𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐒

V

Slowly Lisa helped her up the steps and throughout the endless maze of passageways of the Park Manor until Rosé, thoroughly disoriented by the layout of the place, found herself in the room-she refused to call it hers-and then Lisa was helping her unbutton the ridiculous dress and handing her a nightgown from the chest of drawers. Seating her carefully on the bed.

"Would you like some water, Miss Park?" A hand on her forehead. Cool. Soft.

Rosé shook her head. "No, thank you, Miss Manoban-I think I just need some quiet…" She stretched and yawned for effect as the other woman nodded and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Rosé leapt up from the bed, rushing to the bathroom, scrabbling for the soap to wash this wretched makeup off of her face-fat lot of good it had done her-

She wanted to scream, so she muffled her cry with a balled-up hand towel.

I wouldn't have been able to escape anyway-even if he had taken me to bed and I had succeeded...

As she walked back into the room-

-she heard a faint twitching noise.

Not animal-not a rat, certainly-

She walked over to the windows and drew them closed.

That noise again-

She walked towards the television against the wall, searching for the hidden switch that made it go away-

-and as she moved closer, the twitching sound grew louder-

-almost…

… mechanical-

Rosé's blood iced in her veins as she walked towards the door…

-and heard it again-

A motion sensor?

A terrible thought gripped her tightly.

Or-

-a camera?

She swept her eyes wildly along the wall with the mounted television-the screen, the hidden switch to show and hide it, the light switch… coming to rest upon the door itself. That innocuous thing. Tall, wooden, painted white, almost blending into the wall… that pretty crown moulding above the door.

She looked up and squinted-saw a flash of light, heard that twitching sound-then, quickly, disguised the gesture as a yawn-

Above the door-

She stretched her arms above her head to continue the yawn, then turned around and walked back to the bed, looking at the floor, keeping her face and posture normal-calm-as if she hadn't just discovered that Park Jimin had the ability to track her every move in the room.

He saw me cry-earlier?

The thought wracked through her. Rippled within her.

No.

That-that wasn't there before-no. I would have heard it earlier…

Mind scrambling. Putting the pieces together…

Jimin must have had it installed during our dinner-

-that bastard-

She walked back to the bed and sat down slowly, not daring to glance in the direction of the screen, yet-

I have to act natural.

I cannot let him know that I found it-

As her breathing steadied, a low, dull heat burned within her. Curling. Coming to a point. Beneath her skin.

You want a show, Park Jimin?

You want to see me break?

She made herself hiccup loudly. Punctuated. The sound coming out like a sob.

Then again.

Tearing from her lips, her throat, a mournful wail-

Abbreviated.

Then another sob.

Another.

A wail-interrupted by a sob.

Hands to her face. A shudder of her shoulders.

Followed by another sob. Wail. Sob. Sob. Wail-sob. Shudder.

Then all over again. Expanding to allow a keening noise to pop up here and there.

Once and again. Finding a rhythm. Beginning to rock back and forth on the bed.

Almost managing to work up real tears.

I'll give you a show, Park Jimin.

Hii! Im late on uploading again ahhah! Im uploading another chapter immidietly after this one ! Enjoy!