Murder To Excellence

1.

He stood up to buckle his dress pants and freshen up his entire appearance while she was re-applying the lipstick which she left red kisses with on his body. 

"Until next time, baby," she said seductively. He cringed at the fact that she was getting too attached and watched her leave his office.

A few seconds later, Harvey entered. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ambriosos," he smiled. "I got news about the girl."

"Harvey, sit."

Meet Raphael Ambriosios. Twenty-nine, billionaire and relentless. He owned half the city. Name it and he probably got it.

"Her name is Rose."

"And that's all you got?" Raphael rested his head on his palms, really wanting to hear more about this Rose.

"Twenty-two, about to graduate college next week."

"Give me the file," Raphael ordered. Harvey was hesitant for a while, since he knew exactly what his boss wanted to do, the lip stick stains on Raphael from his 'lay of the day' not really helping Harvey with his decision, but as his employee he couldn't decline his wishes.

Raphael's lips pulled into a mischievous smirk as he read the first page of Rose's file. There wasn't anything really that caught his eye. She was about to get her major in Retail Management and had a job at a clothing store. He turned to the next page of the file and his smirk turned into a big smile revealing his perfect white teeth. There were several pictures of her attached to the second page. The one that held his attention the most was one where she was with her friends. He didn't care about all of them though, she was the only one really that stood out to him. They were probably going out to eat or something, since they were all dressed up. She had on jeans, heeled sandals, a plain white blouse and a coat. Her dark brown hair was up in a ponytail and her milk chocolate skin looking oh so flawless. She was exactly what he wanted.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mr. Ambrosios? I mean... blackmail... don't you think it's a bit too extreme? Her father is the one you should punish, not her."

"Are you trying to tell me it's a punishment for her to be with me?" Raphael raised his eyebrow making Harvey shake his head rapidly. "So what's your point, Harvey? Explain please."

"Well... I don't know, it's just... really?" He stuttered.

"Yes, really. Her father still owes me money and he happens to have her as a daughter. I want her. So yes, blackmail it is," he shrugged, staring at the pictures of Rose.

"Will the father know?"

"No, he won't. She's the only one that will know. What's the fun about it if everyone else knows?" He half smiled. He got his 'favorite' picture of her, got a black marker to cross her friends and placed it in the frame on his desk. "So she's graduating next week you say," Raphael started and leaned back in his chair.

.

"You look perfect," Hazel, Rose's best friend, complimented.

"I'm going to miss you, Hales."

"Please, don't cry," Hazel hugged her, almost tearing up too. "I won't be gone for long, just a few weeks. Then we can open our store together."

"But what if you don't come back? What if you like it more in Indonesia?"

"I probably won't, because my best friends live here. Going a few weeks without you will probably be a living hell, Rosy. I won't stay there forever. So stop crying," Hazel wiped away her own and Rose's tears. "And let's go before we get late to our own graduation."

The ceremony was outside. The sun was shining brightly and the grass was ever so green. All the students that were about to graduate were dressed in white, making the whole thing even more angelic.

Rose's parents were there too, but she'd rather not have them. They weren't happy together at all and at times like this they fought the most over anything and everything. Rose loved them a lot though, they had worked their asses of to send her to college. But she'd still rather not have them there if all they were going to do was fight.

Her dream was to open her own store. Not particularly to sell her self-made items, but to sell things she liked. Going from small fashion designers to Céline; she didn't care as long as it were items she loved.

"I'm so proud of you, honey." Rose's mother came to hug her daughter. Rose was the youngest out of the four siblings - all boys except for her.

"Come on now, April. Let me congratulate her too," Rose's father said, getting agitated his wife was taking so damn long.

"Really? She's my daughter too, you know. Let me hug her as long as I want to."

"Christ, April, come on!" He exclaimed, earning a few glances from curious people.

"Could you guys stop? This is supposed to be a cheerful day for me so please, stop arguing," Rose pleaded. Her parents looked at each other for a while before her father came to hug his not so little princess.

"I can't believe you're graduated. It was like yesterday I held you for the first time when you were born..." he mumbled in her hair since they were about the same height. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your friends. We'll be around here for a little while longer," he said and both her parents watched her as she walked away with a beautiful smile on her face.

Behind them someone cleared their throat. He had a taller frame, blocking the sun a bit for both Rose's parents. "What a coincidence."

They both turned around to see none other than Raphael Ambrosios standing there, at their daughter's graduation ceremony. "What is it you want, Mr. Ambrosios?" George, Rose's father, asked the most polite way he could.

See, George had borrowed quite a lot of money from Raphael Ambrosios a few years ago, to be able to keep his house. Now, up to today, George still hasn't paid him back and Raphael's sick and tired of waiting around.

"My money," Raphael stated simply.

"I told you I don't have it. Please, give me some more time."

"I gave you two years to pay me back."

April sighed deeply and inwardly cursed her spouse for making such a big mistake. "What do you want us to do?"

"Nothing, really. I'm just letting you know I'm done waiting. Beautiful daughter you have, by the way," he smiled and casually walked away, knowing he hit the spot right there. Rose was their only girl, so she was always quite special to her parents.

"You're amazing," both Rose's brothers Paul and Manuel complimented her. Her other brother Evan was in the navy and he, unfortunately, couldn't be there with them all.

"I love you guys so much," she smiled and they did a group hug. All the siblings were extremely close since they were all sick and tired of their parents' bickering and had each other to relax.

"And we love you too. Hey, there's Denise," Paul waved at her first and then Manuel followed. "We'll see you later."

Denise was Rose's other best friend. Together with Hazel, they were like The Three Musketeers. Denise dyed her hair a different color as soon as she got bored with the previous one, which was usually like every other week. She managed to keep her hair healthy to everyone's surprise. She was a hair-guru and Rose's usual place to go whenever she wanted to get her hair done.

They had been talking and talking for a pretty long time, other graduates and relatives joining every once in a while, until Denise and Hazel got distracted.

"Oh shit. Is that him?" Denise asked in awe and pointed her finger the most unnoted way possible to someone behind Rose.

Rose turned her head only to see - by far - the most handsome man there. He had his dark hair slicked back. His black suit fitted perfectly, probably tailor made, and the white dress shirt had a button open.
Expensive looking sunglasses covered his eyes, leaving what was behind them to everyone's imagination. His hands were in his pants' pockets, walking around like he owed the place. He was the type of man to have people stop their conversation for a few seconds to get a good look.
On each side of him walked two, what looked like, bodyguards. One was tall, the other short, but both extremely buff. They had on shades too and had a black wire that went to their ear to match their all black outfit.

"How can one be this good looking?" Hazel asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"God, I know."

"What on earth is he doing here? Who is he?" I asked confused.

"You don't know him?" Denise spat with her eyes wide.

"No... should I?"

"Oh, Lord Jesus. Yes, Rose, you should. It's only the sexiest man in the state a.k.a. Raphael Ambriosos, Greek. He's so mysterious, it just adds to his sex appeal."

"I'm shocked you don't even know him, Rosy," Hazel said in all seriousness. Rose rolled her eyes in response. He was good looking, she had to admit that. "Oh, he's coming over here, I'm about to faint." Denise and Hazel were hyped about the fact that he was coming so close, but Rose didn't believe he was really coming for one of them since they don't really know him.

"Miss," the large, broad shouldered male tapped Rose's shoulder. "I'm Harvey." He extended his hand and she shook his. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, you too?" Rose half questioned.

"Ladies, could you please give us a little privacy?" Harvey asked Denise and Hazel. They quickly nodded their head and walked away, both as clueless as Rose was at the moment.

"Thank you, Harvey. I can take it from here," Raphael said. Harvey nodded and sent Rose a smile before backing off together with the other man.

Raphael looked Rose from head to toe, basically undressing her from her white bodycon. The white only making more attractive to him as it stood for her pureness and virginity.

"Can I help you?" She asked with a slight attitude.

"You can," he said and took off his sunglasses to tuck them in his dress shirt. It revealed his beautiful green eyes that went extremely well with his olive skin.

"And you are?"

"Raphael Ambrosios," he held out his hand and she put hers in his, only for him to bring it to his mouth and kiss her knuckles, his scruff tickling her hand.

"And?" She asked impatiently, not showing the fact that she was extremely flattered he had kissed her hand.

"Your father owes me money, a lot of money."

She was shocked as to how her dad could owe someone like him money. It always seemed as if he worked really hard and didn't want anyone else's money but his own hard earned cash. "And what do I have to do with that? You know, he's around here, if you want to sp-"

"I know he's here," he cut her off.

"Then what do you need me for?"

"I want you. If you'll be mine, your father doesn't lose his house. If you decline my offer, well, dear ol' George will be homeless," he shrugged, getting straight to the point as if it was nothing.

Rose laughed, loudly, catching a few glimpses from others. When she looked at him, he was staring at her with a blank expression. "Oh, you're serious?"

"I don't see how the fact your father owes me hundreds of thousands and potentially could get homeless is a joke to you."

"Oh..." Rose mumbled. That's when it actually hit her that this was indeed very serious and now the ball was in her court. "What do you want me to do about it? Are you going to be my pimp or something?"

Raphael laughed a laugh that was sincere. 'Attractive' Rose thought. "No."

"Then what is it you want from me? Please, be more specific and detailed."

"I told you, I want you to be mine. As in girlfriend, fiancée, wife, whatever. If you decline my offer, your father loses all. If you accept my offer, I'll just pretend he paid."

Rose remained quiet for a while. "For how long?"

"Forever."

She remained quiet again. She really didn't want her parents to lose their house, but she had thought she would spend her life with someone she loved and wanted to be with. Not someone she was forced to be with.
But then again, her parents did everything to provide her and her siblings everything they wanted and needed even when things got tough. So if this was the way to kind of repay them...

"Alright," she whispered.

"What did you say?" Raphael asked, trying his best to hold back a smile.

"I said alright. I'll do it."

He smiled in return and his perfect smile almost made Rose forget how weird this actually was. What if he was a jerk? She'd be stuck with him for the rest of her life unless she'd come up with a plan to make him leave her and leave her parents alone.

"What now?" She asked.

"We get your stuff and you move into your new apartment. Tonight."

"Not tonight! There's this party..." she started but quickly stopped since the look on his face told her he wasn't going to let her go to the party.

He took a few small steps closer to her and removed a few strands of her dark brown hair from her face. It was about armpit length and silky almost, thanks to Denise giving Rose a keratin treatment every once in a while so Rose could be able to tame her hair better.

His scent was full on sexiness to her and being so close to him did all types of things to her body she had never felt this strong before. She felt a sensation in her stomach and her body heat increased.
She was extremely surprised and taken back by his move, especially because they just met each other five minutes ago.

Her being so close to him caused his blood flow to increase. It was difficult for him to remember that they were in public or he would've had her the way he wanted right then.

"We'll leave in an hour, Rose." He turned around and walked away with a big smile on his face, his bodyguards following.

Rose was left stunned. "Raphael," she said to herself. "Raphael."

"Oh my God, Rose! What the hell was that?" Denise snapped her out of her daze.

"I... he..."

"What? Talk!"

"I'll tell you guys later, okay?"

"God, no, tell us now!" Hazel said half jumping up and down.

"Did my parents see this? Paul and Manuel?"

"No, don't think so. They're not around here. Spill the fucking beans. You got touched by fucking Ambrosios."

"I told you I'll tell you guys later. Now let's go get a drink."


"What do you mean you're not coming home, honey?" April asked her daughter. They had an agreement that Rose would stay with her parents until she had a stable enough income to get a place of her own.

"I found a place to stay," she rushed. She hated lying, especially to her family, but she couldn't tell them that Raphael Ambrosios was now her 'boyfriend' and he'd move her into an apartment.

"Where?" George asked.

"Uh..." she looked down at her feet trying to ignore her parents' impatient glances. "Does it really matter?" She even had no idea where it was and she wasn't about to tell her parents that. They would never let her.

"No, honey, as long as you are safe. I do want to visit sometime," her mother smiled.

"April, what has gotten into you?" George growled. "You are fine with her moving to an unknown to us place?"

"If that's what she wants. She's an adult, she doesn't need to tell us everything."

George tried to stay calm. Ever since Rose turned eighteen, April has been using the "she's an adult" card. It had gotten worse when Rose turned twenty-one. Since then April felt more and more comfortable telling George to calm down since she was now really an adult.

"We're not done talking about this, Rose. I expect you to text me the address by tomorrow afternoon, or you're moving back home."

"But, dad..."

"No buts, Rose! You must be out of your mind to think that I'm going to let you just like that," he semi-yelled. He didn't to get angry at her, she was his little princess, but he was rather protective when it came down to her and wanted to make sure she was safe.

"George, keep your voice down," April tried to soothe her husband through clenched teeth, but that only aggravated him more.

"I cannot believe you, April."

April was about to answer something smart when Rose butted in. "Look, I got to go, okay?" she gave both her parents a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you guys, alright?"

"You better."

"George!" April elbowed her husband. "Call whenever you want, honey!"


She made her way towards the parking lot to see Raphael leaning against an all black Mercedes with tinted glasses.

Raphael ended his phone call as soon as he saw her and opened the door for Rose like a real gentleman. "Entrez."

She slid into the car, to be greeted by rather soft, brown leather seats. After her, Raphael entered the car and sat next to her.

Inside, behind the steering wheel, sat the driver. He had on a suit and hat. He looked at Rose through the mirror and smiled and nodded at her. "I'm Patrick."

"Rose," she smiled back. Patrick turned around a bit and extended his hand to shake Rose's hand. She leaned forward, not noticing she was giving Raphael a great view, and shook Patrick's hand glove covered hand. She sat back down and Raphael started the car. "Where are you taking me? I don't even have my things."

"All taken care of." Raphael stretched his arms and draped them over the top of the seat, going behind Rose a bit. She didn't know if he did this on purpose to try and be smooth, or if he actually just wanted to rest his arm like that, but she stayed the way she was.

She remained silent and stared out of the window the entire ride. Her dad being mad made her think about this twice. It was rather odd she was now in a car with a complete stranger, who was taking her to God knows where, to do God knows what. "Could you stop the car, please?" she asked, to no one really, either Patrick was going to stop or Raphael would make him stop.

Patrick sent a quick glimpse towards his boss through the mirror and Raphael shook his head.

"Stop the car," she demanded slowly. Anxiety almost got the best of her, thinking this was probably the end of her existence as Rose Jasmin Cole. "Please, stop the car," she panicked.

Patrick felt sorry for the girl and really did want to stop after seeing the look in her eyes. He looked at his boss one more time only to see Raphael just staring at him. He too doubted whether to let Patrick stop the car. He nodded his head once and Patrick parked the car on the nearest parking lot.

Rose's breathing got steadier. She got her bag and wanted to open the door until a firm hand on her arm stopped her.

"Do you really want to do this?" Raphael asked. "Just leave?"

"I'm in a car with someone I don't even know. Who knows what you're planning to do with me," she said with fury.

He smiled on the inside, she indeed had no idea what he wanted to do to her, but it was nothing like she thought. He wasn't going to cut her corps in twenty pieces, put it in a garbage bag and throw it in the ocean.

Not at all.

He was thinking about how he would explore every inch and part of her body and making her shiver under his touch and stroke.
Her naturalness added more to her attractiveness to him. Her face wasn't all caked up with make-up and she really didn't need it. Her make-up was rather simple, consisting of lipstick, mascara and some concealer Denise had forced her to wear. Rose wasn't really one for the make-up.

"So you can let go of my arm now."

"Your parents are just one phone call away of being homeless..." he mumbled and she stiffened.

"I'm not crazy. I've been taught not to go in a car with strangers and here I am, with strangers. How do I know you're not going to rape and kill me in an alley?"

"Do I look like the type to rape and kill you in an alley?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

He didn't really seem to be that type of man though he had quite a lot of mystery behind those beautiful green eyes of his.

"No, but-"

"Trust me."

"I don't even know you," she scowled, "this is so weird."

"If you say so," he said with a straight face and got his phone out of his pocket.

"Alright," Rose sighed to prevent him from making that one crucial phone call. She sat back relaxed on her seat, closing her eyes and hoping she would make this alive. She wasn't really that frightened though, she didn't get a weird vibe. But it was just odd...

After quite a short drive they arrived at their destination. Patrick nodded his head in the rear-view mirror towards Raphael and Rose as a goodbye. Rose wanted to open the door to get out of the car, but again, Raphael held her arm firmly stopping her from opening the door. "Allow me." He got out of the car and in a matter of time he had opened the door and extended his hand for Rose to get out.

She had to tilt her head to get a good view of the Class A building in front of her. Raphael placed his hand on the side of her waist and led her towards the entrance of the building. Two doormen stood there, holding the door open for Raphael and Rose, and greeted Raphael with a "Good evening, sir" and smiled towards Rose, assuming she was his arm candy for the time being.

Once inside, the interior was rather chic and luxurious. The marble floor was perfectly mopped, not a stain visible and you were able to see your reflection in it. The ceilings were rather high and the walls were a dark shade, there was a large lounge area that had something modern, but also classic, and on the other side was the reception with about four people behind the desk.

Almost every employee in there greeted Raphael, so Rose soon came to the conclusion that this was his. "It's beautiful," she said during their long stroll towards the elevator. He hadn't removed his hand once from her back and to be honest, she didn't really care nor notice.

Once upstairs, Raphael got a master key-card out of his suit jacket and held the door open for Rose to enter. That's when she found out this wasn't actually really a hotel, but more an apartment building. The inside of the room wasn't designed as a regular hotel room with just a bed, TV, en suite bathroom, optional mini bar, a night stand and a small desk. Not at all, this was a luxury apartment.

It had a light wooden floor, to go with the cream walls and almost matching sofa though the rest was almost a variation of dark accents like the pillows on the sofa. A flat screen hung on the wall and a dressoir stood underneath it, having beautiful flowers on it, adding accents it needed for it not to look abstract. It wasn't at all. It was beautiful and the curtains that were slightly opened, revealed an amazing view over the city.

"Is it yours?" Rose asked in awe.

"It's yours," he smiled, happy about the fact that he had gotten her speechless.

"What do you mean it's mine?" she turned around to look at him. Rose could only dream about having her own, cozy apartment and she was willing to work hard for it. She was supposed to stay with her parents until she had earned enough to move in together with Hazel and Denise since living in a dorm room together was a big success. She could've never dreamt of getting something like this, all to herself.

"Go check your room."

She went to go look for the bedroom and came up on a lot of other things too. He had really done a great job, if he was the one who had done the interior design. Finally she got to the bedroom. It was grey with white, having paintings and pictures adding comfort to it. There stood a queen sized bed and it had a fluffy rug in front of it.

She didn't quite understand why he had told her to go check ''her'' room, because she still had no validation that this was her until she opened the closet. All her clothes were neatly folded or on a hanger in the closet. A further investigation led her to finding the rest of all her things. He wasn't kidding when he told her it was all taken care of.

She went back to the living room where Raphael was seated on the sofa, waiting for Rose to come back. "Do you want something in return?" she asked hesitantly. "Like... I can't pay this."

He grinned, even more attracted to her since she was quite humble about it. He knew that if he'd brought any other woman here and told her this was all hers, they wouldn't hesitate a second and take advantage of it all. "No."

"Why are you letting me stay here then? Do you live her too?"

"I don't live here," he started and got up. "See, I want you to stay here, just because." He walked towards her and slowly removed the strands of hair again that were a bit in the way. Her breathing hitched a bit because his body was rather close. "Tomorrow breakfast. Be ready by ten." He said and left.

He felt like doing some sort of victory dance, him not being the type to show emotions that much.

Once she was all settled, she ordered something to eat and afterwards snuggled up in her bed with her laptop, looking for a new job since her new home was way too far away from her retailing job.