Choose pink roses.
Jean Luc wasn't surprised when Gaël asked to speak to him in his study as soon as they returned home. And the moment the door closed behind him, his brother didn't waste time confronting him.
"Emilia told me Etienne had her blood tested, and that we happen to be a near-perfect match. Is it true?"
"Yes."
Gaël's expression hardened. "And your reason for withholding such information from me?"
"I wanted to wait until after Laura's wedding—-"
Gaël swore under his breath. "For God's sake, Jean Luc. Why? Do you actually think I still have feelings for that bitch?"
"I believe you do, yes."
"That's fucking insane," Gaël roared. "I hate that bitch—-"
"And is hatred not a feeling?"
"Goddammit, Jean Luc! Don't play these fucking games with me. I have every fucking reason to hate Laura, and you know it. She killed our daughter. Your niece. Have you forgotten that?"
Jean Luc's own face was ashen by the time his brother finished speaking. "None of us has forgotten that, Gaël. We might never be able to properly conceive the magnitude of your pain, but she was our flesh and blood, too. Her death hurt all of us. It still hurts to this day. And that's why I know your pain and anger at Laura might make you do something you'll regret later on."
Gaël's anger turned into fury at the realization that his own brother believed he could be so impetuous. "Give me some fucking credit! Are you thinking that just because I know Emilia Moretti is my near-perfect match, I'll offer to marry her and choose the same fucking wedding day as Laura's to publicly humiliate her? Do you truly fucking think, just because I know Laura's ego means everything to her, I'll plan my own fucking grand wedding just to force all of her guests to ditch hers—-"
"It seems you already have a plan," his brother pointed out.
"FUCK!"
Jean Luc was unbothered even as Gaël's fangs flashed out in his rage. His younger brother might be deadly in the battlefield, but they were family. Nothing in this world, not even the greatest betrayal, could make them raise a hand against the other.
"Hurting Laura will not bring Rosey back," Jean Luc stated quietly, "and marrying Emilia will be no different from cutting your nose to spite your face."
"I know that," Gaël grated out. "Do you truly think I don't know that?"
Jean Luc, seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere with his brother, tried another tack. "What about Juliette?"
Gaël stiffened.
"Severin told me he saw you in Juliette's bedroom this morning."
"It's not what he thinks," Gaël said curtly.
"Are you saying she's still a virgin?" The flush in his brother's face was answer enough, and Jean Luc chose his next words with care, not wanting to make Gaël feel he had anything to prove. "I just want you to think about your ward. Think about how life can and will change for you and Juliette...before you make any decision."
JEAN LUC'S WORDS WERE like poison again, and for the first time since accepting Juliette's offer to give him her sangferia, Gaël deliberately kept himself from visiting his ward...even when all he could think of was her.
His older brother obviously thought that finding out Emilia Moretti was his near-perfect match would leave him burning for vengeance, and perhaps...if this had happened even just a week ago, that would have been exactly the case.
His hatred for Laura would have made him seek a strategic alliance with Emilia, and he might also have been bitter enough to ensure that their wedding - if it indeed came to that - would fall on the same date as his ex-wife's.
Things, however, were different now.
Instead of giving a fuck about everything that was right with Emilia or everything that was wrong about Laura, all he could think about was Juliette...and he had no fucking idea why that was.
Logic told him that he should discontinue his agreement with his ward and pursue a new one with Domenico Moretti's sister. But if he were to give his ward up, wouldn't that mean letting another man touch her?
The idea alone made him want to commit murder, and the fact that it did only made Gaël feel more restless.
In a bid to clear his mind, Gaël decided to pay a visit to his baby girl. In honor of his daughter's memory, Gaël had hired the world's best landscape artist to design a rose garden at the back of the house, and an adjacent gazebo had also been constructed to serve as the landmark for her grave.
Gaël expected to be alone as he followed the paved stones leading to Rosey's resting place, but his steps came to an abrupt halt when he saw a a familiar figure seated next to her tombstone.
"Juliette?"
His ward was visibly stunned at hearing his voice, and she rose to her feet in clumsy haste. "G-Gaël."