Honey, You're a Billionaire?

At that moment, Rose was standing near the edge of the road, close to the crosswalk. Just beyond it lay the parking lot. She waited for the traffic light to turn green, but she remained frozen in place even when it did. Her attention was fixed on a car speeding toward her, growing faster and seemingly out of control. It mounted the curb and headed straight for her.

Her instincts screamed at her to move and to get out of the way. But in that terrifying moment, her body refused to respond. She was paralyzed, rooted to the spot as the car hurtled toward her. "Am I going to die?" The chilling thought flashed through her mind.

"Rosie!" A frantic voice pierced through her terror.

It was Miles, shouting her name in a desperate attempt to alert her to the danger. But Rose was already acutely aware of the threat. Her body, however, remained unresponsive.

As the car closed in on her, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable collision. Some irrational part of her hoped that closing her eyes might somehow make the pain less real.

A powerful force slammed into her, but instead of the hard impact of a car, she felt the warm presence of a person.

Rose found herself on the ground, but instead of the searing pain she had expected, she felt nothing. Instead, a deep, pained groan reached her ears.

Her eyes snapped open to a familiar face twisted in agony above her. Despite the pain etched on his features, his expression softened immediately as he began frantically checking her over, making sure she was unharmed. "Are you hurt? Did the car hit you?" he asked, his voice laced with worry even as his hands carefully examined her for injuries.

Stunned, Rose stared at Jonathan, her mind struggling to catch up with the situation.

"Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?" Jonathan's face grew increasingly anxious and concerned as Rose remained silent. "Come on. Tell me where it hurts?"

His tone had softened, almost as if he were coaxing her. Finally, Rose snapped back to her senses, and she managed to find her voice.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

However, her attention swiftly shifted to Jonathan's well-being, and she anxiously checked him for any signs of injury.

"What about you? Are you injured?" she asked.

"Let me see..." she insisted, her hands moving over his arms, shoulders, and chest in search of wounds. She had heard that pained groan earlier and was certain it had come from Jonathan.

Her worry was evident, and Jonathan, seeing the distress in her eyes, hesitated briefly before smiling. Rose blinked. She couldn't understand what he was smiling about.

"Tell me, are you hurt?" she asked again, more urgently this time, but Jonathan's grin only grew wider.

Rose frowned, confused by his reaction. Just as she was about to demand an explanation, Jonathan pulled her into a tight embrace.

Caught off guard, she froze, and Jonathan's voice reached her ears. "You're worried about me!"

Rose's thoughts came to a standstill as she tried to make sense of his words. Of course, she was worried about him.

"Does this mean you care about me, wifey?" Jonathan asked, his voice laced with excitement.

Rose's lips twitched in annoyance. He had just saved her life, so it was only natural that she would be concerned for his well-being. That didn't imply anything more.

"How did he manage to twist my concern into something else entirely?" she pondered.

"Wifey, you gave me quite a fright just now," Jonathan confessed as he held Rose in his arms. "When that car barreled toward you, my only thought was that I wished it had been me instead. If anything had happened to you... I can't even fathom what I would have done." He held her closer as if reaffirming to himself that she was truly safe in his arms. "Fortunately, fate must have been moved by my love for you and spared both of our lives. Thank goodness we're both okay."

Rose's soothing scent calmed his nerves, anchoring him back to the present after the distressing event. With Rose securely in his embrace, his heart gradually regained its steady rhythm.

Upon hearing Jonathan's reassurance that he was also unscathed, Rose relaxed into his arms, allowing him to hold her without resistance. His heartfelt words echoed in her mind, causing a surge of emotions. Meanwhile, not far away, others were processing the same shocking event, albeit with very different emotions. Seated on the ground, Harriette winced in pain from her injured leg.

Earlier, she had deliberately hurt herself on the mountain to dispel her own suspicions and gain Miles' trust, and now, the agony was even more intense.

She couldn't believe that Miles had literally dropped her to the ground, discarding her like a meaningless object as he raced to Rose's side.

The memory of his abandonment and desperate sprint toward Rose replayed on a torturous loop in her mind, each recollection amplifying the throbbing ache in her leg.

To make matters worse, the car had ultimately failed to hit Rose. Jonathan had intervened, rescuing her just in time.

Harriette clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms as she bitterly observed the frenzied activity unfolding nearby. Jonathan's assistants had swiftly apprehended the driver and were now forcefully extracting him from the car. "Useless," Harriette seethed under her breath, her frustration and anger reaching a fever pitch. She knew this had to be part of the arrangement Lizzie had mentioned earlier that day.

"But ultimately, the plan failed..." she mused.

As the weight of failure pressed down on her, Harriette's gaze shifted back to Miles. "Is today's plan doomed to fail? And if so, what will become of tomorrow?" she wondered.

After what had just transpired, Harriette was now certain that despite Miles' affection and care for "Harriette", his feelings for Rose had clearly surpassed those for Harriette.

She couldn't believe this was happening. After all, she had poured her heart and soul into transforming herself into an entirely different person. She couldn't allow herself to lose to Rose once more.

Taking a deep breath, Harriette

looked at Miles and called out, "Miles..." This time, she didn't even need to pretend. The pain in her voice was all too real, making Ker seem even more pitiable than before.

Miles, who had been focused on Rose and Jonathan, suddenly realized something when he heard her voice. He quickly turned around and saw Harriette struggling to get up from the ground. "Etta..." He rushed to her side, guilt flooding his expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, Miles," Harriette reassured him. "You saw that Rosie was in danger, and you had to save her. I understand, and I'm not angry. It's just that..." She winced, glancing at her injured leg. "It seems the pain has worsened."

Miles' frown deepened, his guilt nearly overwhelming. "This is all my fault..."

"Miles, don't blame yourself," Harriette insisted, knowing that the more she soothed him, the more his guilt would intensify.

She needed to capitalize on his remorse if she had any hope of diverting his attention from Rose to her.

As expected, Miles appeared even more guilt-ridden. He looked at Harriette as if making a promise. "Etta, I swear it won't happen again."

Harriette could only hope that this wouldn't happen again. Without giving anything away, she subtly glanced in Rose and Jonathan's direction.

By this time, Rose and Jonathan had gotten up and crossed the street, hand in hand. Their silhouette seemed to taunt Harriette, fueling the bitterness in her heart.

Suddenly, she noticed someone approaching them. The unmistakable glint of a knife in their hand was blinding, and she instantly knew what was about to unfold. A flicker of anticipation danced in her heart. Despite her eagerness, Harriette averted her gaze. "Miles, it seems like you really need to carry me to the car this time," she said with a composed smile.

With his back to Rose and Jonathan, Miles was oblivious to the events transpiring behind him. "Of course," he replied, preparing to turn around. However, before he could move, a commotion erupted from behind them.

"Ah! Someone's been stabbed!"

"There's so much blood!"

Rose found herself at the center of the chaos, her surroundings becoming a muted drone as she focused on the scene before her.

"J-Jonathan..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she spoke, trying to grasp the reality of what had just happened.

The knife meant for her had struck Jonathan instead, the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh reverberating in her ears.

"Run, wifey..." Jonathan pushed her away, his voice filled with concern.

The force of his shove sent her stumbling, and when she looked back, she saw him gripping the wrist of the knife-wielding man. The assailant was none other than Jack.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Jack... do you have a death wish?" Jonathan's voice was icy, his gaze as sharp as ever despite the blood steadily flowing from the wound in

his back. His presence alone was enough to strike fear into Jack.

"I..." Jack hadn't intended to harm Jonathan. His target had been Rose, but he never expected Jonathan to take the blow meant for her.

"What should I do now?" For a moment, panic filled Jack's mind.

He knew he would be in for a fate worse than death if he fell in Jonathan's hands. Even if he managed to evade the law, he wouldn't be able to escape Jonathan's wrath. Desperation fueled his resolve to strike again, but Leonard and Finley arrived on the scene before he could make a move.

"Mr. Finch!"

"Mr. Finch!"

The two men worked in tandem, one supporting Jonathan while the other quickly subdued Jack.

"Mr. Finch, your wound..." Leonard's face was etched with worry.

Before he could finish, Jonathan gripped his arm. "Where's Rose? It's dangerous here. Get her out of here."

First, there had been a car accident, and now, there was an assassination attempt. It was clear that someone was determined to end Rose's life. "Understood." Leonard glanced at Rose.

Rose snapped out of her shock and immediately stepped forward to help Leonard support Jonathan as they hastily made their way to the car.