The Vanishing Rose
He saw the ice, but remembered the fire he loved.
Scarlett
Ryan was testing the limits of my patience. He was persistent, irritating me, clearly wanting to say something but refusing to just spit it out.
“Miller,” I say, my voice sharp with a controlled edge, “will you either tell me whatever it is you’re trying to say, or allow me to work in peace?”
“Uh, well…” He avoids my gaze. “I’m not exactly in a mental state to gauge your reaction right now.”
“That’s it!” I snap, my composure crumbling. “Tell me, or shut up.”
“Fine, fine!” He holds up his hands in surrender. “Parker Tech Solutions has finalized a deal with us. We have a meeting tomorrow at 11 a.m.”
“Parker Tech Solutions, as in…?” I trail off, a cold dread settling in my stomach.
“Mr. Samuel Keith Parker.”
My mind went blank. My expression, I know, has frozen into a mask of stern neutrality. Samuel?
“Huh?” I manage, rising from my chair, the sound of the word barely audible.
Ryan’s eyes widen. “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, don’t kill me, don’t kill me…” he mutters, as I approach his desk.
I snatch the file from his hands, my fingers trembling almost unnoticeably, and begin to analyze the details. My mind races, trying to process the information.
“Sure,” I say, my voice flat and emotionless, returning the file to his desk. “I’ll be ready tomorrow.” I maintain the most blank, impassive face I ever managed.
He lets out a shaky breath, clearly surprised by my calm reaction. His eyes, however, still held a flicker of suspicion.
“Really? Just… sure?” he asks, his voice laced with concern. “You’re… okay with this?” He leans forward slightly, his gaze searching mine. I avoid his eyes, trying not to let my guard slip.
“I’m your brother and best friend, Rosie. If you want, I can handle this meeting. You don’t have to-”
“What are you worried about?” I interrupt, my voice cutting through his concern. “It’s a meeting with a human, Ryan. A business meeting. There’s no one I know there.”
He blinks, his expression shifting from worry to confusion. “Did you… did you even hear the name? Samuel-”
“I don’t know him personally.” I repeat, my tone dismissive. I turn away, pretending to rearrange the papers on my desk, anything to avoid his stare.
“If this is how you want to play it.” He hesitates for a moment, then adds quietly, “Just… be careful, okay? I don’t want you to be broken, like… before. I’m attending the meeting along with you, anyway.” He stands, and leaves the room.
The next day, the day of the meeting. I walk into the private café with its plush, velvet seating and soft lighting. The entire space had been booked exclusively for our meeting.
I walk in, my grip on Ryan’s hand tightening. I force my face into the most neutral expression I could muster, a mask of professional detachment, a mask that I was used to putting on.
Samuel, seated at a table, suddenly straightens himself, as he takes in my presence. I know he is about to speak something from the past, so after we sit down, I immediately speak.
“Good morning, Mr. Parker.”
“Good morning, uhm, Ms. Scarlett.” he began, unfamiliar with the new name, his voice laced with a nervousness yet warmth. “Rose, can we-”
“Only business matters, Mr. Parker.” I interrupt, my voice sharp, cutting through his attempt at familiarity. “I have another meeting to get to, so I hope we can wrap this up quickly.” I put the phone which was in my hand into my pocket.
Samuel blinks, a momentary flicker of surprise in his eyes, as if he couldn’t quite believe my words. Then, he leans back in his chair, a subtle smirk playing on his lips. “As you both know, Parker Tech Solutions has recently secured a contract with Global Dynamics, a client of a larger scale.” He pauses. “To execute this project effectively, we require the expertise, employees and resources your company possesses. That’s why I’m here.”
I raise an eyebrow, my gaze fixed. “And what, exactly, do you propose, Mr. Parker?” My voice was revealing nothing of the emotions that have been swirling inside, as I gaze into his eyes.
He pauses, as for a sudden moment, time slows, the background blurs, and we get lost into each other’s eyes, just as we did years ago. Ryan clears his throat, deliberately and I force myself to look away.
“A partnership.” Samuel replies, his eyes avoiding mine. “A joint venture for this client. We’ll pool our resources, share the workload, and of course, split the profits.”
“And what would that split look like?” Ryan asked.
“Initially, we were looking at a 70/30 split, with Parker Tech Solutions taking the larger share.” Samuel states, his tone stern, still avoiding my gaze.
My lips curl into a thin smile. “70/30?” I said, sarcastically chuckling. “Based on what calculation, Mr. Parker?”
“Our contribution to the project, of course,” Samuel says, as if what he was saying wasn’t impractical. “We secured the client, we have the initial framework, and we are doing most of the management.”
“And what, exactly, is our contribution?” I ask, my voice dangerously soft, yet portraying no emotion, neither anger nor annoyance. Samuel looked confused with my tone. “Our specialized software, our integrated systems that are necessary for the job, and our highly skilled programmers, which are known to be the best in the industry.”
Ryan adds, “And the fact that the client is requiring a smooth integration with CodeSpark Co’s systems. Without us, the deal is impossible.”
Samuel’s smile falters slightly. “Those are… valid points.”
I lean forward, my elbows on the table, my fingers intertwined, my eyes gleaming with analytical intensity, a hint of steel beneath the voice, as I say the words slowly, to make a point. “We are a vital component of this partnership. Without us, the deal falls apart.”
“We are also taking a huge risk.” I say, as I keep searching for disadvantages that we take in by signing this contract. “We will have to shift our teams, and re-allocate resources. We will have to make sure that our systems can integrate with yours, and that will cost time and money.”
“I understand your concerns.” Samuel says. “Perhaps we can adjust the figures. 60/40?”
I chuckle. “Mr. Parker, we are not negotiating for spare change. We are discussing a venture that will define the future of both our companies. We are looking for a 50/50 split, which is still a loss for us considering the fact that we provide almost everything.”
Ryan nods in agreement. “That’s a fair and equitable arrangement.”
Samuel pauses, his gaze fixed on me. “Very well.” He concedes, a hint of grudging respect in his voice. “A 50/50 split. We have a deal.”
I extend my hand, my expression neutral. “Excellent. I look forward to a successful partnership.” Samuel shook my hand, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. “As do I, Ms. Scarlett.”
Samuel
The silence in the car as I drove to my office is deafening, my mind replaying that meeting in my head. My jaw is still clenched, like I’m physically holding back the tornado of questions and disbelief that threatened to erupt.
50/50. She strong-armed me into a 50/50 split like it was the most natural thing in the world. The Rose I remembered would have at least offered a small smile, a hint of understanding for my position. But that woman in the sharp suit… she was ice. Pure, cold ice.
Her eyes… God, her eyes. The kind you could mistake for jet-black from afar, but up close, they were a startling deep, dark blue — blue ice. I searched them for a flicker of the warmth I used to know, the excited spark in her eyes.
But there was nothing.
Just a cold, scrutinising, analytical assessment, as if I were nothing more than a normal client for a business deal. It stung, more than I cared to admit, a sharp, unexpected stab right to the heart.
Seeing her again after all these years was a jolt, reminding me how much she had changed as I took in her composed presence, her polished appearance, and that chilling aura.
Not the kind of heartless cold that warns, ‘I’ll fire you if you misplace a digit.’ but the kind that silently, darkly threatens, ‘Cross your boundaries, and you’ll face the consequences.’
Her lips pressed together, as she did calculations at an inhuman speed. Emotionless. No smile, not even the slightest flicker in her beautiful eyes. The only hints of emotion — glimpses to show there was a human behind that cold exterior — was her clenching her jaw, when her gaze met mine, and again when she was deep in her calculations.
I couldn’t read her, couldn’t understand her. It wasn’t the same, she wasn’t the same.
The meet was nothing like I expected, I expected her to talk to me, expected sadness or anger at me. I expected Ryan to handle the deal too, but she did everything, single-handedly.
I expected her warm self, her smile, even though not for me, but after the meeting also she was the same, with Ryan, with her P.A., with everyone. I didn’t see a glimpse of her old self. What happened to her?
I kept replaying the moment I called her “Rose.” The almost unnoticeable tightening of her lips, the immediate correction to “Scarlett.” It was a clear message that she didn’t want to talk about the past.
She called me Mr. Parker. Not Sam. Not even Samuel. But I was her Sam. Not a old-sounding Mr. Parker who was a stranger to her.
And yet, the way our eyes met, that brief moment, was that just my imagination? Even when I got lost in her eyes, all I saw was coldness and a flicker of… sadness?
That Ryan, the way he stood protectively by her side, the almost unspoken understanding that seemed to pass between them. He was glaring at me oce or twice, holding her hand as he walked into the room. It was like I was the outsider now.
You were the outsider, idiot.
Jealousy washed over me. Yes, I am jealous. I admit it. Who was he to her? More importantly, what was I not anymore?
50/50 wasn’t a bad deal, objectively. But the way she negotiated, the almost dismissive ease with which she countered my every point… it wasn’t just about the percentages.
It was about her. It was about the brick wall between the girl I loved and the woman she had become.
Both personalities had nothing alike. Nothing.
I grip the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white with the death grip. I needed to talk to her. I needed to understand what had happened to us, to the connection we shared.
Ignoring it, letting this cold silence grow, it would eat me alive. I won’t get a moment of peace until I talk to her, really talk to her.
I have to see her again, outside the company, and find some trace of the Rose I knew, before she vanished completely into this impenetrable Scarlett.
A misunderstanding, a threat, created pain and separation. A breakup of the truest love ever existed. Saving each other was the true goal.
There’s a lot more to this. Filled with twists and turns, my book, The November Snow was a huge sensation before I unpublished it myself due to reasons.
Short excerpts will be posted.
Writing ignites a spark within me, and I write to feel alive. My emotions overflow in my writing. This is SparkleMagic, an author on multiple platforms.
If you liked this article, please shower your love with fifty claps or a follow, or just a comment to brighten my day.
