Worried? Really?

The car stopped right before the gate of House of Smith. Rose took a deep breath and was busying rearranged her thoughts. She didn't realise she had clenched her fists that they turned into white knuckles.

"Are you okay?" Jude was concerned about her. Seeing the way she was right now made him to feel helpless. How he wished to wrap her in his arms and to ensure her safety.

"I'm okay, I guess," Rose sighed.

"Where's your phone?" Rose raised her left eyebrow in bewilderment. Nonetheless, she took out her phone and passed it to him. Jude took the phone and after he asked her to unlocked it, he punched a string of numbers and saved it. Right after that, he dialed the number and soon after, his phone rang. Rose was utterly speechless at his antic.

"Isn't it easier if you just tell me the numbers and I save it, on my own?" she couldn't stop herself from uttering the words. Jude chuckled and softly patted her head as if she was some kind of a cat.

"And the chances for you to give me your real number, I doubt it" It was Rose's turned to chuckle and shook her head, feeling helplessness.

"Alright, thanks, again for giving me a ride," Rose thanking him for the umpteenth time.

"Rose! Where have you been?" a man quickly grabbed Rose's hand once she stepped down the car. He was sizing her up and down.

Rose instinctively withdrew her hand from him and took a step to the side as she was trying to avoid any body contact with him. It was clearly for everyone who presented to see that Rose had drew a border line. Jude's lips twitched.

"Rose, Devon was worried about you since last night." It was her elder brother, George Smith, who spoke. Rose smirked. Worried? Nah, I don't think so. Rose kept the words in her head.

When Jude alighted from his porche , the two men were surprised. Never had they expected to meet one of the legends in the world of business apart from the China's tychoon Leo Lu TingXiao.

"Oh hello there. Welcome to our residential." George was extremely friendly towards Jude whereas Devon didn't even bother to mask his displeasure towards the unexpected encounter with Jude Townshend.

Rose turned to Jude and flashed her bright smile to him, causing the two men except her own brother to be momentarily stunned. And these two men, of course having different sentiments towards her smile. One was glad and cherished the moment while another feeling a pang of jealousy.

"Thank you for sending me back Jude. I really appreciate your help,"

"My pleasure. If you need my help, just call me, you have my number," Rose nodded her head and turned around to enter the mansion, leaving the three men behind.

"Please come inside, Mr Jude." George invited Jude to go inside the mansion while Jude's sight was following his sister's silhouette into the mansion.

"Thanks but no thanks. I need to go somewhere," with that he got into the car, ignited the engine and off he went in his porche.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where have you been, Rose? Do you know that Devon was worried sick about your whereabouts last night? And why was there that bandage on the side of your forehead?" Rose was assaulted with myriads of questions from her mother, Mrs. Jane Smith. Rose sighed heavily. Closing her eyes and took a deep breath before she reopened them and glanced sharply at Devon Luke and her brother.

" Where's dad?"

" He's at the back, watching over his little farm," Mrs Jane Smith sighed. Her husband was busying himself with the little farm that he had worked on instead of staying in the company and acted as a CEO as he supposed to be.

"Oh, is that my darling baby girl?" there was a voice came from the kitchen. Then, an elderly man walked out the kitchen, grinning from ears to ears with a cup of plain water in his right hand. He took a seat next to his wife and crossed his legs.

"Is there anything you need my help?"

"Yes," her reply was short. Her parents both looking at her with questioning looks written on their face. Even George and Devon who stood next to her looked at her, bewildered.

"Dad, mom..." then she looked at Devon.

"I want to call off my engagement with Mr Devon." All four people presented were flabbergasted, especially the man involved, Mr Devon Luke. His eyes widened in disbelief and looked askance at Rose.

"Are you crazy?" George bellowed, unable to decipher what he had heard from Rose.

Devon quickly knelt in front of Rose, his face was pale. He quickly grabbed her hands, holding them tightly that Rose grimaced in displeasure.

"Rose, what are you saying? Don't you know we are getting married in three months?"

"Exactly because we have three more months that I decided to put a stop to this madness." She refuted fiercely. She freed her hands from Devon's and said, "don't you touch me,"

Mr James Smith looked as if he was in a deep thinking. He knew the engagement between his darling Rose and Devon was devoid any romance as it was merely a plan of marriage of convenience between the two families. He knew sooner or later, they bounced to conflict with each other as his darling girl was a headstrong and adamant of getting her will to be done. He regrettably sighed.

"Baby, why did you want to call off this engagement?" Her mother looked at her. She never interfered in her children's affair, lest it caused them uncomfortable. She gave them the freedom to choose whatever they wished to do, as long as they were law-abiding.

" Mom, as I mentioned before, I'm not ready to get into any relationship as I wanted to expand my business..."

"You lied! Liar! You don't want to marry me because of that bastard!" before she could finished her lines, Devon cut her lines and hollered. Mr and Mrs Smith both were taken aback by the sudden outburst from Devon, whom they deemed as a real gentleman, befitting his nature.

Rose's mouth twitched. Bastard? He is the bastard himself, trying to take advantage of her and had her drugged in order to get his way with her. How dare he called others bastard as if he was the best.

"How insolence! How dare you yelled at my darling girl?" Mr James Smith was enraged. He disliked it when others treated his darling daughter unfairly, and today, at last, he knew it was impossible for him to accept such unscrupulous man to become his daughter's husband.

He signalled his subordinate to bring Devon Luke out from his house.

"Now tell me, what did he mean by a bastard? Do you have someone in your mind?" he turned to his daughter and asked.

"Dad, no. He is someone that had helped me last night,"

"Is that how you got the scar?" now Mrs Jane Smith was totally shocked.

"It's Jude Townshend," George chimed in. Upon hearing the name, both Mr and Mrs Smith were flabbergasted.

"Really? Jude Townshend, that punk?" Mr James Smith never thought that someone as exclusive as Jude Townshend would ended up helping his darling daughter.

"Yes,"

"Alright, are you sure to call off the engagement with Devon?" he looked at Rose and when Rose nodded her head in certainty, he sighed for the umpteenth time. Youngsters nowadays... Sighed...