved him as Romeo.

"Why not something like ’Hubby’, ’Sweetheart’, or ’My Better Half’?"

"Having his name there is enough."

To Rosemary, Romeo used to be just a long string of unfamiliar digits.

She dialed his number, but the call went unanswered and eventually disconnected.

"If he’s in the country, he’s probably still asleep. It’s almost one in the morning here, so it should be close to eight there."

"He’s in Dawnstar."

"Then he’s definitely asleep," Ophelia explained. "Dawnstar is an hour ahead of us. It’s two in the morning there. Who else would be up snacking at this hour like us? He must’ve been knocked out after

a long day. Romeo’s a busy guy; he’s got a ton of stuff to handle during the day. He probably crashes the minute his head hits the pillow."

Just then, Rosemary’s phone buzzed with a video call request.

Ophelia’s eyes bulged, "No way, he’s up at two in the morning? This is true love!!"

Rosemary answered the call, only to see the cozy hotel lights and the freshly showered Romeo in his robe, with his hair still damp.

The bathroom door behind him was ajar, steam spilling into the room.

Romeo quickly explained, "I was just taking a shower and missed your call."

He was about to ask if she had made it back to her hotel when he noticed someone else was there.

"Hey there, I’m Ophelia, Rose’s good friend. Nice to meet you, and might I say, you’re a real looker! You two make such a stunning pair!"

"Thank you." Romeo was nothing but courteous to Rosemary’s friend, "Hello, I’m Romeo, Rose’s fiancé."

"I know, I know, nice to meet you. Rose and I haven’t caught up in ages, and I wouldn’t want her traveling alone so late. I’d offer to escort her, but I’ve hurt my foot, so I was hoping you would give his

blessing for her to stay over. I promise to take good care of her."

So that was why she called?

Romeo’s gaze shifted tenderly toward Rosemary, as if he was reading her thoughts, "Then I’m grateful to Ms. Almond for looking after her."

"No trouble at all, I’m happy to have her. You two chat away; I’m off to grab a bite." Ophelia left them to their privacy.

"Get some sleep soon."

Rosemary was about to end the call when Romeo spoke up, "It’s getting colder over there; make sure you bundle up at night, don’t catch a cold."

"I will."

"If the blankets aren’t enough, ask Ms. Almond for more. Keep the heating on, and don’t stay up too late. Get some rest."

"Got it."

"And if you can’t sleep, or anything else comes up, just call me. I’m here for ya."

"Alright."

Romeo gazed at her with that adoring look of his, "Goodnight, I’m gonna miss you."

Off to the side, Ophelia’s grin was threatening to split her face in two. Rosemary caught her fighting back

laughter and said coolly, "Goodnight."

Romeo knew she was about to hang up and felt a twinge of disappointment. Tonight, she hadn’t noticed his wet hair.

"Don’t forget to blow-dry your hair."

Suddenly, Rosemary’s caring remark cleared the clouds from Romeo’s eyes, his gaze warming, "Will do."

She cared about him! She still had him on her mind! She noticed he hadn’t dried his hair!

After hanging up the video call, Ophelia finally let out a giggle, "You two are just too sweet. Who knew that when two big shots fall in love, it’s like this? You turn into a docile little lamb, and he’s like a warm-hearted Prince Charming."

Gone was their usual icy facade! Both of their auras softened; it was just too cute!

Who knew how long they talked, but the next morning Rosemary’s phone was buzzing non-stop on the nightstand. It was Horace.

"Boss, you up? There’s a guy named Sam, linked to that old fire, he’s gonna show up at the underground auction tonight at eight. Should I get the guys to bag him?"

Rosemary hadn’t expected new leads on the fire, "Don’t spook him; just the two of us will go."

Horace was about to suggest that two might be too few, but then remembered the boss could take on a hundred single-handedly. Not just one Sam, but ten, twenty, none were a match for her.

"I’ll snag two invites. I’ll pick you up from the hotel at seven tonight, and we’ll hit the auction together."

"Sounds good."

After the call, Rosemary was surprised that there was finally a break in the fire investigation. Previous attempts by Jack and the others always hit a dead end or went off track.

It was as if a pair of eyes in the shadows was monitoring their every move, ready to create chaos when things got too close to the truth. Every time the truth was about to surface, something would happen.

Tonight, she was determined to catch that Sam and find out what really went down back then.

Meanwhile, Steward knocked on Sean’s door; perhaps worried about a rebuke, he got straight to the point, "Sean, we’ve located Sam."

"Come in and talk," Sean’s voice was groggy with sleep.

Steward entered, the room dark, the curtains drawn against the morning light. With utmost respect, he reported, "There’s an underground auction at eight tonight. Word is Sam will show; there’s something

he wants to buy. This could be our chance. I’ll have men in position, ready to strike and nab him."

"No screw-ups."

"Understood," Steward knew how crucial catching this man was to Sean. Previous leads had been disrupted by that girl, and now that they had a fresh trail, he hoped it would go smoothly.

Rosemary’s phone rang again; this time it was Jack.

"Boss, while I was digging into the truth behind the old fire, I stumbled onto something else. I’ll send it over - it’s about Carol."

Rosemary replied calmly, "Alright, send it over."