𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐑 ᵐⁱᶜʰᵉᵃˡ ᵍʳᵃʸ

014

ROSALIE STORMED INTO THE HOUSE, slamming the door. "What on earth are you doing," she shouted at James as she walked into his office. "One of your men grabbed me. Why are you sending people to escort me home?"

"You are no longer allowed to associate yourself with the Shelby family,"

Her lips parted, her heart dropping. "And that includes Polly Gray's son. I know about the secret phone calls, the meet ups. I know everything. And it is to happen no more!"

"You can't do that." she shook her head, her eyes stinging.

He ignored her.

"You can't do that to me!" she shouted.

"Your five month vacation can come to an end, right this second. You are to cut contact with the boy."

"No," Rosalie's voice was shaking. "No, i refuse to stop seeing him. You cannot ruin this one good thing i have. I will not let you," she pointed a finger at him.

James slammed his fist into the table. "Rosalie i am not arguing about this. We will banish you off to Italy if it means you are away from him."

"Then so be it, father, but I will not risk losing something so special. I refuse. You can send me off to Italy, you can send me to France, but I am not following this order."

Before he could say another word, she turned.

Rosalie took a deep breath, turning and practically running to her room, lifting her dress from the floor. The door slammed and she held her chest, letting an angry tear fall from her eye.

Her hand shakily hovered over the telephone. She held it up to her ear, letting it ring.

"Hello?" Michael's voice spoke. "Micheal," she whispered, looking up and blinking.

"Rosalie?" he asked. She stayed silent for a few moments, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Rosalie what has happened?"

"Nothing, i am fine, do not worry." she croaked.

"Rosa, talk to me."

"I just wanted to hear your voice, thats all. I'm sorry," she apologised again. "What? What do you mean, i only saw you earlier? Rosa?"

"Micheal i'm sorry..i have to go" She said, hearing the door slam downstairs.

"Rosalie, i love you. Don't do this. Talk to me, i can help you" He said quickoy, not thinking.

I love you. The sentence echoed in her head. Rosalie slammed the phone down, collapsing onto her bed and closing her eyes. Her breath remained shaky as her head spun.

She was unsure as to why she had called Micheal, Rosalie had panicked.

A feeling flooded through her, a sharp pain in her chest. She stood, leaving her room and going back down the stairs.

Anna froze, seeing her distraught daughter.

"What has happened." Anna stood tall. "He, that man," Rosalie pointed, "Is trying to ruin everything, like per usual, mother."

"I am protecting you," he tried to correct.

"He loves me!" Rosalie shouted, her eyes stinging again. "And i love him, father, for the first time in my life, i have someone. And you are ripping that away from me. Tell me why."

"It is for your own good, Rosa."

"I'm begging, tell me why you have to do this to me." she shouted, her face wet with tears.

Anna stood, completely shocked. "What have you done?" she asked her husband.

"That boy is a threat to our family. That whole family is. They killed Vincente Changretta, they killed Angel Changretta. We can not risk going to war with them all because you are in love with a Peaky Blinder" he shouted back.

"Go to hell," she hissed.

His hand raised, slapping her. Rosalie turned her head to the side, gasping.

"James," Anna scolded.

Rosalie kissed her teeth, nodding. "Get away from me." she whispered. He stared at her blankly. "As your lady, i demand you move out of my way." Rosalie said. She watched as his face dropped.

He eventually moved from in front of her and watched as she returned upstairs.

Rosalie was angry, she was upset. But for once in her life, she'd refused her fathers orders. No level of threat was going to make her break something that had only just begun.

-

Micheal swallowed hard, placing the phone down as the line went dead. "Who was it?" Polly asked.

"No one, mum." he said, placing two hands on the table and leaning forward. He didn't understand. He was worried as to why she sounded so distressed, surely there was a reason..not that she wanted to 'hear his voice'.

His heart pounded as he ran a hand over his face.

He took a deep breath. Micheal picked the phone up again, dialling her telephone. It rang out. "Fuck." he shouted, pushing the phone off the table and practically throwing a chair across the room.

"What the bloody hell has gotten into you, boy" Polly raised her voice. "If this is over that girl you need to sort it out. Don't start behaving like some animal."

Micheal glanced at her, unsure of what to do.