ROSES HAVE THORNS-Chapter 28 - Man Meets Woman

ring ring

"Welcome! Oh, hi Kurt!"

The time was 18:30pm when Kurt entered Sophie’s Diner.

"Good evening, Cindy." He greeted. "I’ll be honest I didn’t think you guys would still be open."

"Haha... We were supposed to close at six, but Sophie insisted we wait another two hours for you."

"Just for me? Wow, I don’t know if I should feel honoured or if I should feel bad."

"You should feel lucky." Sophie said as she exited the kitchen. "If you had arrived any later than this or if you were a no show, I would’ve hunted you down."

Judging from the tone of her voice Kurt could only assume that she was joking.

’But then again she does seem like the type who would follow through with it.’

"So?" Sophie asked. "Are you eating or not? I’m sure Cindy told you, but we only stay open until six."

"Yes." Kurt answered. "I’m here to eat."

"Good. Then take your seat. I’ll bring you something. Cindy, you can go home, I’ll lock up."

"Ok!" Cindy ran to the breakroom, grabbed her things and left the diner. "Bye, Kurt! See you tomorrow boss!"

"Always so energetic, that girl..." Sophie smiled.

"Say, I didn’t even order, but you said you’re bringing me something. What is it?"

"Just a little experiment I’ve been working on. And you’re going to be my guinea pig. Think of it as compensation for keeping us waiting."

"Well now I have to eat it. I don’t want to make my favourite chef angry now do I?" Kurt flashed her a beautiful smile.

"Smooth tongue you got there. Just don’t try that charming nonsense with the wrong girl or you might end up waking up the next morning with a knife in your stomach."

"Oooou the challenge excites me~"

"Hmph, don’t say I didn’t warn you." Sophie said lastly before entering the kitchen to prepare his food.

While she was busy, Kurt spent the rest of his time fiddling with a silver coin while watching people walk by from out the window.

*meow*

"Hmm?" He heard a familiar sound.

*meow*

Kurt stood up and tried to get a good look out the window.

’I hear him, but I don’t see him.’

scratch scratch

’Oh, he’s just out the door.’

"Hey Sophie!" Kurt yelled into the kitchen. "I’m just gonna step outside for a bit to say hello to my little cat friend! Call me when you’re finished!"

Through the sounds of fire burning and pots turning, Kurt could barely hear her response. But what he could make out was her screaming back, "Sure! Whatever!"

And with that he went to open the door.

’I wonder how the little guy’s doing. I haven’t seen him since yesterday.’

ring ring

What Kurt opened the door to, however, was not the cat. What greeted him instead was a sight he knew he had to face eventually. It was the whole reason he made that deal with Sophie

But not like this.

And certainly not in this unexpected way with no prior preparation.

’D-DIANA?!’

.

..

...

As soon as Mia left the office Diana plopped down in her seat with her hands covering her face. The thought of Mia knowing one of her secrets like that embarrassed her to such an end that she couldn’t concentrate on work and decided to leave early.

’I need to see what Wendy has to say for herself.’

After gathering her things, she locked the door from the inside and teleported to her mansion.

SHWOOSH

......

She arrived at her front door where Wendy stood almost as if expecting her.

"Welcome back Ms. Valentine." She bowed. "I’m happy to see you back home early despite being so busy."

"Wendy... Please come to my room in about 10 minutes. I need to speak with you about something.... Important." Although her mouth was smiling, her eyes certainly were not as she spoke.

"My oh my~" Wendy giggled, "I wonder what this could be about for you to look so distressed."

Not wanting to hear her little remarks, Diana stormed up the stairs that leads to her room.

"Head maid Wendy, is something the matter with Lady Valentine?" A concerned maid walked up to her and asked.

"It’s nothing for you to worry about. Though I will advise you all to prepare yourself, for we might be seeing big changes around here."

.....

"Arrgh!" Diana launched herself onto the bed as she groaned in frustration.

’Calm down Diana. You need to calm down so that you don’t scare any of your workers...’

"...."

"Nnngahhh!" As she thought about Mia and Wendy, two of her closest friends, plotting against her, she threw her pillow to the side and instantly felt embarrassed again.

"I need a drink! Now!" She plopped up from the bed and reached into the back of the bed dresser to grab her secret stash of red wine.

She popped the lid with a suspicious ease and started gulping it in one go.

- 10 minutes later -

knock knock

"Ms. Valentine I’m here as requested."

She waited for a response, but none came.

"I’m coming in Ms."

When she entered the room, she noticed that her bed was a mess. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The bed sheets hung loose off the bed, some pillows were missing and the side dresser was wide open.

"Oh my, it would seem that the Lady’s ’secret’ wine stash appears to be missing."

She looked at the bathroom door, which was ever so slightly open, and walked to it. As she got closer, she could hear a faint hum coming from inside

When she opened the door, she saw her red blazer lying on the ground and a drunken Diana laying in an empty bathtub with her pillows, sipping on an empty bottle.

"Oh Ms. Valentine..."

"Heey! Look who it is! My favourite tattletale!" She waved the empty bottle in the air.

Wendy took the bottle out of her hands and helped lifted her out of the tub.

"Why would you go and do this, my lady. It’s very unbecoming."

"Do you know what else is unbecoming, Wendy?"

Wendy helped guide her to the bed where she could lay down but Diana instead leaned closer and whispered in her ears.

"Spilling about my most private moments to Mia. I’d say that’s very unbecoming. Wouldn’t you agree?"

"Ms. Valentine I only thought to do what was best for you..."

"I trusted you!" She pulled herself out of Wendy’s arms. "How many other people know about this?! And how many other dirty secrets have you told them about me?!"

"...It’s just Mia, myself and your mother. As for how many secrets we have, well your mother has compiled nearly a whole book’s worth. For your future boyfriend/husband."

"My... mother... she... what?" Diana took a few steps back in disbelief. "For how long? When did this all start?"

".... It all started when your mother approached me five years ago."

And so, Wendy began telling the story of how this all started. From when her mother proposed to form a secret group amongst themselves and how Mia was later added to the group in order to jot notes of how she acts at work.

Another job of Mia’s was to always brag about her relationship with Dominik. So that hopefully Diana would eventually grow jealous of her and finally push herself into finding a partner of her own.

"So, you’re saying that my mother is the ringleader of your little club, hey? Ha ha ahahah..."

With all that wine flowing through her system, Diana has lost all reason.

"Ms. Valentine, you don’t look so well. Perhaps you should lay down while I prepare a meal for yo-"

SHWOOSH

"... Oh dear...."

.....

Diana appeared in front of a wealthy estate gate deep inside the city.

"L-Lady Valentine!" A guardsman called. "We weren’t expecting to see you today."

"Is my mother inside?"

"E-excuse me, my lady?" The guardsman was so distracted by the cleavage of her near-fully opened black shirt that her words flew right over his head.

"My mother!" She yelled. "Is. She. Here!?"

Y-yes, my lady! I’ll call her right away!" He left in a hurry.

So, after, a mature looking woman wearing a silky purple nightgown who had the same red eyes and platinum hair that was tied in a neat bun came out the door.

"Diana! What are you doing here screaming like that? You’re making a scene!"

"Hello mother."

"Mother? You never call me that. Are you drunk?" She asked when she noticed Diana’s flushed face.

"I know about your little club, mother."

"Club? Oh- Ooohh." She smiled and held her hand. "Diana sweety, why don’t you come inside. I bet you haven’t eaten yet."

"No!" She pulled her hand back. "Give me the book! I won’t leave this place until you give it to me!" She crossed her arm which pushed up her shapely breasts.

"Diana please, you’re being indecent."

"Give. Me. The. Book!"

"Okay okay, here." She took out a book from between her humongous breasts and gave it to her.

"Why’d you keep it in there!?"

"So that nobody will take it, silly." She giggled.

"Whatever! Not that I care." She held the book in her right hand as she cast a spell to burn it to ashes.

"There see, the book is gone now so why don’t you come inside and we can-"

"No." Diana interrupted her, "I’m hungry. I’m going to Sophie."

SHWOOSH

".... Silly girl didn’t even check what was written." Her mother pulled out another book. "She doesn’t know that she burned a fake." She giggled as she triumphantly walked back into the estate’s mansion.

.......

Diana appeared in front of Sophie’s Diner where she saw a cat scratching on the front door.

’What a cutie.’

Right as she was about to open the door, another person came out from the other side who, in her mind, was the cause of all this drama.

"You–"