"Dante, it is fine. I'm just going upstairs to rest." Not intending to explain further, Rosetta briefly greeted the butler before heading back to her room.
There were still a few details of the upcoming performance she needed to discuss with her manager, so she made some calls as soon as she settled into her bedroom.
She had barely hung up when she noticed that Elliot and Edric had not returned home.
With nothing else to do, she absentmindedly scrolled through her social feed until a recent post from Sierra caught her eye.
The caption read, [For the first time, I could feel that going to the hospital was such a happy thing to do. Thanks to you, guys!]
The post included a photo, just shadows of three people. However, Rosetta could immediately tell it was a picture of Elliot, Edric and Sierra.
So, they would not come home tonight. They stayed at the hospital to keep Sierra company.
If it had been in the past, seeing that would have hurt deeply and she might have questioned Elliot and Edric right away. But now, a calmness washed over her.
So, she simply set her phone aside, washed up and lay down to sleep.
***
Early the next morning, Rosetta went to the company. With plans to return to Northbridge, she needed to end her contract with her current agency.
Her sister, Riley, had already helped her find a new agency and once she had finalized things here, she would be able to sign up for the new one.
When she told her manager about the contract termination, he seemed baffled. "Wait, why are you ending the contract all of a sudden?"
"It's nothing. I just feel a bit worn out. My contract is nearly up, so I thought I would take a good break."
"Did the Sinclair brothers suggest that you stop working?"The manager glanced at her cautiously."Well, actually, I suppose that makes sense. They've always thought your tour schedules were too grueling. They really care about you."
His words brought a brief silence. It was true. In the past, Elliot and Edric never wanted her to endure any hardship, even a bit of it.
Even if it was just an ordinary tour, they would worry shewould exhaust herself. Elliot, as the heir to the Sinclair Group and Edric, already the deputy director at the hospital at such a young age, often reminded her that with them by her side, she could go her whole life without working. She needed only to relax and remain their little princess.
Past memories drifted through her mind and Rosetta found herself momentarily lost in thought.
Her manager sighed. "If you're really set on terminating the contract, I won't pressure you. I'll get it sorted as quickly as possible."
Rosetta thanked her manager and left the company.
When she arrived home and entered the living room, the sight of familiar figures inside made her pause.
"Rosetta, where have you been? We didn't see you anywhere when we got back."
Sierra stood between Elliot and Edric, a bright smile on her face, looking pleased and triumphant.
Rosetta glanced at her briefly, then looked away before replying in an icy tone, "What I do has nothing to do with you."
Sierra's expression fell and she lowered her head, murmuring apologetically, "I'm sorry, Rosetta, I didn't mean to pry. I shouldn't have asked."
Long accustomed to her act, Rosetta turned and walked away.
Elliot frowned, looking at Rosetta and said in a low voice, "Sierra genuinely cares about you. There's no need to be so cold."
Edric added, "Yes, she has good intentions, Rosie. You shouldn't act like this."
Both spoke up on behalf of Sierra, as though Rosetta was some sort of a villain in a story that had done something unforgivable.
This was not the first time she had seen such a scene, though.
Once, whenever anyone bothered her, Elliot and Edric would support her unhesitatingly.
She remembered a dinner party when the Sterling family's son, ignoring the fact that she had a cold, persistently pressured her to drink.
Elliot had arrived and, without a second thought, punched him without saying anything. That incident thoroughly offended the Sterling family. To this day, the incident left the Sinclair Group and the Sterling family in a fierce, lasting rivalry.
