To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 33

Her grandfather turned to Rose, the warmth in his eyes vanishing in an instant.

"Ryan's gone. I've had no will to live since. Why are you clinging to me? Is it because you can't let go of this life—someone to take care of you, everything handed to you on a silver platter?"

"That's not it! I'm just worried that soon we won't even have money for groceries, or—"

Rose tried to defend herself, but her grandfather cut her off.

"You're only forty-five! Don't tell me you can't find work! Go wash dishes at a restaurant if you have to—you won't starve."

"Dad," Rose protested, "after all these years, I finally don't have to break my back for a living. I spent thousands at the spa to get my skin looking this good. I can't go back to that life."

Her grandfather's brows knitted instantly.

"We're not some wealthy family, Rose. You're just an ordinary woman. Why waste all that money on beauty treatments?"

Rose ran her fingers over her perfectly styled hair. "What if my soulmate still hasn't shown up? I can't risk it."

Her grandfather clutched his chest, exasperated.

Elara stepped in quickly. "Grandpa, she's just joking. Don't take her seriously."

"Elara, I—" Rose started to insist she meant every word, but Elara shot her a look so sharp she choked the rest back.

Her grandfather took Elara's hand in his, his grip frail but firm.

"If Ryan hadn't passed so soon, none of this would fall on your shoulders. Listen to me, Elara. We didn't raise you for payback. Don't throw away your future on a family that isn't even yours. Don't let your life get derailed because of us. Cough…cough…"

Elara saw his lips turning blue and quickly fetched his medication, helping him take it.

"Dad, enough with the pride. This house is about to be bulldozed, and they're only offering five grand in compensation. If Elara leaves the Vincent family, who's going to buy us a place to live?"

He caught his breath and glared at Rose. "I'll sleep on a park bench, and you can go rent some cheap motel room—how's that?"

Rose was supporting her grandfather at the gate, standing defiantly between the men and the house.

A blond punk pointed at her grandfather and sneered, "Old man, this place is condemned. Even giving you five grand is charity. Don't get in the way of the new luxury hotel. This place comes down tomorrow, one way or another."

Her grandfather was trembling with rage, struggling to speak. "The foundation alone is worth more than fifty grand! You're just robbing us!"

The punk just grinned. "Yeah, we're robbing you. What's an old man like you need money for, anyway? You've got no one left—might as well die and get it over with."

Rose spat at him, her face flushed with anger. "You're the one with no future! Your whole family—every man in it is useless, and the women are empty-headed. You must've been raised by the wild dogs out back."

Her words hit their mark, and the thugs bristled.

"Knock the house down!" the blond shouted.

As the bulldozer's shovel rose, Elara dashed forward, throwing herself between the machine and her family.