Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"No need, I've got other plans." replied Silver.

Nola didn't press further, signaling the driver to move on.

Roseanne was also waiting for her ride outside the hotel, responding warmly to every greeting she received.

Knowing she had someone picking her up, Nola didn't arrange for a driver. Owen, true to his word, arrived in just ten minutes, even two minutes early.

A drizzle began, and through the car's windshield, Owen caught a glimpse of her in the distance.

Through the veil of rain, Roseanne, clad in a sleek evening gown, appeared as if she had stepped out of a scene from an old Hollywood film, stunningly out of this world.

Owen was momentarily transfixed, then snapped back to reality and parked by the curb.

He got out, opened an umbrella, escorted her to the car, and carefully opened the door for her, shielding her head from the car's roof to prevent any bumps.

"Thank you."

Once settled, Roseanne looked up at him with a smile, "I'm imposing on you again, Mr. Reynolds."

She had intended to take a cab home to avoid troubling Owen, but the weather had other plans. The sky had been clear until moments ago when it suddenly started to rain, making it impossible to hail a cab. Across from the hotel's entrance, Silver was standing in a small gazebo, waiting for a valet to bring her car around. She inadvertently saw Roseanne getting into a black sedan, dressed in her gown. From a distance, she couldn't make out the man's face, but the umbrella he held bore the "RR" logo.

A Rolls-Royce's custom umbrella.

frowned and then scoffed. It seemed like every attractive and graceful girl was out

thought this young woman was

puzzled over what these men saw

...

the so-called

but felt much better after taking some

mirror, a small wooden figure tied with a knot, with two emerald beads added

instantly as a souvenir from her trip to Maldives, a

struck by her beauty that he dared not look too long, focusing instead on the

for its calming properties. There's Arabic inscribed on the back, meaning 'safe travels,'

sway, and

I hadn't paid

"Yeah."

"You know Arabic?"

"A bit."

traced the

the foreign sounds, and Roseanne repeated after him, slightly